Ditched

"Yes. Well, anyway, Officer Anthony is going to be there, and I was wondering if maybe you might..."

"Wait. The hot cop?" Makayla said.

"Um...okay," her mom agreed. "That's not very respectful, but...okay."

"Sorry. But it is true," her daughter informed her mother.

"He and Ross are barbecuing and since I'll be at the spa with Debbie, we thought it might be nice if you and Olivia spent some time together."

Makayla thought about it then said, "Mom. Olivia's just a kid."

"I still think it would be nice for you to spend some time with her."

Makayla's brain was searching for another, more legitimate excuse, but after reminding herself she could be stuck at home with no phone, no laptop, and no TV, she gave in.

"Okay. Sure. I can do that," she finally said.

"Thank you, honey," her mom replied.

"And I'm not going just because Officer Hottie is there. I know you want me to be somewhere safe. But I do stay home alone now, so it's not like you have to worry about me all the time."

Now it was Lauren trying to fight off saying something; something about how lucky she was to be going anywhere. Instead, she again chose honey over vinegar.

"Hey, it's what mothers do, KK. We worry," Lauren said with a smile. "So you'll go?"

"I guess," she said.

"I'm not going to make you go."

"No. I suppose after what I did at the fair, it's the least I could do," her daughter said, pleasantly surprising her mother.

She looked over and saw tears welling up in her mom's eyes and said, "Okay. What's that all about?"

"I don't know. Some days I wonder who you even are, and others I'm so proud of you it makes me..."

"Cry?" Makayla said before laughing.

"I just don't want us to grow apart, KK. I know you have to grow up and become your own woman. Just...don't grow up too fast, okay?" her mom said as she reached for something to dab her eyes with.

"Don't worry, Mom. I promise not to run off with Officer H..."

"What's his real last name again?" Makayla asked, causing her mom to laugh.

"Anthony. And, yes, he is kind of...hot, isn't he?" Lauren finally said out loud.

"Um, yeah! As in—smokin'...hot!" Makayla replied with the head shake just like Jim Carrey did in the movie The Mask.

The reference to the comedian made Lauren laugh when she thought of him in Dumb and Dumber saying to the real Lauren Holly, the woman he had a crush on and followed across the country, "So you're saying—there's a chance!" after she told him the odds of him ever dating her were around a million to one.

"Why can't I meet someone like that who's my age?" her mother said rather wistfully—and out loud.

"Ha! I was thinking the same thing," her daughter replied.

Lauren allowed herself to laugh, but felt the need to say something.

"Honey? Don't be in a hurry, okay? You're a very pretty girl, and boys will be flocking to you like crazy soon enough. So maybe be a little more...choosy, okay?"

"I meant for you, Mom, but...okay. And what do you mean by choosy?"

"Sorry. I guess I jumped to conclusions, but...yes. Make sure the guys you date will treat you with respect. Make sure they like you for who you are and not for, you know, what they think they can get. And remember this. With some exceptions, the better looking a boy is, the more he feels...entitled to get what he wants, and that only makes things more difficult."

Makayla surprised her mom when she sat down beside her and said, "I know I can be a real pain in the as...neck...sometimes, but that doesn't mean I wasn't listening every time you talked to me about boys. Okay?"

"Okay," her mom said. "It's just harder watching you grow up than I thought it would be. Until this year, it was so simple. All I had to do was make you laugh or buy you something. Then everything was fine. But now...I don't know. It's just so...complicated."

"I'm not trying to make your life harder, Mom. I just loved getting all that attention from a boy. And even though he's a year older than me, Noah's really cute."

Lauren was tearing up again as she put a hand on her daughter's face.

"Your father would be so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom. I hope so. And I know he'd want you to be happy. So if you meet someone...someone else...who makes you happy, don't be afraid to go for it, okay?"

"Look at you. Giving advice to your mother. And mature, sound advice at that."

Lauren smiled and when Makayla hugged her, it almost seemed like things were back to normal at the Holly House. And yet, with Carl gone, they'd never be back to normal. Some kind of 'new normal' was the best they could hope for, but as of that moment, Lauren had no idea what that might look like.

Then again, Lauren still had hope that one day she'd find that special someone...else...who'd make her happy, and were she really lucky, Makayla might also love him, too. Her daughter loving him would be quite a stretch, but if she could at least like him and respect him, that would be pretty amazing.

