The Stagers (17 page)

“I’m so glad you’re home,” she wrapped her arm around his waist as they headed toward the parking lot. “I know you said you’d take a taxi, but I was bored…and horny.”

“Horny enough to make an airport run?” he teased. She lost her step, and his arm around her shoulder steadied her. “Are you okay?” He felt her body shudder against his and directed her toward her truck, a few rows away. When they reached it, he gently pushed her against the side, dropping his carry on, and kissing her full out, hard and fast with nothing held back. Farrin answered his kiss and pushed for more, her hands roaming his back and sides. “You really are horny, or want something…” he half heartedly teased, pulling back to watch her.

The change in her demeanor was apparent. She’d shut down, her gaze at him a glare more than a look. “What? I was teasing. What’s going on?” He braced his hands on the truck, encircling her to his chest.

“Are you still so cynical that a simple airport pickup panics you? I thought we were beyond playing games.” She let out a sigh. “Next time, I’ll let you take the lousy taxi.” She pushed past his arm and unlocked her truck, leaning in to start the ignition and turn on the air conditioning. He could hear her muttering from the other side of the vehicle about doing a good deed and getting lip about it. About being past all the bullshit rules and how she could have been home, lying poolside. It was several minutes before she finally took her seat behind the steering wheel. She glanced across the front seat to him. “Are you coming?”

“Am I still welcome?” He tossed his carry on into the back of the extended cab and took the passenger’s seat. “What more do you want? At least I’m letting you drive.”

“Letting me drive my own truck. You are a strange man, Van Hildrith.”

“Why not tell me what’s really going on, Farrin?” He noted she didn’t talk to him or even glance his way until she was away from the airport traffic and on the main road heading home.

“There’s nothing going on. I simply thought it would be a nice gesture to be waiting for you after a long trip. No alterative motive, just a kind gesture. Believe me, I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Don’t get cranky, I just figured…”

“That I had an alterative motive?”

“I suppose so. I’m sorry I overreacted.” He hated that he put her on the defensive for doing something nice. That was the point, usually alterative motives came with gestures of kindness. Then he reminded himself who he was dealing with.

“Look, I’m used to people wanting something from me.”

“I did, too. I wanted your affection and attention. But you can forget that. My mood has changed.” They drove in silence until she reached his home.

“Are you coming in?”

“No, I think I’ll head home. Tomorrow will be busy at work. With Lyle still away, I need to be at my best.”

“Farrin, going home is punishing yourself and me. I’m sorry I overreacted. Please come in.” He watched her face go through several emotions before she turned to look at him.

“Not today. You’re probably tired. I’ll see you at the new condo site, Tuesday. We can figure out what needs to be done.”

“No buts. I’m just in the mood to be alone now. I’ll be at the shop tomorrow if you need anything.”

“Why not open the door and push me out?” he said, loud enough for her to hear as he opened the truck door.

“I’m not sure what happened while you were away, but I don’t deserve that kind of attitude. I’ll see you Tuesday.”

He stood in his driveway and watched her cautiously pull out onto the road. He stood longer wondering what had happened. She was right, a simple kindness and he overreacted. He’d tried to joke his way out of it, but she’d caught his initial attitude.

Inside, he was revived by the cooled air. Dropping his case inside the bedroom door, he stripped on his way to the pool, pausing to grab a cold beer. He drank half the liquid in one long pull and put it on the table. Diving under the water, he swam laps to calm himself.

When exhaustion took over, he laid on one of the lounges, ignoring the warm beer. “What an ass I am,” he decided, talking aloud to himself. The words fell into place in his mind, and he accepted his attitude was tied to the rings he bought while away.

No one knew about them, so he didn’t have to give them to Lyle or Farrin. Instead, he decided to put them away until he was sure the commitment they represented was his heart’s desire. He thought to call Farrin and didn’t. He didn’t answer when Lyle called from Atlanta.

By the next morning, he felt terrible in too many ways to count. Worst of all, he missed Farrin and Lyle. He was short with his workmen and avoided Lyle’s shop. Tuesday morning, she greeted him at the new staging site as if nothing had happened. He thought to bring up his cynicism but decided to let it go.

