No Way To Stop It
Chapter Two: Until Next Week
Lauren
I decide to stop by and visit my parents the next morning before heading into work. It was mainly for my father rather than my mother. She and I never really see eye-to-eye. It didn't help that I abandoned the family realtor business and decided to go my own way. The little bookstore I owned and worked at on the weekends was just something I enjoyed doing.
Ciara was the golden child in our mother's eyes having stayed in the family business. Ciara, however, stayed because it was all that she knew. I was the child that wanted different things. During the week, I am a Lawyer with a reputation and by the weekend I am the owner of 'Read All About It' bookstore. The store I owned was something I had always wanted growing up. One day I want to be there full time, but for now, I need to concentrate on building my career further. Having two jobs keeps me busy, but that's what my sister is for.
My father is quite the contrast to my mother. He was always on my side of the battles. As a child he always encouraged creativity and individuality. He always made it a point to remind Ciara and I that we were our own people who controlled our futures. At first I had been guilty about declining my dad's offer to work for the business that he built from the ground up, but after telling me that he would be upset if I didn't choose what made me happy, I broke away.
I moved away for a few years to get my Law Degree and graduated at the top of my class. Now I had built a name for myself, separate from "Lewis Realtor". I'm proud of what I've achieved and so was my father. As much as I hated it, he always made it a point to tell people that I was a 'Big Successful Lawyer'. My mother thought it a waste considering we had an already successful business. She never really understood my need to branch out and do things independently.
As I enter my parent's household, the smell of pancakes and bacon attacks my senses as I close the door behind me. I smile and quickly make my way to the kitchen where I know Mary-Anne would be. Mary-Anne was mine and Ciara's Nanny and cook growing up. She had been with us for 30 plus years now, she was family.
"Are those chocolate chip pancakes I smell?" I say as I enter the kitchen. Mary-Anne drops the spatula she's holding and turns towards me giving me her signature lopsided smile before opening her arms and beckoning me forward. I take the hint and move in to give her a hug. I hadn't seen her in two weeks and I suddenly feel slightly guilty for it. Her hugs never fail to put a smile on my face.
"Sit, sit," she says pointing towards one of the stools by the breakfast bar. "How've you been sweetheart? You better not take this long to visit again. I've missed you," she rambles while quickly placing three large chocolate chip pancakes, strawberries and bacon onto a plate before putting it in front of me. She straightens and narrows her eyes at me before I can say anything.
"I can't believe how skinny you've gotten Lauren, you need to eat more. You're a stick."
I roll my eyes at her as I begin to dig into my pancakes. I close my eyes and savour it. No one made pancakes as good as Mary-Anne. When I open my eyes again, Mary-Anne has her arms folded across her chest giving me a stern look as she taps her foot impatiently waiting for my reply.
"I've been fine. Just busy with work, but I promise not to stay away so long. I'm sorry Mary-Anne; I just haven't had the time the last two weeks. I've been handling that Yates case and it's just been…busy," I finish shrugging at her. Her older features soften as she moves forward to take both my hands in hers.
"Lauren my darling, you work too hard. Don't forget it's okay to have fun sometimes," I smile at her and nod. She lets go of my hands and turns back to the stove.
"Where're Mom and Dad?" I ask taking another forkful of pancakes.
"Your mother's upstairs getting ready to go out with Lottie." She replies not missing a beat as she flips the pancake.
Don't know why she bothers to hang out with that woman, she's horrible.
"Your father should be down shortly. He's the one that requested the pancakes. But he specifically told me to say it was Ciara if you happened to pop by."
I cringe. My father is diabetic and he knows better than to have pancakes or bacon for breakfast. As if on cue, my father waltzes into the kitchen, his smile reaching his eyes as they land on me. At 59, he stood at 6'1 with a full head of grey hair and a face that looked too young for his age. He was a big man with a big heart and a matching belly to boot. I had inherited his brown eyes and nose, but I only wished I had inherited his love of life. Ciara was the one that looked more like my father except for her hair.
"Lauren, honey, good morning! I've missed you," he says happily stopping behind me. He places his hands on my shoulders giving me a gentle kiss on the top of my head before popping down next to me. I turn towards him to find him looking guiltily at me.
"Don't give me that look Dad, you know you shouldn't be eating this stuff," I say waving my fork at him.
