Back to You

Lauren bit her lip, closing out of the website and clicking on the next one.

Ivy is a tribute to strong relationships because of its ability to grow and flourish, even in the most challenging environments. It seems to be virtually indestructible and will often return after it has suffered damage or has been severely cut back. Because the ivy is unbelievably durable and known to withstand harsh conditions, it represents incredibly loyal relationships and our ability to stand by those we care about, even in the toughest of situations.

Lauren’s breath left her in a soft rush, and she closed out of the website and clicked on one more. This one stated simply:

Ivy is symbolic of strong, lasting relationships that are guaranteed to stand the test of time.

With a smile on her lips, she dropped her head back on the chair and closed her eyes, trailing her fingertips over the necklace once more.

“I love you, Michael Delaney,” she breathed, and it felt so good to finally say it out loud, even if no one but her could hear it.

.

January 2012

Lauren sat at the stoplight, mentally ru

That lasted all of about five minutes.

After cleaning her apartment, she finally collected the small laundry bag of dry-clean-only clothes that had been sitting in the bottom of her closet and dropped them off to be cleaned. She stopped by the post office and picked up a book of stamps. She went to the bank and transferred some money from her savings account to her checking account in preparation for those post-holiday credit card bills. And now, she was on her way to the grocery store.

As she waited for the light to turn green, the sound of grinding metal caught her attention, and she glanced to the right, noticing the crew of construction workers gathered around a large sheet of metal, some holding it in place while others methodically walked around with some type of hand-held tools that either cut it or drilled holes in it. One of the men stopped and removed the goggles from his eyes, checking over his work, and she smiled softly when she recognized him.

Lauren had completely forgotten he was working on the new medical offices going up on West Li

Just as the light turned green, she sa@ classle decisionw him cup his hands in front of his mouth and blow into them before rubbing them together. She frowned slightly as she began to pull forward, watching as his breath repeatedly left his mouth in a wispy cloud. In fact, the whole group of them looked like they were steaming, their exhales alternately providing puffs of white smoke that wafted around them.

He bounced on his toes, rubbing his hands together one more time before he pulled his goggles back down and got back to work.

Lauren glanced down at her dashboard. Eighteen degrees outside today.

She scrunched up her nose as she glanced in her rearview, catching one last glimpse of the men as they continued working over the piece of metal before they disappeared from view.

Before she had even consciously decided to do it, she made a quick left turn, putting on her blinker at the end of the street and turning into the Dunkin Donuts drive-through. Five minutes later, she was heading back toward West Li

Lauren found a parking space at the end of the street and exited the car, ducking her head against a particularly sharp gust of wind; she couldn’t imagine having to work outside on a day like this. She walked a little faster, the box of coffee in one hand and the donuts in the other, looking out from under her lashes as she tucked her chin into her scarf.

As she approached the small group of men, Michael removed his goggles again, bending slightly to examine something on the sheet metal. After a moment he straightened. He was about to bring his goggles back down when he spotted her.

He looked surprised, but he smiled, pulling his goggles completely off as he placed what looked like a drill on the pavement.

“Hey,” Lauren said, bouncing on her toes to keep warm as he approached her.

“Hey,” he said, jamming his hands in his pockets. “It’s freezing out here. Why are you walking? Where’s your car?”

“Down the block,” she said, motioning with her head. “I just came down here to give you guys this,” she added holding out the coffee and donuts.

He looked down at what she offered. “You got us all coffee?” he asked. When he looked back up, there was something behind his eyes that made her chest feel heavy with an emotion she couldn’t quite place.

Lauren nodded. “It’s cold,” she said softly. “I just figured…” She shrugged.

Michael looked at her for a second before a smile began playing at his lips. “You would’ve had to fend off most of these guys with a cattle prod anyway. But now? All bets are off.”

Lauren laughed nervously. “Well then, maybe you should give it to them.”

He laughed loudly before he quirked his brow at her. “Come on now Red, I’ve never known you to be shy.”

He turned then, calling to the guys, and Lauren froze.

It was the first time he’d used his old nickname for her.

The heaviness instantly settled back in her chest, and this time, she had no trouble identifying it.

Longing.

She should have been panicked over that revelation; she realized that. She should have been trying to find a way to remove herself from the situation so she could get composed, so she could chase that godforsaken feeling out of her body. It was a fail-safe method that had proven successful whenever she felt herself slipping with him over the past it"> shoulder few weeks.

But for some reason, the only thing she could bring herself to do in that moment was smile.

She didn’t even realize how much she had missed his pet name for her until she’d heard it again.

Michael had the men’s attention now, and he turned back, gesturing to her. “This is my friend Lauren. She brought us coffee.”

Immediately, she was inundated with calls of thanks, compliments, and a few whistles. She looked down and laughed, handing the boxes to the two men who walked over. “There are cups in that bag, and cream and sugar,” she said.

“Well, aren’t you a doll,” an older gentleman with graying hair said. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Anytime.” Lauren waved at the other guys. “Stay warm,” she called, and again, they shouted their thanks to her.

Michael smiled. “Well, I better go get some before those animals drain that thing,” he said. “And you should get the hell out of this cold.”

“Wait,” Lauren said. “I have something for you in the car.”

“For me?” he asked, his brow lifted, and she nodded.

“Hurry though, I’m freezing,” she said as she turned and started walking quickly down the block.

She was vaguely aware of Michael following her, but she was too focused on picking up the pace. The wind had started to pick up, making it borderline unbearable to be outside.

When she reached the car, she jumped in, quickly closing the door behind her, and Michael walked around, getting into the passenger side.

“God.” Lauren’s teeth chattered as she started the car and blasted the heat, holding her hands in front of the vents. “How the hell do you do it?”

“You get used to it after a while.” He rested his head back on the seat and turned to look at her. “This was probably a stupid move though.”

“What was?”

“Getting in this car with you.”