Kiss Me, Lynn (Kiss Me Series) Read online

  Finally, after watching him fall asleep every night for weeks, after they’d announced their engagement, she’d had enough. He’d refused to choose a date for the wedding—couldn’t choose a date because of tax season, he said. But there were always extensions for clients that continued for months. He said they might be able to squeeze the wedding into his fall schedule, or maybe during the winter. Maybe. She’d left him asleep on the couch that night and gone to Sharon’s house where she had wine and ended up sleeping on the couch.

  The next morning, she thought about how her feelings for Bill had changed. He’d become a boring habit. She called his office mid-afternoon. The answering machine picked up. After listening to the boring canned message, the beep sounded. She took a deep breath before speaking.

  “Bill, we have to talk. Tonight. I know how busy you are. You’re always busy. And I know you’re tired. As always. But this is important. Be at my house at 8:00. If you don’t show up, I’ll know how little I mean to you.”

  He’d shown up—at 8:45—with effusive apologies and excuses about one of his clients, and what had to be finished by 9:00 in the morning. He’d stopped working after finally hearing her message and “finding a place to stop for a while,” but said he had to go back to the office soon, where he’d probably have to work until midnight.

  Lynn sat on the couch with her second glass of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, listening to his excuses.

  Bill finally noticed how she was staring at him. “Aren’t you going to offer me a glass of wine?”

  “Do you need an invitation? The bottle’s in the fridge. Glasses are in the cabinet.”

  He disappeared into the kitchen. She heard him slam the cabinet door, open the fridge, then another slam, followed by the sound of the wine being poured into the glass. He appeared at the kitchen door with the bottle in one hand, the glass in the other. He drained it, then poured it full again.

  “Damn, what a day this has been. What a week! A month! Maybe you knew that and wanted me to unwind tonight before my meetings tomorrow. If so, thanks. I needed this.” He drained the glass again, then refilled it about halfway. “What did you want to talk about? The wedding? You know I’m leaving everything up to you. Whatever you want is fine with me. After I get past tax season, we’ll take another look at my calendar and try to find a date that will work. I’m thinking Hawaii for our honeymoon. We could stay maybe three days before I have to get back. Does that sound good to you?” He stared at her, waiting. “It might be less crowded in the winter, if they have winter.”

  “You just don’t get it, do you?” Lynn covered her eyes with one hand. Tired. So tired.

  “Get what?”

  “That I’m nothing to you. I’m a convenience. You’re married to that firm that will one day be yours after your father retires. You see me only whenever you happen to wake up on the couch between games—or casts. We’re engaged now! We’re planning a wedding. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since we’ve had a real conversation?”

  “What? A week? I’ve been busy! You know how much my job means to me. Dad will be retiring in another five years. That will mean it will be my firm, for the most part. My income will be triple what it is now! Do you know what that will mean for us after we’re married?”

  Lynn let out a long sigh and closed her eyes again. “Unfortunately, yes. I’ll see you even less than I do now. Promotion means more work, bigger clients, more sixteen-hour days.”

  “In the beginning, of course. But after a few years—”

  “Sorry. I’m not willing to wait years for you to be awake when you get home each evening, so we can have dinner out once in a while, or go to a movie. You’ll never agree to take a real vacation. You don’t even want a honeymoon longer than three days, and I’m sure that includes travel time. You love your work a lot more than you love me—if you’ve ever loved me at all.” The wine made it easy to blurt out her feelings, which she’d kept bottled up far too long. She poured the rest of the wine into her glass and downed it.

  “That’s ridiculous. Your job keeps you busy in the evenings, grading papers and writing endless lesson plans. When I get home, I’m tired! Sometimes I work through lunch. I watch TV to unwind. What’s wrong with that?”

  Lynn reached for a calendar she’d placed on the table at the end of the couch. “Take a look.” She pitched it to him, her head swimming with agitation.

  Bill frowned, clearly annoyed with her, looked up, then drained his glass again. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

  “Your name. I wrote it on the days when we had lunch together or when we did something together other than watch sports or fishing.”