"Aw come on Lo Bear, you know I can't resist Mary-Anne's cooking. Besides I've been good all week! Haven't I Mary?" He asks turning to Mary who has her back towards them. She turns only to nod and wink at him before placing three pancakes on to another plate and handing it to my father.
"You, are no help Mary-Anne," I say glaring at her.
"Two pancakes? Really? Lauren has three!" My father mumbles under his breath as he stares at my half empty plate.
"Now Roger, just because I agreed to make pancakes, doesn't mean I don't remember that you have to watch your health. Your daughter's right, besides, Lauren needs some more meat on her bones, the girl is way too thin!" Turning off the stove, she moves over to the pantry and starts work on my mother's breakfast. Oatmeal and yoghurt. Unlike my father, my mother was a health nut.
"Lauren! Darling! Nice of you to finally join us," I turn in my stool to greet my mother, moving towards her I give her a quick peck on the cheek before settling down again. If one were to look at my mother, you would know instantly that we were related. Everyone said that I looked exactly like her. Being a year younger than my father, she too had aged very well.
"How is that cute little bookstore of yours doing?" she asks as she sits down at the dining table behind us. I roll my eyes at Mary-Anne before answering her. I know all too well that she's really not that interested in it. My mother couldn't care less if the building burned down.
"It's fine Mother, I'm heading there now. I just wanted to pop by and say hello. Anyway, I had better get going; it's almost opening time. Tell Ciara thanks again for the lunch yesterday," I say getting up off my seat and moving around the island to place my half eaten breakfast in the microwave. Suddenly I'm no longer in the mood for breakfast. I'm pretty sure my father will retrieve my leftovers after I've left the house. Kissing Mary-Anne on the cheek and giving her a light squeeze, I make my rounds, kissing both my parents on the cheek as well.
"Thanks for the breakfast Mary-Anne, it was amazing as always, see you next weekend," I say waving at them.
When I arrive at the bookstore, I relax a little before opening up the store. Of all the things that I own, this is probably my most prized possession. Sure I don't work here full time but it's something I'm working towards. As I child I always found solace in a library and whenever I went into a bookstore, I would be in there for hours and never left empty handed. This little bookstore was my pride and joy and I loved it. Although Ciara was my business partner, she always referred to it as being my store. She was just there as decoration.
I make my way into the back room, taking a sip of my soy latte. As I pass the counter, I notice the packet of coloured pens lying on the small table Lilly had occupied yesterday. I smile at the memory before my thoughts move to her mother. I feel a slight fluttering in my stomach as I remember the look on her face as she watched me approach her yesterday afternoon.
Bo is a beautiful woman that much is obvious but she had a sense of vulnerability to her that I saw when she was interacted with Lilly. There was also a kind of sadness to her that I couldn't quite put a finger on but it was there. I wonder briefly if they're going to come into the store today. I find myself wanting to know more about Bo, but I don't know why. All I want to know is that I want to be her friend. I shake my head.
Come on Lauren, don't be creepy.
I set my coffee down on the counter and move into the little kitchen I have in the back room. I shake my head at the few dirty dishes left on the sink. Ciara obviously forgot where the dishwasher was. Placing the bowls and spoons into the dishwasher, I straighten when I hear muffled voices coming from the store. Making my way to the front I find my two employees Jessica and Sarah chatting animatedly about something.
"Morning girls, " I greet them. They stop talking and move toward me with big smiles on their faces. They both seem to be excited about something.
"Morning Lauren," they reply in unison.
"What's got you both so excited?" I ask taking the bait.
"Arthur McCarthy is coming, can you believe it? Do you think you can get him to do a signing here? I know you're kinda famous. Oh my god, he's such a good writer! I love his books," Jessica says staring dreamily into the distance. Sarah nudges her playfully and winks at me.
"The books or him?" She teases her friend who narrows her eyes at her.
"Shut up! He's just a really good writer for his age okay?"
"Yeah…whatever," Sarah says taking off her jacket and placing her belongings in the locker behind the counter.
"How are you Lauren? Busy yesterday?" Sarah asks logging herself into the computer.
"I've been good. But no, it was quiet actually. Okay Jess, enough fawning, there's work to be done today," I say laughing bringing her back to reality. "I'll see what I can do. From what I hear, he's here on holiday but I can't make any promises. Anyway girls, we better get the store ready, that next book in the "Justice" series is coming out today which needs to be on the shelves by 12 this afternoon. Danny and Britanny should be here soon."
