My Last Love (2 page)

“Oh, Lorraine, I’m sorry to hear that. I have noticed when he’s around the two of you do have feelings for each other, but with Jim being engaged to Barbara I can see why you feel the way you do.”

Jim phoned Barbara and told her he was coming by on the way home. Barbara was reading in the den when he arrived.” You’re working late tonight. Is everything okay?” She turned as Jim walked into the room. She noticed he didn’t seem to be himself.

“I’m fine. I just had some extra work at the paper to finish. Barbara, I need to talk to you about a phone call I received last week from the Editor of the Los Angeles Globe. He wants to meet with me in three weeks about a position with his paper.” Jim poured himself a drink and sat down in a leather chair next to Barbara.

“Are you crazy? What in the world makes you think I would ever move t
o
Los Angeles? Our lives are here in Pine Valley. I know that since your Mother passed you’
ve not been happy with anything,
o
ur engagement, our friends, and this town. You probably blame me for you n
ot getting out of this town. I know you have always wanted to go to Los Angeles and work. Become a big shot reporter.” Barbara was shouting as she paced back and forth in front of the large brick fireplace. “Everyone in town keeps asking me when we
’
re going to set a wedding date. What
am
I suppose
d
to tell them?”

“Well, the next time someone says that to you, tell them to mind their own business and th
at
will
keep them plenty busy.
“ Jim knew it wouldn’t do any good to try and explain to Barbara how he felt. He had tried many times before and it always ended the same. “I’m sorry you feel that way Barbara, but I’m going to keep this appointment. You
’
re welcome to come with me.” Jim told her, knowing that she would say no. “I will only be gone for a couple of days. Dad and Paul will be just fine. I have asked Mrs. Pollard to look after them while I’m away. The paper will be fine. The staff can take care of any problems. Good night, I’m very tired.” Jim could still hear Barbara shouting about how she would never leave Pine
Valley
as he left.

Lorraine spen
t the next six months
sitting up a new shop
in San Lupus, a small town south of Los Angeles. San Lupus was one of those quiet out of the way beach towns. The ocean was
just a few minutes was
and
the mountains were
just an hour’s drive from the desert on the other side. The weather was in the 70’s year around and lite rain in the winters. Lorraine found it to be just the type of place she needed to forget the past.

She had spoken to Sue several times since she left and Sue had explained to her about the talk she had with Jim
. He was surprised that Lorraine had just up and leave town without saying goodbye. Jim had ask
ed
Sue w
h
ere Lorraine had moved to but she wouldn’t tell him. He ask
ed
for at least her phone number saying that he would
never
let Lorraine know she gave it to him. Sue told Lorraine tha
t she didn’t tell him anything. But she did give Jim Lorraine’s phone number.

One evening while Lorraine was working l
ate at home the phone rang. She looked at the caller ID, which said “Unknown. When she answered she recognized the
voi
ce
It was Jim.

“Lorraine, this is Jim Harris. Did I wake you? I know it’s late, but I have to talk to you.” Lorraine could tell by his voice that this phone call was difficult for him to make.
I’ve tried not to call you. I must have picked up the phone a hundred times, dialed your number and then hung up. I can’t stop thinking about you. Please don’t be upset with Sue for giving me the number and please don’t say anything until I finish or I’ll lose my nerve.” Jim stopped and took a deep breath. “I want you to know how I feel. I just can’t carry this around in my head any longer. Every time I think about you being gone and maybe never seeing you again I just can’t think straight. I would just love to take you in my arms and kiss you. I have felt this way from the first day I saw you. I know
I shouldn’t be telling you these things. You probably think I’m way out of line. The only thing that I know for sure is that I have never felt like this about anyone in my life. I’ve tried and tried to forget about you time and time again over the last six months, but you just keep haunting me. I can still smell the scent of your hair. There’s no use to fight it any longer. Lorraine, I love you more than I have loved anyone. I haven’t been happy with Barbara for a long time. In the beginning everything was fine, but after a couple of years, she was only interested in what the town’s people thought. You know, the high school sweethearts live happy ever after. I know I don’t have the right to tell you all of this. I don’t even know how you feel about me. Are you still there Lorraine?” Jim asked.

Finally, the words Lorraine had waited to hear. Tears of joy ran down her face.

“Jim. Stop. You should not be telling
me these things. I know you’re still engaged to
Barbara, but I feel the same
as you do.
This isn’t right, but I too have fought my love for you for a long time.” Lorraine waited for Jim to respond.

“Sweetheart, you don’t know how happy this makes me feel! I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. You know I haven’t loved Barbara for a long time. Lorraine, I’ll be taking a trip to Los Angeles in two weeks. I’ve been talking wi
th the Editor of the L.A. Globe
about a report
er
’s position with the paper. It looks very good. I feel fate is making a way for me to have the job I’ve always wanted and maybe the
woman
of my dreams. I was wondering if you would me
e
t me in Los Angeles for dinner while I was there. I would love to see you.”

Lorraine paused for a few seconds. If she said yes this would mean she would have to stay overnight and she wasn’t sure what Jim’s plans were. “Yes, I would love to meet you for dinner.”
Lorraine could feel her heart beating fast.

“That would be wonderful. I’ll let you know where I’ll be staying in the next few days. I love you Lorraine Williams.” Jim whispered into the phone.

