Blossom Street Brides (33 page)

Once at John Michael Jewelers, Lauren was swamped with customers. She didn’t have time to think about Rooster. Saturday afternoons were often their busiest time of the week. A good portion of the early part of the afternoon was spent with a young couple who came in to look at engagement rings.

Lauren noticed how they had eyes only for each other. At one time it’d been like that with her and Rooster, too. As she helped them with their selection, she learned Jason was home on leave from Fort Lewis and would be shipping out soon for Afghanistan. Shelly, the young woman who would be his wife, looked at him with such love and tenderness that Lauren could barely concentrate.

As she showed the couple a selection of rings in their price range, the answer she’d been seeking came to Lauren. Beyond a doubt and without question, she knew her husband loved her and that she loved him. It was in that instant when her heart spoke and she was able to listen. She
belonged with Rooster. Instantly, a sense of joy and freedom came over her. Her doubts fled, and her fears evaporated.

As Lauren rang up Jason and Shelly’s purchase, she knew what she had to do. No matter what it took, she would go to Rooster and insist they talk. Then, together, they would find a way to make their marriage one that would last a lifetime.

Not long after the engaged couple left, another customer arrived.

Todd.

“Hello, Todd,” Lauren said, when he stepped up to the counter directly in front of her.

“Hi, Lauren.” His eyes held on to her for an extra few moments. “I heard from Elisa.”

Lauren glanced over her shoulder. She couldn’t imagine what her friend would have to say to Todd.

“What did she tell you?” she asked, frankly curious. Elisa had never been a fan of the newscaster. It shocked Lauren that Elisa would reach out to Todd.

“Elisa didn’t want to break your confidence, but she implied that matters haven’t gone smoothly between you and Rooster.”

A chill went down Lauren’s spine.

“I won’t talk about my personal life while on the job,” she said pointedly. “If you’re interested in making a purchase, then I’ll be happy to help you, but if not, then I suggest you wait for a more appropriate time.”

Elisa sent her a frantic, apologetic look. Lauren couldn’t believe the woman she considered her best friend would
betray her like this. She stiffened and looked away. This was a matter she’d bring up with Elisa later.

“As it happens, I am interested in buying something,” Todd told her, and glanced down at the display of engagement and wedding bands. “My inheritance came through, and I’m in a better financial position.”

Lauren would gladly have turned him over to another of the sales associates, but they were all busy with other customers.

“What would you like to see?” she asked, doing her best to keep all emotion out of her voice and sound professional. She trained her gaze at a point directly behind Todd and avoided eye contact.

“A diamond ring,” Todd said.

“For a man or a woman?” she asked, thinking she must sound akin to a robot.

“A woman’s diamond ring. A beautiful one. The best you’ve got.”

Unable to stop herself, Lauren’s gaze shot to him. “A woman’s?”

“Yes.” He sat on the plush upholstered stool reserved for customers and stared down at the diamond rings on display.

“What price range?” she asked, doing her best to hide her surprise.

“Twenty thousand.”

A high-end diamond. Interesting, to say the least. “You should be able to find a lovely ring for that price,” she continued, in the same robotlike tone.

Todd scanned the wide selection of engagement and
wedding rings, taking his time, giving each ring serious consideration.

“Would the young lady prefer white gold?” Lauren asked.

He glanced up. “Yes, I believe she would.”

Lauren was growing more confused by the moment. Had Todd come into the store to gloat? Their breakup had taken place only a few weeks earlier, so it didn’t seem that he’d found someone else this quickly. But then, she had, so it was a possibility. Apparently, it was true, which only verified what she’d told him at the time of their breakup. If Todd had genuinely loved her, they would have married long ago. It seemed he’d found that woman, and, frankly, she was pleased for him.

Afraid to ask too many questions, Lauren brought out a second tray of diamond rings for him to review.

“What do you think?” he asked, looking up at her, his gaze warm and gentle.

“Think?” she asked, perplexed. “Well, yes, seeing that I’m buying the diamond engagement ring for you, I’d like your input.”

Lauren gasped and slapped her hand against her chest. “Me?”