  “So we had lunch twice in the past month. I know we scheduled lunch once more, but I couldn’t break away. That doesn’t mean it’s always going to be that way.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m finished. We aren’t getting married, Bill. We’ve been playing at being engaged, you won’t agree to a wedding date, because it isn’t important to you. It’s always going to be another couple of months, next fall, next year… Your work is always going to be the most important thing in your life. I’m finished being second.” She took off her engagement ring—his grandmother’s ring, which he’d said he was required to give to her—and laid it on the coffee table. “You need a wife who’s an accountant, too. That way, you’ll both work late every night, and she won’t be stuck at home alone, waiting for you to pencil her in on your schedule. She can pencil you in on hers.”

  She gave him a chance to digest what she’d said. He didn’t respond. His expression hardened.

  “It’s over, Bill. I packed the few things you’ve left here. The box is by the door.”

  He picked up the wine bottle again, saw it was empty, then set it back down. “You’ll regret this. Within a week, you’ll be calling to tell me you made a big mistake, that you want us to be married so you can enjoy a life of luxury. You wouldn’t have to teach. You could stay home and raise our children.”

  “Luxury means nothing to me. I do want a husband someday. But it isn’t going to be you. I have no desire to raise children by myself. And, I’d like to be able to take a vacation with my husband—my family—without having to schedule it years in advance.”

  She got up from the couch, took the bottle and the glasses to the kitchen and dropped the bottle into the recycling bin. From there, she went to her bedroom and slammed the door. A minute later, she heard the front door slam, followed by the roar of his new Mercedes.

  <><><><>

  Lynn wished for a glass of wine. She flagged the flight attendant and asked for a glass of Chardonnay.

  Had she ever really loved Bill? She had to admit that she hadn’t. They met, gone out for dinner a couple of times, and their relationship felt comfortable, since he never asked anything of her except cooking for him once in a while. Then his job became more demanding, his hours had increased, and she’d spent more time with Sharon than with him.

  How had she ever thought she could be married to a workaholic? Yet, according to Sharon, that’s exactly what Lynn had become, with no time for dating or a relationship, and no time during the summer for anything but writing endless lesson plans. Actually, she re-copied lesson plans. She’d taught the same lessons, year after year, and could’ve used the same plans over and over. Transferring them from one planning book to another made them seem fresh, somehow, when they weren’t.

  The wine arrived. She poured it into a plastic glass and drank it. All of it.

  Closing her eyes, she sighed. Sharon was right. Lynn needed this break from her dull, boring life. Desperately. How long had it been since she’d been on vacation? A real vacation! Too long. For the next two weeks, she didn’t want to think about anything except Peru.

  When they got home, she’d visit her parents, then take a long look at what her life had become.

  Chapter 3

  Sharon poked Lynn’s arm. “You haven’t said a word since we got on this plane. Are you asleep with your
eyes open? I saw you checking e-mail. Are we getting a signal?”

  Lynn moved around a little, shaking off the memory. “No. I got a post from Bill before we took off.”

  “Good grief. You haven’t heard from him in years. What did he want?”

  Lynn scrolled down to the post and handed the phone to Sharon, who read it with a look of anger.

  “He waited two years to tell you he still loves you? That creep! What did you tell him?”

  “Nothing. I’m not going to answer.” Lynn took the phone back and deleted the post.

  “Good for you! No matter what you say, he’s going to take any response as an admission that he’s right. And he’s not right, dammit! You don’t need him to be happy! Right?”

  Lynn hesitated. “Right.”

  Sharon leaned back. “Oh no. Don’t tell me you’re thinking about going back to the jerk?”

  “No. I don’t want to be married to someone who’s happier doing tax returns than going to a movie. I even tried to get him interested in history after his trip to Peru, but he never listened. Just kept watching football or baseball or whatever it had been, then said, ‘What? I hated that trip.’” Lynn closed her eyes. “I deserve better.”

