Authors: Kate Aster
“Mm, yeah. Earlier tonight. Told me I
better not lead you on. I’m not doing that, am I?”
“God, no, Mick. You’ve been completely
straightforward. I’ll talk to her.” She eased back into the center of his broad
chest and caressed the muscles that spanned out to his arms. “I know you’re not
wanting anything that extends past this job and I’m fine with that.”
“You are?”
“Of course.”
Beneath her, Mick shifted his weight in
the plush mattress. “So you wouldn’t want to try to extend this after I get
orders to go someplace else? You haven’t thought about that at all?”
“Not a bit.”
“Okay.” There was a brief silence. “I
need something to eat. Want something?”
“Some water would be great,” Lacey said,
suddenly anxious to be alone to gather her thoughts. She watched him pull on
some shorts and leave the bedroom.
Liar! she thought the moment he walked out
the door.
What a liar I am!
She drew up her knees and hugged herself,
somehow needing the comfort of the human touch, even if it was only her own. She
could hear the creaking of the staircase as he went downstairs, and found
herself feeling more alone with each step he took.
Liar.
A life with Mick was
all
she had
thought about from the moment their bodies had first joined. Every moment spent
with him, she was wondering in the back of her mind how she could possibly
stand the emptiness when he left her.
Was this love? Lacey knew she loved him as
a friend, but was it the type of love that two people built a life—a world—around?
Was it that elusive love that seemed to
reach beyond definition? The kind that made two people grow old together,
watching sunsets and holdings hands, blind to the gray hairs and wrinkles, like
Maeve had always described her grandparents?
Lacey let out a little snort. What did it
matter? He was leaving anyway.
She was lying to herself and to him every
time she promised that she’d be fine after he left. She’d be a basket case. Lacey
slapped her thigh. This was exactly why she had told herself not to get into a
relationship while she was building a career this time. Because everything
would fall apart when Mick left.
And he
would
leave, she thought
remorsefully, even angrily, as she looked over at the medals he always left scattered
on his dresser. It was the Navy first with Mick.
Fine. Two could play at that game. If she
was going to fall apart when he left, then she better build a hell of a strong
career before then so that it could survive the blow of his departure.
Maybe it was time for her to overcompensate
a bit—work even harder at her job just to prepare for future pitfalls. She
knew just how to get started, remembering the funeral tomorrow morning that
Bess had read about in the obituaries.
She grabbed her clothes and started
getting dressed just as Mick walked into the room.
“I thought you were staying the night.”
“I can’t, Mick. I remembered something I
have to do for work tomorrow morning. I’m sorry, but it’s really important.”
“Is it something I can help with?”
“No. But thanks.” She kissed him, savoring
the feel of his lips against hers.
Yes, she might not survive when he left
her. But, by God, her career would.
Alone in the kitchen, Bess clicked the
button on Maeve’s phone and looked at the caller ID.
Unknown name. Unknown number.
Not that unusual, she consoled herself. But
something about the voice had sent a chill down her spine. It wasn’t Dan on the
other end. It didn’t sound like him. Besides, Dan wouldn’t be asking for Lacey.
She gave herself a little shake and dipped
her spoon again into the brown sugar bag. She swore that she could feel the
enamel on her teeth rotting away, but she didn’t care. When she saw the fresh bag
in the cabinet, it was calling her.
Giving in completely, she moved her sugar
feast to the kitchen table wishing she had thought to get a glass of milk
before she sat down. Getting out of a chair was getting harder these days.
Lacey walked into the kitchen, face curled
up in revulsion. “I’ve never seen anyone eat raw brown sugar before.”
“Cut me some slack. I’m pregnant.”
“I’ll bet you used to do that before you
were pregnant.”
Bess grinned. “You’re right. Hey, someone
just called for you. I offered to take a message, but he said he’d call you on
your cell.”
“Huh.” Lacey pulled out her phone and checked
for messages. “Didn’t get any calls. What’s the caller ID say?”
“Unknown name. Unknown number.”
Lacey shrugged. “Oh well. He’ll probably
call later. You’re home early today.”
“My afternoon house cancelled because one
of the kids is sick. They didn’t want me to catch something. Would you mind
getting me some milk?”
Lacey pulled a glass from the cabinet. “That
was nice of them to tell you.”
Bess nodded, patting her belly. “Yeah. Gotta
stay as healthy as I can.”
“Eating nutritious things like raw brown
sugar,” Lacey finished for her.
“Hey, no additives. A pure snack.”
Lacey sat down and kicked off her heels. “Explain
that to your dentist.”
“How about you? Why are you home early?”
“I was at a funeral. Didn’t make sense to
bother going into the office after.”
“That’s your second one this week,” Bess
noted.
“A lot of rich people seem to die in the
winter.” Lacey sighed. “But it looks like I got a waterfront listing out of a
funeral I went to last month.”
“Really? That’s great!”
Lacey pulled her hair out of its clip. “Not
just great—fantastic. It’s right on the Bay in a gated community. If I
can sell this one, it will be more than I’ve made in an entire year in my
life,” she said, putting particular emphasis on the last three words. “I’m
meeting with the homeowner tomorrow morning to sign the papers. It was her mom
that passed away—ninety-seven years old, and she had been living with her
for years, taking care of her. So now she’s selling the house and moving to
Hawaii.”
“Hawaii?”
“Yep. It’s been her lifelong dream. She’s
so excited. Nice to sort of see a happy ending come from a funeral I crashed
for a change.” She stretched out her legs in front of her. “Mick is taking me
out to celebrate tonight. What are you up to?”
“I’m going to the mall to buy a crib, if I
can just get the energy.”