Both girls nod and follow me to the back storeroom where the boxes of books are waiting to be laid out. We hear another two voices signalling the arrival of Danny and Brittany the other two employees that worked during the weekend. I smile at the girls and nod at them.
"Ready?" They nod back and return my smile.
"Ready," They both reply.
This was going to be a long and busy day. My eyes land on the coloured pens that I had yet to pack away when I make my way with an arm full of books towards the front and shake my head, my smile from earlier growing wider. I silently hope that during the rush, Bo and Lilly make an appearance.
Bo
"Lilly honey, wakey wakey," I say gently shaking her shoulder.
"Noo…" she says cringing into her pillow and pulling her covers over her head. I straighten and place my hands on my hips thinking about my next line of attack.
"If you don't get outta bed, I won't let you bake cupcakes and lick the spoon. Pretty sure I heard Aunty Kenzi say she'd help me," I say grinning down at my daughter. Just like that she shot out of bed.
"Okay, I'm awake now," she says running to the bathroom. I laugh as I follow her to the bathroom and lean against the doorframe.
"I thought that would get you outta bed. How would you like to come with me to see Lauren and Ciara? I think I remember you telling me you wanted to see them again today," I say nonchalantly glancing down at my nails pretending to study them.
"Huh? Yesh pleash mommy," Lilly replies, her eyes wide with excitement as she continues to brush her teeth. I nod at her and wink.
"Okay, well you better get a move on sweetheart. I'll be downstairs. I think you deserve Cocoa Puffs for breakfast this morning. After that we can make the cupcakes using the new book you gave me. I thought maybe we could make some for Lauren and Ciara," I say. I turn on my heel and make my way downstairs to the kitchen.
My apartment isn't very big but it's big enough for Lilly, Kenzi and I. The apartment complex is secure and it's not too far away from the Dal Riatta, my grandfather's bar. Trick offered to give us the apartment above the bar, but I didn't find it ideal for my daughter. It also would've meant that Kenzi would spend most of her time down in the bar drinking Trick's entire top shelf.
After my breakup with Dyson, we both agreed that moving out of the house we had shared would be more practical. Kenzi decided to come live with us after she dropped out of college five years prior. She only lasted six months before deciding that the college scene wasn't really her thing. I never really understood why she dropped out. She is smart and she is really amazing with computers. I never pushed the subject with her though. She was old enough to make her own decisions. So now she worked part time at the Dal and occasionally picked up odd jobs here and there.
We had become friends after I found her lurking around Trick's bar picking customers pockets and almost getting into trouble after a new comer offered her a drink and spiked it. She was only 18 going on 19 at the time, with a fake ID and bangs. Since then, she had become whom I considered not only my best friend, but also my sister. She had been there with me through thick and thin. I loved having her around and Lilly absolutely adored her.
"Ughh…" I hear from the couch just as my foot reaches the bottom stair. I look over in the direction of the sitting room to find Kenzi sitting up, her back to me with her head in her hands.
"Shit. I am never drinking again, EVER," she mumbles loud enough for me to hear. I smile and continue on towards the kitchen to boil the kettle.
"You say that every single time. You and I both know that's not going to happen…Coffee? Also, please watch your language," I say as I move around preparing Lilly's breakfast and searching my pantry for the ingredients needed for the cupcakes.
"Sorry…but yes please," I hear as Kenzi approaches the kitchen. She pulls out a chair and plops herself down unceremoniously. "I blame Hale. He promised he would come over last night but then he cancelled last minute saying his family wanted him to help them with something. I call B.S. because that's the same excuse he used last time."
Handing Kenzi a cup of coffee, I stand next to her and give her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"I'm sure there's an explanation as to why he couldn't make it. That doesn't mean you have to drink yourself into a coma Kenz. Would telling you we're making chocolate cupcakes make you feel any better?" I ask as I place Lilly's bowl of cereal on the table just in time to hear her small footfalls bounding down the stairs.
"It doesn't…it really doesn't," she mumbles taking a sip of her coffee. Her shoulders relax as she savours the hot liquid. "Thanks."
"Morning Aunty Kenzi!" Lilly says brightly running over to Kenzi and jumping onto her lap. Kenzi manages to move her mug out of the way just in time to catch her. She groans but manages a forced smile as she kisses the top of Lilly's head.
