Coming Home to Love (Lakeside Porch Series Book 2) (14 page)

After they ate, Manda’s mood brightened, and Sara was more relaxed, too.

“Ladies, a good lunch goes a long way, doesn’t it?” Gianessa declared as they sauntered along the main street.

“Yes, Mom,” Sara teased.

“Maybe it’s just me,” Gianessa said, “but I get cranky when I’m hungry and I get hungry too fast when I don’t have protein at every meal.”

“What are you and Justin cooking up in Joel’s old kitchen?” Manda asked with a sly smile.

“Gluten-free meals. We’re both gluten intolerant, and he’s learning what that means and how to live with it.”

“Is that why he was so sick when he got here?”

Gianessa nodded. And that was all the information she was going to give about Justin’s health.

“He looks a million times better,” Manda stated.

Gianessa blushed, pleased at the compliment. “Where’s the thrift shop?”

“Next block.” Sara pressed her palms together in a prayer. “I hope it’s not an off day for us.”

“Three pairs of eyes will find the gems.”

“What are you hoping to find, Gianessa?” Manda asked, her tone easy-going.

“Today, for me, the joy is in the journey.” Gianessa gave her a megawatt smile. “I’m so glad to be doing a chick thing with you two.”

Manda beamed. “Me, too.”

And it wasn’t an off day at all.

Manda turned up a blue and white striped T-shirt for three dollars.

“Cute,” Sara and Gianessa chorused.

Gianessa found almost-new skinny jeans—dark indigo—that fit with no room to spare. “Five bucks.” She opened her arms.

“Sexy.” Sara made her voice low and sultry.

“Hot.” Manda shook her hand.

Sara hit the jackpot. An above-the-knee, fuchsia, cowl-neck dress showed off her slender legs, hugged her hips, and flattered her diminutive chest. “Twelve-fifty. Do I dare?”

“You will score in that dress, roomie. Trust me on this.”

“I trust you. I’m doing it. If this doesn’t get Randy hot, I’m going to give up and find someone else.”

“Who’s Randy?” Gianessa asked.

Manda explained, “Reliable Randy has been Sara’s boyfriend for two years. He’ll be back from winter break next week and you’ll finally meet him.”

“Why do you call him reliable?”

Sara rolled her eyes. “He’s always on time, always picks up the check, always asks what movie I want to see, always gives me a little kiss good night, always calls the next day to see if I had a good time.”

“Reliable sounds good,” Gianessa said.

“Yeah, I just wish he was a little more, you know, randy.” Sara’s face flamed, and she giggled.

“So, wear this dress on your next date. And don’t let me cramp your style. I can be invisible, and I have noise-canceling headphones.”

“Good to know. I’ll work on that.”

Chapter 7

“Nothing.” Manda threw herself onto the chair. “How many shops did we hit? And after everything we saw and all the dresses I tried on, how could we end up with nothing?” She shrugged out of her jacket and let it fall behind her on the chair.

Gianessa fitted her good-to-forty-below coat over the back of the chair and slid gracefully onto the seat. “I only know one thing.”

“What?”

“I know it’s not possible to tuck a full-length down coat under one arm. I was roasting half the time wearing this.”

“Hah. You rookie. That’s why I wore a jacket.”

“So good of you to warn me.” Gianessa reminded herself she was doing this because Joel—her savior—had charged her with shepherding Manda to the perfect wedding gown. She rallied a smile. “Okay, let’s review. You don’t want flounces or chiffon or puffy sleeves.”

“I must be an alien. How could I not like a single dress I saw today?”

“Turn it around. When you picture yourself processing down the aisle toward Joel, what are you wearing? How do you look?”

Manda closed her eyes, and Gianessa saw a smile bloom on her cover-girl-perfect face. “I’m beautiful. I have flowers in my hair. My dress is elegant silk—something long and sleek—that swirls around my ankles, with maybe some beads or sparkles at the top and the bottom.” Manda opened her eyes. “That’s how I want to be for my wedding to Joel.”

“Gorgeous! It’s perfect for you.” Gianessa pressed her hand. “Big sigh, Manda. ‘Sleek and elegant’ is not in this year in Rochester.”

“Justin wants us to go to New York City. He says he’ll set it up and have someone cut through the fluff.”

“Justin? What’s his interest?”

“He’s buying my gown. It’s his wedding gift to me.”

“How generous of him.” That was another side of Justin Gianessa had never guessed. Maybe he was just making sure Manda wore a gown fitting for a Cushman wedding, but Gianessa sensed it was something different, something more personal.

“I thought you knew that.”

Gianessa’s laugh lightened both of their moods. “You thought I knew not to wear this monster coat. What else do you know that could make our lives easier?”

“I know the espresso drinks in this place are to die for. And every single salad is great. What would you like?”

