Bouquet of Lies Part 27

They looked at each other and he saw a flash of anger in her eyes. If she was mad because he wasn't ready to make love to her, then that anger was misplaced.

Make love. Yes. It would be making love, he thought. I love her and we can't forget anything. His brain discharged an additional thought: Don't forget Sally.

He frowned. He wasn't thinking about Sally. Sally was gone. He loved Sally, but she died. He was thinking about Lacey, and a future with her, and in his book having s.e.x too soon would ruin their relationship.

He'd explained all this to her. Hadn't she understood?

"All right, then." Lacey s.n.a.t.c.hed her purse from the couch and slipped it over her arm. "It's been surreal."

"You don't have to go." He didn't reach for her. He wanted her to stay, but he would not hold her with any sort of force. She had to stay because she wanted to. If she didn't stay, that meant s.e.x was more important than their relationship.

"I don't understand you. I want you. You want me," Lacey said.

"It's not that simple."

"It is." She stamped her foot.

"You're mad."

"I'd be lying . . ." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I've been around the block. Not as many times as people probably think. But if that's what's bothering you about me, then we have a real problem because I can't change the past."

He shook his head. "If that bothered me about you, then I would just have s.e.x with you and not worry about it."

She stared at him. "Well, I'm talked out. We'll have to save what you just said for next time." She went to the door and paused a moment before walking out.

Dan sank into the couch and let his brain chew on her words.

Next time. Thank G.o.d there would be a next time.

Twenty-six.

THE NEXT FEW days were mostly uneventful, at least in comparison to murder and revelation.

Lacey busied herself getting everything ready for the wedding. She finally called in a hazmat team and had the library cleaned. She also bought a new poker for the fireplace. She sent out email invitations to as many people as she could think of, and wound up with nearly sixty affirmatives. That meant she could order the right number of chairs and tables and let the caterer know how many they were to serve. She lined up a band for the reception and ordered a huge cake just because she thought it would look impressive.

She did her running around with Courtney because, as changed as Darla seemed when she thought Randy was mad at her, it now appeared she had relapsed. Lacey was doing everything a maid-of-honor could do for a bride, and was getting the cold shoulder for it. Lacey cared, but she didn't stop organizing the wedding. It kept her busy. It kept her mind off Dan. Except at night, when she was alone in her bed and he crawled in beside her and made her crazy with desire.

Lacey took Courtney with her to find a maid-of-honor dress for the wedding. She walked out of the dressing room stall and modeled once more for her friend.

"At first I thought seeing Randy was helping her," Lacey said as she did a spin. It was the sixth dress she'd tried on.

"The first one," Courtney said.

Lacey nodded and went back in the stall to change.

"That was easy," Courtney called over the door. "Usually you debate me."

"For this wedding? One frock is as good as another." Lacey unzipped the dress, stepped out of it, and found the first one she had tried on. Darla hadn't even picked a color scheme so Lacey was free to do what she wanted. The color of this chiffon beauty was called berry and she liked it. It was c.o.c.ktail length, strapless and very becoming. She would be able to wear it again. She quickly stepped into her skinny jeans, pulled on her circle top, and opened the door.

Courtney took the unwanted five dresses. "You're a better sister than I am."

"You're an only child." Lacey led the way to the dressing room exit.

"That's beside the point." Courtney hung the dresses on a rack.

"I'm having fun. Sort of." Lacey tossed her head. "Keeps me busy and whatever."

"You're always busy. Keeps you 'whatever,' is right."

"Somebody's got to help Darla."

"Speaking of which. Where is she? Why didn't she come?"

"Believe it or not, she's at the shooting range with her beloved."

They fell in line for the register.

"Oh, yeah?"

"They've gone a few times. I started calling her Pistol-Packing Bride. Not to her face. Well, I did once. It made her cry."

"She cried?"

"She hates shooting. Guns scare her."

"Everything scares her."

"That used to be true. Or maybe it's still true. I've noticed that she won't go out of the house without Golden Boy. I guess I should say Golden Fiance. She won't go anywhere with me, not since shopping for her wedding dress. It's like she doesn't trust me. And, to tell you the truth, it scares me for her to have a gun."

Lacey paid for the dress.

"Not to change the subject, but what I really want to know . . . how's Dan-the-Man?"

They walked out of the store.

"He's fine," Lacey said.

There was a slight pause before Courtney spoke. "I, for one, will be glad when the wedding is over and all goes back to normal. And, by that, I mean you."

"Me? I'm normal."

"Oh, yeah?" Courtney pulled Lacey's arm so they stopped walking and faced each other. Courtney raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Lacey uttered.

"Over here. We're gonna sit." They moved to a padded bench. "I ask you about your sister, I get a spiel. I ask you about Dan and you say two words, 'He's fine.' Talk to me, girlfriend."

Lacey sighed. "He won't sleep with me. He wants to, he says. We almost did. But he stopped and he gives me a talk that . . . Well, I don't know what he's talking about. I thought I did, but then I didn't."

"He explains. You accept. You heat up. You want. He explains again, but you toss his words aside."

"I guess that's what happened."

"You want what you want when you want it, and you don't worry about the rest."

"Yeeaah." Lacey strung the word out with caution. Caution. She didn't like caution. Caution was wimpy. Dan was cautious, but he was a cop. She didn't think of him as wimpy. Was he wimpy?

"What are you thinking?"

"That caution is wimpy." Lacey smiled. "There. Problem solved."

Courtney laughed. "He's cautious."

"Yes."

"He's a wimp."

"No. Don't say that." Lacey almost felt panic.

Courtney laughed again. "I know what this is. He a.n.a.lyzes and you jump at the chance. Remember that workshop in high school? The one Mrs. Gable gave."

