Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(59)
“What I’m tired of is not being able to be with you,” he murmured.
Lauren felt the same way. “It seems like you’ve been away for months.” She didn’t mean to complain or sound disgruntled. A dozen times a day she thought of things she wanted to share with him; the time they spent on the phone had become the highlight of her days. Rooster made her laugh and her heart sing. This bond, this connection, grew stronger with each conversation.
His being in the South Pacific wasn’t so different from his being in California, she supposed. Distance wasn’t the concern, being apart was, and now that they’d found each other, it was torture not to be able to be together. Soon, though. Rooster was due back in the States shortly after she returned from Las Vegas. He’d already booked his flight to Seattle; as far as Lauren was concerned, it couldn’t come fast enough.
“Your day went well?” she asked, knowing he was playing tourist now, as the main objective of his trip had already been accomplished.
“It was fine; New Zealand is an incredible country.” He was on the south island now, and he went on to tell her about visiting the city of Christchurch. “What about your day?” he asked.
Lauren released a deep sigh. “It’s Elisa again, and how she’s dealing with Katie’s pregnancy. We’ve worked together for a long time now, and she’s my friend, a good enough friend for me to speak my mind. Really, I couldn’t keep quiet any longer, so I sat her down and we had a heart-to-heart.”
“That couldn’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t, but she’s driving her daughter away when Katie needs her mother’s love and support more than ever. Her own parents supported her when she told them she was pregnant. It astonishes me that Elisa can’t see that. According to her, it’s different with Katie; times have changed. While I had to agree that times have changed, the situation hasn’t. Katie is nineteen and old enough to make her own decisions without Elisa interfering.”
“How’d Elisa take what you had to say?”
For all the times she’d discussed Elisa and Katie, it was as if Rooster knew them personally. He didn’t, of course, and, in fact, Elisa had yet to meet him. “I was a bit concerned Elisa wouldn’t appreciate my comments, but in the end, I think she did, especially after she learned that I’ve been texting back and forth with Katie.”
Learning that Katie had reached out to Lauren had come as a shock to the girl’s mother. “Between mother and daughter, Katie’s the one showing maturity. Elisa’s an emotional wreck and she’s insisting Katie come home for the summer and stay away from Dietrich. Instead of helping, she’s driving a huge wedge between them. They’ve always been close, and it’s tearing Elisa apart.”
“She sounds like a bit of a control freak.”
“When it comes to her children, she is fiercely protective. Her problem is that she views Katie as a child in need of her mother, and while Katie needs her family and their support, she also needs the freedom to make her own decisions.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“I’d like to think so,” Lauren said. The conversation hadn’t been easy, but she was convinced it’d helped her friend. Afterward, Garry had thanked her.
Lauren ran her hand over the top of the bedspread and lowered her voice to that of a husky whisper. “I dreamed about you last night.”
“Was it a good dream?” Rooster sounded amused.
“The best. We were on your bike together, and I was holding on to you with my head pressed against your back. The wind was in my hair and I felt completely at peace, warm and protected.”
“I’ll take you on another bike ride, if you wish. I’ve wanted to go up to Mount Rainier sometime. How does that sound to you?”
“Fabulous.” In her mind, she pictured a meadow filled with wildflowers and Rooster lying down with his head in her lap, chewing on a long blade of grass. It seemed so peaceful and quiet, so perfect. And so dissimilar from other relationships she’d had through the years.
They spoke for another hour, disregarding the time difference. Even then, it was hard to pull herself away. That night, when she crawled into bed and closed her eyes, her dreams were once again filled with Rooster.
“Are you as exhausted as I am?” Lauren asked Elisa as they opened the door to the hotel room they shared. They’d arrived in Las Vegas late Friday afternoon and checked into the hotel for the gem conference.
Then early Saturday morning they were up before eight, and after breakfast collected their conference badges and attended the show, walking for what seemed like miles. Elisa had set up a series of meetings with key accounts and dealers she and Garry had worked with previously. In addition to selling jewelry, Garry also designed unique pieces, having learned the trade from his father-in-law.
“Remind me to let Garry do this show next year, and I’ll be the one to visit Antwerp.” In addition to the gem show, which was held twice a year, the couple routinely flew into Antwerp for diamond purchases.
Elisa collapsed in a chair in the mini-suite and propped her legs up on the ottoman. She wiggled her toes as if to test whether there was any feeling left in her feet.
Lauren sat on the edge of the bed and reached inside her purse for her cell to see if she’d missed a call from Rooster. With the noise in the convention center, it would have been difficult to hear her cell, but apparently Rooster was either sleeping or his day had been as busy as hers. Still, Lauren couldn’t help being disappointed.