“I’ve missed you, too.” And Lauren had. She was only now beginning to understand how alone and lonely she’d been this past year. But moving to Alameda had been a good decision. The change of scenery, the work, the long hours . . . it’d kept her busy and had forced her to function, even as she struggled to come to terms with what had happened.
Lauren knew she still had a long way to go in terms of dealing with Blake and his death, but she wasn’t quite as raw as she’d been last Thanksgiving. Yes, the pain was there, a constant throbbing, but it didn’t consume her morning, noon, and night. It really only hurt bad at night. As that was when she was alone, in the dark, with nothing but her thoughts.
“Have any idea when you’re going to come back?” Lisa asked, tone casual, but Lauren knew from her sister’s expression that there was nothing casual behind the question.
Lauren started to answer, then stopped. Should she tell Lisa now that she wasn’t sure she was coming back? Should she wait until she’d bought Mama’s Café from Mimi? Until she was sure Mimi would sell to her?
“Mom said you might not return anytime soon,” Lisa added after a moment. “She said you might be done. Is that true?”
Lauren made a face. “That was nice of Mom.”
“She knows I’m torn about returning to work. I’m supposed to go back soon, but I don’t want to leave Audrey.”
“Then don’t.” Lauren was firm. “If you don’t have to work, and you can afford to stay home with her, and you want to stay home, stay.”
“And the restaurant?”
“It’s just a restaurant. Sell it.”
“We are making money.”
“That’s got to be appealing to a buyer.”
Lisa glanced down at Audrey. “We’ve had offers.”
“Recently?”
“Last month.”
“Was it a bad offer?”
“No. It was a very generous offer.”
“So why didn’t you accept it?”
“I couldn’t.” Lisa looked at Lauren, expression stricken. “Because if we sell the restaurant, you have nothing to come home to.”
“Oh, Lisa,” Lauren whispered. For a moment she couldn’t speak. “I don’t come home because of the restaurant, I come home because of you! And now there’s Audrey. And Mom and Dad, who are over the moon being grandparents again.”
Lisa wrinkled her nose. “You didn’t mention Matthieu. Do you still dislike him that much?”
“Lisa, I love your Matthieu. I think he’s awesome. Gorgeous and sweet and sexy and awesome—”
“Okay, well, maybe that’s enough.”
Lauren grinned and dragged a handful of glossy brown hair back from her face, relishing the smell of fertile, sunbaked soil and Lisa’s white roses and lavender that bordered the garden.
Suddenly the conversation she’d had with their mother two weeks ago came back to her and she turned to Lisa. “Speaking of men. Did you tell Mom I’m gay?”
“No!” Lisa spluttered, then snorted. Audrey lifted her tiny head and looked up at her mother, eyes barely able to focus, and Lisa, still giggling, touched the baby’s cheek, encouraging her to latch back on. “Did Mom say I did?”
“Not exactly. But she and Dad seem to think I am.”
“That’s hilarious.”
“It’s not hilarious. And I’m not gay. I’m just not interested in dating anyone.”
“No one?”
“No.”
“There is absolutely not one man that’s caught your eye since you’ve moved to Alameda?” Lisa demanded.
“Well . . . okay, there is this one guy.”
“And?”
“And nothing. Because he’s married.”
“Oh, Lauren. No.”
Lauren grimaced. Married women obviously didn’t want to hear that single women had crushes on married men. “I wouldn’t go out with him. I just meant that he’s a dude, and he’s appealing, so there’s hope . . . you know?”
But Lisa wasn’t buying it. “For you to mention a man . . . that’s significant.”
“You asked!”
“So how do you know him? Does he live in your apartment building? What does he do? Does he know you’re interested?”
“Oh my God, Lisa. I’m not interested. And even if he were single, I wouldn’t go out with him.”
“Why not?”
“He’s too . . . good-looking.”
“I didn’t know there was such a thing.”
“Well, there is. And I don’t want to get involved with someone who is that handsome. That’s just asking for trouble.”