“You’re buying?”

“Of course.”

Gianessa scanned the choices on the blackboard and gave her pick to Manda. “My tummy thanks you.” Before Manda could dash off to place their orders, she pointed to Manda’s iPad. “May I? I’d like to find something sleek and elegant in New York.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you’re hungry. So am I. Order already.” Gianessa poked the on button, typed in the password for the coffee shop network, and brought up pages for the major designers whose names she knew. She had eliminated four designers by the time Manda returned.

“Fifteen minutes for the salads, and he’ll bring our drinks right over.”

Manda scraped her chair close to Gianessa’s, and they bent their heads over the screen. “That one.” She pointed. “You’re a genius. That’s better than anything we saw today.”

“It’s a mere fifteen thousand, twenty with beading on the bodice, thirty with beading and sparkles top and bottom.”

“You’re joking.”

Gianessa chuckled. “I’m guessing.” She stretched her arms overhead and wiggled her back to work out the kinks. “They don’t publish their prices. But it’s a high-end designer and hand-sewn beading. I’m probably close.”

“Justin has more money than god.”

“He’ll say we’re contributing to the economy, right?” That was what Les had always said when they spent an outrageous amount on something they didn’t need.

Manda giggled. “I’ve never done anything like this. This is fun.” She hugged the iPad to her as the barista approached.

Gianessa accepted her peppermint hot chocolate, and he set down Manda’s snowman latte. Mint and vanilla and chocolate permeated the air.

“Enjoy, ladies. Salads are in the works.”

Gianessa gave him a big smile of thanks.

“Have you ever been to New York?” Manda asked in a scared voice.

“Yes, have you?”

“No. It’s scary to think about going alone. You’ll go with me, right, if we don’t find anything around here?”

“I’m very sure we’re not going to find your gown around here. And I’ll go with you to New York, but only if Justin comes, too.”

“Why?” She gave Gianessa a sly look.

“He’s writing the check for your gown. And by rights it should meet his approval. Plus, we don’t want to pay for the hotel by ourselves. And he’ll know where to go, who to ask, where to have dinner, and how to get tickets to a show if we want to do that.”

“Show?”

“Broadway play. Or a concert.”

“I’ve never traveled anywhere.”

“So you haven’t flown?”

“On a plane? No. That scares me a little, too.”

“It’s definitely time for you to go to New York. You and Justin and I. We’ll let Justin make all the arrangements.”

They bookmarked the first perfect gown and browsed a few more websites. In ten minutes they had four possibles and three perfects.

Manda let out a sigh, and her whole body relaxed.

“New York will be fun,” Gianessa said. And Les had brought her amethyst necklace back from a business trip to New York.
Justin will know where I can sell it
. Maybe she could get enough for a little used car.
I’ll bet Tony could advise me about the car
. “Yes, we’ll go right away—next week—plan a couple of days for shopping, see a show, and act like tourists for a day. Sound good?”

Silence.

Gianessa studied Manda’s face. She appeared paralyzed by fear, just as she had been last week on her first visit to Joel’s therapy suite. Maybe Gianessa was guilty of the same mistake Tony and Justin had made, not letting Manda have a say in the planning.

“It’s important that we do the things you want to do, Manda. Have you thought about what you’d like to see and do in New York?”

“I’d like to go to Ellis Island, but not in the dead of winter. Maybe Joel and I can do that sometime.”

“Two salads at the bar for Mandy.”

Manda glared at the barista.

He consulted the order. “I mean Manda.” He gestured at the two salads and shrugged an apology.

Manda claimed them, and Gianessa tucked the iPad back into Manda’s tote bag.

As they finished their salads, Gianessa asked brightly, “So where are you and Joel going for your honeymoon?”

Manda’s gaze turned dreamy. “Ireland. We both want to go to Ireland. Did you know Joel’s grandmother was from Ireland, and my ancestors were, too? Do you think Joel will be able to travel by June?”

Gianessa squeezed her arm. “We’ll make sure Joel is well enough by June to stand with you at the altar and maybe do a slow dance at the reception. Ireland is a stretch, even with a wheelchair, but certainly within the year you’ll be able to do that together.”

“I have to remember it doesn’t matter if things can’t happen all at once.”

“That is great advice. I have to remember it, too.”

“You mean, with your romance with Justin?” She looked sideways at Gianessa.

“I do not have a romance with Justin.” Gianessa enunciated clearly. “I was thinking about my career when you said that. I want everything to fall in place—and honestly I think it is falling in place—but it’s going to happen slowly. I just need to cooperate with the pace the universe has in mind.”

“But you like Justin, right?”

Okay, what will satisfy her?
“I enjoy cooking with Justin, and he’s been a really good support for me as I adjust to life in Tompkins Falls. And did you know he likes jazz?”

“How did you find that out?”