"Yeah. Keep dreaming," Lauren said out loud to herself unaware she had.

"About what, Mom?" Makayla asked.

"Oh, gee. Sorry, honey. I was thinking about something. That's all."

She'd thought about mentioning the meeting with Noah's parents, but in the end decided not to as Mikayla had enough worry about.

On Saturday, by the time Lauren and Makayla got to Ross's house, Lauren couldn't remember the last time she was so excited about doing something. And when, to her very pleasant surprise, Makayla took a genuine interest in Olivia after saying 'hello', she felt a huge weight fall off her shoulders.

Thirty minutes later, she and Debbie were in the sauna, the first part of their six hours of pampering, when Debbie mentioned how well their daughters seemed to hit it off.

"Yes! I was so happy to see that. And I have to say I was shocked at how big Olivia's gotten since the last time I saw her."

Debbie laughed then said, "Ha! Imagine me when I saw Makayla."

"Oh, sure. She's changed even more than Olivia."

"I'm aware I don't know Makayla at all, but she seems like a very nice girl."

"She is. She's just...13. And boy crazy."

Debbie laughed again and asked Lauren if she could remember those days.

"Like they were yesterday," Lauren told her with a laugh.

"May I ask a personal question?" Debbie then said.

"Of course."

"You mentioned seeing someone at work whose not so interesting. Have you met anyone yet who is?"

"Oh, right. No. I...I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. I have to admit I feel terrible about not staying in touch. We only live a few miles apart, and I don't know how or why I let our friendship lapse," Debbie said apologetically.

"I have to tell you, it isn't just you, Debbie. All of our former friends just sort of disappeared after Carl died, and since all of them were married, I really do understand."

"I'm as guilty as anyone, Lauren, and although this may sound petty, I suppose I'd feel a little worried if you were to, you know, be around Ross. That sounds awful, but it..."

"No. It's not awful. I'd never, ever do anything like that to anyone, but if the roles were reversed, I'm sure I'd feel the same way. You know, three's a crowd and all that."

"It...it's not that, Lauren. I totally trust you. You're just so...beautiful, and I...I'd feel...I don't know...intimidated maybe?"

"What? Of me?" Lauren asked, hardly believing what she heard.

"It's not that ridiculous," Debbie replied. "Everyone knew that you and Carl were a gorgeous couple, and everyone knows that Ross and I are...well, we're not unattractive, we just not you and Carl."

Lauren would have laughed, but she needed Debbie to know she understood.

"Can I tell you something?" Debbie suddenly asked as she sat up and turned toward her friend.

"Yes. Anything."

"After all that, I wanted to share something a little less depressing."

Lauren laughed, told her it wasn't 'depressing' at all, then asked her to dish.

"Well, I promised not to say anything, but..."

She scooted closer as though she were about to reveal some deep, dark, state secret.

"Ross told me that Jake thinks you're really hot!" Debbie said just above a whisper.

Lauren sat bolt upright, turned even further toward her friend then said, "What? Me? Get out of here!"

"Scout's honor!" Debbie said as she raised three fingers like scouts do.

She looked around, again is if to make sure no one could hear, then said, "He asked Ross if he thought you'd go out with him if he asked you!"

Lauren sat there and stared at her friend, trying to see if she could pick up on any clues that this was all some kind of joke or a setup for one.

"He did not," Lauren finally said once she was sure Debbie was telling the truth.

"I swear!" her friend said. This time she raised her hand like she was in a courtroom taking an oath.

When Lauren continued just sitting there with a shocked look on her face, Debbie said, "Isn't that exciting?"

Lauren blinked and kind of shook her head before saying, "He...he's like...25 or something, right?"

Debbie tilted her head a little then said, "I...I'm not sure. Why? Is that a big deal?"

"What? You can't be serious," Lauren replied with a little animation in her voice. "Debbie, I'm 36 years old. You do know that, right?"

"I...I guess so. I'm 35, and I'd go out with him."

She covered one side of her mouth then said, "I mean, were I single, of course."

Lauren almost laughed but only shook her head before she replied.

"Well, I can't be sure, but it seems like it would be a whole lot easier to say that when it's just hypothetical. In my case, I have to think about my 13-year old daughter...and myself."

Debbie seemed crestfallen, and that made Lauren feel terrible.

She put her hand on her friend's arm then said, "I'm not saying I don't appreciate you telling me. It's...it's actually kind of flattering."

