Chapter Twelve

Though Lori would never admit it, especially to her family, she actually enjoyed the first two hours of church. After the sacrament (which she hadn’t taken because she’d have felt like a hypocrite if she did), she’d enjoyed the talk by a missionary recently returned from Brazil, and even the next one by John’s bishop. She enjoyed them more than she would have guessed, but that hadn’t taken much—after all, she’d steeled herself to endure all three hours, for potential friendship’s sake.

The Sunday School lesson had been rambling, and John leaned over at one point to whisper, “Too bad the usual teacher is sick; he’s always well prepared.” But sitting next to John had still been a pleasant experience, and she’d been reminded about Christ’s healing Atonement.

Now, unfortunately, John had deserted her at the Relief Society door for the third hour, and she was currently sitting next to the pretty, slightly chunky woman in her thirties who had welcomed her at the door, introduced herself as Jeanette Harmon, led her to a seat behind the piano, and now couldn’t seem to stop talking. Lori heard precious little of what the teacher had prepared, but a lot of gossip.

She hoped to make it through this class and have John take her home. She’d been there two-and-a-half hours and had given up on finding any friends today.

Lori was relieved when, partway through the class, they sang a rest song. Afterward, the piano player took the empty chair by Lori.

The woman was Hispanic, with glossy, thick, black hair falling past her shoulders and soft feathered bangs framing her heart-shaped face. Her skin was a warm, creamy brown. She leaned toward Lori and whispered, “Hi, I’m Serena Martinez,” with the slightest hint of a Spanish accent in her rich husky voice.

“Lori Scott.” She hoped she wasn’t going to have both women chatting to her throughout the last twenty minutes of the lesson.

Jeanette said, her voice a little too loud. “I was just telling Lori about the ward and about John’s dating habits.”

With a nod, Serena whispered, “Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m sure she’s interested in talking about the man she came with.”

Startled, Lori looked at Serena to see if she was being sarcastic or not. The sparkle in her eyes and the slight smile told Lori she was, and Lori liked her immediately.

Jeanette frowned. “She needs to know his reputation. We women have to stick together, you know.”

“Oh, yes,” whispered Serena. She patted Lori’s arm. “You watch out for John Walker, amiga. He loves them and leaves them.”

With a suspicious glance at Serena, Jeanette turned her attention back to Lori. “Your black dress is quite lovely.”

“Thank you,” said Lori, forcing a tight-lipped smile.

“And those shoes. They must be very expensive.”

Lori glanced down at her black Jimmy Choo sling backs and replied with a hint of ice in her voice, “Yes, actually, they were.”

Serena smiled and whispered. “I would die for a pair of Jimmy Choos. You are so lucky.”

Jeanette frowned. “You shouldn’t be so caught up in material things, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Serena whispered. “That’s why you have to choose just a few of the best ones.”

Jeanette made a disapproving sound—a sort of humph—and turned to listen to the lesson. Quiet. Finally.

Amused by Serena’s comment, Lori twirled her necklace, wishing she could leave and find John, but having no idea where he’d be right now. The next time she came with him, she’d tell him she wanted to leave after Sunday School. Maybe even right after sacrament meeting.

Wait a minute. What was she thinking? There wouldn’t be a next time. This had been a disastrous friend-finding excursion.

The quiet pause proved to be too good to be true. Jeanette leaned toward Lori again and whispered, “I just think you should know that John likes to play the field. He’s dated all of the women in the singles ward at one time or another. He’s broken more hearts than Don Juan.”

Lori was actually relieved at this news, because it proved John really did want to be just friends.

The teacher glanced in their direction and then away.

Jeanette didn’t even lower her voice. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“That is so thoughtful of you.” Lori crossed her arms and leaned away, trying to put as much physical distance between her and the other woman as she could while still sitting next to her.

