I Hated You First by Rachel John

Lauren

 

 

I drove to Melissa and Connor’s house immediately after work. It was one thing for my dad to have conversations with Clay behind my back, but my sister-in-law? No. It wasn’t happening.

Melissa answered the door with a crying Jax in her arms and Raelyn hanging on her leg. She looked ready to sell her kids to the circus.

“Lauren!” Raelyn released her mom’s leg and dragged me inside. The house smelled like burnt popcorn and despair. I bent down to give her dogs a scratch. Sarge looked up at me with his large soulful eyes. His black fur was mostly gray these days. Poor baby. Buster turned circles, so excited to have someone new to sniff.

“Bad day?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at Melissa.

“Uh, you could say that. Raelyn dumped my hair serum all over the bathroom counter and tried to wipe it up with toilet paper. Besides being outrageously expensive, it’s on backorder and my hair won’t behave without it. I know that sounds ridiculous.”

It would have sounded ridiculous if I hadn’t noticed Melissa was having an extremely bad hair day. I’d always envied her corkscrew curls, but I wasn’t aware of the effort behind getting them to look that way.

“Jax is running a fever, and he’s so cranky. The doctor thinks it’s just teething. He wouldn’t nap today, not even in the car. Oh, and he blew out his diaper on the way home from the doctor so I think the teething theory is complete bunk. You should leave now while you can.”

I took Jax from her arms in answer, even though it only made him cry harder. It didn’t help when Raelynn chose that moment to dump out an entire bucket of Duplo Legos on the hardwood floor. Both Jax and I startled, only I didn’t begin to wail.

“Come on, little guy. I know you love me.” I rocked him gently while I walked around, dodging Legos and stopping occasionally to let him look at family pictures on the wall. Melissa had their whole lives chronicled in perfect square canvases. “Where’s Connor?”

“He’s bringing dinner. You want to stay and eat with us?”

In all the chaos, I’d forgotten why I was there. “You don’t have to feed me. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sure.”

Jax’s crying had turned into half-hearted gurgling. I looked down and saw he was soothing himself with half his fist in his mouth.

“Did my dad talk to you about potential guys I could date after I left last night?”

Melissa nodded, not looking the least bit repentant about it. “He felt so bad about Denver, and he asked me if I knew of any guys I could set you up with.”

“Melissa, that was the whole reason I confronted him. I don’t want my dad playing chess with my love life.”

“You don’t even want him interested in it?”

“No.”

She frowned. “He loves you so much, Lauren. And I get it because I see the way Connor worries over Raelyn. He’d do anything for her. Dads just want to fix everything. They can’t help themselves.”

“Melissa, my dad called Clay and asked him to weasel into a double date with whoever this guy is you want to set me up with. So he can spy on our date. Does that sound like he’s sorry and wants to do better?”

Melissa stopped picking up stray socks and wrappers from the living room floor and turned to stare at me. “Clay told you this?”

I looked down at Jax and smoothed a wisp of hair over his forehead. “Yeah. Clay hates being put in the middle, and no wonder. I got pretty mad at him. It’s the whole kill the messenger thing. And when my dad finds out Clay told me, he’ll be mad at Clay, too.” I hadn’t felt sorry for Clay until the words left my mouth, and now I felt bad for ditching him at the middle school. He picked the wrong family to hang out with for life. We were drama queens. All of us.

“Poor Clay.” Melissa looked thoughtful. “He won’t let me set him up with anyone either.”

“You’ve tried to set Clay up on dates?”

“Yeah. He wouldn’t have it. Parker either. The whole unromantic bunch of you are driving me crazy. All I want to do is rearrange all the single people I know like Barbies and Kens, and none of you will let me.”

I laughed, startling Jax. He didn’t settle down again until I rocked him back and forth while wandering around the room.

“What do you want me to do?” Melissa asked. “Do you want me to talk to John?”

“No. Absolutely not. In fact, go ahead and give this guy my number. I’ll go out with him. I might even talk Clay into going with us.”

“Oh, Lauren. What sort of evil plan are you concocting?”

“Who says it’s an evil plan?”

“You’re a Harwood.”

