Ditched

"Well, bless you for saying that, because it's been a very long time."

"You make it sound like you were around when Pete's Pool opened up."

Lauren laughed at the reference to the large, public pool near the golf course—and the King County Fairgrounds—that was once filled with icy, unheated, un-chlorinated, mountain water and open only from late May though mid-September. It opened back in 1953 and closed in the late 1970s just before she was born.

"No, not quite that far back," she said as though she'd just been insulted.

"Ah. Okay. I was just making sure," Jake replied with a smile.

"I'm old—er than you, but not that old," she informed him.

"Okay. Fine. You win," Jake said with a smile.

"What? What did you mean by that?" she had to ask.

"Well, it's just that women like yourself like to make it sound like you're, well, a whole lot old—er, then you could possibly be. That's all."

"Women like me?" she asked feigning offense.

"Oh, so now you're gonna make me say it, aren't you?" Jake teased.

"Say it? Say what?" Lauren asked in that same tone.

"You're gonna make me say that beautiful women like yourself, who are still very young, pretend they're really 'oh-so-old' as though guys like me can't see or something."

Between his smile and his words, Lauren was feeling some kind of fluttery feeling in her tummy, and even though it was just playful banter, it felt very good.

"Yes. Guys like you. Guys who are still so young they have to try and make themselves seem older to bolster their credibility," she replied, one eye nearly closed as she looked at him.

Lauren smiled then said, "You see? I'm on to you, Jake Anthony. I know all about...your type."

"Well, you should," he replied as he shoveled in another huge bite.

"Oh, boy. Be very careful what you say next," Lauren pretended to warn.

"Hey, I can't help it if you've lived so long that you've accumulated all kinds of wisdom. I mean, that's not my fault you're really, really old, is it?" he asked, keeping the game going.

He hesitated until she drew a deep breath and gave him a wide-eyed stare before he added, "Er. Old—er."

Lauren's face showed resignation as she sighed and said, "I could try and argue the point, but why bother, right? I mean, it's not like I'm...I don't know...your age...or something."

"Hey. Hold on. Do you have something against people my age?" he said, reversing the roles.

Lauren hadn't been teasing that time, but laughed when he took it that way.

"No. I...I still remember being your age."

She paused then very seriously said," Barely. But I do remember it."

Not missing a beat, Jake said, "I'm just curious. How did you get the boys to carry around those stone tablets and chisels for you at school? You know, back when you were my age?"

He didn't smile at all, and it took Lauren a second, but she couldn't help laughing. When she finally stopped she had tears in her eyes, as she sat there trying to remember the last time she'd laughed like that and couldn't.

"I so needed that," she said after dabbing her tear-stained eyes.

"At the risk of getting myself in trouble, you really are beautiful, Lauren," he said politely but not jokingly.

Lauren Holly was 36 years old, but felt herself on the verge of blushing.

She looked away immediately then, pretending he hadn't said that, asked, "Is there anything else I could get you, Jake?"

"Oh, no. This is plenty," he told her.

The jocularity ended, and so did most of the talking as they finished eating. It was more like Lauren finishing as Jake had just popped the last bite of his omelet into his mouth.

As Lauren quietly chewed her much smaller bites, she couldn't help but think of the way Carl used to sit there and finish his meals way ahead of her just like that. It wasn't rudeness. It was just another difference between men and women, and as she glanced up at him, the sting of loneliness hit her as hard as it had in recent memory.

Jake insisted on putting their dishes in the sink even after Lauren tried telling him there was no way he was going to do that after having made the meal.

"Hey. I may be younger than you, but I'm also bigger and stronger," he told her with a smile.

As he said it, he was standing up and reaching for her plate. She'd grabbed it, too, but when he spoke, he leaned closer toward her so that their noses were only a few inches apart when he said that. Lauren was unaware she'd let go of the plate or anything else he said until he told her he should probably be going a minute or so later.

"I had no intention of staying for dinner when I stopped by," Jake told her when she walked him to the door. "But this was really nice."

"Yes, it was very pleasant having someone to talk to. Someone who isn't mad at me all the time."

She smiled but Jake could almost feel her pain. Maybe he was making too much out of it, and it was nothing more than standard mother-daughter fare.

