Chapter Fourteen

With a little work, Howie was able to get the grill going, and Lori finished with the salad and started on some potatoes.

“I’m gonna go poke around for some candles,” he said, passing through the kitchen on his way in from the deck.

“Okay.”

Lori reached over to the radio sitting by the toaster and flipped it on. Just as Howie was entering the living room, “I Want It That Way” came over the airwaves. He skidded to a stop and whirled around to see Lori swaying her hips and humming along.

“You like this song?” he asked, startling her.

“Huh? I thought you went looking for candles. But yeah, I like it. I heard it about ten million times on the drive up here yesterday. Catchy beat, lyrics are a little confusing, but otherwise a good song. Do you know who sings it?”

Howie gulped and quickly shook his head. “Nope, sorry.”

She nodded and began wrapping some potatoes in aluminum foil. “Oh well, I’ll find out sometime.”

The words had an ominous ring to them as Howie backed out of the kitchen and went back to the living room. She would find out sometime, and what would her reaction be?

It was at that moment that Howie spotted the “Millennium” cd sitting on top of the stereo. He snatched it off and threw it into a nearby cabinet. Forgetting about the candles, he made a run through of the house, hiding anything that gave away his true identity. Caroline had been one of his biggest fans, and she had framed pictures of him and the rest of the guys at various awards shows and parties hanging up all over the place.

After a few minutes, he carried an armload of stuff to an empty bedroom and stashed it in the closet. Slamming the door shut, he leaned against it and took a deep breath. He was going to burn in hell for sure, he just knew it.

“Tony?” Lori called.

He darted out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“Up here.”

She appeared at the bottom of the stairs, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

“Find any candles?”

“Not yet, still looking. Be down in a minute.”

“All right.”

Wiping sweat from his brow, he suddenly remembered that Caroline kept candles and tablecloths in the cabinet in the dining room. He retrieved them and set up the table on the deck. But it was missing something.

Lori came outside carrying a vase of flowers and set it in the center of the table.

“How did you know?” he asked, amazed.

She shrugged and sniffed a rose. “Your sister has a gorgeous garden out front. I couldn’t resist.”

“She loved flowers.”

“Loved?” Lori wondered.

“Yeah, she passed away from Lupus.”

“Oh, Tony, I’m so sorry,” she said. “It’s a shame I didn’t get a chance to meet her.”

Howie sighed. “It’s a shame she had to die in the first place.”

Lori reached out and took his hand. He looked at her and realized just how much he’d missed her. It was as if a part of his life had returned to him, and he was risking losing it by not telling her the truth.

He shook that thought from his head and said, “I think the grill is ready.”

“I’ll go get the steaks.”

She started towards the house, but Howie didn’t let go right away. She looked down at their intertwined hands and thought about how perfectly they fit together.

“I’ll only be gone a second,” she teased.

He smiled and released her. “I know. But hurry back.”

Dinner was beautiful. They talked easily and ate a pleasent meal. The weather cooperated wonderfully, casting a slight breeze and warm temperatures over them. Lori told him all about her life in Switzerland, purposely leaving out the fact that it was over there, waiting for her to return.

Howie told her about real estate, thankful he had another career. He ignored the little nagging at his conscience, squashing it down and locking it away. He was determined not to let this brilliant opportunity get away from him, even if it meant weaving a teensy little web of lies.

“I also have a new puppy,” he said. “One of my best friends gave her to me and she’s just the cutest thing!”

“You know, just last week, I found a brand new dog collar in the bushes out front. I don’t suppose. . . “

Howie’s eyes widened. “She lost it last week! And it was mysteriously returned to my place! Was that you?”

“Only if you own a purple sports car and a red truck.”

“The purple car is mine, the truck is a friend’s.”

Howie shook his head in disbelief. “Just how many times have we missed each other?” he asked, then remembered something. “I could have sworn I saw you coming out of your dad’s bank too.”

“You probably did. I’ve been doing business there a lot lately. I have control of it now, and I have no idea what I want to with it. There are several slimy little men who have been doing their best to get the promotion to president from me, but I don’t trust them.”

“You could always run it yourself,” Howie said lightly. “Then you could stay in Orlando. . . “

Silence settled down around them for a moment until Lori laughed.

