"Of course you do." Her tone was condescending.
"If Laurant wants to work, she will," Nick said. "She’s a modern, independent woman, and I’ll support whatever she does."
Lorna closed her notebook and stuffed it in her bag. Then she turned her full, patronizing attention on Laurant.
"I want to believe this one’s the real thing, but honestly, I have my doubts. I certainly don’t want to be forced to print yet another retraction. I just hate doing that. People believe that what I print in my column is true, so you can understand my concern."
Nick draped his arm around Laurant’s shoulders and pulled her into his side.
"You’ve had to print a retraction about Laurant?"
"Twice I’ve had to do it," Lorna said.
"It’s not important," Laurant blurted. "We really need to get going. I’ve got a lot to get done this afternoon."
"I’m sure you’ve noticed what a small town Holy Oaks is," Lorna began. "But I’m actually quite important here. I’m the society editor at the Gazette. People depend on me to keep them abreast of the latest happenings about town. They also expect me to be accurate, but your fiancee has made that task extremely difficult I’ve gotten to the point where I just hate writing anything about her. I really do."
"Then don’t," Laurant suggested.
Turning back to Nick, Lorna continued, "As I was telling you before I was so rudely interrupted, Laura keeps changing her mind I mentioned in one of my articles that Steve Brenner and Laura were a serious item and that marriage appeared to be on the horizon, but I was forced to print a retraction."
She paused to smirk at Laurant before continuing. "She made me do it. Can you imagine? My credibility was on the line, but she didn’t care about that. She still insisted I print a retraction."
"Because it wasn’t true," Laurant pointed out in exasperation. "I’ve never dated Steve Brenner and you know it, but you didn’t care about being accurate, Lorna. Did you?"
Laurant’s French accent was getting thicker, a dead giveaway that she was upset.
"Must you be insulting? I am accurate. I print what I’m told."
"If memory serves, you wrote about my wedding plans."
Laurant was backing her into a corner, and Lorna didn’t like that one bit. "I can’t remember the details now, but I’m sure I must have gotten it straight from the horse’s mouth or I wouldn’t have printed it," she muttered, her lips puckered with distaste now.
"The horse being Steve Brenner?" Nick asked.
"I’ll admit I might have… exaggerated a bit, to make the article newsworthy," she explained. "But I certainly didn’t make it all up, no matter what Laura’s told you. I have my reputation to protect."
"What did Steve have to say about the article?"
Lorna shrugged. "He didn’t say anything about it. Have you met him yet?"
"No, I haven’t."
"You’ll like him," Lorna predicted. "Everyone likes him, everyone but Laura," she said, waving her hand at Laurant. "Steve wants to improve the economy here, and he’s done so much to help this town. I know he must have been as embarrassed as I was about the retraction, but he never said a word. He wouldn’t, of course. He’s such a gentleman. I wouldn’t have printed that retraction at all if Lauren hadn’t threatened to go over my head. She can be a very… difficult woman."
"We really need to get going," Laurant said again. She had had enough of Little Lorna.
Nick didn’t budge. "Just for the record… since you want to be accurate and all…"
"Yes?" Lorna asked, her pen posed to strike.
"Her name’s Laurant. That’s Laurant, not Laura, not Lauren. We’re in love," he added. "So you aren’t going to have to worry about printing another retraction. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?"
When she didn’t answer right away, he squeezed her shoulders.
"Yes," she said. "Nick loves me and I love him."
Lorna had that ugly smirk on her face again. It was apparent she didn’t believe Laurant, and all of a sudden it became imperative to Laurant that the obnoxious woman be convinced.
"It happened just like that," she said, snapping her fingers in front of Lorna’s nose. "I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but then I met Nick. I thought it was just plain old lust, didn’t I, darling? But then I realized it was real. I’m madly in love with him."
Lorna’s small eyes were darting back and forth between Nick’s complacent grin and Laurant’s earnest expression.
"I’m going to quote you." She made it sound like a threat.
"That’ll be just fine," Nick told her as he turned toward the car with Laurant still tucked against his side.
Fortunately the car wasn’t parked far away. Nick opened the door for Laurant and then went around to the driver’s side and got in. Lorna stood on the sidewalk, watching them with a malevolent glare.
"I get the feeling Little Lorna doesn’t like you much," Nick said, glancing back at the society editor in the rearview mirror.
"I can see why the FBI wanted you. You’re very observant."
"My article’s going to be in the Sunday paper," Lorna shouted "Please try to stay in love until then."
Infuriated because the woman wouldn’t believe her, Laurant hit the button to roll the window down and then leaned out. "I’m telling you for the last time, Lorna. This is true love. It’s the lasting kind."
Lorna stepped off the curb. "Really."
"Really," Laurant repeated.
"Have you set a wedding date?"
It was a challenge, and it didn’t go unanswered. "As a matter of fact we have," she said. "We’re getting married on the second Saturday in October at seven o’clock."
"Is there a reason the wedding’s so soon?" she asked.
"We don’t want a long engagement. Besides, everything’s planned. Honestly, Lorna, everyone knows about this. You really should keep up, shouldn’t you? I mean, you are the society editor after all."
Lorna’s response was a loud snort. "Still… planning a wedding in so little time. You don’t have to get married, do you? Is that the reason for the rush?"
"That’s it," Laurant snapped as she reached for the door handle.
Nick grabbed her arm and hit the door lock. He was trying not to laugh, but he was dying to ask her what she would do if he let her get out of the car. Was she going to deck Little Lorna?
It suddenly occurred to Laurant that she was acting like a complete lunatic. She slumped down in her seat and rolled the window up.
"Will you please start the car. I want to get out of here."
Neither one of them said another word until they had driven away from the town square and were heading for the abbey. Then Laurant exploded in a tirade. "Lorna Hamburg is the most opinionated, gossipy, nasty-spirited woman in Holy Oaks. I can’t abide her. She’s mean and cruel, and she loves to stir up trouble. How dare she not believe me," she cried. "I’ve never, ever lied to her before. Never. But she didn’t believe me, did she? You saw the look on her face. She thought I was lying."
A minute passed in silence and then Nick glanced at her.
"Laurant?"
"What?" she asked, sounding downright surly.
He pointed out the obvious. "You were lying."
"But she didn’t know that, did she?"
"Apparently she did."
"Drive, Nick. Just drive."
He laughed. He simply couldn’t help it.
She ignored him and stared out the window while she struggled to get her temper under control.
"You aren’t being very logical," he pointed out. "What’s going to happen when this is over and I go back to Boston? Are you going to make Lorna print another retraction, or are you just going to admit that you lied to her?"
"I’m never going to admit I lied. Never. I won’t give that vile woman the satisfaction of knowing she was right. I’ve got a horrible reputation with the men in this town because of her lies."