Summer Dreams

The Dinner

Linda was seated between Remington and LaRue. She wanted to sit by anyone other than LaRue, but her parents and LaRue Sr insisted. She frowned as she shifted slightly in her seat.
"You okay, Linda?" Mildred looked curiously at the blonde.
"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine. I just slipped on the wet tile."
"Oh." She shrugged, letting the topic drop.
"I heard that you've hired a new pool boy, Chester," Daniel turned to his friend.
"I have. Donnie or Denny Riorden."
Linda waited to speak up, "his name's Danny Reagan, actually."
"Do you know him... personally?" LaRue raised an eyebrow.
"If you mean what I think you're insinuating, no. He's just an acquaintance."
Laura and Remington exchanged a knowing glance. Linda and Danny were more than acquaintances.
Changing tactics, Linda turned to Daniel. "Didn't you recently renovate, Mr. Chalmers?"
"I did! And call me Daniel."
Linda didn't pay attention as he explained some of the renovations. LaRue Sr said something about financial success, and the older adults started talking about that.
Linda sighed and turned to Remington, keeping her voice lower. "Are you as bored as I am?"
"And then some." He murmured, bringing his glass to his lips.
Laura leaned forward, "are you dying of boredom?"
"Yes," Linda and reminded answered simultaneously.
"Everyone!" Chester clinked his glass with his fork, "everyone, Thomas and I have an announcement to make."
Thomas stood up and Chester put an arm around him.
"You two are going steady?" Linda mumbled into her rosé, making Remington choke on his bread.
"My son, Thomas LaRue," LaRue Sr started, "has come of age to take over the business. Twenty five years of age. Where did the time go?"
"Far away from you," Linda mumbled once again, taking a sip from her water glass.
Laura heard that time, and tried to turn her laugh into a cough.
"I know he will fare well; I've taught him everything I know."
"Breathing?" The blonde was giving her friends a run for their money. They kept turning giggles into coughs, and hiding behind their glasses.
"He's got a hard journey ahead, as I have made a collective decision."
Chester picked up from there, "the O'Sheas and the LaRues are merging companies! There will be a lot of meetings to come; for now, we've only agreed to merge. The meetings will consist of company names, where we want our head offices, who we will want to employ. We've been discussing this for years, and have finally gotten the signal to go ahead and merge the companies."
The table politely clapped and toasted each other, the three friends not caring. Linda didn't care who or what her father did business with: as long as she wasn't in the plans, she was okay with it.
Linda blanked out as Chester continued talking about the business and tasks ahead of them. Danny Reagan. Oh, he's so sexy. I wish I could kiss him again, and all over, really. I wonder what it'd be like to be picked up in those strong arms. And pressed against a wall, our breaths mingling and our tongues fighting. His hands pawing me, or...
Linda bit her lip and reached for her wine. If she went through with that thought, she'd embarrass herself at the table. She squirmed, trying to get the itch away from between her legs. Briefly she wondered if anybody would notice if she quickly satisfied that itch. No one noticed her on a regular basis, so no one would notice her here, right?
"Thomas. Linda. Please stand." Chester uncharacteristically smiled.
At the mention of her name, she payed attention. She stood as instructed, and was suddenly very grateful she was a female.
"A toast to Thomas LaRue and his future wife, Linda O'Shea."