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Chapter 142

Claire and Jamie were back on speaking terms by Dianna’s going away party for them on Saturday, though just barely. They hadn’t had a real conversation since the argument in the car earlier that week, just polite small talk as they worked together to pack up the rest of their apartment. And even this mostly consisted of Jamie exclaiming, “Don’t lift that! I’ll get it!” and Claire rolling her eyes in annoyance at his overprotection of her.

The night of their argument, she had slept alone in their bed and woken the next morning to find a vase of a dozen red roses sitting outside the bedroom door and a pillow and wrinkled blanket draped across the couch, where Jamie had spent the night. The note on the card had said, simply, “I’m sorry,” and though it seemed like a nice gesture, Claire hadn’t been nearly as touched as she had by the single rose Nick had sent her weeks ago. It just seemed over-the-top and cliched, the red roses with the written, generic apology. If Jamie was really sorry for what he had said, he could apologize explicitly for it to her face. But he hadn’t.

She had let him back into the bed that night, but she hadn’t forgiven him, nor had she let him forget. She was cool and aloof around him the rest of the week, and she was positive that he noticed, though he never questioned her. They continued to play games with each other, talking without saying anything meaningful, avoiding the issues they’d fought over altogether.

Claire knew the lack of communication couldn’t be a good sign for their marriage, but she also realized how stressed they both were over the move and hoped that once they were settled into their new house outside Des Moines, things would get better. They would have fun decorating the house and getting ready for the babies, and the stress would become a good kind of stress, the exciting flurry of preparations that would proceed the start of their family.

Yet with the move just a day away now, Claire’s excitement was barred by the heavy weight of apprehension. Tomorrow, she would be leaving the comfort of everything she had ever known and driving nearly fifteen-hundred miles to a new town with a husband she’d barely spoken to all week, moving into a new house she’d never set foot in. She would be leaving all of the other important people in her life behind – her family, her friends, her coworkers, her doctors – and she hated the realization that, aside from Jamie, she would be very much alone in Des Moines.

He had his new job all lined up and would be starting work a week after they moved in. She, on the other hand, had not even bothered trying to look for work in the new city; no one would want to hire a woman who would be on maternity leave in a matter of months, and besides, once the triplets were born, she would want to stay at home with them. Though she liked the independence of having a career of her own, Claire had always known she didn’t want to be one of those working mothers whose children were raised in a daycare. Her own mother had been a stay-at-home mom, and she wanted to be the same while the kids were young. Once they started school, she would want to go back to work, at least part-time.

But for now, she would be stuck at home while Jamie worked, and she dreaded the long days of boredom and loneliness that would precede the birth of their children. It made her fearful, too, to realize that she would be on her own while carrying triplets. What if, later in her pregnancy, something went wrong? She would have no one in the vicinity to call except for Jamie and his mother, who was so neurotic that she was the last person Claire would want around in an emergency.

She had been worrying about these things often lately, and though she knew it wasn’t healthy to get herself worked up, sometimes she couldn’t help it. She had always assumed she would have, at the very least, her mother and sister-in-law around for support while she was pregnant. And that was when she had imagined herself carrying just one baby. Now she was carrying three – a high-risk pregnancy, the doctors called it – and moving far away from the both of them.

“We’re just a phone call away,” her mother had told her reassuringly when she had once brought this up, “and if you really need us, your dad and I have plenty of flyer miles saved – we can hop on a plane and be there in a matter of hours.”

But Claire knew it wasn’t that simple; she had had the experience of trying to fly between Iowa and Florida to get home to Nick in a time of emergency, and ‘a matter of hours’ had turned into one of the longest, most nightmarish nights of her life. She couldn’t count on her family being at her side if something did happen. And none of the doctors she knew and trusted would be there either. She already had an appointment scheduled with a new OB in Des Moines, one of the doctors Dr. Valerio had recommended, but she would have preferred a physician who knew her and her medical history better.