“When we cook, we also eat the meals we prepare, and it’s customary to have music with a nice dinner. It turns out we’re both jazz fans.”

“So maybe you and Justin should go to a jazz club in New York one night.”

“Maybe we should all go together.”

“Or I could come back early, and you and Justin could explore New York together.”

Give it up, Manda
. “Justin and I are friends, nothing more.”

“But good friends, right?”

Gianessa had to admit that was true, and she hadn’t expected it to be. She nodded without commenting.
I’ve acquired a taste for Justin
.

She liked what she was learning about him—things he didn’t flaunt. Like buying Manda’s gown when Manda’s strict budget would not pay for the dress of her dreams. And his photography. One afternoon she’d noticed an older digital camera connected to his laptop, and the latest shots were on the screen. They were artful, skillful—shots taken from his porch looking out at the lake in unusual lighting, sometimes focusing on an island, sometimes a cloud formation, sometimes a moody or misty scene.

There was a side to him that sought beauty and enjoyed it. She smiled at a sudden intuition. Justin was feeding his soul, working on that soulsickness he’d spoken of at their first meal together. She might ask him about that.
Or not
. It was something he was keeping private, and she respected that.

Manda had taken out the iPad again.

Gianessa brought them back to her point about New York. “If you’re scared to fly, this trip to New York will get you over that.”

“I just thought of something. If Joel and I are going to Ireland, I should get a passport, too, right?”

“Good thinking, Manda. And you’ll need extra ID to get on our flight to New York.” She pointed to the iPad. “Let’s check the details. And, listen, since we’re not going to find a wedding dress today, let’s stop at Eastview on the way home and shop for lingerie for your honeymoon.”

Manda groaned.

“You’re not worried about . . .”

“Sex? Hell, no. I just never thought about wearing slinky and silky and peek-a-boo. Can you help me find some things Joel will like that don’t look trampy?”

“I’ll be delighted. What are you thinking you’d like to wear for Joel?”

“Well what I really like,” Manda told her, keeping her voice so low Gianessa had to lean closer to hear her, “are boy shorts and skinny tank tops made of cotton and cashmere. They make me feel sexy and ‘me,’ but maybe they’re not hot enough for a honeymoon. What do you think?”

Gianessa flashed a sexy smile. “On you, with your curvy figure and long legs, they are plenty hot, Manda.”

She’d distracted Manda, but now she couldn’t stop thinking about Justin. She thought back to the conversation with Carol, who urged her to be open to a relationship. Sometimes taking the next baby step helped her know if a new direction was right for her. It had been two years since she’d slept with anyone. After the divorce, in early sobriety, she’d had a couple of flings, but the sex was empty. She wanted sex to be linked with intimacy and deep caring about a man.
And Justin and I do care about each other.

Flawed as they both were, they were good together in everything they did—cooking, talking things over, laughing, dancing. And he stirred her passion. Her face flamed at the memory of him naked under the thin sheet in the tiny massage room, and she could almost smell his scent, just thinking about it. Cloves and sandalwood and—
what was that other ingredient?

The night of the party, when he asked her if she wanted to take their relationship to the next level, she’d held him off. Was she ready now for sex with Justin? Her eyes softened, a smile spread over her face and she nodded.

But not without silky, lacy lingerie
.

“Before I come in,” Gianessa said from the doorway, “I need you to catch me up here. Is this a date?”

Justin dropped his keys on the hall table and turned to face her. She smiled, but she did not budge. The door was open for everyone to hear their discussion.

He struggled to keep a straight face. “Yes, this is a date.”

She tossed back her hair.

His laugh brought a matching laugh from her. She kicked the door closed behind her, hung her coat on the coat tree by the door and joined him in the kitchen.

“Why did you ask if we’re dating?”

“Because according to the rumor mill at the Manse—and who knows where else—we were on a date when we went to the party at the Manse.”

“Of course we were.”

“I see. And today, when we were seen shopping at Wegmans together”—she lifted her shopping bag full of produce onto the counter—“did your friends from the college perceive us as being on a date?”

Justin raised his eyebrows. “I carefully considered the ramifications of our public appearance. Grocery shopping together is serious. We were undoubtedly talked about as An Item. Do you object?”

She tipped her head. “I just want to be clued in about these things.”

Justin set his two bags on the counter with a rattle and a thump. “In my mind all our cooking dates have been dates. What did you think they were?”

“Cooking lessons.”

Justin’s brow furrowed. “But I’m already an accomplished cook. Didn’t we establish that the very first time?”

“We established that, you’re correct. And I’m clueless about dating, okay? I got married in college, and I don’t have much experience dating.” Gianessa folded her arms across her chest and set her mouth, as if she dared him to make fun of that.

He teased her with his eyes. “And we’ve now established that you and I are dating?”