Jeanette was everything Lori didn’t like about Mormons—the fake smile and too-sweet church voice. Lori certainly knew plenty of non-LDS people in New York who weren’t very nice, but she was perhaps oversensitive to women in the Church playing false. Ever since Sister Fiona Bennett had made Lori feel like she was something special, when all Fiona really wanted was to get to know Lori’s still-married father better.

With a shake of her head, Lori pushed away the ugly thought.

Serena touched Lori’s arm lightly. “I’m going to the restroom. Would you like to come with me?”

“Yes,” Lori whispered back, grabbing her purse. She followed Serena out of the room and down the hall, grateful for the escape—and even more grateful when Jeanette didn’t follow them.

As they entered the restroom, Serena grinned. “I thought maybe you could use some rescuing.”

Lori smiled back. “Thank you for being so perceptive.”

“Jeanette can be a bit . . . overwhelming.” Serena leaned back against the long counter with a warm smile. “Just so you know, I am not going to mention John or his dating habits.”

“Thanks.”

Serena turned to wash her hands. “Unless, of course, you beg me to.”

“John and I are just friends.”

“Good. He could use a good friend. All the women here are trying to get him to the altar.”

Lori didn’t get the feeling Serena was asking, but she answered anyway. “Not me.”

“Me, either. I prefer my men more salsa and less meat-and-
potatoes.” Serena dried her hands. “Where did you move from?”

“New York. Manhattan.”

“Really? Sweet.” Serena tossed the paper towel in the trash can. “Would you like to find someplace to sit and get acquainted, or do you want to go back in with the dragon lady?”

Lori thought of Jeanette, picturing her more like a spider spinning webs of gossip, and shuddered. She’d narrowly escaped that web. “I’d much rather sit and talk.”

They found an unoccupied couch in the foyer. While they chatted, Lori learned that Serena loved snow and skiing and being in America and that her family—mother, father, and two brothers—had moved from Mexico to Utah when Serena was six.

“I was very homesick when we first moved, because I left all my friends behind. How about you? Are you homesick?”

Lori nodded and found herself confiding, “Yes.”

“Would you like to go to lunch sometime?”

“I’d love it.” And she really would. She had found a friend after all. They exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

When John walked around the corner, Lori’s heart lightened. But when a curvaceous redhead came into view clinging to his arm, she was surprised by the flicker of emotion. Jealousy? Surely not. Just surprise.

John hadn’t seen Lori yet but seemed to be scanning the hallway in both directions as he walked past. Lori almost stood and waved, but found herself staying put while the pair continued down the hall and out of sight.

She turned to Serena. “I think I’d like to ask that question now.”

“¿Sí?” Serena nodded. “What do you want to know?”

“Has John ever dated anyone seriously?”

“Tough question. Easy answer.” Serena leaned closer. “Up until recently, everyone thought Dawn—the redhead walking with him just now—might be the woman who finally got a ring from him.”

“Really?” Another flash of jealousy hit Lori; this time, there was no mistaking it. Jealousy she shouldn’t be feeling for a friend she barely knew.

“But since he brought you to church,” Serena continued, “I’m thinking they must have broken up.”

“But she was with him. Like a couple.”

“I haven’t seen them together for a while.”

Except for walking the halls together at church. “Who do you think broke up with whom?”

Serena motioned with her hands. “Dawn is not the only woman who has hoped for more with John, but he has always held himself back. If they broke up, he did the breaking. But maybe her heart hasn’t gotten the message yet.”

Yeah, that’s what Lori was thinking, too. She wondered how she could get John to tell her more.

Friend to friend, of course.

~

As they crossed the church parking lot toward his Dodge Ram pickup, John watched Lori walk in those ridiculously sexy black high heels, her slim hips swaying in that elegant, simple black dress.

She glanced at him, her silky blonde hair framing her pretty face, her rosy soft lips parting in a smile.

“So,” he asked, “did you meet any new friends?”

“Oh, yes.” She looked up at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “And I heard all kinds of interesting rumors.”

“Really.”

“Oh, yes. About all the guys and their dating patterns.”