In the following weeks, nothing seemed out of sorts but him. Even Lyle had dropped several comments about the stick up his ass and his poor attitude. The house in the Florida Keys was coming along albeit with several questioning stares from the work crew about the layout. Farrin was on top of the bills, paying them on time without question.

It was all so normal, it was abnormal. The only thing different was their sex lives, or their non-existent sex lives. After picking him up at the airport, he hadn’t suggested any meetings with Lyle or Farrin. Both had offered their services in different ways, and he’d turned them both down. He knew through Lyle that the two of them hadn’t continued without him.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The condo was almost ready. Farrin straightened the sofa to line up with the carpet edge. “We’re just about done here. Should we wait for Van or head out?” She gathered her tote bag and gave the place one last look.

“He’ll show up when he wants. I’m not sure what’s wrong with him lately. Ever since his last trip, well, you know.”

“I know none of us is getting laid, and I don’t know why. Lyle, what was such a big deal about picking him up?”

“Some people think there are steps in a relationship. An airport run is a big one.”

“Well, why didn’t you tell me that when I mentioned I planned to do it?” She let the bag drop from her shoulder to the floor. Leaning on the kitchen counter that separated them, she looked at Lyle, waiting for an answer.

“I don’t know for sure, Farrin. He won’t talk to me about it, either. I don’t know. Maybe he’s tired of both of us.”

“I wish he’d be adult enough to tell us. To let us move on if he doesn’t want to be with us. Hell, even we haven’t slept together in the last weeks.”

“Because it would feel like cheating?” Lyle asked.

“It’s more my enthusiasm for sex is gone.”

“Does that have anything to do with the pressure you’re getting from your mother to move home?”

“Probably, but I see her motives clearly. Being away from them for a year has given me perspective. They’re all caught in the same web and can’t move on. I did move on, and that annoys them. I don’t think they expected me to prosper on my own. They just don’t like it.”

“Tell me this, if Van ends his personal relationship with us, does that end our personal relationship?”

“Damn, I hope not. I still want you in my life, in all aspects. But,” she hesitated and ran her hand through the top of her hair, “I don’t think I’m up for another man. With Van, it was natural. I don’t see that happening again. Can you be happy with just me?”

“Absolutely, I can.” Lyle smiled. “We’ll get back to being ourselves. We just have to find a new normal.”

“I’m so glad I didn’t let either of you put money in the house in the Florida Keys. Could you imagine if Van had a vested interest in the house? I’d have to sell it.”

“So that’s why you wouldn’t let us contribute.”

“You contributed. Your expertise is all over the place. I just didn’t let you pay for it. His is, too. The house is structurally sound thanks to him. And I did use both your builder discounts along the way.”

“Come on, I’ll buy you a beer.” They both closed up the apartment and headed out. They had a quiet supper and headed home, alone. The next morning, they were due in the Keys for inspections on the house.

* * * *

Van was there with the inspector when she arrived, Lyle a few minutes behind her. He signed off on the permit without much fanfare. As he left, the three of them were standing in the new kitchen.

“Kind of a let down, don’t you think? I was prepared for all his questions on the upstairs, and got none.” Farrin ran her hand along the newly installed marble counter.

“More of a relief,” Lyle said. “I’m glad that process is over. Now we just need to finish decorating, and we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.”

Farrin cleared her throat, garnering their attention. “Van, are Lyle and I going to appreciate this home by ourselves? Are you walking away, or are you going to tell us what your problem has been these last weeks?”

He stood still, glancing at the new structure around them. When he leaned on the counter, she braced herself for the words she didn’t want to hear. He would leave her.

“I know I’ve been…moody the last weeks. I can only say I had to work through some things on my own.”

“Such as?” Lyle inquired. “We’ve been together for years, and you’ve never taken a mental break like this.”

