Laurie's Time (The Fairfield Series) (3 page)

“Helen, we have a new guest!” he shouted into an office behind him.

“I’m not deaf, Roger. You don’t have to yell down the house.” A pleasant looking woman came out of the office, her face beaming.

Laurie couldn’t help but think of Mrs. Santa Claus as she looked at Helen. Plump body, hair pulled back into a bun, she absolutely beamed.

“You must be Laurie Dodd,” she said. “I’m Helen, and this here is my husband, Roger. Welcome to Fairfield!”

Surprised by the exuberant greeting, she couldn’t help but smile back in return.

“Your new roommate, Carol, called earlier to say that you would be coming in today. We just weren’t sure when to expect you.” Helen noted Laurie’s look of surprise and just laughed. “Oh, it’s all right, honey. We take care of our own here in Fairfield.”

Roger leaned over the counter and said conspiratorially, “And my Helen will adopt you right here and now!”

Laurie laughed at their banter and felt at home. “Thank you. I’m excited to be here!”

By the time they finished the check in procedure, Laurie realized that Helen and Roger had wriggled a lot of information from her. They now knew that she would be working at the elementary school and that she was single. As she looked at Helen, she could already see the wheels turning in Helen’s mind.

Roger gazed over at his wife also. “Yep,” he said. “My Helen is already figuring out who she can fix you up with.”

“Oh hush, you old coot. I just know that there are some very handsome, unattached men in this town who need a beauty to look after.”

Laurie rushed to explain that she wasn’t looking for anyone yet, but Helen just politely shushed her. “Darlin’, no matter what anyone says, everyone needs someone to take care of and to care for them.”

Laurie laughed and agreed as she took the room card from Roger. Turning to leave the office, Helen spoke again, this time in seriousness. “You will find it here. You will find who are meant to be. You will find
your
time.”

Laurie stared at her in awe, not knowing how to respond.

Roger, walking around the counter to show Laurie to her room, just patted her arm. “My Helen, she sees things, dear. If she says this is your time, then she is right.” Leaving the cool office, they walked to her room, Roger talking the entire way.

Settling in for the evening, Laurie called Emma.

“Hey girl, did you have any problems on the road today? How is Fairfield? Did you get checked in okay?” Emma asked, barely taking a breath.

Laughing, Laurie answered, “No, great, and yes.”

“I suppose I was firing questions off too quickly, wasn’t I? I just already miss you, that’s all.”

“I know, Emma, I miss you too. But I had a great trip and met the hotel owners. They’re a little odd, but really friendly. And I think they are trying to set me up with some guys already!”

“Sounds like the place to be then,” Emma agreed. “Just make sure to enjoy yourself. You deserve it.”

Hanging up, Laurie reveled in a long, hot bath before climbing into bed. Realizing she had only been in a hotel one other time years ago with Emma, she thought back to her eighteenth birthday. Finally, chasing memories from the lurking corners of her mind, she slept better that night than she had in a while.

*

Waking early, she showered and headed down to the hotel’s little lobby. Helen told her to come down once she was awake, and they would have breakfast there. Walking in, she could hear voices coming from the back office.

“Oh, she is darling. You’re going to love her, I just know it!”

Laurie recognized Helen’s voice.

“Well, I can’t wait to meet her, that’s why I came right over.”

Just then Helen walked out of the office accompanied by a beautiful petite blonde, whose face burst into a huge smile as soon as she saw Laurie. Laurie stared at the woman in front of her. The gorgeous woman was a few inches taller than she, but was very tiny with a slim athletic figure. Her hair was loose around her face and its color could only be described as a natural yellow-blonde that gave her an angelic halo around her head. Laurie could imagine that if this woman had wings she would make a perfect angel, flitting around giving off sunshine where ever she went.

“Laurie, perfect timing!” Helen exclaimed. “This here is your new roommate, Carol Fletcher.”

Laurie could not help but smile back at the beaming woman and walked over to shake her hand. Carol rushed forward and engulfed Laurie into a huge hug. Surprised, Laurie hugged back. Separating, Carol beamed at her. “I have been dying to meet you. I just know we are going get along perfectly,” she said softly.

Helen, smiling as though she had made the match instead of Craigs List, walked over, offering coffee to both women. They chatted amiably for a few minutes over coffee before deciding to head over to the apartment. Laurie, in her yellow bug, followed Carol’s little convertible. Driving through town, Laurie looked around. A pink awning was perched over what looked like a bakery. Shop owners were opening their stores, and she saw trendy clothing stores, a hardware store, several professional offices, and an old-fashioned diner. Smiling to herself, she was already feeling at home.

I can’t wait until Emma sees this!
Laurie shook her head.
No, Emma was right. I have to do this by myself now. I have to have time to find me.

Before she knew it, they were pulling into a parking lot at the side of a large U-shaped brick building. Parking next to Carol, they both jumped out of their cars. Carol rushed over to grasp Laurie’s hand.

“I can’t wait to show you the place. I hope you like it!” Carol said, appearing nervous, as though she desperately needed Laurie’s approval.

“It’ll be perfect, I’m sure,” Laurie agreed.

