Miss Match (25 page)

Lexi sets her coffee down and lets out a deep breath. "Wow. You're
one for early morning surface conversations, you know?" She crinkles
her forehead, looks out the window, and watches Nate heft one-half of a
board over his shoulder. Ryan grabs the other side.

"Well, I don't really know, I guess." She waves her hands around.
"I just remember one day waking up and thinking, 'I'm going to marry
Nate."' She shrugs and picks up her coffee again. "There wasn't a sign
in the sky or anything. I just had a peace when I would pray about our
future together."

"Helpful, Lex."

"I'll try to do better next time, Sweetie. Ready for swatches?"

We spend the next two hours arguing over whether the living room
should be cranberry and beige or cranberry and sandstone. We're sitting
on her sofa, legs tucked up underneath us. I have a huge mug of Lexi's
cinnamon coffee in my hands, and there's a roaring fire in her fireplace.

It's nice and cozy. I look over at Lexi as she yammers on about how
much she likes cranberry and beige together. Her hair is falling over her
shoulders, and she's using her hands animatedly as she talks, pointing to
an interior design catalog.

I love my sister.

"I'm starved!" Nate yells as he opens the door, letting in a blast of
cold air that makes the fire shudder.

Ryan comes in behind him, shutting the door. The fire breathes a
sigh of relief.

Lexi hardly glances up from her magazine. "You have got to be kidding. It's barely noon."

"Hey, we're doing hard construction work outside," Nate protests.
He comes around the sofa, wraps his arms around a shrieking Lexi, and
kisses her neck repeatedly.

"Get off me!" she screams, arms flailing. "You're sweaty!"

I hope she isn't too attached to the cranberry/beige option, because
the color card disappears into the couch cushions.

Ryan bends over, resting his arms on the couch, and taps my shoulder. "See, this is marriage." He says this quietly into my ear.

I giggle.

Lexi pushes Nate off with her legs and huffs loudly. "All right, all
right. Lunch will be ready in ten minutes." She grabs Nate's hand and
pulls herself off the couch. "Come on, Mr. Muscles, you can help."

Nate flexes for her, Lexi dissolves into laughter. "Into the kitchen,"
she commands.

Ryan watches them go, then comes around the sofa and settles into
Lexi's vacated spot. "What are you looking at?"

I sip my coffee. "Color swatches for this room." I hold up my color
choice. "What do you think? Cranberry on that wall and sandstone on
the other three."

He glances at the walls. "Uh, yeah."

"You don't care in the least, do you?"

"Do you like it?"

"Yes."

He leans back, nodding. "Then I like it too." He eyes my coffee
enviously.

I pass the mug to him. "How's the porch building going?"

He sips, grimaces at the sweetness, balances the cup on his knee, and
rakes a hand through his curly hair. "It's going okay."

"Aha." I cross my arms smugly. "You got the fish bait speech."

"Come again?"

"You know. `You hurt her, you'll be fish bait."'

He grins. "Yep. Except in my case it was ground beef. What about
you? Gotten a speech about me yet?"

"Honey, we've been too busy arguing over sandstone or beige."

"I'm not even going to comment on that one." He drains the cup.

"I guess I'm done with the coffee."

"Guess so. Laurie, I haven't known you too long, but I've known you
long enough. You've got enough coffee in the kitchen to feed the Israelites
escaping from Egypt."

I nod toward the mug. "You realize that had milk and sugar in it."

"I was thirsty."

I watch him for a minute. "You think I'm going to get a ground beef
speech about you?" I ask incredulously.

"No, I think yours has something to do with diamonds."

Now I'm impressed. I tell him so.

"Well, I do have an older sister, Laur."

"Did you ever give a ground beef speech?"

"No. Ruby's a few years older. By the time I realized that boyfriends
were bad, she'd moved out." He flicks my arm. "What about you?"

"I didn't resort to speech so much as action."

"Do I want to know?"

"Ask Lexi. She can tell you the harrowing tales of having a baby
sister."

"Lunchtime!" Lexi yells from the kitchen.

Ryan pulls me off the couch and I lead the way.

Lexi gestures to the island counter. "Informal, yes, but filling."

"Works for me." Ryan's salivating over the rolls, deli meat, and
cheeses.

Nate slaps Ryan on the back. "You know, girls, Ryan and I make a
pretty good team. We'll have to do this again."

Ryan gives me a sidelong wink. "Sure. What about next weekend?"

"Really?" Nate pounces. "Great! Next week we can make porch
chairs."

Ryan cuts open a roll. "I don't know that the porch will get finished
today, Nate."

"Two weekends from now?"

Ryan laughs. "Okay, sure."

"Nate!" Lexi scolds. "The poor boy is never going to have any free
time."

"What?" Nate protests. "He can hang with me, we can build stuff,
and then he gets to come inside and stare at two of the prettiest girls this
side of Mississippi." He smacks Ryan's back again. "I never knew how
much I missed having a brother. Or even a dad that got into building
stuff."

Lexi shakes her head. "Sorry, Ryan. I think you've just been
adopted."

"Hey, I think it's great too. I never had a brother either."

Smack!

Ryan's shoulder blade has to be getting sore from Nate's constant
pounding.