Despite all her worries, Claire knew she had little choice about making this move. She had seen firsthand how distance could drive a wedge between an otherwise happy couple and wasn’t about to let it happen with her and Jamie. He was going to Des Moines for the sake of his career, and like it or not, she was going with him. Everything happens for a reason, she assured herself often, trying to convince herself that this move would prove to be a good thing for both their relationship and their children. She just needed to arrive in Des Moines with an open mind and try to make the most of it.

For the sake of having a good attitude, she showed up at the going away party hand-in-hand with Jamie, a smile pasted on her face. She wasn’t overly excited about the party, dreading the emotional goodbyes that would follow it, but as she looked around, her smile became genuine. She had to appreciate the effort Dianna had put into making this party special.

Her best friend, who had always had a knack for planning such things, had reserved a section of beach along the coastline for the private party. A ways back from the water, a large white awning had been set up, beneath which several long picnic tables were positioned. A potluck had been set up at the back of the tent, and a few feet away, several grills smoked with the scent of lighter fluid and charcoal. Tiki torches and strings of colorful, plastic streamers formed a perimeter around the strip of sand, and here and there, Dianna had set up other decorations – clusters of bright, tropical flowers planted in children’s sand pails were scattered among inflatable palm trees, pink, plastic flamingoes, a large, blow-up shark, and even someone’s old surfboard.

“I thought it was only appropriate to spend your last night in Florida on the beach,” said Dianna as she looped a plastic lei around each of their necks and then led them around to admire her handiwork, explaining the decorating theme.

“It’s awesome, Di! You’re so sweet for doing all of this,” Claire replied as she walked around, taking note of the people that were there, as well as the decorations. Dianna had invited all of Claire’s family and Jamie’s brother Brad, along with many of their friends and colleagues. Laureen and Carey had worked together to plan a small office party for Claire on her last day at work, and Dr. Somers and Tim and most of the hygienists had been there to give her a nice send-off, but she saw several of the co-workers she was actually friends with here at Dianna’s party too. Laureen was among them, of course. She recognized a few of Jamie’s co-workers as well, including Bill, who was his closest friend at work and whom she’d met on several occasions, and his partner, Lance. She followed Jamie over to talk to them for a few minutes, but headed in the other direction when he went on to greet his friends from college, Greg and Jerr.

She sought refuge in the company of Laureen, who immediately threw her arms around her and wailed, “I can’t believe you’re leaving tomorrow!”

“I know,” Claire sighed over Laureen’s shoulder, hugging her tightly. “I can’t believe it either.”

Releasing her, Laureen stepped back and gave her a sad, crooked smile. “It’s not gonna be the same here without you. You were my first good friend in Tampa!”

Claire smiled sadly. “You’ll have to keep up the legacy at work – take my replacement under your wing, and make sure you warn her to stay away from Tim!”

They both laughed, and then Laureen sighed. “I’m gonna miss you. But you know what? All of my family is still in Illinois, and Iowa’s only one state over, so next time I go back to visit, I’ll be able to make a little detour and see you!”

“And all my family’s still here, so I’ll definitely be back to see you too,” Claire smiled.

Laureen grinned back. “Perfect!”

She was her usual happy-go-lucky self after that, as she walked around with Claire and Dianna, making a point to avoid Jamie’s friend Greg. “Has anyone seen Nick yet?” Claire wondered out loud; seeing Greg and Jamie laughing together had inevitably made her think of him.

Laureen’s eyes widened. “Is he gonna be here??”

“He said he was. He was flying into Orlando for Howie’s birthday, which I think was yesterday…”

“It was,” Laureen chirped automatically, blushing at the identical looks of amusement Claire and Dianna gave her. “Bit of Backstreet trivia for ya,” she added with a sheepish smile. “So, have you guys heard Nick’s new song yet?”

“I haven’t,” said Dianna in a bored voice, but Claire immediately jumped on the change in topic.

“I have! I think it’s incredible; what about you?”

Laureen’s eyes brightened with enthusiasm, and they launched into an eager discussion of the new single. They were so busy gushing about the song that neither one of them noticed when the man who had written it appeared on the outskirts of the party.