Debbie smiled weakly then said, "I think so."

There was a long pause before Debbie asked, "Don't get upset, but...is there any chance you might say 'yes'? If he was to ask you?"

"He's a very nice young man," Lauren began before telling her about his unexpected visit. She even admitted she'd had a wonderful time.

"Then I don't understand the problem."

"Debbie. He's 25, for heaven's sake!"

"He's also a former U.S. Marine and a police officer, sweetie. And as you may have noticed, he's freaking gorgeous!"

Debbie leaned over again then whispered, "And don't you dare tell Ross I said that!"

Lauren finally laughed a genuine laugh then promised her she wouldn't say a word.

For the rest of their spa day, Lauren couldn't stop thinking about what her friend had told her. And later, when they were getting their massages, she allowed her mind to drift and imagine a certain handsome, younger man doing the massaging. She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't hear Debbie asking about their mani-pedis, the next on the spa train.

By the time they got back to Debbie's house, Lauren was utterly relaxed, free of all worries, and looked and felt like a million bucks. Just as she thought things couldn't get any better, Makayla told her she'd had a blast hanging out with Olivia.

Olivia was equally thrilled with her new, older friend and told Lauren, "Were BFFs now!"

"I am so happy to hear that!" Lauren replied while Debbie reiterated the same feelings.

Jake hadn't arrived until after they left, but when he saw Lauren, he stopped and stared.

"Wow!" was all he said when he saw her.

"See?" Debbie whispered as she elbowed her friend.

"Stop!" Lauren quietly said as Jake continued smiling at her.

They invited Lauren and Makayla to stay for dinner, but Lauren begged off, citing her having taken up most of a weekend day with Ross's wife already, and avoiding any mention of their conversation at the spa—or her confusion about it and the way Jake had just made her feel again.

"Okay. So Jake and I will swing by tomorrow around 11:45 or so and we'll head over to talk to Noah's parents," Ross told her while Makayla wasn't standing there.

"Thank you again for doing this," Lauren said as she called for her daughter.

"That's what friends are for," Ross told her before giving her and then Makayla a hug.

The following morning, Lauren woke up dreading the meeting. She appreciated the parents' position, but she just wished it was all over with as she got up, showered, and got dressed.

She waited until 11:30 to tell her daughter, and she immediately started begging not to have to go, but Lauren was adamant, even if it set their relationship back again.

When the two police officers showed up right on time, Lauren and her daughter were ready to go. Well, neither of them wanted to go, but they went anyway.

It was less than a hundred yards to Noah's house, but Ross insisted they drive just in case they got an emergency call. When he opened the front passenger door for Lauren she was surprised.

"Wait? Where are you going to ride?"

"In the back with my new partner," he said as he put a big arm around Makayla's shoulder.

The way he looked at her made Lauren realize Debbie had discussed their conversation with him, and that made her wonder if Ross had said something to Jake, causing her to almost feel queasy.

As she got in, Jake smiled, said 'good morning', then told her she looked amazing.

"Oh. Thank you," Lauren replied as she fumbled for the seat belt. She grabbed the buckle and pulled it down but couldn't latch it.

"Here," Jake said as he reached over. As he took the buckle, their hands touched, and when they did, Lauren felt like she'd just been shocked.

The belt clicked, Jake smiled again then said, "There. All set."

"Thank you," Lauren replied as she tried not to stare at the younger man with the amazing smile and thick, gorgeous hair.

Less than a minute later, they were walking up to the front door where Noah's father and then his mother met them. Both apologized profusely before they even sat down then explained how they'd discussed this at length with their son and why it was such a huge deal.

Noah was sitting on the couch with his head down when everyone walked in. The police officers both shook his hand then Lauren did the same.

"Hello, Mrs. Holly," he said very quietly.

He glanced at Makayla who made a face that said she felt terrible, and he felt a little better.

"We just moved to Enumclaw last month," Noah's father explained once everyone was seated. "Noah will be a freshman at Enumclaw High. Since Makayla will be an 8th grader, they won't be going to school together, so I hope that helps ease some of your concerns."

Lauren knew her daughter felt very out of place, but she was courteous and respectful as her mother provided her perspective on what happened with Noah's parents.

"I'm really glad we talked," Lauren said when it was over, "and I want you both to know that I'm not angry at or upset with Noah. I believe he's a good, decent young man who just made a mistake."