“Yes, my love, the diamond ring is for you. I made the biggest mistake of my life letting you go. You know how I feel about you. I was a fool. You made a mistake, too. It’s time we set all these mistakes right. I’m asking you to marry me.”

For one wild, impulsive moment Lauren had the nearly
overwhelming notion to flee. It took every bit of restraint she possessed not to grab her purse and run for all she was worth. While her mind had her racing out the front door, her feet refused to budge. Her mouth had instantly gone dry, and all she seemed capable of doing was staring at Todd in utter incredulity.

“I’m married.”

“We can fix that, Lauren. We both know you married that … that Neanderthal to get back at me. You needed to do something drastic in order to wake me up, and, darling, it worked. The minute I heard the news you’d married Rooster, I went into shock. Then Elisa said things hadn’t worked out as you’d planned, and I realized I’d been given a second chance. I wasn’t about to let this opportunity to set matters straight slip by.”

“I love Rooster,” she said, more convinced than ever of what her heart had been trying to tell her for two long weeks.

Todd shook his head, denying her statement. “No, you don’t. You used him to teach me a lesson. Well, Lauren, I’m an A-plus student. We’ll get the legal stuff dealt with; I have friends who will help with the annulment, and …”

Lauren could barely believe what she was hearing. “Todd, please, stop. Just stop.”

Frowning, he stared back at her.

It was hard to take in what he was saying. Once she had his full attention, she continued. “Do you honestly believe that I would use another human being in such a despicable way? Do you seriously think I married Rooster in order to get your attention?”

He blinked at her as if she was speaking in a foreign language.

“You seem to believe I married Rooster for my own selfish purposes. What kind of person do you take me for?” she asked, both sad and angry. “That only goes to show you don’t really know me at all.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Todd said, doing his best to backpedal.

By then they’d garnered the attention of nearly everyone else in the store. Elisa looked concerned, as well she should. Lauren wasn’t someone who had a quick trigger, but she was fast reaching the point where she was about to explode.

“I’m not interested in being a bigamist,” she said, and she took the tray of diamond rings and quickly inserted it back into the display case and locked it. “Todd, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but it’s too late. In your eyes Rooster might be a Neanderthal, but I see him in a completely different light and I happen to be completely and totally in love with him. I’m sorry, and I genuinely mean it, but your proposal is too little, too late.” With that, Lauren retreated into the back room and started pacing, so frustrated and upset that she could barely think clearly.

Five minutes might have passed, or it could have been ten or twenty, she wasn’t sure. All Lauren knew was that she needed to walk off this anger. Pacing, she would have worn down the carpet, had there been one.

Elisa joined her, and Lauren shot her friend a look hot enough to melt iron.

Before she could speak, Elisa held up her hands, imploring her, “I was wrong, and I apologize.”

“You called Todd?” Even now, Lauren couldn’t believe her friend, her dearest friend, would turn on her like this.

“Yes. It was stupid of me, and I’ve regretted it every minute since. I had no idea Todd would do anything like this.”

“What were you thinking?” Lauren demanded.

“I don’t know,” Elisa admitted, shaking her head. “It was right after we got back from being with Katie and Dietrich and you told me you’d married Rooster. It was one shock after another, and when I met him, it was like seeing my daughter with that onion farmer. Instinctively, I felt the marriage was all wrong.”

“Katie’s marriage wasn’t a mistake, and mine isn’t, either. I happen to love my husband.”

“I know that now,” Elisa said, and tears filled her eyes. “I was wrong about you and Rooster. I’ve watched you these last two weeks, and I’ve seen how miserable you are. You honestly love him.”

Lauren bit her lower lip. “I do, I really do.”

“It shows, Lauren, and when he came into the shop and asked for you I could see how much he loved you, too. He’s crazy about you. He could hardly wait to take you away, and maybe, just maybe … I’ve asked myself this a dozen times. Maybe I was afraid you would move to California and I would lose you, both as an employee and a friend. I couldn’t bear that, and so I selfishly made you doubt yourself.”

“It was more than the questions you made me face,” she whispered. Elisa didn’t know about Rooster’s first marriage.

Although she’d already made her decision, Lauren had yet to tell Elisa her plans. “I’m going to Rooster. I’m going to California.”

