Boston was considered one of the most beautiful cities on the eastern coast. It's surprising how cities look different all over the country. Boston buildings were in the old craftsman style.
Atlanta had a contemporary modern look. San Francisco had an old-world charm and Houston had a straight-line geometric look. You certainly could tell what part of the country you were in just by the skyscrapers.
Mike's house was in an older part of the city, not too far from the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse where he worked. They turned into the Revere Estates subdivision. The homes looked as though they were about one-hundred years old. The neighborhood appeared well-maintained with giant oak trees in the front yards. Some of them had pictures of family in the military hanging on them. She liked that better than yellow ribbons. He wound around several streets then turned on Cedar Cove.
When they pulled in the driveway, Lana admired the brown craftsman house with white
trim. The white front porch wrapped around most of the front of the house with several square wooden columns supporting the roof. Chains swung between the columns making a clunking sound, and Lana imagined how Boston ferns hung from them during the summer months.
"Welcome to my Boston home," he said grinning. He couldn't wait to show off his masterpiece.
"Mike, your home is beautiful. How old is this house?"
"It was built in the 1940s by newlyweds. They lived in it until 1992 when they moved into a convalescent home. Their children rented it out until they died in 1997. Then they sold it to me.
It was in horrible shape when I bought it, so I tried to restore it to its original state. This house is a labor of love."
"That's an understatement. I can certainly see why you fell in love with it."
"Please come in and let me show you around my masterpiece." They walked along the rock path to the front porch. On the porch, to the left were several rockers. There were planters all over—some wicker, some iron.
He unlocked the door and turned off the alarm. There was a small entrance with a living room to the left and a formal dining room to the right. Lana noticed the five-inch Bellawood flooring throughout the three rooms. "Did you install the floor yourself?"
"Yes, it took me a month, only a few hours a day, but well worth it." All his hard work showed, and he seemed proud of his accomplishment.
"I certainly agree with that. You know Mike, I have not ever been crazy about leather furniture, but I have to admit this is perfect in this room." The couch was dark brown leather with a deep burgundy, tan, and black rug under it. Blinds covered the windows in the living room, but in the dining room the blinds were paired with dark brown drapes matching the many dark brown colors in the rug under the dark oak table and matching hutch.
He gave her a sweet hug, and she could tell he liked her enthusiasm and approval. "Thank you honey, but we're not finished."
He led her into the kitchen, and her heart turned flip-flops. Custom mahogany craftsman cabinets filled the kitchen. In the center was an island with a small sink and gas cook top. The countertops were rich brown, tan, and black granite. Another larger sink under the double window faced the back. "Mike, are these the original cabinets?"
"Yes, I just replaced the doors. I'm going to change into my suit so walk around and check out my home."
Lana walked around outside for a few seconds and saw a beautiful dark stained deck, as well as an iron table and chairs. Knowing they would have to leave soon she went upstairs to check out the bedrooms and ran into Mike at the top. "Baby you look so nice." He looked ten feet tall with his Hart Shaffner & Marx black pinstripe herringbone classic suit. She thought if he held out his arm she could walk under without touching the bottom of his arm. Compared to him, she looked like a dwarf.
"Thank you," he said while giving her a hug. "Come on it's your turn to grab a dress. Is Penney's okay? It's only a few blocks from the church."
"That's great, and I can wear the dress out of the store. By the way, you have a beautiful home. I didn't get to the bedrooms, but I will next time."
"I'm hoping it will be your home one day." He commented after kissing her hand.
"I would be very proud to share this home with you." She envisioned cooking Thanksgiving dinner in that kitchen.
*****
After looking at several dresses, she picked out a knit Ralph Lauren casual dress that went to her knees. It fit tighter than she would have wanted, but she could blame that on her large bust.
So she bought a black jacket to wear with the cowl neck dress. She couldn't walk into church wearing a bluejean jacket.