"We're so glad to hear you say that, Lauren," Noah's mom said as they all stood up.

"May I ask a question?" Makayla asked when they did.

"Of course," her mom told her.

"Well, I really like Noah—as a friend—and I was wondering, does this mean we can't even, you know, ever talk to each other or text or anything?"

"That's kind of up to your mother," Noah's dad said. "We trust our son, this error in judgment aside, so as far as we're concerned, talking and texting are fine."

She turned to her mom who said, "I don't see any problem with that, either."

"So could we like maybe hang out sometime?" her daughter asked with raised eyebrows.

"Let's see how things go for awhile first. After that, I suppose that might be possible," her mom replied with a smile as she turned around and smiled at her daughter.

"Makayla?" Noah said, knowing he still had to apologize. "I'm really sorry for what happened."

"It's okay. I shouldn't have tried to talk you into leaving the fair."

She looked at her mom then added, "Or ditch my mom."

Everyone shook hands, promised to stay in touch, then said their goodbyes.

When the squad car pulled into the driveway another whole minute later, Jake asked Lauren if he could talk to her.

"Oh. Sure," she replied, as her stomach began to churn.

He glanced back at his partner then said, "Alone. If that's okay."

"Move it...partner!" Makayla said to Ross as she tried shoving his huge body with hers.

"Okay. Okay. Don't get all pushy over there!" Ross told her as he opened the door.

Makayla took her new 'partner' inside, and Lauren sat there with her heart pounding so loudly she thought Jake had to be able to hear it, knowing he was about to ask her out.

"I wanted to apologize," he began.

Confused, Lauren looked at him asked why.

"Well, the truth is I...I kind of told my partner I thought you were..."

He looked right at her then said with a wince, "Hot."

"Oh," Lauren replied as though this was news.

"I mean. You are. Hot. But that's not the right word, and I never should have said it."

"I see," Lauren said, feeling like she was suddenly her daughter's age again.

"The better word would be...beautiful. Both are true, but one isn't appropriate, and I was afraid that might get back to you, and I didn't want you thinking I was, you know..."

"A jerk?" Lauren said with a smile.

"Among other things," Jake told her with a nervous smile.

"So...was that it?" Lauren inquired.

"No. I...I also wanted to ask you something," Jake told her.

"Okay," Lauren said so quietly Jake barely heard her. Her mouth went dry as she waited for him to speak.

"The uh, the policeman's ball is coming up in three weeks. And I uh, I...I was wondering if, well, if you don't already have a date, if you might like to, you know, maybe go...with me?"

Lauren needed a drink of water in the worst way, but somehow she managed to reply.

"You want...me...to go with...you?"

"Well, yes. That's why I'm here...alone with you...and asking," he told her, in a way that made it obvious he was every bit as nervous as she was.

"Did Ross mention that Debbie and I talked yesterday?" Lauren asked in a kind way.

Jake looked down then back at her before saying, "Yes. He mentioned that. And he also mentioned the part about Debbie telling you I think you're, you know..."

"Hot?" Lauren replied with a smile.

"Yes. Hot. And that I also said I'd like to ask you out sometime."

"Oh. Right. Yes, she did mention that."

"So...I'm asking. I haven't been nervous asking a woman out since tenth grade, but I'm sitting over here sweating bullets right now, so if you're gonna shoot me down, could you maybe just get it over with?" he asked, his eyebrows raised a little in nervous anticipation.

"Jake? Do you know how old I am?" she asked, her confidence slowly returning.

"I have a rough idea."

"I'm...36. And you're what? Twenty-five?" she asked, her eyebrows now raised.

"Um...not quite?" he said as a question along with a little wince.

Lauren's eyes opened so wide she looked like an owl.

"I'm...23," Jake told her.

"Oh...my..."

"You're not gonna make this quick, are you?" he asked with another wince.

She tried turning his way then said, "I don't understand why someone as attractive as you, a guy who could date any girl he wants, would ask someone like me."

Jake also turned her way even more then said, "Because no other girl. No other...woman...has ever made me feel like you do, Lauren."

His voice was calm, steady, and sincere as he looked right at her, and it shredded her rebuilding confidence. She wanted to say something but couldn't.

"You're not just beautiful," he began. "You're also warm, kind, and friendly, and I enjoyed the time we spent together so much that I...I haven't been able to get you off my mind since."