Nate grins wider. "See, Lex?"

Whap!

I decide to step in for the sake of Ryan's back. Who knows? Ten years from now, after all this hitting, he may not be able to play horsey with
his little daughter.

I move behind Ryan, holding my plate.

"Oh, go ahead in front of me, Laurie." He motions to the
sandwiches.

"No, no. You're the one who's been working all day."

"Yep, that's right!" Nate gets ready to smack Ryan again and then
realizes I stand there. He pats my shoulder.

Ryan's foot nudges mine in a silent "thank you."

We sit at the table, Nate says a prayer, and then we dive in.

"So, Lexi," Ryan says. "First, this is great. Second, I hear that you've
got some stories about Laurie torturing your boyfriends?"

Lexi finishes swallowing and bursts into laughter. "Ryan, those stories are better saved for after your honeymoon."

"Why?"

"Because you might change your mind after hearing how cruel she
"
can get.

"Hey!" I yell.

Lexi looks at me. "Well, he might."

Nate nods. "I had to wait until I was married, Laurie. So does
Ryan."

I give Ryan a Bambi look. "Don't believe them, dear. I was a perfect
angel."

"Uh-huh."

"I was!" I protest. "How can you think otherwise?"

"A certain image of you prostrating yourself to a picture in your
studio comes to mind."

Nate coughs.

"Other than that," I tell Ryan.

He tips his head. "How about Oreos?"

"Okay, I'm done pleading innocence." I get a bag of potato chips
from Lexi's pantry.

"So, Lex, do you want porch chairs or a chaise lounge?" Nate asks.

"Maybe I should be asking which Ryan would prefer."

Ryan shrugs. "No difference in difficulty, just design."

Lexi peers out the window. "Can I request a table as well?"

"Sure," Nate says. Ryan covers his mouth, his eyes twinkling.

"Okay," she says finally. "A table, four chairs, two chaise lounges.
Please."

I Pat Ryan's arm. "Hey, this is familiar." He glowers at me. I grin.
"Nice knowing you, buddy."

"Too much?" Lexi asks, her face crumpling.

"No, no, not at all," Ryan jumps in. "Just don't expect it by Monday
or anything."

"But by summer?"

He nods.

We leave at four. Ryan opens the truck door for me, promising Nate he'll
be back next Saturday. Lexi and I decide to paint then.

"Beige!" she yells as I climb into the truck.

"Sandstone!"

Ryan starts the truck, waves, and pulls out of the driveway.

"Sore?" I ask him.

"Mmm ... a little."

I glance at the clock on the dashboard. "It's still early for dinner.
Want to come watch a movie?"

"Sure. Wait a minute. What movie?"

"You and Brandon. Sheesh. No faith at all."

He shoots me a glance. "I heard at least fifteen separate references to
fifteen different chick flicks made by you and Lexi during lunch today."

"And wouldn't you like to have known what we were talking
about?"

"No. I'm content to just stare cluelessly like Nate."

I laugh. "Thanks for helping him like that. It meant a lot to him."

"Anytime, Laurie."

"Sounds like that's what you promised."

He steers into my driveway. I hop out and unlock the front door.
"Dad?" I call.

No answer.

I check the garage; his car is gone. Going back into the kitchen, I
rinse out the coffeepot.

"Want some?" I ask Ryan, who comes in through the hallway.

"Uh, sure. You're going to live a short life, Laurie." He is shaking
his head.

"Ah, but a good life."

I push the button and the machine starts whirring. "Chocolate?" I
offer.

He sighs. "Look, Laur, I'd really like you to be around in thirty
years. Don't eat the chocolate, please?"

There is the little-kid-on-the-playground smile.

I exhale dramatically. "Just five M&Ms?"

"Three."

"Four?"

"Deal."

I get the bag, grouchy. "You're trying to change me."

"Not change, exactly. Just prolong you."

I scowl. "What movie did we decide on? Ever After?"

"Heh heh." He opens the video closet. "Wow. You have a lot of movies."

"It's a dollar and fifteen cents to rent one, if you like."

"Funny, Laurie. Hey! The Dream Team. I haven't seen this in ages."
He pulls out the DVD. "Let's watch this."

I know how to negotiate. "I don't know, Ryan," I say slowly.

"Five M&Ms?"

I shake his hand. "You got it."

I push the DVD in and grab the remote, settling on the right side of
the sofa, tucking my feet underneath me. Ryan takes the left side.

"How poetic," I mutter as the movie starts.

"What?"

"Our first movie together is The Dream Team. Fitting, considering
our ploy, don't you think?"

He shakes the couch he laughs so hard.

I walk into The Brandon Knox Photography Studio Monday morning,
brushing snowflakes from my hair and grinning broadly at Hannah,
who is sitting at her desk, yawning.

"Good morning, Hannah," I sing, half-tossing, half-shoving my
backpack into my cubby. "Isn't it gorgeous outside?"

"Mmph."

"Hey," I say, leaning over to peer into her face. "Today is a happy
day. No mumbled answers allowed."

"And why, pray tell, is this a happy day?" She starts guzzling
coffee from a very boring stainless-steel thermos.