picture on them,” Meredith whispered.
“I don’t collect baseball cards. I really don’t care for the sport much at all. Truthfully, I find baseball to be slow and boring.”
“You swear,” Meredith said sullenly.
“What am I swearing to?”
“That you’re not being nice just to get your hands on my dad.”
Lauren sighed. True, Cole Donovan was the best-looking man she’d seen in a long time, even when he forgot to shave. Something about him caused an instinctive physical reaction that she worked very hard to resist. Good heavens, she was no longer seventeen and unable to control her raging hormones! She could probably write off any physical reaction to him to her ticking biological clock, and the fact that, well, it had been a while. But while he might be single, he was not unencumbered. In fact, he was the most encumbered man she’d ever met.
“I swear. And if you don’t mind a bit of advice from another woman…you’ll be dating before you know it and I have to tell you, you really can’t go out there thinking you can or should become someone you’re not in order to catch a man. You should always, always be yourself, because you don’t want a boy to like you for being someone you’re not.” This was not her forte. “You don’t want to catch a man at all, you want to find the right man. Finding and catching are very different, if you think about it. Be yourself, like yourself, and run as fast as you possibly can from any boy who wants you to change. Does that make any sense?”
The expression on Meredith’s face softened considerably. “Kinda.”
“You want a boyfriend who will like you for who you are.”
“Dad says I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend. Ever.”
Lauren smiled. “I’m sure he doesn’t mean it. How old are you?”
“Twelve. Twelve and a half. I’m really almost thirteen.”
“You’re a little young now for a boyfriend, but the day will come.”
Meredith squirmed a bit. She shifted more toward Lauren, just as Hank decided to put his head on Lauren’s lap and close his eyes. Finally, he was still.
“You said you don’t date,” Meredith said softly. “Why not?”
Lauren didn’t want to explain to the young girl that she had a bad track record, that she no longer trusted her own instincts where men were concerned, that she was afraid of the pain that could— would —follow a bad romance. “My career is very important to me,” she said. “I really don’t have time for dating. There’s more to life than…dating.”
For a long moment they sat there in silence. Hank soon fell asleep, and his breathing became deep and even. Meredith relaxed visibly, her entire body unwinding and her expression softening.
After a while, Meredith said, “Since we’re talking about girl stuff, do you think that, you know, maybe you could teach me how to use makeup? I mean, one day, if you have the time and aren’t doing anything.”
“You have such a beautiful face, you don’t need…” Lauren stopped when she recognized her grandmother coming through again. “If your father agrees, I don’t see why we can’t have a session or two on the proper application of makeup. The trick is to learn to apply it so lightly no one will be able to tell you’re wearing makeup at all. You should look like you, only better.”
For the first time, Lauren saw Meredith smile. That was it, that was what she had of her father. Her smile. Something about it caught Lauren’s heart and held on tight. Meredith leaned against Lauren’s arm and closed her eyes. Hank slept on, oblivious to his surroundings. And Lauren was no longer chilled.
“Maybe you can show me how to make that lasagna, too,” Meredith said softly. “It was really good.”
“You’re very young to be cooking,” Lauren said. “At your age, all I could make was oatmeal cookies and peas and asparagus casserole.”
“Well, Dad’s not a very good cook. I try to help out, when I can.”
Lauren tried to picture Cole in the kitchen. It
“I don’t collect baseball cards. I really don’t care for the sport much at all. Truthfully, I find baseball to be slow and boring.”
“You swear,” Meredith said sullenly.
“What am I swearing to?”
“That you’re not being nice just to get your hands on my dad.”
Lauren sighed. True, Cole Donovan was the best-looking man she’d seen in a long time, even when he forgot to shave. Something about him caused an instinctive physical reaction that she worked very hard to resist. Good heavens, she was no longer seventeen and unable to control her raging hormones! She could probably write off any physical reaction to him to her ticking biological clock, and the fact that, well, it had been a while. But while he might be single, he was not unencumbered. In fact, he was the most encumbered man she’d ever met.
“I swear. And if you don’t mind a bit of advice from another woman…you’ll be dating before you know it and I have to tell you, you really can’t go out there thinking you can or should become someone you’re not in order to catch a man. You should always, always be yourself, because you don’t want a boy to like you for being someone you’re not.” This was not her forte. “You don’t want to catch a man at all, you want to find the right man. Finding and catching are very different, if you think about it. Be yourself, like yourself, and run as fast as you possibly can from any boy who wants you to change. Does that make any sense?”
The expression on Meredith’s face softened considerably. “Kinda.”
“You want a boyfriend who will like you for who you are.”
“Dad says I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend. Ever.”
Lauren smiled. “I’m sure he doesn’t mean it. How old are you?”
“Twelve. Twelve and a half. I’m really almost thirteen.”
“You’re a little young now for a boyfriend, but the day will come.”
Meredith squirmed a bit. She shifted more toward Lauren, just as Hank decided to put his head on Lauren’s lap and close his eyes. Finally, he was still.
“You said you don’t date,” Meredith said softly. “Why not?”
Lauren didn’t want to explain to the young girl that she had a bad track record, that she no longer trusted her own instincts where men were concerned, that she was afraid of the pain that could— would —follow a bad romance. “My career is very important to me,” she said. “I really don’t have time for dating. There’s more to life than…dating.”
For a long moment they sat there in silence. Hank soon fell asleep, and his breathing became deep and even. Meredith relaxed visibly, her entire body unwinding and her expression softening.
After a while, Meredith said, “Since we’re talking about girl stuff, do you think that, you know, maybe you could teach me how to use makeup? I mean, one day, if you have the time and aren’t doing anything.”
“You have such a beautiful face, you don’t need…” Lauren stopped when she recognized her grandmother coming through again. “If your father agrees, I don’t see why we can’t have a session or two on the proper application of makeup. The trick is to learn to apply it so lightly no one will be able to tell you’re wearing makeup at all. You should look like you, only better.”
For the first time, Lauren saw Meredith smile. That was it, that was what she had of her father. Her smile. Something about it caught Lauren’s heart and held on tight. Meredith leaned against Lauren’s arm and closed her eyes. Hank slept on, oblivious to his surroundings. And Lauren was no longer chilled.
“Maybe you can show me how to make that lasagna, too,” Meredith said softly. “It was really good.”
“You’re very young to be cooking,” Lauren said. “At your age, all I could make was oatmeal cookies and peas and asparagus casserole.”
“Well, Dad’s not a very good cook. I try to help out, when I can.”
Lauren tried to picture Cole in the kitchen. It
Similar Books