“I know. I took a break from both of you, us. Ah, hell,” He paced the empty living/dining room area while she and Lyle waited for him to continue. “I’m sorry I’ve been distant. But I couldn’t accept we were going to last, that I’d let myself fall in love again. I don’t have a great history of picking women. They implode after a few months, and I move on. With you two, it didn’t. I kept waiting, and it never happened. We just got better together.”

“That’s what this has all been about, that you like our relationship?” Farrin was confused. “Men, I’ll never understand your species!”

“Neither will I,” Lyle seconded.

Van started to laugh and met them back at the counter. “The truth is,” he pulled a small velvet box from his pant pocket, turning it over in his hand, “I had these made on my last trip. I just didn’t have the balls to make the commitment.”

“So treating us like lint was a test?”

“I didn’t mean to test you, but in the end, I suppose I was. Now I realize I was just wasting time and energy. I don’t want to lose this relationship we’ve carved out. And neither of you has any idea how hard those words are to say.”

“I still don’t get this. Did you get cold feet?”

“Lyle, my feet are never cold. I just needed my space to work this through before…before I offered my commitment.”

He opened the box and placed it on the counter between them. “I designed these and had them made. I just had to offer them in my own time.”

“They’re beautiful,” Farrin said, not taking them from the box.

“What do they mean, Van?” Lyle picked up the box but didn’t take them out, either.

“They’re meant to tell the outside world we’re taken. That in our own strange way, we’ve found a comfortable fit, and it’s permanent.”

“Did he just say permanent?” Farrin asked Lyle.

“I think so. Permanent as in…?”

“As in married if the law would allow. It won’t, so we’ll have our own arrangement.”

“These are wedding rings?” she questioned.

“Yes, if you’ll still have me.”

“On one condition.” Van and Lyle looked at her, waiting for her condition. “The next time you get moody, you have to tell us why. These last weeks have been hell for us. I’ve been tested enough. If you want space, tell us. If you want to be alone, just tell us.”

“No more being alone, for any of us.” Van took the center ring from the box. It was three slim bands twisted together, two yellow gold and one platinum. In the center were three large diamonds. “Farrin, I’m asking you to stay with me, us. This is my commitment to you.” He didn’t wait for an answer, turning to Lyle and taking a second ring from the box. “Lyle, this is my commitment to you.”

“What, no diamonds for me?” Lyle teased, putting his left hand forward, accepting the ring Van slid on his finger. Turning back to Farrin, he reached for her left hand and repeated the process.

Lyle took the third ring from the box and handed it to Farrin. She slid it on Van’s ring finger and let out a sigh. She pulled him close in a hug and reached for Lyle, holding them both tight.

“Thank you, both of you. I’ve never been so happy.”

“Happy and relived,” Lyle added.

She pulled back and used the pads of her thumbs to wipe away a stray tear on Van’s cheek.

“It’s time to celebrate. There’s a bottle of champagne in the cooler in my truck. Should we have it here or back in Miami?” Van asked.

“Definitely here,” she and Lyle said in unison.

* * * *

Two months later, the house was finally finished. Since the day Van presented them with their rings and his promise, they’d found a new normal that worked for all of them. They kept business separate from their private time. But the three of them were still together.

Farrin decided their relationship had grown in directions she hadn’t realized were missing. There was no longer any hesitation between them when it came to sex. They played often and found their own comfortable rhythm. They did make a conscious decision that traveling would include the three of them. When Van went on his trips, she and Lyle tagged along. When Lyle went to the antique auctions, she and Van ventured with him. She’d begun to get a gut feeling for what was right for the store and what wouldn’t sell. Lyle told her often how her input had raised his profit margin.

While they were away, they always stayed together, usually booking adjourning rooms, one they used as a dressing area, the other as a bedroom for three.

Farrin felt happy, comfortable in her own skin and sure of her decisions about her private life. She still got annoying calls from her mother, prompting her to come home. Each call ended with Farrin reminding her mother Miami was her home.

The house in the Keys was finally finished, and they were set to spend their first weekend there. She’d gone on ahead to make sure each detail was perfect. Her men came along a few hours later, ready to enjoy the pool, beach, and companionship. She decided since it was technically her home, she would stage their first night there.