"I'm not surprised," Nancy said with a stern look. "You were up late with Lizzie."
Lauren's mouth dropped open, and she was suddenly nearly ready to freak out.
"Yeah, she said the two of you had a nice chat," Nancy said.
Lauren shifted her eyes to Lizzie without moving her head. The other winked. Somewhat relieved, Lauren said, "Uh, yes we had a nice chat." She didn't know how forthcoming she should be.
"It's okay," Nancy said. "It's Saturday. We all have breakfast together on the weekend. Sit and join us." She seemed happier and friendlier this morning.
"Oh, thanks," Lauren said, still nervous about what Nancy might know. "But I really need to get going. I expected to have been on the road by now."
"Lizzie got up early to make a special omelet for you."
Lauren glanced at Lizzie, who returned a big smile and a wink.
"It does smell delicious," Lauren remarked, a little more at ease. She respectfully sat at the place that had been set for her.
"Coffee, milk, juice?" George asked.
"Oh,
definitely
coffee."
Lauren noticed that the others were already halfway through the meal, so she felt it was okay to start eating.
"So, obviously you slept well," Nancy noted.
"That bed is
very
comfortable."
"Then why not stay in it?"
"Excuse me?" Lauren said, not sure what the woman was referring to.
"Lizzie shared some of your concerns about moving to an unknown place," Nancy went on. "George and I discussed it and then we
all
talked it over. You have no family except for George, even though he is not technically a relation. He told us how close the two of you were. He also said he'd offered for you to live with us." She smiled. "We'd like to
all
extend that offer to you. We want you to stay with us. We want to become your new family."
So stunned was Lauren she dropped her fork and it clanged in her plate. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth hung open.
"Well, think about it," Nancy quipped lightheartedly.
The others all chuckled.
Finally speaking, Lauren said. "I don't know what to say."
"Say you'll at least think about it."
"I
will.
But now that the initial shock has worn off, I'm a bit confused because, while I truly appreciate your hospitality, I didn't really get a sense yesterday that . . ." Lauren was grasping for non-offensive words.
"No, we weren't . . .
I
wasn't as welcoming as I should have been," Nancy said. "I apologize for that. Your appearance was unexpected, and we don't get unexpected visitors here. That's no excuse. Please forgive me. I just had to resolve it in my own mind."
"I understand," Lauren said to be polite. "I should have called first. I do have to ask, since I am the daughter of George's
ex
-wife, will this be awkward for any of you to have me here? When George initially made the offer, awkwardness was my first reaction."
"There's no question it will be an adjustment for all of us,
you
included," Nancy admitted. "But it's one we're willing to make."
"Fair enough."
Silence ensued for a minute.
"We don't expect you to make a decision right here on the spot. You should take time to think about it. I would suggest you stay here as long as you like, get to know us, and let us get to know you, and when you decide, you'll already be here, or if you choose to move on, you can leave at that time. You've been traveling for many days, you could probably use some time to rest."
With a heavy sigh, Lauren said, "As a matter of fact, I could. And truthfully, as I told Lizzie, I was so anxious to leave New York for a warmer climate and San Diego sounded as good as anywhere, but, I'm not as certain."
"Well, then, this is perfect for you to reevaluate your plans."
Lauren thought for a second, then said, "I accept your offer to stay while I decide, but it's a two-way street. If after a few days you don't think I'm a good fit, please ask me to leave. Also, I'll only stay if I pull my weight and pay my way."
"I'm sure you'll fit just fine. And we all pull our weight, so that would be expected without saying. We'll talk later about paying your way."
* * *
Once she made the decision to hang around, Lauren become lazy. The weight of the last few weeks eased a bit. It appeared that the family took it easy on the weekends, so she didn't feel bad about hanging out in her room lying around.
It was a good thing she wasn't attempting to sleep because an hour later, Josh walked by and stood in the open doorway. "Hey."
Lauren looked up from her phone and smiled. "Hi." He was very handsome and muscular.
"For what it's worth, we
really
are happy to have you here. We rarely get visitors, so it's nice to have you."
"Oh, thanks. The longer I'm here, the happier I am I decided to stay."
"That's good. So, did you have a good time with Lizzie last night?"
Lauren tried to restrain the frown that wanted to form on her face. It was a strange question to ask. Did he know what they did? "I guess I had as good a time as you can have chatting with someone."
He grinned and nodded as though he was playing along. "I hope
we
have a chance to
chat."
She shrugged. "I'm sure we will."
A while later, Marv was also passing by. He stopped and greeted Lauren. "All settled?"
"Yes. Just relaxing for the first time in a while." Marv was alike a younger version of Josh and almost as handsome.
He nodded. "Don't get mad, but I just want to tell you that I think you're hot."
"Why would you think I would get mad?"
"A lot of girls do."
"I don't mind being complimented."
"I'm the youngest and I tend to be ignored. I hope you don't ignore me."
Another odd statement, as was Josh's. "I'll try not to."
"Okay. Thanks. See you later."
"Yeah."
The parade of visitors continued not long after when George appeared. Unlike the brothers, whose bedrooms were further down the hall and could have been just passing by, George and Nancy's master suite was on the ground floor, so his visit was intentional.
"Thought I'd come up and check on you," he said by way of greeting.
"Just relaxing for the first time in a while," she repeated, having told Marv the same thing.
"Believe it or not, I'm really glad you came here." He stepped closer to the bed.
"I'm beginning to be happy I did also. What did it take for you to convince your wife?"
"I didn't have to," George revealed. "She asked me last night if I thought you came because you had changed your mind about staying with us. I told her I didn't know, and that she should ask you. Instead, she asked the kids how they would feel about it, and they were all in favor. So, she simply extended the offer."
Nodding her understanding, Lauren informed him, "I don't think I'm actually going to try to decide." To his frown, she added, "What I mean is, I think the experience of just my staying here a few days and getting to know all of you will decide for me."
"That makes sense. Don't force the decision, just let it come to you."
"Yes."
"Well, if you need or want anything, don't hesitate to ask," George told her.
"I will." She thought for a moment. "There
is
one thing I want to know. It's about Nancy. Do I have to watch out for her?"
"Watch
out
for her?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"Quite honestly, and with all due respect, she really did not appear happy that I showed up on Friday. But this morning, it seemed she did an about face and was warm, friendly and quite accommodating. What will she be tomorrow?"
"I think as she said this morning, this is going to be a big adjustment for all of us, particularly if you stay. I think there will be some differences when your New York ways meet their California ways, and there may be some clashes, but you and I had no trouble getting along, and I haven't had any problems getting along with Nancy, Josh, Lizzie or Marv, so I think it will all work out."
"Okay. I'll try my best."