"Morning Monster, as much as I love your bright personality, Aunty Kenzi needs a little quiet…so inside voices please," she explains to the six-year-old. Lilly kisses her on the cheek and hops off of Kenzi to sit on her own chair where her bowl of cereal sits.
"Okay Aunty Kenzi," she whispers before shovelling Cocoa Puffs into her mouth. I cringe.
Lilly spends way too much time with Kenzi.
For a good ten minutes the three of us sit in comfortable silence as Kenzi and I drink our coffees while Lilly has her breakfast. When Lilly finishes, she jumps out of her seat and races to put her bowl in the sink.
"Okay, finished Mommy, can we make the cupcakes now, pleassse?" She asks forgetting all about being quiet. I chuckle at the sound of Kenzi's wince.
"Of course we can sweetie, but first let's wait until Aunty Kenzi is up in her room before we start okay? She needs to do some recovering."
"Is Aunty Kenz sick?" She asks innocently, a look of worry crossing her features. I reach out and move her hair out of her face.
"No sweetie, she's okay, she just needs more sleep. She had too much special juice last night," I answer standing up from my seat and leading her into the kitchen.
"Oh…m'kay then."
"You better save me some cupcakes Lil' Monster. Now as much as I would love to stay and bake, my bed is calling me, goodnight!" Kenzi says dramatically before trudging up the stairs to her room.
"Mommy? She does know it's morning right?" Lilly asks looking up at me with a puzzled expression. I laugh and pick her up giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Aunty Kenzi's just had a long night. Now how about them cupcakes?"
It takes me almost ten minutes to find parking when we finally arrive at AlleyWay Shopping Lane. It is definitely a lot busier than yesterday which seems odd to me. Everywhere I look, teenage girls walking in groups or mothers with their daughters are talking animatedly amongst each other. It's then that I realise that today is the release of the fourth (or is it fifth?) book of the new 'Justice' series that teen girls have been raving over. I only know this because Kenzi had been complaining about it.
I begin to have second thoughts about rocking up to Lauren's bookstore when it clearly seems to be busy. But we'd already made the cupcakes and Lilly couldn't stop talking about how excited she is to see Lauren and Ciara again. I sigh and grab the box that held our baked goods inside, deciding that they would just drop the cupcakes off because she didn't want to interrupt if they were this busy.
As I join Lilly on the other side of the car, I take her hand in my free one and crouch down in front of her.
"Lilly honey, I'm afraid we won't be able to stay very long. I think Lauren and Ciara might be very busy today," I tell her, bracing myself for the inevitable pout that's going appear on her face. It appears only seconds after I utter my last words.
"Aw…m'kay then," she says quietly, clearly disappointed that we won't be able to stay longer.
I stand again and tug her arm gently to let her know that we had to make our way to the store. As we start our walk through the numerous shops, I decide that it might be easier to carry Lilly as we navigate ourselves through the chaos for fear that I might lose her.
Wow, didn't realise how popular this series was. Argh, I hope no one bumps me.
When we reach the corner that turns into the alley where the store is located, my mouth drops at the line that seems to be leading from the shop all the way to the end of the alley. I bite my lip and hope that Lauren or Ciara are near the windows so we can get in without customers thinking we were trying to cut in.
"Mommy, why are there so many people here?" Lilly asks, her eyes looking around at the number of people lining up.
"Because there's a new book out today that everyone wants to buy."
"Ooo…can I have one?" She asks me hopefully.
"We'll see. But first let's try and get these cupcakes to Lauren before someone decides the ground needs them more," I reply quickening my pace towards the store. I stop at the door and peek inside in hopes to find the familiar blonde hair that belongs to Lauren. Standing on my tiptoes, I spot Ciara.
"Lilly, can you see Ciara there?" I ask her. She nods, a smile dancing on her lips.
"Do you think you can wave at her to try and get her attention?" She nods again and begins to wave frantically at Ciara. A girl with a red t-shirt, bushy brown hair and glasses catches us and whispers something to Ciara. Spotting us, Ciara smiles and briskly makes her way to the entrance.
"She sees us Mommy," Lilly says excitedly. Ciara pushes herself through the entrance and motions for us to follow her inside. Some customers move aside to let us pass through. We follow Ciara all the way to the back of the store and into the kitchen where it's quieter and less hectic.
"Hey, I didn't think we'd being see you two again so soon," Ciara says as she gestures for us to sit down. I gently place Lilly on the ground before she races over to give Ciara a hug, which the older woman returns.