"I don't have kids, so I won't offer my opinion," Jake replied. "I don't even have a wife yet, so maybe silence really is golden."

"Golden. Like your omelets," Lauren told him, now feeling very good.

She thanked him for staying and for cooking as he opened the door to let himself out.

"Cooking. That's funny," he told her. "Omelets aren't exactly cooking."

"Around here they are. And they were delicious," she told him again. "And had you not stopped by there's no telling what kind of junk food I might have eaten. So I guess perhaps I owe you one."

Jake laughed and told her he might just call in the favor sometime.

"Fyi, I'm not a slouch in the kitchen, either. I'm no Chef Anthony, but I do okay," Lauren teased.

Jake laughed a hearty laugh, and that made Lauren laugh, too.

"Well, I'll uh, I'll get out of your hair," he told her.

They stood there awkwardly looking at one another when Jake went to stick out his hand just as Lauren extended her arms for a small hug.

"I like your idea better," Jake told her as they embraced each other just long enough for their bodies to touch.

"Uh-oh," Lauren said as she pulled away.

Jake saw her look into the street and turned around just as a car pulled up to the curb to let Makayla out. She turned to wave to whoever was in the car before running up to the front porch.

"Looks like I'm not the only one sneaking around with someone who isn't her same age," Mikayla couldn't resist saying as she looked at the extremely handsome man on her porch who'd just hugged her mother.

"I am so in trouble," Lauren said as she looked at Jake who laughed loudly.

"I didn't think you'd remember me," Jake told Makayla with a smile.

"You're like way hard to forget," Makayla said a little too forwardly.

Her mother cleared her throat, sending a message to her daughter.

"Well, he is very cu..."

"Makayla?" her mom said before things went any further.

"Mom? Why didn't you tell me you had a date with Officer Hottie?" her daughter asked, loving the way her mom was squirming.

"I think you should go on inside, and I'll explain once our visitor leaves. And...Officer Anthony...was just leaving."

Jake actually was leaving, but he knew that was his cue to hit the road immediately so he thanked Lauren one more time and told Makayla it was good to see her again.

"You too, Officer Anthony," Mikayla told him as he waved goodbye on the way down the sidewalk.

"Am I in trouble? Again?" Makayla asked her mom as they went inside.

"Honey? I like that you have a sense of humor, but you aren't old enough to tease a police officer like that."

"I'm sorry," her daughter said sincerely. "But you have to admit I was right. He really is way hot."

Lauren smiled then said, "Okay. I won't argue with you that he's a very handsome young man."

"So...do you like him or something?" Makayla asked without any of the 'edge' that had there much too often lately.

"I beg your pardon???" her mother said with the edge.

"I was just asking, Mom. No need to get all defensive."

Her daughter smiled then said, "Unless, of course, you do like him."

Her mother was trying to keep a straight face as she pointed upstairs.

"Okay. Fine. I'm going!"

She got to the bottom of the stairs then turned and said without attitude or humor, "But if you did like him, that would be fine with me."

Her mother's jaw dropped, and all she could do was point again causing her daughter to laugh the way she always used to laugh; a laugh Lauren dearly missed.

After loading the dishwasher, Lauren poured herself a glass of wine, and sat there thinking about what a nice time she'd had with Jake. His visit was completely unexpected, and yet she was really glad he'd stopped by, and she was just as glad that she'd asked him to come in. Even more pleasant had been the surprise of learning he had a sense of humor to match his good looks, and he'd been as nice as he'd been funny.

Once again, Lauren sighed deeply, something she was doing all too often lately.

If only her boss had some of that charisma. Were that true, Lauren would be pulling out all the stops to try and get him to make a commitment. But spending time with him was little more than spending time with a girlfriend, something Lauren didn't do nearly enough of these days.

After Carl's death she'd retreated into herself and made Makayla and their home her sanctuary. Going to work had helped, but she still rarely had any 'girl' time, and after seeing Ross, she thought it would be nice to ask his wife, Debbie, if she'd like to get together sometime. And that would give her the chance to get a woman's perspective on things; things that were eating at her in a big way.

Then again, seeing an old girlfriend was always a little bit uncomfortable now that she was single again. Married women had always been part of the company she and Carl had invited over or done things with. Now it seemed more like she was a threat than a friend, so maybe that accounted for why she had so few female friends. Still, she thought it might be fun to get together with Debbie so she made a mental note to give her a call.