“I love you, Jim Harris.” Lorraine responded as she hung up the phone.

The hot water felt
to Lorraine as she la
id in the tub
thinking about Jim. The scent
of
rosewater
filled the air
. Her body began to relax. She stayed in the tub
for
what seemed like hours trying to justify meeting Jim.

She finally decided she would call Brenda, a very close friend who lived in Los Angeles and stay with her. This way she could have dinner and a nice evening with Jim
, and
not feel
bad about Barbara.

Lorrain
e
and Jim spoke several times on the phone over t
he next two weeks
,
making plans.
She informed him that she would be staying with a friend in Los Angeles and that she would meet him for dinner on Saturday night. They
decided
to
m
eet
at a restaurant called
Max
’s
. This was one of Lorraine’s favorite restaurants.

The day Lorraine was to leave, which was on Thursday, she had packed and unpacke
d her luggage several times
trying to decide what to take. Jim was not leaving until Friday, as his meeting was on Saturday. This would give Lorraine time to visit with Brenda and call some of her old friends. Lorraine called Jim at the newspaper just before she started to leave. “Well, I’m on my way to the big city.” She laughingly said when he answered the phone. ”I hope I still remember how to get there. I’m just teasing. It only takes about two hours.”

Jim could tell by her voice that she was nervous about going. “
Darling, I want you to drive careful and don’t let anything happen to you. I can’t wait until Saturday evening to hold you and kiss you.” Jim told Lorraine about the argument he and Barbara had. Lorraine knew that Jim
’s feelings for her were real, but
she still didn’t feel sure about going.

“Lorraine, you know that things have been over for Barbara and I for a long time. Don’t you? I guess sometimes people just grow up and want different things
in
life. I was ready to just settle for the life I have in Pine Valley until I met you, but you showed me that a person has to take chances in life or
they will
never reach
their
goals
.
I may not get the position with the Globe, but at least I know I tried.” Jim whispered to Lorraine.

“I’m so happy you told me. I was having some doubts about going, but now maybe I can better understand. Thank you, Jim. I’ll see you on Saturday.” She replied as she hung up the phone.

Lorraine called Sue to tell her she was on her way and gave her Brenda’s number. She believed Lorraine was going to visit Brenda for the weekend. She was happy that Lorraine was getting away for a
while.

Lorraine rolled down the windows, turned up the radio and sang along as she drove.
The traffic wasn’t bad at mid-morning, so the trip took under two hours. She called Brenda as she arrived in Los Angeles to let her know she would be arriving within the hour.

“Lorraine, it’
s great to see you
. I thought you had dropped
off the face of the earth. Get your butt in here and tell me what’s been happening in your life.” Brenda shouted to Lorraine when she opened the door. “You look great. I guess the desert way of life suits you just fine or is there a new man in your life causing that glow I see in your face?”

“I do love living in the desert and no there isn’t a new man in my life. Things are just going well for a change. I bought a small shop in San Lupus. The shop is doing great, so I decided to take off the weekend, and I have finally gotten over

Doug. “That was one thing Lorraine was very happy to be able to say.

They sat and talked for hours about old times, laughing, and crying. Lorraine told Brenda about Doug coming to Pine Valley, and how he made it seem as if he wanted them  to become a couple again. After a few glasses of wine, Lorraine felt she needed an old friend t
o
confide in. “You asked me if there was a new man in my life, well, there is. His name is Jim Harris. He owes the newspaper in Pine Valley. He’s 6’2”, blonde curly hair, and the brownest eyes you have ever seen. Brenda, I
’ve
never felt t
his way before. He makes feel
happy and sad at the same time.
”

“What’s the catch? Why are you here with me
,
when you could be spendi
ng time with this hunk of a man?
What aren’t you telling me girlfriend? “Brenda had known Lorraine for a long time and knew when something was bothering her.

Lorraine then explained about Jim and the situation with Barbara. She told Brenda about the accident that took Jim’s mother’s life and left his brother in a wheelchair, and how unhappy Jim was living in Pine Valley, and that they were meeting on Saturday. She needed to know how Brenda felt about everything. Lorraine trusted her and knew she would give her good advice.

“Are you sure that you aren’t just wasting your time with this guy. He sounds like a tiger that
has
been caged
up for
too long,
and needs to be set free. Honey, are you supposed to meet him this Saturday? It sounds like a situation where you could really
get
hurt if you aren’t careful.” Brenda poured herself and Lorraine another glass of wine as they fixed dinner.

“I know. I’ve thought about it over and over again. But, I have to take the chance.” Lorraine took a slip of her wine. “Beside
s, you know how we redheads are, a
lwa
ys open for a challenge
. R
ig
h
t?” Lorraine
laughed.

On Friday Lorraine and Brenda went shopping and had lunch with
a couple of their friends. Lorraine heard
all the news and what had been going on since she left.

That night Brenda talked Lorraine into going dancing a
t one of the popular

n
i
ght
clubs
Lorraine hadn’t been out in so long that she was looking forward to some big city fun. The music was loud and the club was very crowded when they arrived. They ran into some of their friends
who joined
them at their table. Lorra
ine was trying to enjoy herself
but all she could think about was tomorrow when she would be with Jim. Everyone insisted that she tell them all about her new business and San Lupus. They teased
her
about being a desert rat. After a while Lorraine decided it was getting late and she had to get up early the next day.