"Hi Ciara, where's Lauren?"
"Hey there kiddo. Lauren's just in her office. Wait here, I'll go get her, she'll be pleased to see you both," she says once she lets go of Lilly.
"Can I come?" Lilly asks quickly.
"Lilly…" I warn.
"Its cool, come on little one. We'll be right back with the boss," Ciara says with a playful wink at me.
I sit there patiently tapping my finger against the table, holding onto the box of cupcakes as I wait for them to return. It doesn't take long before I hear the familiar sound of my daughters voice as she chatters away to both Ciara and Lauren. When I look up from the table, I find only Lilly with Lauren. When our eyes meet, I feel a slight fluttering in my stomach. I feel myself becoming momentarily lost in the warmth of her brown eyes.
Lauren is the first to break eye contact as Lilly pulls her towards me. I stand and practically shove the white box with the cupcakes under her nose. She looks at me with a look of amusement written all over her face. I feel myself blush as I mentally kick myself.
"I uh…I wanted Lilly and I to make you and Ciara some cupcakes…as a uh, as a thank you for yesterday," I say almost shyly. I don't know why I'm acting so strangely around a person I barely know. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and smile at her.
"Trick told me that you gave me the cookbook for free, you really didn't need to do that," I say again. "So thank you." I look down at the ground, suddenly finding it incredibly interesting the way the tiles melded together.
"It's chocolate cupcakes, I helped mommy make them. They're delicious!" Lilly's voice chimes in breaking the tension. If that's what you could call it.
"Are they now?" Lauren asks. I look up to find her eyes still on me, a smile playing on her lips. They don't stay on me for long as she finally takes the box from my hands. "Well then, I definitely need to taste one of these delicious cupcakes."
My eyes follow her as she places the cupcake box on the table and opens it taking a peek inside.
"Wow. They definitely do look very delicious," she says taking one out and removing the paper before taking a small bite. My eyes follow her tongue as it sneaks out to lick the frosting from her lips. I shake my head and look down at Lilly who's looking up at Lauren expectantly awaiting the verdict.
"Mmm…Yum. I think you're right Lilly, these are delicious cupcakes. Thank you both for bringing these for us. You really didn't have to," she says.
"It's nothing really. I just really wanted to thank you for the book. It's the least we could do."
"They're amazing, thank you." Placing the half eaten cupcake onto a small plate, Lauren crouches next to Lilly and pulls her in for a hug. "You are a very good baker Miss Lilly. Thank you."
"You're welcome Lauren. Mommy did most of the work, I just licked the spoon," Lilly replies with a giggle. We all laugh at Lilly's antics.
"Anyway, we better get going, you seem to be very busy out there today Lauren," I say remembering that we weren't meant to stay for long. I might be imagining things but I'm pretty sure I see a quick flash of disappointment cross Lauren's features before she masks it with a smile.
"Yeah, it's been one of those days unfortunately," she replies. "It was nice to see you both again, especially you little one."
I smile as Lilly gives Lauren her signature pout.
"I wish we could stay longer," she says sadness evident in her voice. Lauren sits in one of the chairs and motions for Lilly to move closer.
"I'll tell you what, how about you pop by next weekend and you can help me stock some of the shelves hmm…well, that's if your Mom says yes of course?" She says looking at me over Lilly's head.
I cross my arms and bring my hand up to scratch the bottom of my chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm…I don't know," I say teasingly.
"Awwww…please mommy? Please can we come and help Lauren? Pretty please?" She asks giving me her best puppy dog look.
"I guess…" I sigh dramatically, throwing my hands up in the air in defeat.
"Aw come on, how can you resist that cute face?" Lauren says smiling up at me with a hint of mischief in her eyes.
"Okay, fine, you both win. But just know that I will not be responsible for the number of questions Lilly will be asking you that day," I reply grinning at her.
"I think I can handle it," Lauren challenges playfully.
"Yay!" Lilly exclaims, running over to hug me. Taking Lilly's hand in mine, we make our way out to the front again with Lauren following behind us. As we reach the front I turn toward Lauren,
"So…next week?" I ask feeling shy again.
"Next week," she smiles with a nod.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited about seeing her again next Saturday. Like Lilly, I too shared in her excitement at the prospect of spending more time with Lauren.
Until next week.