Climbing the stairs to the third floor, they walked down the hall and entered a corner apartment. Walking into the apartment behind Carol, Laurie looked around in amazement. The living room was larger than most of the apartment she and Emma had shared for years. The walls were painted a soft taupe and a slightly darker taupe covered the dining room walls. She could see that the living room and connecting dining room were comfortably furnished with a large burgundy sofa and chairs plus a four-person breakfast table. The floors were wood, softened by a rug in the middle of the room. A large screen television was on the wall opposite of the sofa, and the other wall was taken up with a large picture window overlooking the park next door.

Laurie walked over to peer out of the window, looking down on trees, grass, and flower gardens. Lifting her gaze to the distance, she saw mountains rising in the background beyond the town, and she felt tears threatening to fall. Carol, appearing at her side, looked at Laurie’s face.

“Oh, you don’t like it!” Carol exclaimed.

Laurie turned quickly and hugged her new friend.

“No, no,” she assured her. “I love it! I’ve never lived where there was a view and this…,” she swept her hand out toward the vista outside the window, “is amazing!”

Carol returned the hug and pulled Laurie around to show her the rest of the apartment. The large kitchen was off of the dining room, and Laurie could see that it was appointed with new stainless appliances. A hall divided the apartment, with two large bedrooms at the end of the hall. Since the apartment was on the corner, both bedrooms had windows with views. Laurie couldn’t believe that the large bedroom was all hers, and she even had her own bathroom. The furniture included a matching bed, dresser, and small desk and chair. The bed was covered in a light mauve comforter, and the pillows were a riot of pinks, mauves, and blues.

Carol was standing in the doorway, carefully watching Laurie’s reaction. “You can change anything you don’t like,” she said quickly. Laurie looked over at Carol and instinctively knew that Carol needed her approval.

How can such a beautiful creature feel insecure?

Walking over to her, Laurie took Carol’s hands in hers and assured her that the room was perfect. “In fact, the whole apartment is more than I have ever had and more than I could have expected!”

Carol beamed again, and she pulled Laurie in for another hug. “Well, let’s get you moved in!”

Laurie and Carol moved her few possessions from the car into the apartment. Carol then took a nap since she was working the evening shift at the hospital. Laurie quietly set up her room, hanging her clothes in the closet. Smiling as she shook out her clothes and hung them up, she was stunned at the size of the closet.

Guess I will just have to buy more to fill it up. But first, a new laptop!

Unpacking her books out of the boxes, she pulled the old laptop out of its case and put it and the books on the desk. Money was still tight, and she had another month to go before her first teaching paycheck would be coming in. Having unpacked all of her meager possessions, she walked into the kitchen. Knowing that Carol would be sleeping for a few hours, she thought that it would be nice to fix dinner for her before she had to go to her shift that evening. Laurie decided to drive to the grocery store she had passed on the way to the apartment.

L
aurie stood in the cashier’s line at the store, having picked up a few items for dinner. As she glanced around, she noticed two men standing at the end of an aisle talking. Both were tall, muscular, and gorgeous. As she looked back at them, she could see the profile of the one closest to her. She found herself staring at the most handsome man she had ever seen. Dark hair, trimmed neatly. His large frame was bulky, filling out his T-shirt tightly and his jeans….
oh my…
his jeans. His thighs stretched the denim and his ass was…

“Excuse me, can you move forward?” said a voice directly behind her. Laurie jumped and realized that the line had moved while she was still standing in the same place ogling the hunk. She quickly turned and pushed her cart forward, blushing furiously. Embarrassed, she unloaded her items quickly.

Rob McDonald was tired of standing in the grocery store arguing with his buddy over who would pay for the beer. Rubbing his hand over his closely trimmed dark hair, he growled.

“Fuck, Jim, I paid last time!” he claimed.

“Yeah well, I didn’t know we were making a beer run when we headed out. I ain’t got my wallet, man.”

Continuing to grumble, Rob turned around, pushing the cart over to the cashier’s line. Looking up, he saw a woman at the head of the line paying for her groceries. She was tiny but curvaceous. He couldn’t see her face though, with her hair hanging along the side. As he was leaning forward slightly so he could see her better, her tiny hand swept her hair back away from her face.
Jesus, she’s gorgeous.
But her hair was what first caught his attention; thick, glossy, and long. So long that it hung way down her back toward her luscious ass.

Damn. I could see that hair spread out
on my pillow.
In fact, I could see my hands holding that hair as I pounded into her. I could see my…

“Move on up, asshole.” Jim shoved into him, breaking his train of lust.

Quickly adjusting himself so that the hard-on he was sporting couldn’t be seen. He turned back around to keep watching the beauty as she pushed her cart outside.

Motioning to the cart, he said, “Here, take this shit. I gotta go outside and find somethin’.”

“No fuckin’ way, man,” Jim answered back. “I told you, I ain’t got any money.”

“Damn!” Rob swore. Standing in line with the slowest cashier in the history of cashiers, he finally made it outside. But just as he knew she would be, the beauty was gone.

*

That afternoon, Carol woke to the wonderful smell of spicy tomato sauce cooking on the stove.

“Oh my!” she exclaimed. “I could get used to this! Let me shower first, and I will be right back. In a little bit, she came back into the kitchen dressed in pink scrubs.

The two women sat down to eat dinner before Carol had to leave for the night shift.

“I can’t wait for you to meet Tom,” Carol said. “We’ve only been dating a little while, but he is so nice. And…. I happen to know that he has some gorgeous,
single
friends that we could hook you up with.”