  “Right,” Sharon mumbled. “Want me to answer the post for you? I’ll pretend I’m you—with guts.” She grinned.

  “No, thanks. He wouldn’t read it anyway. Not until after three tax returns and watching someone catch a big fish.”

  “He may try to call you.”

  “I doubt we’ll have cell phone service in Peru. He’ll give up after getting no answer the second time, if he takes time to call me at all.” She leaned her seat back as far as it would go and closed her eyes, wishing for sleep. Sharon patted her arm then did the same.

  <><><><>

  After midnight, when their plane finally landed in Lima, Lynn’s joints felt like cement. The flight from Virginia to Houston had been long enough, then a short layover and another six and a half hours to Lima. All she wanted now was a bed with a comfortable mattress and her down pillow, which she’d squeezed into her suitcase to make sure she slept well on this trip.

  How Sharon had actually slept most of the way, Lynn could only guess. She’d probably taken one of those little white pills that knocked her out completely. Lynn had tried to watch a movie from the extensive list, but the engine noise, coupled with frequent announcements that paused the action in the most inconvenient places, made it impossible to maintain any sort of continuity, so she’d given up after the third announcement. The fussy toddler across from them, who wore her poor mother out with her refusal to sleep, didn’t help, either.

  When they left the plane, Lynn felt some of the excitement return that she’d accumulated over the past three weeks. But what greeted them wasn’t at all what she’d hoped. The terminal was packed with wall-to-wall people, retrieving luggage, going through customs, and trying to find those who waited for deplaning passengers. Speaking to anyone in their group required yelling above the chaos of voices speaking multiple languages all around them. To top it all, there were young women everywhere trying to rent cell phones to tourists. Lynn discovered quickly that her cell phone was completely useless in Lima, but she declined their offers—again and again and again—thinking it might be nice to spend two weeks without having to constantly check e-mail, texts, and missed phone calls from people she didn’t want to talk to. She knew her mother wouldn’t call, and wouldn’t want her to call, either. Her father preferred e-mail. They’d brought Sharon’s laptop, knowing they’d have wireless in the hotels.

  After they were finally free of the technicalities involved with entering a foreign country, they struggled to stay together when they entered a huge area even more congested than the one they’d left. In the midst of a tangle of hundreds of people and sheer chaos, she realized the people who held signs were waiting for family members, or they were tour guides pushing their way to the front of the roped-off area to thrust their signs at everyone they saw, yelling the names of those they had come to meet. Lynn had no idea how their group had been labeled for this tour, so the signs meant nothing to her.

  Eventually, a sign appeared toward the end of a long line of people that had Barb’s name scrawled with a black marker that clearly had been almost out of ink. They hurried toward the young woman holding the sign.

  “Barbara Webber? From Virginia?” she asked each of them.

  Barb worked her way to the front of the group. “I’m Barbara!”

  “Welcome to Lima! You and your group please follow me!” She spoke in Spanish to two men behind her who hurried to grab everyone’s luggage and pile it on a big cart.

  Lynn was happy to relinquish her heavy suitcase and her carry-on bag so all she had to carry was her purse, which was heavy enough by itself. She wondered if one of the men handling the luggage could be their guide. Barb’s friend in Texas had recommended the guide she and her husband had had on their tour after they’d gotten to Cusco. Barb requested that he guide them in Lima as well as in Cusco and Machu Picchu. Alex. She couldn’t remember his last name.

  She asked the young woman with the sign, “Which one is Alex, our guide?”

  “He isn’t here tonight. We’ll get you to the hotel. Alex flew in from Cusco this afternoon and will be there in the morning. He’ll be staying at your hotels in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and in Machu Picchu, too.”

  Lynn hoped he’d be friendly, as well as informed about everything they saw. Barb had raved about him, based on what she’d heard from her Texas friend. Lynn had the blank book in her purse to record anything significant from the tour. Years as a teacher had taught her how faulty her memory could be. She wondered how many pages would be filled after two weeks of touring.