Within minutes, she was fully dressed. When she walked out of the dressing room Mike whistled. He thought she looked breathtaking. He knew with her on his arm, many men would be turning their heads. Her waist couldn't be over twenty-two inches, and that made her bust look even larger. He raised his eyebrows, whistled again. "I think you are a show stopper."
"Thanks honey." She didn't think she had ever been this happy, even with the sadness of the memorial. Obviously, he was proud of the way she looked, and for the first time in a long time, it mattered what a man thought of her.
*****
They pulled up at the First Methodist Church, and many cars were lined up along the road.
Most of them were police cars. Mike had a spot reserved for him in front of the church. Once he pulled in he took a deep breath.
As they walked in the church everyone stared at them, trying to figure out who was holding onto Mike's arm. Many of the mourners acknowledged Mike and looked at Lana bewildered.
They knew Mike had not been dating anyone, so they wondered about this stranger. She enjoyed their uncertain looks, enjoyed being the mystery woman. "Where do you want me to sit?" Lana asked.
"I want you to sit with me."
"Do you mind if I sit a few rows back? I think you need to sit with your guys."
"That's fine honey; if that makes you feel more comfortable."
"It would make me feel better because your place is with your men." He found her a seat three rows behind him.
Mike sat down with some big men, said something to them, and they all turned around and looked at the woman they had heard so much about.
She smiled, but she was disconcerted by their stares and wondered what Mike had said to them. She recognized some of them from TV. She took a deep breath, no doubt now, his men knew about her. That thought made her heart happy—a milestone in their relationship.
Out of nowhere Lana could hear a conversation between two women behind her. "Who is that good-looking guy that keeps turning around looking our way?"
The other lady said, "His name is Mike Ramsey, and he was Frank's boss."
Then Lana could hear them whisper. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she knew they were talking about her.
The memorial lasted about thirty minutes longer. She knew many people would leave, but some would want to stay and talk. Since they were not in a hurry, she wanted Mike to stay as long as his men needed him. Lana sat in the pew for a few minutes to let the crowd thin out before she approached Mike. Watching Mike proved to be mesmerizing. It surprised her that he was cordial to people; he certainly didn't act that way with her when they first talked on the phone. His actions surprised her, she expected him to be quiet, but he acted quite the contrary.
The lady behind Lana tapped her on the shoulder. She looked behind her and, of course, she didn't know the woman. Wanting to be polite, Lana made a friendly comment, "Don't you think it was a touching memorial?"
The woman let her know right away she had no interest in the memorial. "How do you know Mike Ramsey, I think he's cute. Plus, he has a great body."
Lana didn't know how to answer her. Should she tell her that he's her boyfriend? To tell her that seemed presumptuous since she's only known him a few days. So she took the safe answer.
"We're good friends."
She was a pretty brunette, tall and thin. She had on bright red lipstick—as though she wouldn't stand out in the black low-cut dress. Her mascara was thick, and her eyelashes were matted together, a poor job of compensating her short lashes. "So you're not boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Why do you ask?" This woman was too cute. Lana decided she wouldn't discuss Mike with her at all.
"I have an interest in him, and I just want to make sure he's not taken."
"Do you know him?" Lana asked.
"No, or I should say I don't know him intimately, but I've had an interest in him for awhile.
However, I will know him better after today. If you're not about to marry him, I'm telling you to move over honey, he's going to be mine."
This insecure hussy was blatantly bold with her interest in Mike, and she hoped Mike saw through it. She would never ask a woman anything like that. She wasn't sure how to answer, so she just smiled and turned back to face Mike. Deep down Lana was torn-up about the whole ordeal. Then she thought to herself, you have to trust Mike. That one thought, along with a deep breath, made her feel better.
The hussy didn't waste time walking up to Mike and giving him a hug. Lana couldn't hear their words, but she thought she was giving him her condolences. Mike just smiled, and she could tell he was thanking her. It bothered her that he didn't try to get away from her, nor did he look over at Lana. Her mind raced with jealousy. Lana calm down, you know you have no reason to be jealous, so give him a break.
