Page 10 of Flowers To Give

“What?” She looks like she could skip, “I am one hundred percent telling Clark at the very least.”

The house is close now, Laurelai picking up the pace and making Jeremy feel like he has to race to fend for his life. He pleads, “Well, could you please not do it right in front of my face?”

“Ooh, I didn’t even think of that,” she giggles, hair bouncing as she hops up the steps to the well lit front porch.

Jeremy hesitates, wondering if he should just book it now and save himself the devastating shame. Turning around at the top of the steps, Laurelai looks back to see Jeremy still at the bottom. She taps her foot and orders him, “Come on. I’m hungry.”

Chewing on his choices, he buys himself some time by asking, “What is this about?”

“Now you want to know?”

Jeremy stays quiet.

She rolls her eyes and answers, “I don’t know. Maybe he wants to fuck you.”

Jeremy loses face and steps back, Laurelai smiling big at his reaction before whipping her hair behind her and walking inside. Shocked into submission, Jeremy dumbly walks up the steps and enters the house after her.

The foyer is expansive, huge double staircase leading up to a grand balcony. In all his years working on Willmaker Ranch, Jeremy has never stepped foot in the head house. He’s taking it all in when Laurelai’s big laugh echoes through a hallway to hisleft. His heart rate accelerates, wondering if she’s just told Clark and they’re both laughing at his expense.

Going down the hall and through an open door, he enters a lush sitting room where Clark rests on a chaise lounge with Laurelai on the sofa arm. They look over to Jeremy as he enters as if he’s an alien that’s just been beamed down from the sky. He blinks and remembers his manners, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his mess of dark wavy locks.

Clark cracks a smile and says, “Finally. God, what took you two so long?”

“That’s so funny you asked,” Laurelai’s eyes shimmer with raw malice as she tells him outright, “I interrupted Jeremy.”

“Oh? Doing what?” Clark chuckles with interest, sipping at a few fingers of whiskey.

Jeremy feels as if he’s watching an expensive vase fall right before his eyes, just out of reach, as Laurelai tells him, “Making out with a ranch hand.”

“No way!” Clark laughs loudly, eyeing Jeremy and asking excitedly, “For real? The girl with the short hair? Huh. I thought she was gay.”

Laurelai’s sinister smile spreads, leaning forward, “Well, actually-”

“Mrs. Radison?” A tiny voice says from behind Jeremy, making his tense shoulders relax from the timely interruption. They all turn to look at the young woman with a wiggly and sniffling child in her arms. She looks terrified as she gets the matriarch’s attention, “River’s fever has gotten worse.”

“Where’s Ocean?” Laurelai stands, marching over to the terrified nanny.

“Oh, um, eating dinner,” the woman explains as Laurelai scoops the sick little boy from her arms and fusses over him. She leaves with the nanny trailing after her without another glanceback to her husband or her victim. Jeremy’s immediate relief is immense.

“Poor li’l pal,” Clark clucks his tongue.

Jeremy turns back to him and asks, “Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. I think it’s just allergies. He’s very prone to the slightest change in his environment, so this new mountain air is really getting to him,” Clark explains.

Nodding, Jeremy doesn’t really understand but doesn’t care to hear anymore either.

Clark suddenly stands, asking as he heads to the stocked bar, “Want one?”

“Uh, your wife said something about dinner?” Jeremy asks hopefully, stomach grumbly.

“Ha, my wife,” Clark chuckles to himself as he pours Jeremy a glass of whiskey too. He shakes his head and eyes Jeremy from across the room, saying, “Laurelai, you mean?”

Jeremy taps his hat against his thigh, suddenly feeling awkward. He nods, “Right. Laurelai.”

“Thanks for entertaining her tonight. I was going to send somebody for you but she insisted on grabbing you herself,” Clark walks back over to Jeremy and hands him the glass, “Wanted to get a better lay of the land. She’s always been independent like that. Clay’s been giving her riding lessons too. Cheers.”

Jeremy raises his glass to Clark’s before sipping in compliance. This is going to hit his empty stomach like a ton of bricks, but something tells him that he’ll need some liquid courage for whatever this conversation is going to entail. He replies after swallowing and rolling his lips, “Yeah? Good for her.”