***

Nick felt a sense of déjà vu as he walked down to the stretch of beach where the going away party for Claire had been set up. It was his second time going alone to a party for Claire and Jamie in a period of just seven months. The atmosphere of this party was much different than the wedding reception, much more casual and fun, but he figured the crowd would be about the same – mostly people he didn’t know or didn’t particularly like. It was a mark of how much he cared about Claire that he had even bothered to come.

He had tried to coax Howie into coming with him when he had been in Orlando the day before, but Howie had a charity event to attend with his story Pollyanna that night. Figures, thought Nick, kicking at the sand as he stopped to survey the luau-themed party. He could smell meat cooking over charcoal and hear music playing over the sound of the rolling tide in the background. Everyone was standing in little clusters around the beach, talking and laughing. He looked around for Claire, wanting to find her before he went mingling through her party.

Though he knew he shouldn’t, he felt slightly self-conscious. Seeing as how the party was being held on a sandy beach in the middle of August, he’d had little choice about how to dress for it. Going the practical route, he’d put on his water leg (which, thankfully, fit again) and a pair of cargo shorts, knowing he would swelter in long pants and deeply regret getting sand stuck in his regular prosthesis. On the other hand, he knew he was going to get a lot more stares with his artificial leg showing, and this one was not as stable as the C-Leg he normally wore, which meant he walked with a more noticeable limp. He didn’t want to attract any more attention than necessary, especially from Jamie and his friends, who would surely toss some snide comment his way if they caught him when Claire wasn’t around.

This was just one of those times when being Nick Carter was a huge pain in the ass. Nonetheless, he braced himself and walked into the party, reminding himself that he was here for Claire, and Claire only. He didn’t care what other people thought of him, especially not Jamie.

He found Claire talking to Laureen and Dianna. The last time he’d seen Laureen, it had been the morning after he’d gotten drunk and made out with her after Claire’s wedding reception, and the last time he remembered actually talking to Dianna was right after she had bitched him out for running off on Claire when she thought she was rejecting her transplant. So that was awkward, on both accounts, but he approached the trio anyway.

As Claire and Laureen appeared to be deep in conversation, gesturing wildly as they talked to each other, Dianna was the first to look up and spot him coming their way. She gave him a little wave and a smile and said, “Well, hey there, Nick. Long time, no see.”

“Hey, what’s up?” Nick asked, offering a casual smile in return.

Claire and Laureen, who had both looked up at the sound of his name, grinned. “You came!” Claire exclaimed, coming forward and pulling him into a hug. “I’m so glad you could come,” she added, as she released him, beaming up at him.

He smiled down at her, feeling more at ease. She looked pretty, dressed in a pair of lightweight capris and a peach-colored peasant-style blouse that was soft and feminine. Coupled with her red hair, it made her blend in with the sunset behind her quite nicely. “You look good,” he told her off-handedly.

She grinned at the compliment, a pink blush rising on her cheeks. “Thanks, so do you!”

Smiling, he turned his attention to Dianna and Laureen and added, “You ladies are lookin’ fine tonight, too.” He winked at Laureen, his eyes lingering on her a few moments longer than they had Dianna. She looked cute in an ocean blue top and a flowing, summery skirt, her soft, auburn hair curling around her face, which was now in a full-on blush.

“Aww, you’re sweet,” said Dianna, fluffing her dark hair. Offering a coy smile, she added, “Well, I should go check on Todd and make sure he’s not burning the food. Glad you could come, Nick.”

Nick blinked in surprise as she walked away, caught off-guard by her sudden hospitality. He turned back to Claire and Laureen, at which point the awkwardness settled in. He didn’t know what to say to either one of them, Claire, who was pregnant with Jamie’s babies and leaving for Iowa in the morning, and Laureen, whom he’d practically slept with and hadn’t spoken to since.

Laureen seemed at a loss for words as well, but Claire, never one to keep her mouth shut for long, filled the silence by saying, “Hey, we were just talking about your single and how much we like it!”