"No."

"Dan's a gold and you're an orange."

"What?"

"The color workshop. It explained personality types. I'm a blue, which makes me a people person. Feely-touchy. Understanding. You were orange, blue, gold, green. In that order."

"You remember this?"

"I liked it. It explained you to me. Dan's a gold. He likes structure and has strong ethics. He may not appear to be a warm person, but he may very well be."

"And I'm orange?"

"You are. You have to be free to do as you please. You live for today, not tomorrow." Courtney tapped Lacey's chest. "There's some gold in there. You just have to bring it forward a little more so you understand him. And he's got to get his orange out and shine it up some so he gets you. Otherwise, the two of you haven't got a chance."

As they strolled out of the mall, Lacey thought about what Courtney had said. Courtney would have to explain color-people theory to Dan because she wouldn't be able to do it justice. Maybe tonight at the drags.

Dan had called the morning after the fiasco and asked her to go. She accepted with a blithe cheeriness meant to tell him that nothing was bothering her. It was a cover. She was bothered. Especially when his call came on Monday and the drags weren't until Thursday night and that meant they would go four whole days without seeing each other. Didn't he care? If he didn't care, then why should she?

She eyed Courtney who was chattering about something. If Courtney came along, it would look like she didn't care if she was alone with Dan. That not sleeping together was no big deal.

Her brain choked. Yeah. And he could join the ranks of Alex and Sigmund. They could be friends.

What a horrible thought. Friends! She wasn't into friends with benefits. Not with Dan. Not with anyone. When she was with someone, she was with someone. Monogamous until the end. Call her old-fashioned.

Dan's kisses were magic. She had even wondered if she was in love with him. She had decided it was pa.s.sion, but why in the world would she want to mess that up by playing games? She wouldn't. That would be crazy. She did care about her relationship with Dan and nixed the idea of inviting Courtney.

That evening at the track, Lacey met Murray and Pete. Pete was talkative. He told her all about the race cars he owned. The size of the engines. The horsepower. And other stuff she didn't follow and really didn't care about.

She liked Murray. He was older and for some reason the term Big Kahuna came to mind. He didn't talk a whole lot to her, just enough. He smiled and said something cryptic about how he bet she was the reason Dan was back on track.

On track? Or back on the track? Hmmm.

He seemed to approve of her.

Dan was quiet. Similar to how he had been before he decided to take her to the Santa Monica pier and open up. He touched her often, as if he was making sure they were still connected after the disaster at his house. But he never put his arm around her or kissed her.

The three guys raced and Lacey cheered Dan and Murray on. She was happy when Dan beat Pete in a matchup. Sorry when Pete beat him the next time. And not bothered at all when Murray won by a mile.

She invited both Murray and Pete to Darla's wedding, saying they didn't need to bring gifts. She just wanted warm bodies.

She had invited Uncle D and Helen the night of Dan's dinner party. They said they would be overjoyed to come. Well, Helen would be overjoyed. Uncle D would keep his bloodhound nose on the job. The backyard was sure to be full of persons of interest.

The drags were busy and crowded and noisy and fun. She laughed a lot and Dan did sometimes. He had asked her to come to the races with him, but their relationship felt strained.

Is this fixable? she wondered. Is Courtney right? Mr. Gold and Ms. Orange just need to learn color-people theory and come to an understanding?

Maybe she should have brought Courtney along after all. When the evening ended, Dan dropped Lacey off at her door.

Finally, the day of the wedding arrived. Darla looked beautiful. Except for the veil. Instead of accenting the dress by being pinned in the back, it was attached to her head by a headband too close to her face and it looked c.u.mbersome. Lacey wondered where she had gotten it. It wasn't something they had purchased with the gown. Lacey had bought her a crystal and ivory tiara for the big event. It was hard to believe Darla preferred the veil.

The ceremony was Black Tie Optional, a request Darla had made; she liked the way it sounded. Dan wore a tux as did a few others, while most of the male guests chose suits and ties. There were plenty attendees. Even Jake made it back in time from his soul-searching road trip and sported a tux. He looked rested and Lacey was pleased until she saw he had a date. A skinny blonde with a Barbie doll figure.

Some part of Lacey thought Jake was the key to breaking up this union between Darla and Randy. He was right for her sister, Randy was not. Wasn't there supposed to be a part in the ceremony where the minister said, "If anyone has a reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace"? It had worked in Jane Eyre. But that was a story from another era. And sometimes people spoke up nowadays in comedies, but this wedding was no comedy. It was a tragedy. One big fat mistake.

The reception was better than the wedding. There was booze in one of the punches and Lacey planned on having her fill.

She hadn't arranged for a head table. Who would sit there? Randy, Darla, herself and Randy's best man-some guy from the office Randy hardly knew? She preferred to sit with Dan and Courtney and Alex and Sig. Oh, and Murray had showed. No Pete.

Lacey caught a disapproving look in Dan's eye and decided not to drink so much. He was right. Darla and Randy were married. Drinking a lot of alcohol would not change a thing. It would just give her a headache.

She made no toast. Avoided Randy. And danced with Dan and Jake. At one point she asked Jake's date how serious she and Jake were. The date glared at her, apparently insecure, and then took Jake's hand as if to say, does this answer your question? Jake shook his head with a smile and Lacey laughed.

Edward stayed away from the ceremony but made an appearance at the reception. He ate the catered meal, always a drink in hand, and then went back in the house away from everybody.

Henderson approached Lacey about an hour into the festivities. He said the normal things about the ceremony being quite nice. Then he reported that he had gotten a college application for Lacey to fill out.

"I don't want you to mess up," he explained.

Lacey a.s.sured him she planned on going to school. "I've been busy."