The session had ended but Lauren sensed something still preyed on the woman’s mind.
Kim broke off a piece of shortbread cookie. “I heard Seth is coming home today.”
“He should be here by suppertime.” Lauren couldn’t stop the smile that rose to her lips.
Kim took a sip of tea and gazed at Lauren over the rim of the cup. “Loretta Barbee mentioned he was out of town. How long has he been gone?”
“He left the day before yesterday.” The fifty-five hours he’d been gone so far—not that she was counting—had felt like an eternity. How insane was that?
When Anna and Stacie had talked about missing their husbands, Lauren had been skeptical. So they were gone for a few days. Big deal. Her mother didn’t see her father for months at a time. Missing him had never been an issue.
Lauren missed Seth with a longing bordering on the ridiculous. She’d tried to make sense of it but hadn’t been able to come up with a logical explanation. Unless perhaps she missed him simply because they’d spent so much time together recently. She’d gotten used to talking to him, to having him around. Yes, that must be it. Seth was like a familiar slipper, a favorite robe, a relaxing cup of cocoa.
A cup of cocoa?
Hmm...no. The sexy cowboy might be like a shot of whiskey but never warm milk. Lauren stifled a smile and took a sip of tea.
“I wish I had someone waiting for me at home.” Kim sighed.
“I’m just Seth’s friend,” Lauren reminded the woman, shrugging aside the sadness that welled inside her at the knowledge she would never be more. “He comes home to Ivy, not to me.”
“Oh.” An odd look of disappointment crossed Kim’s face. “It’s just that you’re together all the time. I assumed you were a couple.”
Lauren shook her head. Sometimes she found herself thinking of them as a couple and she knew better.
“Is that because of you and Adam?” Kim asked. “I know you’ve gone to dinner with him several times.” An easy smile remained on her lips while her fingers tore a paper napkin into little strips. “Are you two dating?”
Lauren dropped her cup to the saucer with a clatter. She couldn’t believe this ridiculous rumor was still floating around Sweet River. “Adam is a colleague of my father’s,” she said in a firm tone, hoping to end this nonsense once and for all. “That’s our only connection.”
“Good.” Kim’s cheeks turned bright pink. “I mean, that’s good to know.”
“You like Adam.” Lauren kept any judgment from her voice but inside she worried. From what he’d said, Adam was only in Sweet River to settle his father’s estate. Once he finished his business here, he would return to Rhode Island and Kim would be left behind.
“I told myself not to get emotionally involved.” Kim glanced down at the tattered napkin and crumpled the paper into a ball. “I discovered feelings aren’t turned on and off that easily.”
“I hear you.” It was the same for Lauren. She’d tried to bury her feelings for Seth, knowing there could be no future with him. It didn’t matter. She loved him. She. Loved. Seth.
Her heart stopped, then rose to her throat. All the things she’d been telling herself were true. She liked Seth. Respected Seth. Had fun with Seth. Somewhere along the way she’d also fallen in love with him.
Instead of joy, the thought brought only despair. For her and Seth, there could be no happily-ever-after.
Kim dropped a sugar cube into her cup. “Where will you go once you leave here?”
“Back to Denver for a short time, then I’ll be moving to Virginia.” Lauren tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. After all, as her father said, it was a solid opportunity. “I’m planning to accept a position on the faculty of King’s College once I complete my degree.”
“That’s exciting.” Kim finished the last of her tea. “Will you be doing counseling on the side or through the college?”
“Unfortunately neither.” Lauren ignored the ping in her heart. “At least not initially.”
“That’s a shame.” Kim pushed back her chair and stood. “You’re a fabulous therapist. Easy to talk to and very helpful.”
Lauren didn’t know how helpful she’d been. Kim’s reason for the session—a conflict with a fellow coworker—had been so trivial it had almost seemed, well, contrived.
“Thanks, Kim. I appreciate the kind words.” Lauren rose and walked the accountant to the front door.
Kim paused at the front steps of the porch and turned to face Lauren. “Adam left a message on my cell this morning. He asked me to go to the movies and then to dinner.”
Ah, today’s visit finally made sense.
Lauren cocked her head. “What did you tell him?”
“Nothing yet. But I’m going to call him back and say yes. I think we’re a good match.” A tiny smile hovered on the edges of Kim’s lips. “Just like the survey indicated.”
Lauren thought about the survey she’d completed. Even if she and Seth matched, it wouldn’t make a difference. “You’ll have to let me know how it goes.”
“Maybe I’ll be inviting you to a wedding someday,” Kim said with a laugh.
Lauren merely smiled. It hardly seemed possible, but then again, stranger things had happened.
They talked for a few more minutes before Kim got into her car and Lauren headed inside. She paused in the foyer and glanced at the side table, her gaze settling on a manila envelope Anna had delivered yesterday. The envelope with the survey results. No, not just the survey results, her survey results. She’d done the analysis, but had chickened out and had Anna do the number matching.
Lauren picked up the envelope, weighing it in her hands.
Sometimes it seemed as if she’d spent her entire life wanting what she couldn’t have. She’d always known she wasn’t a priority in her father’s life, but at least