“Yeah,” Laureen chimed in finally, grinning. “I love it!!”

“Wow, thanks,” said Nick, feeling a rush of pride. He grew more comfortable as they got him talking about the album and the promotion he’d done that week; that was something he could talk about without feeling awkward.

After awhile, Claire said, “I should probably go mingle… I haven’t talked to half the people here yet, and who knows when I’ll see them again.” She made a glum face, and Nick nodded.

“Yeah, sure, go ahead. Laureen and I can chat, maybe grab some food in a little while?” he said, giving Laureen a questioning look.

“Yeah, sounds good!” she replied.

When Claire walked away, he moved closer to her. “It’s good to see you again,” he said. Figuring he might as well tell her now what he knew he would have to say at some point, he launched right in with, “Listen, I just wanna apologize for not keeping in touch at all over the last few months.”

“It’s okay,” Laureen quickly started to say, but he shook her head.

“No, it’s not. I feel bad. I treated you like some groupie who I fooled around with for one night and pushed out the door the next morning, never to see again. And that’s not… I mean, you’re not a groupie. You deserve better than that, and after what happened after Claire’s wedding, I should have at least called.”

Laureen shrugged; she was blushing again. “I know you were busy.”

“Yeah, but that’s not an excuse. I wasn’t too busy to call,” Nick insisted. “Honestly, I felt bad about what happened; I guess that’s why I didn’t call.”

“You shouldn’t feel bad. I was the sober one; I knew what I was doing,” Laureen said quietly, blushing redder.

Nick smiled a little. Claire was right; Laureen had wanted the kisses. She looked embarrassed about it now, but he could tell by the expression on her face – she had enjoyed herself that night. In a way, that made him feel worse, like he’d exploited her crush on him. He liked Laureen just fine as a person, but he’d never looked at her that way before, never intended to kiss her, let alone make out with her. It had just happened, in the heat of the moment, in the aftermath of watching the woman he loved marry someone else. He knew now that it meant a lot more to her than it had to him.

“We should hang out again sometime,” he suggested impulsively, wanting to make it up to her. “Just maybe take things a little… slower… this time.”

Laureen laughed. “I would love that,” she replied, smiling sweetly.

“I dunno how much I’ll be able to hang out for the next couple of months,” he warned her. “I’m heading back to LA in a few days, and things are gonna be crazy for awhile, until the album comes out. But maybe we can hook up when I’m back for longer. And in the meantime, I’ll try to call you this time.” He offered her a sheepish smile. “I think I’ve still got your number saved.”

“Okay. That would be cool,” said Laureen, her voice breathy, her eyes sparkling in a way that told Nick she thought it would be much more than “cool.”

He smiled. “So you wanna go check out the food?” he asked, motioning to the large tent where all of the food had been set out.

“Sure,” Laureen laughed.

Together, they made their way over to the awning, Nick stumbling slightly in the uneven sand. He didn’t fall, but naturally, he looked up to find Jamie standing only a few feet away with a couple of the guys who had been groomsmen at his wedding. His stomach clenched as he saw Jamie smirk, then turn to his friends, putting his back to Nick. He leaned in and said something, and the other two guys started to snicker, both of their heads turning in Nick’s direction.

Nick felt his face redden with anger and embarrassment. For a moment, it was as if he were a child again, getting teased and threatened on the playground at school by the other boys, who thought he was weird because he liked to sing and dance and was always missing school for auditions or shows. It was hard to believe he had just witnessed twenty-eight-year-old men doing much the same thing, but it still hurt.

He felt someone touch his arm and jerked instinctively, but it was only Laureen. The look in her eyes told him that she had seen Jamie too. She didn’t say anything, but wordlessly took hold of his elbow and held onto him lightly as they went under the awning.

“He’s an asshole,” she whispered finally, as they got into the food line.

“I’m glad someone else can see it,” he muttered back, offering her a grateful smile.

Neither one of them said anything more about it then, but several meaningful looks passed between them after that, the anxious looks of two people who both thought their friend was making the biggest mistake of her life.

***