“Really.” Uneasy about what she might have heard from Jeanette, who had latched onto Lori as soon as he’d left for priesthood meeting, John asked, “And what exactly did you learn?”

“Well, I heard an awful lot about you, in particular. You seem to be very popular with the ladies.”

She didn’t say anything more, which drove John insane, but she just walked beside him, swinging her little black purse and humming lightly.

He endured the silence until they reached his pickup, when he opened her door and held it for her while she climbed into the cab. “So what exactly did you hear about me?”

Her smile widened as she slid gracefully up, swiveling her long legs and high heels inside. “Oh, this and that.”

Frustrated, he shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. As soon as he was seated, he turned to her. “You’re deliberately teasing me.”

“Yes. Yes, I am.” She laughed, a delightfully light, tinkling sound. “You deserve it for dragging me to church. Do you know how many years I’ve sworn I would never do that? And don’t you dare mention this to my brother. Greg would never let me forget it.”

“Did you at least enjoy it?”

She shrugged, but her mouth fought a smile. “It was okay.”

“Admit it. You enjoyed it.”

“Okay, I know you well enough to know you won’t stop until I say something. So yes, I, Lori Scott, who swore never to go back to church, returned and actually enjoyed it. There, are you happy now? Can we go home?”

Her words were tough, but her voice held an undertone of laughter.

John was pleased. Not only had he gotten her to church—but she’d liked it. He smiled and started the truck. “So now will you tell me what everyone said about me?”

“Oh, it was great. I learned you are quite the operator and that you have dated all the women in the singles ward—”

“Hardly all.” He was glad Lori hadn’t seen him with Dawn on his arm; it had taken all his persuasive powers to get free so he could find Lori. But Jeanette could have told her anything. “Who told you this stuff?”

“My sources prefer to remain anonymous,” she demurred. “But I was told you’ve dated many, many women.”

“I have.” He even sounded defensive to himself, and that wasn’t right. “I haven’t wanted to get serious with anyone or lead anyone on.”

“Ah. But I also heard that some people thought you were getting serious with a certain redhead.”

Oh, boy. Busted. What did he say now? He wouldn’t lie about it, though he wished he could. “Okay. Yes. I was considering it.”

“So, friend to friend, what changed your mind?”

He paused, carefully—and frantically—trying to come up with a true answer that didn’t state the obvious: I met you. Finally he settled for, “I realized she might not be the one for me, after all.”

“Well, at least hearing all these stories made me realize you were telling the truth about just being friends. It seems like there’s quite the competition to see who can get you to the altar. Bets are being laid and a club is being formed.”

“You planning to join?”

“Not me, mission man. I’m leaving in less than three months, remember? Charles will be back on October fifteenth. I’ve gotta get back to my Manhattan penthouse and my glamorous nightlife.”

Ouch. That reminded him that he didn’t have much time to get to know her—and that he was not nearly sophisticated enough. He’d have to walk a fine line, getting close enough, but not so close he’d scare her away.

And he had less than three months to do it.

He’d have to bump up his schedule a little. “Mom told me to be sure to invite you over for Sunday dinner tonight.”

He’d have to call his mother before then and make sure she realized it was her idea.

~

Lori opened her cell phone, but hesitated with her hand above the buttons. John was coming to pick her up in an hour for dinner at his parents’ home. What was she doing? Had she lost her mind? Totally confused by her attraction to John and her seeming willingness to go along with whatever he suggested, Lori needed to talk to someone, but who?

Not her mother, who would only get her hopes up. And no way she’d call Greg. No, she needed to talk with a girlfriend, but she didn’t know Serena well enough yet. With a nod, she pushed speed-dial seven.

Marti picked up on the fourth ring. “How was the date?”

“It wasn’t a date. He just took me to . . .” She faded off before the word church. Marti didn’t know about that non-date.

“To some amusement park. I know. How was it?”

“I have to admit it was really fun.”

“I’m so glad. And now, where else did he take you that you’re so obviously trying to keep secret from me?”