Lacey’s face froze. “Really. Hmm. Well,
which one did you pick out?”
“The most utilitarian one,” Bess said with
a bit of a scowl.
“Oh, you mean the cheapest.”
Bess sighed. “Yeah. But it will do the
trick.”
Lacey’s voice was strangely uneasy. “Um,
why not join us for dinner instead? Mick’s buying, you know. You can really
soak him.”
Bess laughed. “Thanks, no. I have to get
this done. I have so little energy after a day of work, and it’s only going to
get worse.”
Lacey all but physically blocked her path
out of the kitchen. “Well, if you know what style you want, why don’t you just
show me online, and I can pick it up for you?”
“It’s too much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Bess. Really. You
need to get rest when you can.”
Bess paused. They really were too
protective of her. But her puffy feet stretching her old Nikes to capacity prodded
her to say, “You really wouldn’t mind?”
“I love any excuse to go shopping. Besides,
I have to go check out the baby stuff if I’m going to find something cute for
the little girl when she gets here.”
“You guys really don’t have to get us
anything. We’ll be fine on our own.”
Lacey rolled her eyes. “Will you quit it? You’ve
already made us swear we won’t throw you a baby shower. You better not deprive
us of doing a little baby shopping.”
Tears filled Bess’s eyes. “I really don’t
deserve you guys.”
“Oh, honey,” Lacey said, her voice
catching. “Yes, you do. Yes, you really do.”
***
“So tell me all about the possible
listing.” Mick’s grin was wide, as he took her hand in both of his.
Sitting side by side in the secluded high-backed
booth of a dimly lit restaurant, they were hidden enough from other patrons
that Lacey was tempted to curl up on his lap.
“It’s gorgeous. Waterfront. Gated
community.” Lacey shook her head, still unable to believe her own good fortune.
“People will be clamoring for it. The properties in this community just don’t
come on the market that often.”
“So how did she find you?”
Lacey’s heart nearly stopped. “I’m sorry. What?”
“How did you get the client? Was it a
referral or something?”
Unable to lie, she blurted, “You know, I
really shouldn’t even talk about it until the contract is signed tomorrow. I
might jinx it.”
Mick shook his head with a smirk. “You’re
so superstitious.”
“Can’t help it.” Lacey attempted to smile.
“Well, contract or not, you should be
proud she even called you. Your name is obviously getting out there.”
And you have no idea how, Lacey thought
grimly, fighting the urge to come clean.
“Your career is really taking shape,” Mick
continued, rubbing her hand with pride, apparently unaware of the moral war
waging in Lacey’s head.
“And how about you?” Tugging her hand free
and reaching for her wine glass, Lacey tried to divert attention from herself. The
guilt was suffocating. “How are your plans shaping up to get you back on the
road to San Diego?”
Mick gave a slight nod of thanks to the
waitress as she put the cheese fondue in front of them. “Actually,” he began, refilling
Lacey’s glass from the half-empty bottle of wine, “I may have some good news
myself before the school year is out.”
“Really?”
“There’s an Admiral I knew when I was
stationed in Rhode Island. He’s in Qatar now, but heading to the Pentagon in a
couple months to do some briefs. We’ve got dinner on the schedule.” Mick took a
sip of his drink. “I’m hoping he might be able to pull a few strings and get me
out of this job early and into something better for my career.”
“Like in San Diego?” Lacey’s heart was
sinking.
“Not likely there right away. But he needs
an EA in Qatar for the rest of his tour there. And that will look a hell of a
lot better on my résumé than what I’m doing now.”
Lacey pressed her lips together. She knew
he’d be going. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to her. “That would be great,
Mick,” she said, forcing a smile. “I have to admit. I was getting pretty used
to having you close by, though.”
He took her hand. “Qatar wouldn’t be long.
No more than a year. Then I’d be back stateside, hopefully on the West Coast. We
could—”
She pulled her hand from his. “Stop, Mick.
We both knew where this was going. I don’t need patronizing. I’m going to be so
busy with business, I’ll barely notice you’re gone.”
Mick frowned slightly. “I hope you’ll
notice a little.”
“Of course I will. We’ll still email and
get together anytime we can. We promised we’d keep the friendship going,
right?”
“Right,” Mick responded, his brow furrowed
as he reached for a chunk of bread. “Besides it’s too early to think about it
right now. I haven’t even talked to him yet.”
“Exactly,” Lacey agreed. She took a hearty
sip of her wine, as though to fortify herself against the feelings welling up
inside her.
He’s leaving.
A timely reminder. Just as she was debating whether to
confess the funeral crashing scheme that had brought him into her life.
That would have been foolish, she could
hear Vi’s voice saying. Even though Mick would not vindictively undermine her
career, he would feel obligated to at least tell Edith. And one slip from her
to one of her well-connected friends, and Lacey’s entire career could shatter
to pieces.
***
Maeve glanced up when she heard the door
open. “I thought you were staying the night at Mick’s.”
“Changed my mind,” Lacey said, trying to
sound indifferent.
Maeve raised her eyebrows. “Trouble?”
“No. Just confusion.”
“Ah. That I can relate to,” she said,
turning so that Lacey could see the oil painting she was holding in her hands. “What
do you think of it?”
Lacey struggled to not cringe. “Um. What
is it?”
“Well, I was so inspired by that
ultrasound—excited, really. So I commissioned my favorite artist to do a
rendering in pink to match the room.”
“That was… thoughtful, Maeve.”
“But it’s hideous. Go ahead and say it. I
mean, God—it looks like a pink alien swimming in plasma.” Maeve cracked a
smile and burst out laughing as her eyes met Lacey’s.