“I don’t know anything about banking except how to deposit and withdraw,” she said, smiling.

Howie returned the smile and reached for her hand, pushing aside any thoughts of her leaving. They watched the sun set and then carried their dishes inside. Lori washed and Howie dried. Once that was done, they were suddenly at a loss as to what they should do. Lori suggested they go for a walk.

Howie didn’t even bother to lock the cabin door behind him as they left. He was comfortable with the area, having visited Caroline and her family several times over the years.

“So how long as your dad had a place here?” he asked, swinging their clasped hands between them.

“Hmm, since I was maybe five? We stopped using it when I turned fifteen though, mainly because I didn’t feel like coming up here anymre. When did your sister get a cabin?”

“About seven years ago.”

“Guess we missed each other by a few years, huh?”

“Guess so.”

They headed towards the lake, surprised to see so many other couples out as well.

“Must be a romantic spot,” Lori teased, nudging Howie’s arm.

"I like romantic spots,” he replied, leaning over to kiss her nose.

The lake was dark, but they could still make out their reflections as they peered into the water. There they were, a few years older, a few years wiser, but still very much the same people they’d been when they met.

They found an empty picnic table and Howie sat down, the bench between his legs. Lori sat with her back against his chest, his arms wrapped possessively around her waist. They faced the lake and watched it ripple under the moonlight.

Everything is so perfect, Howie thought, resting his chin on top of her head.

“I wish I could freeze time and keep this moment the same forever,” Lori whispered.

“Me too.”

“Tony?”

“Hmm?” he asked, not liking that name at all right now.

“Can we. . . I mean. . . are we. . . “ She broke off and giggled nervously.

Howie half turned her so she was facing him.

“What?”

“Are we going to pick up where we left off?” she asked. “Is it possible?”

“Anything’s possible,” he answered. “We found each other again, didn’t we?”

“Well, yes, but. . . “

“Shhh,” Howie said, placing a finger on her lips. “We’ll just take things one day a time, okay? Slowly, so we don’t rush things.”

She closed her eyes and kissed his finger. “That sounds like a good idea.”

They sat there for a half an hour before Lori started to shiver. Howie rubbed her arms and said, “We should probably head back.”

“Back to where?”

He paused. As much as he’d love to have her in his bed tonight, it was just too soon.

She seemed to sense this and hugged him reassuringly.

"We’ll see each other tomorrow then?”

“Of course.”

They walked back to Howie’s place and said good night beside Lori’s Jeep.

“Tomorrow,” she said, before climbing in.

“I promise,” Howie said.

She pulled the door shut and started the engine. He stood in the driveway and waved as she drove away. Like a lovesick schoolboy he stumbled inside the cabin and closed the door, silently willing the sun to rise faster.

Howie couldn’t sleep and ended up tossing and turning for hours. He finally gave up on sleep and glanced at the clock on the bedside table, seeing it was just past two am. He would see Lori gain in a few hours, but he wanted to see her now. He wished she hadn’t left.

“Howie, you’ve got it bad, man,” he muttered, throwing back the blankets and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He tapped his toes against the hardwood floor, thinking out loud.

“You like her, you really, really like her. You want everything to work out between you two, but that won’t happen unless she knows the truth! But if she knows the truth, she’ll look at you differently. She’ll think of you as a celebrity when all you want is for her to know the real you.”

He paused, frowning. “On the other hand though, if you don’t tell her right away, she’ll fall for Tony Donetti even more than she already has. That’s not good either, because I’m not him anymore! She’ll find out I lied to her, because let’s face it, I suck at lying and she’s not stupid, and she’ll hate me forever! She’ll hop the next plane back to Switzerland and disappear somewhere for good.”

He sighed disgustedly and stood up, flipping on a light. Walking over to the window, he looked outside, in the direction of Lori’s cabin a few blocks away.

“I have to tell her the truth before this goes too far,” he said. “She deserves to know.”

Within a few minutes, he was dressed and running down the stairs. He grabbed his sneakers and was hurridly lacing them up when a light knock came at the door. He hopped over, still tying the laces of his left shoe and pulled the door open.

“Lori,” he breathed, seeing her standing on the step.

“Hi,” she said, coming inside and closing the door.

“What are you doing here?”