Lori laughed. “I never could keep anything from you.”

“Especially when you nearly say it. Tell me.”

Lori groaned. “First, you have to promise never to divulge what I am about to say to anyone. Not your husband. Not my family. Not your family. And especially not Greg.”

“Wow. Sounds great. I promise. Now tell me everything.”

“John took me to church today.”

Marti whistled. “So let me get this straight,” she said, sounding amused. “You’re living in Brigham City and you’re dating a Mormon guy who convinced you to go back to church.”

“Yes. Kind of. Not exactly.”

Marti chuckled. “Any lightning strikes?”

“Don’t make me regret having told you.”

“I’m just trying to wrap my brain around this one. I have to ask you this, Lori, though it’s painful.” She paused dramatically. “Are you, like, being assimilated into the Borg?”

Amused by the thought, Lori said, “Of course not.”

“Well, then what else could possibly account for this sudden change of heart? Oh, wait, I know.” Her voice grew excited. “Did you call your father?”

Lori snorted. “As if. I didn’t call to talk about him.”

“Okay. Remind me exactly what you did call to talk about? Because this bogus Mormon-guy-taking-you-to-church story doesn’t fly.” Marti’s voice dripped with disbelief. “Did aliens abduct you? Do you have amnesia? Head trauma? Heat stroke from spending too much time weeding?”

Lori sighed. “I don’t know why I called you, anyway.”

“Because you love me and I love you. Okay, I promise I’ll be serious, because this certainly sounds serious.”

“He’s taking me to his parents’ house for dinner.”

“You’re meeting this guy’s parents today?”

“No. I met them last week at Lagoon.”

“You’ve already met his parents? Wow! He’s a fast worker, isn’t he?”

“You have no idea.” What she loved most about Marti was that it didn’t matter how long they went between phone calls or visits, it was like they’d never been apart. She could tell her anything, and Marti would give just enough sympathy, but not so much that Lori would indulge in tears. “The guy actually wants six kids.”

“Oh.” Lori could hear Marti’s sigh across the states. “That could be a problem.”

“Only if I were dating him. He’s just a friend, remember?”

“Just a friend. Gotcha. Well, in the case of friends”—she stressed the word—“who want six kids, perhaps he’d consider adoption.”

“Adoption?” Pain flickered through Lori. “He wants his own children, not someone else’s.”

“Lori, have you told him?”

“Of course not. Why would I? We’re just friends.”

“Maybe you need to bring up the subject.”

Pain coiled around her heart and squeezed her lungs. “Maybe I don’t want someone else’s children.”

“But you are so good with my kids. You’d be a wonderful mom. And adoption might be a way for you to be a mother. Forget the just-friends guy. Some day you’ll meet Mr. Right. And when you do, adoption could be a great idea.”

“I’d rather not talk about my inability to have children.”

“Hey,” Marti said with a slight edge to her voice, “you brought it up.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have called.”

“Are you kidding?” Marti’s voice softened. “Now tell me what’s really wrong.”

Lori hesitated to say her real feelings aloud. But this was Marti, who knew her better than she knew herself. Finally, she admitted, “I actually like the guy. And I don’t want to like him. I just want a friend while I’m here.”

“So just be his friend. And when that drives you crazy, call me and I’ll talk you out of getting too serious.”

Lori laughed. “Can it really be that simple?”

“Yes, Miss Analyze-Everything-to-Death. You can be friends, even if you’re attracted to the guy. Just don’t let him kiss you.”

Lori couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “He already did.”

“What? You’re kidding! When?”

“At the amusement park.”

“You’re in bigger trouble than I thought.” Marti’s voice lowered conspiratorially. “Did you kiss him back?”

“Hey, I know what—let’s talk about you instead.”

“You did kiss him back.”

“How are the kids?”

“You’re trying to change a very interesting subject.”

“Yes, I am indeed changing the subject.”

“O-kay then. The kids are great. Kimmi just brought home a paper flower she made for me in Primary . . .”