Garrett told about his wife’s dream of owning a B and B, and he talked about his daughters. By the time they heard the car doors in the parking area, they had gleaned quite a bit of knowledge about each other.
Lauren took Nocchi for a little walk around the grounds, while Garrett went into the house to greet everyone. When Lauren stepped inside, she heard the chatter coming from the house and hoped it wouldn’t be that noisy all the time. She really did need some peace and quiet. They were still standing around talking when she walked into view. The moment everyone saw her, all talk came to a complete stop.
Lauren scooped Nocchi into her arms, more for comfort than propriety, and looked up. “Hello.” The odd mix of women looked none too friendly, from her point of view. Of course, she had to tell herself she was stressed and probably overreacting.
The wide grin on Garrett’s face encouraged her. Everyone looked from him back to her. He walked to her side and gently grabbed her arm, a gesture everyone seemed to notice. “Ladies, I want you to meet Lauren Romey.”
A cold chill seemed to sweep across the room like an arctic blast. No one in the room was smiling but Garrett. She didn’t know what was going on, but there was a definite competitive feel in the air.
“Hello,” she said.
Garrett gently guided Lauren around the room. “Lauren, this is Gracie Skinner.” Lauren felt a trifle intimidated by the tall, thin beauty with perfect hair and teeth. This woman could model for any upscale New York agency. Lauren wondered why Gracie would be at the B and B, and decided she must need a break, too. “Gracie comes from Castle Mountain, Tennessee,” Garrett said.
“My, my, what a funny little dog,” Gracie said, pointing at Nocchi’s hat.
Why couldn’t anyone appreciate Nocchi’s upscale appearance?
Gracie locked eyes with Lauren. “Howdy, Lucy.”
“Um, it’s Lauren,” she corrected.
“Oh,” Gracie said with a fake laugh, “ain’t I bad?” She waved her hand and walked away.
Suddenly the woman didn’t look so beautiful.
Garrett pulled Lauren to the next woman. “This is Ellen Little from Tangly, Ohio.” Though she was a bit skinny, the woman’s red hair had a shine that could rival a washed apple. She put a hand to her meager chest and took a deep breath. Behind her trendy glasses her eyes were an interesting green, almost the color of a budding leaf. After pushing her glasses back up her nose, for a fleeting second she lifted her eyes and upturned mouth. “Hello,” she said in a near whisper, barely extending her hand. Maybe she was intimidated by Miss Model’s presence, too.
Moving on down the line, Garrett said, “This is Billie Gibbons from Goosefield, Montana.”
“Hello,” Lauren said, thinking an attacker would be hard-pressed to take on this one. Still, the way the woman’s brown hair curled around her eyes and face made her appear soft and reachable.
“How ya doing, kid?” Billie asked, pulling Lauren and Nocchi into a bear hug and giving Lauren a stiff pat on the back. She wondered if she ought to cough in response. Nocchi squirmed, no doubt to get some air.
“This is Nikki Spartan from San Francisco.” This one scared Lauren. Her skin was as pale as bleached muslin, yet she seemed to have a thing for black—black spiked hair with blond tips, black lipstick and a black leather jacket and pants. Lauren felt as if she should be searching her pocket for pepper spray while she tried not to stare at the woman’s silver nose ring.
The woman’s lip curled in typical Elvis fashion. “Nice dog,” she said with a grunt.
Okeydokey, Lauren thought, mentally rolling her eyes. She was ready to make a hasty retreat to her room.
“And these are my daughters,” Garrett said with obvious pride, pointing to two strikingly beautiful teenagers. Their friendly faces made her instantly feel better.
“This is Macy, who will be leaving me and going off to college in the fall.”
“Hello,” Macy said.
Lauren beamed at the budding woman standing before her. Black ringlets started at her crown and spiraled down to her shoulders. Her fringed curls stopped short of her eyebrows, emphasizing her dark liquid eyes—eyes that appeared to hold a touch of sadness. “Hello, Macy. So nice to meet you.”
“And this is the squirt—I mean Molly.” He aimed a mischievous wink at Lauren.
“D-a-a-a-d!” his youngest daughter said, shoving him playfully on the arm.
“Nice to meet you, Molly.”
“Hi.” Looking every inch her sister only with straight hair landing midway down her back, Molly lifted a smile. “Glad you could make it.”
Why did everyone think she wouldn’t make it? Had Candace told them she might not come? “Thank you” was all Lauren said. Though each woman looked distinct in appearance, Lauren had to admit each one was attractive in her own way—even Goth Woman. As the women began to chitchat among themselves, Lauren made excuses to Garrett and his daughters and left for her room.
She trudged up the stairs. It seemed odd to her that there were only women guests. She thought that couples normally frequented these kinds of places, especially in a quaint town such as Bliss Village, fairly close to Lake Tahoe. Something told her there was more to this vacation than met the eye. Oh, well, she was there to please her friends and get some much-needed R&R. She would soon go home and search for another job. Another life.
Once inside her room, she removed Nocchi’s hat and dress, then settled her on the floor. Lauren plopped onto the bed, falling back into the plump softness of the pillows, and tucked her hands behind her head. A restful two weeks awaited her. No more thoughts of court hearings, client contacts, billing logs, job hunts, or—most important—Jeff. Rest. Sweet rest.
A time of starting over.
Garrett’s image popped into her mind, though she couldn’t imagine why.
The morning sun blazed through Lauren’s window, waking her. She glanced at the clock and couldn’t believe she had slept until eleven o’clock on a Sunday. Back home she’d have already attended the worship service and be halfway through Sunday school by now.
Normally an early riser by nature, she figured she must have needed the sleep. She snuggled farther into her covers, relishing her moment of laziness. The bed held her like a comforting hug. That’s how she used to feel in Jeff’s arms.
Until he dumped her.
Lauren threw off the covers with a yank. “With my best friend!” She looked at Nocchi. “He broke our engagement to be with Camilla. Supposedly my best friend. Well, she had been my best friend all through school until college. How could he do that to me?” Fresh tears formed, and Lauren shoved them away. At least she had Gwen and Candace. Theirs was a true friendship. “I will not waste my tears on you today, Jeff Levinger.” She stomped across the floor, grabbed her things and headed for the shower.
Jeff, Camilla and Lauren had grown up together. “The Three Musketeers,” they had dubbed themselves in elementary school. As they had entered high school, Jeff’s and Lauren’s feelings had changed toward one another. A budding romance had developed, but still they had included Camilla in many of their outings. She was their friend, after all. No one could separate them. They had made a pact years ago that nothing would ever come between them.
Jeff and Camilla had lied.
As those thoughts filled her mind, Lauren scrubbed herself clean with a vengeance, stepped out of the shower and pulled on a sweat suit.
True, Jeff and Lauren had broken up while in college. She had attended law school in Nevada while Jeff and Camilla had gone to law school in Indiana. The distance had made it impossible for Lauren and Jeff to keep up their relationship. But once she had returned to Indiana after law school,