When the wine was gone, Lauren decided that now was as good a time as any, so she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts and found her name. How long had it been since she'd last dialed Debbie's number?

When she found it, she saw the date. It was just under three years ago, and it had been an incoming call meaning Debbie had been checking up on her. That was three weeks after Carl's memorial, and she hadn't heard from her since.

She sighed again then hit 'call' and waited.

"Lauren? Lauren Holly?" she heard Debbie say when she saw the Caller ID on her screen.

"That would be me," Lauren said pleasantly.

"Oh, my heavens! What a pleasant surprise! Ross said he ran into you at the fair, and I'm so glad you called."

"He was very helpful, and yes, we did talk."

Debbie laughed and said, "He told me what happened, and I am so dreading raising a teenager."

"It's not so bad," Lauren said, mostly to convince herself.

Debbie laughed again then said, "So what's going on? How have you been doing?"

Lauren gave her the short version then asked if she'd like to maybe get together.

"Yes. Absolutely."

"I'm working now, so it would need to be in the evening or on the weekend, but I'm pretty much free every evening as well as Saturday and Sunday."

There was an uncomfortable pause which made her think Debbie was trying to recall something.

"Oh, sure. Mutual, right? How do you like it?" her friend asked.

Again, Lauren provided the sanitized version then mentioned she'd kind of been seeing someone from the office, but that it wasn't all that great.

"You should let me set you up," Debbie suggested.

"Oh, gosh. I...I don't know. Blind dates are...pretty awful," she said before remembering how she met her late husband.

"It doesn't have to be a blind date. You could come over here and meet him, and then if you hit it off, you could go out on an actual date."

Lauren hesitated being answering.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass on that. Thank you for offering, but I don't really think so."

"Okay. I get it. I'm not sure I'd want to do that, either. So...how about next weekend? For us getting together."

"Perfect! We can text about when and where during the week."

"Sounds good, Lauren. And it was really great hearing from you!"

"You, too, Debbie. Take care and tell Ross I said 'hi' and 'thank you', okay?"

"Will do. Talk to you soon!"

The conversation had been a little strained, but not nearly as bad as she'd assumed it might be, and she was actually looking forward to doing something with another woman for a change.

Just before going to bed Lauren remembered the reason Jake had stopped by. Noah's parents wanted to talk to her. Since their intention was to apologize, Lauren thought that would be fine, until she recalled that neither she nor Jake had said another word about how they'd all go about getting together once he came inside. She consoled herself with knowing that if it was that important to Noah's parents, they'd find a way to get in touch.

Lauren hadn't been at work ten minutes on Monday morning when her boss stopped in and asked why she hadn't returned his phone calls.

"Calls? Plural?" she asked with surprise.

"Yes. I called you on Saturday then twice more on Sunday. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were avoiding me," he said with a smile.

Lauren apologized then explained how her weekend had gone, and her boss thanked her for sharing that with him.

"But...before you go, we need to talk," she told him, her brow wrinkled in a way that said it all.

Like every other man, he understood those four dreaded words all too well, and after listening to Lauren set things up to soften the blow, he graciously accepted her suggestion that they 'take a break'. She was relieved when he assured her this decision would have no impact on her whatsoever where work was concerned.

"I like you, Lauren," he told her. "In fact, I like you a whole lot. But I'm not a petty person, and the last thing I'd ever do is try and...what? Seek 'revenge' or something?"

He smiled then said, "I've enjoyed our time together, and I'm grateful for that. All I ask is that if you change your mind you'll let me know."

Lauren promised him she would then, as he was leaving, he asked, "Is there maybe someone else?"

"No. Absolutely not. No one," she quickly assured him.

"Okay. It's really none of my business. I wouldn't blame the other guy. You're an amazing woman, Lauren."

Lauren smiled, thanked him, then breathed a sigh of relief when he left.

The rest of the day passed without incident, either at work or at home, and Lauren had almost forgotten both about Noah's parents and getting together with Debbie.

So when she got a text from her friend just after lunch, she was so thrilled she called her to confirm.

