Lana

Lying in bed thinking about her date with Adam, she smiled. Her first date since her divorce went very well. It still embarrassed her that at twenty-nine she had finally kissed her second man ever. Not that she was comparing, but this first kiss was a lot nicer than her first one with Erik. They were so young and inexperienced, but they improved. How was it she just kissed another man, but she was thinking of her ex? A man who didn't even deserve an ounce of her time after the way he hurt her.

Adam wanted to see her again, and she smiled just thinking about him. Then she thought about potentially having sex with him and her belly flipped. Sex was bigger for her than kissing, yet it would definitely be a step toward moving on. She really hadn't concentrated on anything since her divorce except work. She was trying to stand on her own two feet. Maybe it was time to concentrate on herself and her needs. Adam's face filled her mind, and she conjured up the way his body looked dressed for dinner. She liked him, she mused, as she turned over and pressed her thighs together to quiet the longing she felt between her legs.

Lana woke late on Monday morning to the sound of her mother's voice. Groaning she heard her brother pleading. Her first thought was shock Will was even awake before her. Then she heard her father's calm voice. "Nora, hear him out."

Jumping out of bed to find out what was happening, she opened her door to heard Will's argument. "Mr. Evans hired me for the summer to work at the fish market. I'd rather be here with Lana, please Dad tell her to let me!"

Her mother whipped her head around and looked at Lana. "Did you know about this?"

"He mentioned something yesterday. The kid deserves to spend a summer at The Point. He spent most of them at day camp while you worked."

When Lana was young, her mother only worked part time, so she spent a lot more time on the beach. Then when Will was born she quit working altogether for five years so Lana reaped the benefits of full summers in Maine. She went back to work full time when Will started school and as a result, he never had summers like Lana.

"She has a valid argument. I can come to check on them on my day off in the middle of the week," Will, Senior said.

Lana's father always had Wednesdays off, but he typically played golf.

Lana said, "You can golf up here. Does Mr. Evans play during the week?"

"Maybe, but I know Ed will be working. Lana, do you really want to be responsible for him?" Her father was more reasonable than her mother.

"I told him already if he gets into any trouble he's going back home."

She watched her mother's frown, but Lana knew that her father would agree and her mother would have no choice but to concede.

"You'll feed him right?" Her mother should know a teenage boy wouldn't stave.

"Yes, we'll eat. I managed to feed..." She stopped herself, because she was going to say her husband, but it was a topic she preferred to avoid with her mother.

"One misstep and you come back home." Nora made sure she had the last word.

When her parents drove away just after noon, Lana breathed a sigh of relief. There were still three weeks before her brother finished school for the summer and they would invade her peaceful existence.

She was reminded on Tuesday afternoon her existence wasn't overly peaceful when she ran into Ryan at Hannaford. The man was exasperating but after joking with him about cucumbers, she didn't think he was so horrible. Heidi and Adam liked him so maybe she should try to be friendlier. Besides, she wanted to use the pool all summer and pissing him off wouldn't benefit her.

By Wednesday, her week was looking up. When her mother called, she was less frosty than she had been the previous two days and she told her they had a graduation party to attend for one of the neighbors so they'd be staying home the upcoming weekend. Not long after she hung up with her mother, Adam called to let her know he would come to take her out to dinner on Saturday night. "Pick someplace fun," he said.

Lana thought the brewpub in the old mill complex might be a good choice. She was a connoisseur of fish tacos and theirs were her favorite. Then she started thinking about if they would do more than just kiss after dinner. After an internal debate, she decided she just wasn't ready, but she also made an appointment with her doctor. Birth control was one thing she hadn't had to worry about since right after her wedding.

Things were looking up until she allowed herself to think about things which were best forgotten. The same mantra came back into her head, my mother warned me and I didn't listen. She hated when her mother was right, especially with the one thing that ended up ruining her life. Actually, it was Erik who ruined her life the day he decided to screw Carly.

Why was her past constantly coming around to slap her in the face? When Ryan caught her singing, it embarrassed her. She hadn't always been embarrassed to sing in public. In fact, she even had a gig singing with a band which did weddings and occasional club dates. She loved it more than anything she had ever done and her happiness was contagious. She and Erik had put aside their big issue and we're getting along or so she thought. She was so nervous and excited the first time Erik had come to see her sing. He hadn't been able to go to her previous gigs, because they were weddings.

He invited some of his friends from work to join him, so he wouldn't have to sit alone. Lana should have worried when only Carly showed up and when she couldn't find Erik in the crowd halfway through the set. When they played a song without female vocals, she left the stage to pee and she saw them coming out of the bathroom together. Her husband and the bitch he worked with were fucking while she was on stage singing her heart out to him. So when the jerk Ryan Harris said he would pay to see her sing, all she could think of was her husband screwing the bitch in the bathroom.