In her mad haste, she burst into the hallway and smacked into her dad, throwing them both into the opposite wall.
“Where's the fire?” Dad rubbed his right shoulder.
Lauren covered her bare left hand with her right. “Just hungry this morning.” She sniffed. “Do I smell orange rolls?”
“Yep. Your mom’s been up for hours.” He smiled as he returned to his room, mumbling something about Bengay cream.
Lauren, trying her hardest not to look out of control, was scared that she’d lost her engagement ring. Foster would be furious with her! This was not how she wanted to start their lives together. Can you imagine that story told to the grandkids? And it would be told. Foster had a memory like a vinyl record: it replayed the same experiences over and over again. If she had to hear one more time about his college roommate eating his brie, she would go crazy.
The kitchen smelled of orange and cinnamon, bacon, and maple syrup. Mom stood at the counter, drizzling frosting over one of a dozen pans of orange rolls. It seemed like an excessive amount of food for the four of them, but perhaps she was coping with the change in family dynamic by baking. She did that. When Ethan got married, she made brownies every day for three months. Every. Day. Thank goodness for Jacob. Every afternoon, he would bring a football buddy to the house to help them disappear.
Lauren rolled her eyes. She should not be thinking about Jacob when she had a ring to find.
“Mom?” she whispered loudly.
Mom flipped around, and her face registered surprise. “Lauren? I didn’t expect to see you so early.” She hugged Lauren as if it had been months since she’d seen her. Lauren held back the urgency in her task to give a big hug in return.
“What are you still doing in your pajamas?” Mom asked.
Lauren glanced down at her red flannel PJs. “I. Uh.”
“Oh, never mind.” Mom waved off the question. “Grab the foil, will you? We need to cover these. It’s so good to see you. Christmas just isn’t the same without my kiddos around.” She moved to the next pan, applying frosting liberally. “I feel bad for Michelle. Her kids all went on this tropical cruise, and she’s all alone in that big house at Christmas. No wonder I see her name on every signup sheet in town. I’d be running myself ragged too–trying not to think about how lonely the place is.” She motioned for Lauren to get moving. “Except for Jacob. He stayed home with her. Well, not in her home, but in his house. It’s a cute little thing a couple of streets over.”
“Jacob has a house?” Lauren asked, surprised. She rented a place with a roommate. “That must mean his business is doing well.” Lauren took the foil out of the drawer and ripped off a piece. Again with Jacob–why couldn’t she get him out of her life?!
“It is. He’s gained quite the reputation for woodworking,” Mom responded.
Lauren glanced down the hallway to the closed guest room door. She spoke quietly, “Mom, have you seen my ring?”
“Your what now, Hun?” Mom pointed at each pan as she counted them.
“My ring.” Lauren asked again. Her heart pounded in her ears.
“Ring?” Mom stilled. A second later, she gasped. “Ring!” With a squeal, she grabbed Lauren in a bear hug and jumped up and down. “My baby girl is getting married.”
Lauren jumped with her. Thankful she was finally showing some excitement about the proposal. Last night, she and Dad were already tucked in bed when Lauren and Foster got home.
“Who's getting married?” asked Foster as he walked into the kitchen. He wore a pair of Gray slacks and a red button-up shirt rolled at the forearms. His hair was slicked as he’d just gotten out of the shower, and his cheeks were shiny.
Lauren giggled nervously. She could not tell him she had lost the ring when he’d just given it to her the night before. “We are, silly.” She leaned into his side and stretched to kiss his cheek.
“Lauren was just about to show me the ring.” Mom flapped her hand in front of her face like a fan.
Foster stared at Lauren as if she’d lost her mind. “How were you planning to do that when I haven’t proposed yet?”
Lauren chewed her bottom lip. Was this some kind of joke? Had he found the ring in the bathroom and decided to torment her to teach her a lesson? Like that time she’d left her laptop plugged in next to the table, and he’d pretended to trip over it and hit his head on the wall to show her how thoughtless she was to leave it there. She’d rushed to his side, worried that he’d been hurt, when he pulled his hand away from his face and gave her a look.
She went with the direct approach. “What do you mean? You proposed last night.”
“A Christmas Eve proposal,” Mom said happily. “Is there anything more romantic?” She reached over and gave Foster’s cheek a light pat. “Handsome and thoughtful.”
“Christmas… Eve?” Lauren sputtered.
Foster smiled woodenly at Mom’s appreciation. “Thank you, Mrs. Hall. But I was planning on a Christmas proposal.” He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and cracked open the lid.
Lauren’s whole body sagged with relief at the sight of the expensive engagement ring nestled within the velvet folds.
“I wanted it to be a surprise.” He snapped the box shut and shrugged. “If you already know, then there’s no sense in trying to make a big to do about it.” He handed the box to Lauren. “Here you go.” He beamed.