"That sounds wonderful," Lauren told her in response to the two of them having a spa day on Saturday. Debbie had a 'freebie' coming for signing up for the 'once-a-month' package, and offered it to Lauren.

She was just as surprised when both Ross and Jake stopped by without warning Wednesday evening to discuss when and where to meet with Noah's parents. She was even more surprised to learn that Jake was Ross's regular partner. But with less than six months on the force, that made sense.

"Had my partner here done his job when he stopped by your house, we wouldn't be here taking up more of your valuable time," Ross said to Lauren while giving his younger colleague the eye.

He gave Jake an even more serious 'look' then said, "Or ours."

"Well, in his defense, Jake does make a killer omelet," Lauren told him.

"Oh, right. He said you let him in. You must have really lowered the standards on who you allow inside these days, Lauren," Ross said to her while looking at Jake again who just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

Lauren laughed then told Ross, "No, it was actually very nice. I can't remember the last time I had someone stay for dinner or...anything else for that matter."

"Yeah, but you don't have to scrape the bottom of the barrel, you know," Ross told her.

"I most definitely didn't," she said almost nervously as she looked at him then at Jake before looking away altogether.

"Oh, and Debs says you two are doing the spa-day thing. Nice," Ross told her.

"I can't wait. It's been even longer since I didn't something nice for myself," Lauren said.

"I know Makayla is three years older than Olivia, but if she wants to hang out at my place, this one's gonna be there with me. For whatever that's worth," Ross said as he nodded to his young partner.

"Scraping the bottom of the barrel, are we, Ross?" Lauren teased.

"I am sitting right here," Jake said seriously enough to make Lauren laugh.

"The guy's my partner. I'm stuck with him. What was your excuse?" Ross playfully shot back.

Lauren laughed then said she'd ask her daughter.

"It would be great knowing she was somewhere I didn't have to worry about her, but you don't have to do that, Ross."

"Have to? No way. I'd love to have her over, and I know Olivia would, too."

"I'm just worried about my daughter corrupting yours," Lauren said with that look of 'I'm raising a teen girl by myself' on her face.

"Don't. We'd love to have her for as long as she'd care to stay."

"Partner?" Jake said, hoping to get back on track.

"What now?" Ross replied with feigned annoyance.

"You...we...didn't set up the meeting yet."

Ross scratched his head, coughed a bit out of embarrassment, then said, "Right. Good catch, rookie."

"So...what day works for you to talk with Noah's folks?" the older officer asked.

"Oh, right. Well, since my Saturday is booked solid...maybe Sunday? But since they're just across the street and a couple of houses down, do we really need to be so formal?"

"His parents are taking this very seriously, but I'll check," Ross replied. "And if they still want to, we can be there, too, if you'd like."

"That would be great. I'd feel very uncomfortable meeting them alone," Lauren told him with no small amount of relief.

"Do you have a time in mind?"

"Is noon okay?"

"I'll ask about that, too," Ross told her. He paused then told his partner it was time get going.

They said their goodbyes, and Lauren walked them to the door. Ross walked out, and before Jake followed him he said, "I just wanted to tell you again that had a really nice time, Lauren."

Lauren smiled happily then said, "Yes! Me, too, Jake."

He looked over his shoulder and smiled just as Ross called out, "Any day there, Rook!"

"I'm being summoned," Jake said with a laugh.

"Yes. Go!" Lauren told him with a laugh of her own.

It took Lauren several minutes to shake off the effects of just those final moments talking to Jake alone. In the end she chalked it up to his looking like a kind of 'younger Carl' even though she had to admit he was even more handsome than her late husband had been. That was saying something, because Lauren had always considered him to be a very attractive man. Satisfied with her explanation, she let it go as she got back to work.

During dinner that evening, Lauren pitched the idea of going to Olivia's house that weekend, and Makayla had no idea who her mom was talking about. Three years to Lauren wasn't that long ago, but to Makayla, it was roughly a fourth of her entire life. She'd been ten and Olivia seven the last time they'd seen one another.

"Sorry. She's Ross's daughter. I know you know who Ross is after this past weekend," her mom said with judgment.

"Oh, yeah. Now I remember. The little girl with the pigtails."

"That was three years ago, honey," her mom informed her. "She's now the same age you were when..."

"When Dad died?" she said without any hint of attitude.