“Yes, go,” Elisa urged. “I can’t bear to see you this miserable. I’m your boss, but I’m also your friend, and as your friend I want you to be happy. If that means you leaving Seattle, then so be it. Go, and be happy, Lauren.”

They hugged and then cried together. Lauren couldn’t wait until she had a private moment. As soon as she was sure no one could listen in on her conversation, she tried to contact Rooster. His phone immediately went to voice mail. Waiting a half hour between calls, she kept trying, but each time he didn’t pick up. Unwilling to be thwarted, Lauren returned to her condo and called the airlines.

She retrieved her suitcase from beneath the bed and tossed a few items into it. After several more fruitless tries, she decided either Rooster was purposely not responding or his cellphone wasn’t with him. It didn’t matter; she was going to him.

To be on the safe side, not wanting to make a complete idiot of herself, she phoned Bethanne.

“You told me to listen to my heart,” she said, without bothering with the exchange of niceties.

“Lauren?”

“Yes, it’s me, and I’ve decided I need to be with Rooster.”

The line went silent for a few seconds before Bethanne burst out enthusiastically, “That’s wonderful.”

“I love him.”

“And I know he feels the same way about you. Lauren, if only you knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Knew what Rooster’s been going through. Max said that in all the years he’s known Rooster, he’s never seen him like this. He isn’t eating, he isn’t sleeping. He looks dreadful. Max said there’s no talking to him.”

Her stomach clenched. “If that’s the case, then why won’t he answer my calls? I’ve tried to reach him again and again, but he isn’t picking up.”

Silence followed, and then Bethanne said, “That’s odd.”

“I thought the same thing. It doesn’t matter. I’ve booked the next flight to Santa Rosa … I leave first thing in the morning.”

“Oh, Lauren, I’m so glad. Rooster is a good man, and he loves you so much.”

Lauren felt like she wanted to cry, and at the same time a sense of exhilaration filled her. She felt jubilant, as if she could walk on water. Her top priority was to reach Rooster and find her way back into his arms. When she rolled over in bed at night she wanted the security of him at her side. And, God willing, one day to have a family with him.

All night Lauren tossed and turned while she waited for Rooster to return her calls, voice messages, and texts. It seemed she woke every hour in order to check her cell to see if she might have inadvertently missed a reply. The silence was torture.

Undeterred, she caught a taxi to the airport and boarded
the flight to Santa Rosa Sunday morning. The flight was miserable, but thankfully short.

It was still morning when she landed, and to her surprise she found Max at baggage claim waiting for her. Immediately, her heart went into overdrive. The only reason she could think that Rooster’s best friend would meet her was if something bad had happened to her husband. Had she been so obtuse not to think of this sooner? Not once had she considered that Rooster might have been in an accident or hurt.

By the time she reached Max, her heart was beating so fast it sounded like a race-car engine in her ears. “What’s happened to Rooster?” she begged, grabbing hold of Max’s arm.

“Nothing. At least nothing that I know of, anyway.”

Her relief was instantaneous. She closed her eyes and whispered, “Thank God.” Then another thought came to her. “Then why are you here?”

He shrugged. “Because Rooster isn’t.”

That, too, was a possibility she hadn’t taken into consideration. “Then where is he?”

Max frowned. “I wish I knew. He took off on his motorcycle.”

“He didn’t tell you where he was headed?”

“No. All he said was that he needed time away in order to clear his head. He rode out of here like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.”

“He didn’t take his cellphone with him?”

“Apparently not.”

“When will he be back?” She fired the questions at him like a Gatling gun.

“I can’t tell you that, either. What would you like to do?”

“Do?” she repeated. She didn’t have a choice, not really. She would do what any wife would. “I’ll wait for him,” she said.

Max nodded approvingly and reached for her suitcase. “Then I’ll take you to his place.”

Life is too short to knit with ugly yarn.

—Jennifer Vancalcar,

owner and dyer, Holiday Yarns

“We’re going out to dinner?” Casey asked, her dark eyes narrowing with suspicion as she stood in the hallway outside Lydia’s bathroom. “
Just
the three of us?”