promise.”
“And I understand that you’re not
interested in Ben, but don’t forget. Not everyone is as honest and
straightforward as you are. He may have his own agenda.”
“Message received. I will keep an eye on
him, I promise.”
“Goodnight.”
#
After driving all morning, Lindsey arrived in Clemson
mid-afternoon. She met with the leasing agent to pick up the keys to her rental
house. She was so excited. This was her first house on her own. The three-bedroom
ranch-style house had a breakfast area, dining room, and a patio. It was even
nicer than the pictures she had looked at on-line. For the first time, she
wouldn't have anyone above or below her for the first time.
French doors opened onto a patio with a
built-in grill. She would definitely have to find some patio furniture. She
could imagine sitting out there with her laptop doing her coursework. She told
Ben they should go furniture shopping the next day. She was just too tired to
think about it that evening.
She tried to call Laura to find out about
her job interview, but got her voice-mail. She finally heard from her right
before bed.
“Where have you been? I called a few hours
ago.” Lindsey eased down on the air mattress that she was using as a bed for a
few days. She would definitely need furniture sooner rather than later.
“It’s only seven o’clock here. I’ve been
walking around the resorts, enjoying the sites.”
“You’re still in Las Vegas? I thought you
were coming straight back.”
“I was, but … well, I have some news.”
That did not sound good. “You took the
job?”
“No, not quite ... Well, Fox knows Mark,
the person I interviewed with, and he found out about the interview.” Lindsey
could hear background noise. “Correction—Mark called Fox for a reference.”
“Well, did he give you a decent reference?”
Lindsey asked.
“Fox, Lindsey wants to know if you gave me
a decent reference.” More background chatter.
“Earth to Laura… skip to the important
part,” Lindsey said. She made circular motions with her hand even though Laura
couldn’t see it.
“Well, he flew out here, desperate to stop
me from going to work in Las Vegas. He wants me to come to work with him in
Atlanta … and …”
“And?” Lindsey asked, wishing Laura would
just spit it out.
“He proposed! We’re getting married.”
Lindsey’s world lurched. She would be
completely alone if Laura had her own family. “Wow—See, I told you everything
would work out. Have you set a date?”
“Oh, we haven’t gotten that far. Sometime
next summer, but I’m planning to move in with him as soon as we can get it
arranged. Then I will put my condo on the market, and we will go from there.”
“That’s great! You’ll only be a couple of
hours away. That’s much better than a plane ride or two days by car.”
“True. Hey, Fox says if you’re his new
little sister, you can’t go get yourself kidnapped in the Bahamas all the time.”
Lindsey laughed. “Roger that. No more
kidnappings. Why don’t you guys plan on coming up for dinner the Saturday of
Labor Day weekend? That will give me time to get furniture and get my life a
little bit organized.”
After they finalized the details for
Laura’s visit, Lindsey ended the call. She couldn't believe her sister was
moving forward so fast. Normally, Laura drew up a pro and con chart for every
decision. What had come over her sister?
CHAPTER
FIVE
A New Home
After two weeks in
the house, Lindsey found a workable routine. She was so busy, Laura's visit at
the end of August arrived sooner than she expected.
As a teaching assistant, Lindsey led
discussion groups and provided tutoring. On top of that, she had her own
classes and coursework to finish. She found a local fencing club, but after a
few practices, decided she didn’t have time to join their roster.
Ric had asked her to go to Vegas with him
Labor Day weekend, but she couldn’t miss class on Monday. Her
“And I understand that you’re not
interested in Ben, but don’t forget. Not everyone is as honest and
straightforward as you are. He may have his own agenda.”
“Message received. I will keep an eye on
him, I promise.”
“Goodnight.”
#
After driving all morning, Lindsey arrived in Clemson
mid-afternoon. She met with the leasing agent to pick up the keys to her rental
house. She was so excited. This was her first house on her own. The three-bedroom
ranch-style house had a breakfast area, dining room, and a patio. It was even
nicer than the pictures she had looked at on-line. For the first time, she
wouldn't have anyone above or below her for the first time.
French doors opened onto a patio with a
built-in grill. She would definitely have to find some patio furniture. She
could imagine sitting out there with her laptop doing her coursework. She told
Ben they should go furniture shopping the next day. She was just too tired to
think about it that evening.
She tried to call Laura to find out about
her job interview, but got her voice-mail. She finally heard from her right
before bed.
“Where have you been? I called a few hours
ago.” Lindsey eased down on the air mattress that she was using as a bed for a
few days. She would definitely need furniture sooner rather than later.
“It’s only seven o’clock here. I’ve been
walking around the resorts, enjoying the sites.”
“You’re still in Las Vegas? I thought you
were coming straight back.”
“I was, but … well, I have some news.”
That did not sound good. “You took the
job?”
“No, not quite ... Well, Fox knows Mark,
the person I interviewed with, and he found out about the interview.” Lindsey
could hear background noise. “Correction—Mark called Fox for a reference.”
“Well, did he give you a decent reference?”
Lindsey asked.
“Fox, Lindsey wants to know if you gave me
a decent reference.” More background chatter.
“Earth to Laura… skip to the important
part,” Lindsey said. She made circular motions with her hand even though Laura
couldn’t see it.
“Well, he flew out here, desperate to stop
me from going to work in Las Vegas. He wants me to come to work with him in
Atlanta … and …”
“And?” Lindsey asked, wishing Laura would
just spit it out.
“He proposed! We’re getting married.”
Lindsey’s world lurched. She would be
completely alone if Laura had her own family. “Wow—See, I told you everything
would work out. Have you set a date?”
“Oh, we haven’t gotten that far. Sometime
next summer, but I’m planning to move in with him as soon as we can get it
arranged. Then I will put my condo on the market, and we will go from there.”
“That’s great! You’ll only be a couple of
hours away. That’s much better than a plane ride or two days by car.”
“True. Hey, Fox says if you’re his new
little sister, you can’t go get yourself kidnapped in the Bahamas all the time.”
Lindsey laughed. “Roger that. No more
kidnappings. Why don’t you guys plan on coming up for dinner the Saturday of
Labor Day weekend? That will give me time to get furniture and get my life a
little bit organized.”
After they finalized the details for
Laura’s visit, Lindsey ended the call. She couldn't believe her sister was
moving forward so fast. Normally, Laura drew up a pro and con chart for every
decision. What had come over her sister?
CHAPTER
FIVE
A New Home
After two weeks in
the house, Lindsey found a workable routine. She was so busy, Laura's visit at
the end of August arrived sooner than she expected.
As a teaching assistant, Lindsey led
discussion groups and provided tutoring. On top of that, she had her own
classes and coursework to finish. She found a local fencing club, but after a
few practices, decided she didn’t have time to join their roster.
Ric had asked her to go to Vegas with him
Labor Day weekend, but she couldn’t miss class on Monday. Her
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