  The van ride to the hotel proved to be harrowing, to say the least. Traffic in Lima was horrible! Atrocious! Unbelievable! Across three lanes of traffic, four cars squeezed in, passing, turning in front of each other, honking, jockeying for position, with sometimes only inches between them! The noise by itself was enough to drive anyone crazy who wasn’t used to such traffic. Their driver, who had been introduced as a “professional driver,” appeared calm and not in the least concerned about almost being bashed every few seconds. Before long, Lynn stared straight ahead and took deep breaths to try and keep her heart from racing. This tour might end before it had a chance to begin!

  “I hope we get to the hotel in one piece,” Sharon told Lynn in a shaky voice. The rest of the group nodded agreement in between gasps and yelps of fear when a bus passing them almost scraped the side of the van!

  It took them almost an hour to get to the hotel—the Casa Andina Private Collection Lima. By the time they arrived, they were even more exhausted than when they’d arrived at the airport. Lynn wondered if this was what they’d have to endure every day on this tour.

  When the “professional driver” parked, everyone cheered for him. He’d performed numerous miracles getting them there safely. When Lynn stepped down onto the sidewalk in front of the hotel, traffic noise was even louder than it had been inside the van. She hoped their rooms would be quiet enough to sleep.

  They filed into the lobby and were pleasantly surprised to find it completely quiet and almost deserted at this late hour. At least that much was what she’d expected. Their reservations were entirely in order. All they had to do was produce their passports, which would be returned by their escorts in a few minutes, along with the keys to their rooms.

  Lynn wandered through the lobby while waiting for her passport and key, admiring the gorgeous bar, antique furniture, and enormous flower arrangements. She noticed a man sitting on one of the overstuffed couches, smiling and nodding at each person in the group. When he finally turned to smile and nod at her, she instantly smiled back. His eyes were kind and generous and friendly, and his smile reached them, producing an expression of welcome and contentment. Was he waiting for someone at this late hour?

  “Let’s go!” Sharon grabbed her arm and shoved her
passport and key into her hands. “Our luggage is on that cart. Third floor. We have to get to bed. They’re coming to get us at nine in the morning!”

  “Nine? It’s going to be close to two-thirty before we get to bed!”

  “That’s why we have to move it!”

  Lynn followed Sharon, but turned back to see if the others were coming. Then she realized the man from the lobby stood behind her, also waiting for the elevator.

  “Welcome to Peru,” he said softly in a melodic Spanish accent.

  “Thank you. Do you live here?” Lynn realized, since he was a guest at the hotel, he most likely did not live in Lima. Dumb question!

  “I live in Cusco. I am your guide for this tour.” He offered his hand. “Alex Vereau.”

  Lynn noticed his hands were smooth and his touch gentle. “I’m glad to meet you, Alex. You came highly recommended.” Sharon shook his hand next, grinning ear to ear.

  Barb leaned between Lynn and Sharon to shake Alex’s hand next. “I’m Barb. Linda raved about how much you knew about Peru! That’s why we asked for you.”

  Alex closed his eyes and gave a little bow. “I will have to thank her again. She told me you were coming. Muchas grácias. I will see all of you in the morning.”

  They got into the elevator. With eight of them, the car was full. Alex told them he’d take the next car. Lynn caught herself leaning when the doors closed, to prolong her view of him. When she leaned into Sharon, who was leaning for the same reason, Alex laughed and waved at them.

  Idiots. They were acting like students!

  Sharon sighed. “I just knew I’d fall in love with our guide. No use wasting time. I’m in love already!”

  Lynn felt an odd stab of jealousy. Ridiculous. No flings, remember! She was in Peru for a working vacation. Not to fall in love with a handsome Peruvian!

  <><><><>

  Alex waited for the next car and rode to the third floor to his room. When he emerged from the elevator, he saw the blonde woman he’d spoken to, and her redheaded friend, entering a room at the end of the hall. When they saw him, the redhead waved and laughed. The blonde smiled before following her friend into the room. Did he detect a bit of pink in her cheeks? Probably just the lighting. But she was lovely. He especially liked her blue eyes.