She was quiet for a minute. Likely not used to hearing anything sweet coming out of my mouth.
“What did Parker want?”
“I don’t know. To watch TV somewhere else. To make uncomfortable conversation.”
“What do you mean uncomfortable?”
I paused, not sure how honest I wanted to be. But being real with Lauren was this new refreshing thing I was getting addicted to. I wanted her to see me. The real me. “Parker asked how I felt about the company ownership.”
Lauren sucked in a breath. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he asked if I thought about saying something to John. And the answer is still no, by the way.”
I thought she’d launch into me, but Lauren was quiet. Eerily, guiltily quiet. And I refreshed that conversation I’d had with Parker with new eyes based on her reaction.
“Lauren, did you say something to him? Oh, no. Did you say something at the ownership meeting today?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just, John moved up the timeline. Like he wanted us to sign papers and everything right then, and I thought if I didn’t say something it would be too late, and I knew you never would.”
I dropped the phone, stung. I knew she was sorry, sorry enough to admit it right away and not cover it up. But I was still angry. Everything I wanted was getting twisted and tangled in ways that would end with me losing it all.
“Clay, say something.”
I ignored her, but I didn’t end the call either. I just breathed in and out, and thought. Finally, I picked back up the phone and put it to my ear. “Why, Lauren? Now it’s going to nag at John. It will be in the back of his mind when he talks to me, and it’s going to annoy him. But he’s not going to change his mind. He’s a decisive guy. Don’t you think he’s thought this through?”
“I wish I could take it back. I didn’t think of the consequences if he didn’t agree with me, and I’m sorry for that. I don’t think John’s going to be annoyed, though. You’re part of us.”
“I’m not. I have to go.” I hung up and launched back against my pillow. Everything was wrong. The anxiety of going into work the next day kept me up for the next few hours. I even tried Lauren’s technique of reading paperbacks. I had a biography of John Adams on a shelf and got two chapters in before I threw it on the floor and attempted counting sheep.
20
___________
Lauren
The rest of the work week had me on pins and needles, but Dad was leaving for the convention in Las Vegas, and that’s where his focus was. He didn’t talk to me or Parker about ownership issues, and as far as I could tell, he didn’t talk to Clay much either. We sold off several key pieces of equipment just in time, and I left work on Friday afternoon so ready for the weekend. I had a date to get ready for, and punctuality was key. Whatever Clay might say about it, I liked a guy who was straight-forward and asked for what he wanted. Clay just didn’t like it because he didn’t see the value in it.
Jenny was off visiting with a college friend who had flown in for the weekend, so I got ready by myself, keeping an eye on the clock. I decided to go with a floral sundress with ruffles on the straps and cute red buttons down the front. I wasn’t much of a dress girl, and I hated that it was Clay I thought about when I looked in the mirror, hoping I looked okay.
After grabbing my cute matching purse and checking its contents, I locked up and drove to the restaurant where we were meeting, following the GPS directions. I pulled into a parking spot ten minutes early, and peering around, spotted Clay’s truck in the row behind me. He was early, too.
I stayed in my truck with the air conditioning blowing over me, not surprised when Clay tapped on the passenger window a minute later. I unlocked the door and he hopped in.
“Hey,” I said. There was still that weird tension between us, left over from work and our last real conversation together.
“Hey, yourself. You look nice.” He looked me over, and I appreciated his notice in a totally different way than I had when Denver used to smile at me like that. I felt Clay’s gaze all the way to the center of me. His admiration was not for show. It was not an act. It was solely about me and for me, and it filled me up more than any pretty words could ever do.
“Who ended up as your date?” I asked, needing to break eye contact with him. I rested my arms on the steering wheel and watched a couple walk inside the restaurant.
“About that.” Clay groaned. “You will owe me for this until the end of time. Parker laughed when I told him. Like, leaned over holding his stomach, and just about died, he was so tickled. It turns out Melissa’s friend of a friend of a friend is Denise Perkins. Do you remember her? My grade in high school?”
“No. What’s wrong with her?” I felt suddenly protective of this unwanted date of his.
“She was slightly obsessed with me back in the day.”
“Relax. I’m sure she barely remembers you now.”
Clay huffed out a laugh. “Of course you’d say that. It’s impossible for you to imagine anyone would ever find me worth remembering. So, where’s your date? Mr. Punctual?”