“Technically, so are you, sister. Besides, I have no plan.” I really didn’t. I just had a lot of curiosity about Clay on a date and a feeling my dad needed to learn just how murky the dating waters were these days. He thought he could pick a better guy than me? Let him try.

Melissa bit her nail. “This guy I want to set you up with, he’s a real go-getter. If I tell him you’re interested, don’t be surprised if he calls right away. He doesn’t believe in dawdling.”

“And how do you know him?” I asked.

“He’s my brother’s ex-girlfriend’s roommate’s brother.”

“Seriously?”

“I swear he’s totally been vetted.”

“Of course. This church-going, non-partier who’s been too studious to date.”

Melissa’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know all that?”

Oops. “Um, well, Clay told me.”

“Sounds like there’s little he didn’t tell you. And little John didn’t tell him.” I thought she’d be more suspicious, but she just muttered something about the way we Harwoods could talk the ear off a cornstalk and went back to putting her house in order while her hands were free.

I did stay for dinner, but left right after helping bathe the kids. Melissa and Connor needed time to themselves whenever they could get it. As it was, I caught them sharing secret looks as they raced to put the kids to bed. Bedroom eyes. Anticipation. I absolutely did not need or want them to have to spell out why it was time for me to go.

Jenny was still at a baby shower for her cousin, so I turned on the TV when I got home and flipped through the channels while I painted my nails, needing the noise but not really interested in watching anything.

When my phone rang with a strange number, I thought of what Melissa had said, but there was no way she’d already called the guy and he’d be calling me.

“Lauren Harwood?”

“That’s me.” Salesman for sure. He had ten seconds before I hung up on him, and only because it was an actual person and not some dumb recording.

“This is Noble Tuttle. Your sister-in-law told me to call you and set up a blind date. Is that still something you’d like to do?” He was so matter-of-fact about it. So business-like. So not my type. But maybe I was being a little harsh since I’d already planned on not liking him.

“Um, sure.”

“I was thinking we could meet for dinner. I know a great Italian restaurant that’s not too loud. Melissa said you were interested in this being a double date and you knew a couple you could ask. Would this Friday work?”

“It should. I’ll ask them. Can I get back to you tomorrow?”

“Yes. What time should I expect your call?”

Expect my call? “How about seven?”

“Seven p.m.?”

“Yes.” I would not be calling him first thing in the morning.

“Seven p.m. is fine. Good night.”

“Good night.” I hung up and laughed. I’d found the one for me. Noble Tuttle. The highly efficient, non-flirtatious man who scheduled a planning meeting to discuss our date. I guess I should get cracking on the double part of it, which meant texting Clay. I went to the kitchen and got a glass of ice water first because there was no reason to be so eager about texting Clay. Okay, I was a little eager. But only because there would be nothing businesslike or polite about our conversation. And that filled me with a strange joy I couldn’t explain.

Lauren: You are going to make my dad so happy.

Clay: Spill it, Harwood.

Lauren: We’re going on a double date. Which means get a date for Friday.

Clay: You need another favor? I’m sorry. Your tab is full. I expect payment first.

Lauren: This is my dad’s favor, spy boy. Remember? He needs a thumbs up or thumbs down.

Clay: Are you sure about this?

Lauren: I’m living my #bestlife. Join me in blind date awkwardness.

Clay: Payment, Harwood. I accept cookies.

Lauren: So you keep saying. You must have a lot of faith in my baking skills.

Clay: True. I should monitor you. Come over tomorrow night at seven and make them in my kitchen.

Demanding little buzzard. Who did he think he was?

Lauren: I’m busy then.

Clay: Doing what?

Lauren: None of your business. I’ll drop off Oreos in an untampered package. Take it or leave it.

Clay: Unacceptable. Your presence is required.

Whatever. He could have my silence as a counter-offer. I went back to flipping through the channels, occasionally checking in with Jenny. The baby shower had not been well attended, and therefore, Jenny was robbed of the chance to drop off a gift and sneak out like she’d planned. She was currently being forced to play games such as sucking juice out of a baby bottle in a chug-off and identifying baby food flavors spread across diapers to look like baby poo. Basically, an introvert’s worst nightmare.