Within a few minutes, Mike took the girl by the elbow and brought her over to Lana. At first when Mike walked with her the hussy grinned like a possum, but that grin turned to grimace when they walked over to Lana.
She just stayed seated in the pew; she wasn't going to stand up for this heifer.
"Honey, I want you to meet Elizabeth, Frank's cousin," he said grinning.
Lana reached up to shake her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm so sorry for your loss," Lana said.
Elizabeth wrapped her coat around her shoulders and said, "Thanks." Without another word, she stormed out the door.
Lana looked at Mike like shame on you, and he winked at her and walked back to the guys.
She sat in the pew a little longer, then walked up to Mike when he had a moment alone. "Babe, I'm going to walk around the church for a little while and maybe find the chapel. You take your time. I have my cell phone turned on; call me when you are ready to go."
"I don't mind heading out if you're ready to leave." He really wanted to stay awhile longer, but he knew she didn't have much rest, and he didn't want to push the issue.
"Please stay, your place is here right now. Call me when you're ready to go." He reached down and kissed her on the cheek. That was an opportunity to whisper in his ear, "We will discuss Elizabeth later."
"Okay," he answered, grinning.
She walked off, and she couldn't help but turn around to see if Mike happened to be
watching her. To her surprise all the men were watching her walk away. Her face turned bright red and she walked faster without looking back again.
*****
Lana's phone rang just as she finished a cup of coffee. She had been visiting with some people who were also hanging out in the cafeteria. "Hey sweetie."
"Are you ready to go?"
"Only if you are, and your call was perfect timing, I just finished a cup of coffee."
"Stay there and I'll come get you."
"Okay." She was thankful for that because her feet hurt. New shoes and a lot of walking do not go together.
There were only a few people left in the cafeteria, and Mike spoke to a couple of them and introduced Lana to them. It was so comforting to have his arm to hold on to—she felt protected and loved. He took her hand, and they walked out the side door. He helped her in the truck, and as he walked to the other side, he waved and said something to some guys leaving the church.
"Who were those guys?" She asked while glancing back.
"A bunch of the guys and their families have decided to meet for pizza. They wanted to know if we wanted to meet them." The truck sputtered and coughed while Mike tried to coax her to run.
"Mike, we can go if you want to, I would love to meet your team."
"I don't want to go. I want to spend my evening with you—alone."
She couldn't help herself. "What about Elizabeth?"
Mike rolled his head back with laughter. "Oh baby, you don't have to worry about that girl."
"She likes you, she told me so." Just the thought of that hussy upset her stomach.
He laughed even harder. "Honey, she has liked me ever since I met her at a BBQ a few years ago. She stayed with Frank's wife Robin when she was pregnant with their second child. Robin had morning sickness with their second child and needed help with their oldest child. Frank invited the team over for a BBQ dinner on the Fourth of July, Elizabeth was there, and she has liked me since that day. But …," he said as he looked at her with his devilish grin, "… it won't be a problem anymore. I told her that you were my fiancé."
"Are you serious?" She was so thrilled he told her that. Instantly she wasn't mad at Elizabeth anymore. Now she felt sorry for her.
"Yep."
When she looked into his eyes, they danced with mischief and love. She also saw some question in them. She knew he wondered if he might be a little pretentious. To show him that he wasn't, she unbuckled her seat belt and moved to the seat right next to him. She buckled the middle seatbelt and held on to his arm.
They both sat quietly as they rested in their feelings for each other. This small move let him know she cared deeply for him.
He finally broke the silence as 'ole Bessie' chugalugged down the road. "How about pizza for dinner, I'm hungry. When the guys mentioned it, I thought it sounded good. Besides I want you to try Franco's."
"Yep," she answered. They both laughed, and he squeezed her knee and slowly ran his hand up and down her thigh and calf. His touch let her know he anticipated the night, and she couldn't wait for tonight either. Her insides got warm just dreaming about his touch.