Where We Are

by Annie McDonald

  She worked in silence, cleaning and applying the aloe before redressing Sid’s wound. It continued to bleed a bit around the edges and was red and swollen. When she was done, she stood back and looked at Sid’s reflection in the mirror beside her own.

  “We are a fine pair. The walking wounded, as they say.” Mia let the words hang, then advanced again. “Please don’t protest, Sid; you have to see a doctor about that today. This morning. It appears infected.”

  Sid lifted her head and half pushed, half flipped her hair back over her shoulders. Her eyes locked on Mia’s. “I will.” She sounded sincere and a bit deflated. “I’m sorry about last night.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I had little right to admonish you about your impulsiveness. I wasn’t exactly pushed into that bull pen, you may recall.”

  “My comments were unnecessary. My actions, too.” Sid’s eyes cast downward, her fingers picking at the edge of the countertop.

  Mia hoped she was referring to how she had bolted, not their brief kiss at the trailer door. Her worry was put to rest when Sid turned, leaned forward, and whispered in her ear, “Some actions.”

  Mia was shocked at how quickly her words and gesture affected her. She felt her breath catch and her face flush with excitement. Her ear tingled against the warmth of Sid’s breath as it floated down her neck, and her bra felt tighter, sending vibrations between legs that now felt pleasantly wobbly. She pressed her cheek against Sid’s, the now familiar faint vanilla fragrance filling her senses and commanding response. She gently touched Sid’s other cheek, holding her face and kissing her briefly, then more hungrily. Mia’s desire was so deep that it flooded her body, her passion all-consuming and her hands eager to explore every part of Sid.

  Sid tenderly withdrew her lips, but her thumbs rested beside Mia’s mouth.

  “What’s wrong? Did I misread—”

  Sid rested her forehead on Mia’s, held her in a close embrace, and let out a frustrated sigh. Mia could hear the phone vibrate on the counter behind her.

  “Go,” she said, lowering her hand to Sid’s chest and pushing her gently back. “It’s okay.”

  Sid withdrew slowly, her eyes lingering as she picked up the phone and stepped around Mia and into the bedroom.

  Mia looked in the mirror and composed herself, running her thumb along her swollen lips and taking a slow calming breath before reentering the bedroom. Sid was at the desk, donning a headset and propping her injured arm up beside the computer. She began tapping the keys.

  “How firm?” Sid said into the Bluetooth headset. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?…Yes, he’s willing to counter…Under no circumstances use the gallery name in the paperwork, Ella…This is off-book…I know. I’ll explain to the director myself when it’s done. It won’t change anything.”

  “I’m sorry,” she mouthed toward Mia as she stepped over a pair of discarded jeans.

  Mia wasn’t sure if Sid’s apology was intended for the kiss, the interruption, or for the state of her room. She hoped not the former. She smiled and gestured back. “Okay.”

  Sid turned back to the computer, and as Mia passed the dresser, she noticed a small wooden box, a match to the honey box Sid had given her the night before. It was open. A dozen or so dimes were in it, nothing more.

  Dimes. Riley. Flynn.

  It couldn’t be a coincidence. Was Riley trying to send her a message? Someone else? She didn’t perceive anything menacing, but an unease she couldn’t shake possessed her, and Flynn was on her mind. Concerns mounting, Mia headed back to the trailer, foot heavy on the pedal. For whatever cryptic reason and as intoxicatingly distracting as Sid was, her focus needed to be on her stalwart companion.

  * * *

  The dogs were happy to see her, Milo bounding outside as she opened the door and Flynn following with slightly less energy but more than Mia had expected. Or imagined. Her concern was disproportional, and she knew why. Flynn was their dog. Hers and Riley’s. They had rescued him as a pup, and they’d heaped their love on him as most childless couples did. Predictably, when Riley died, the attachment enhanced, the strengthened bond tying Mia to not only the dog but to the memory of Riley. And as emotional as she felt, she possessed professional objectivity when it came to canine behavior, and Flynn’s recent listlessness was not expected of a dog his age; smooth collies usually lived fourteen or so years, and Flynn was barely half that.

  In spite of his recent energy spike, Mia knew to trust her instincts. She called the vet’s office, negotiated with a calm demeanour, and was told to bring him by the next day around noon when the doctor would be back from rounds.

  She checked her fears and spent the rest of the day finishing her chores and working with Milo before turning her mind to her own recovery. She was more in touch with how her body felt and credited her sparked libido. She could still feel Sid’s lips on hers, the softness of her caress, and as Mia leaned into a side stretch, arm over her head, she imagined Sid’s hands on her sides and relaxed into her breathing, expanding her rib cage with each inhale. She hadn’t experienced any further symptoms for almost twelve hours but promised herself to stay aware, and if another episode occurred, she resolved to follow up with another visit to Beth’s doctor.

  After a frozen pea cool-down, Mia called a shop in Hinton and ordered flowers for Isabel as a thank you for her kindness. She spent the afternoon packaging the cooled dog food and caught up on orders and other emails, then showered and spent the evening by the fire, satisfying what she could of her aroused appetites by polishing off the goodies from Isabel’s hamper. She promised herself a renewed and ramped up workout regime as soon as she was able. Maybe swimming? She wondered what Sid was doing but accepted that until Sid had exhausted all options in recovering the sketch, her focus would be elsewhere.

  Mia fell asleep fantasizing about how it would feel to be the subject of Cassidy Harris’s undivided attention.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  The next morning, before Mia’s coffee beans were even in the grinder, Beth called to invite her for an impromptu breakfast. Never one to turn down her favorite meal of the day, Mia accepted. She gathered that Beth also wanted to make sure she was properly on the mend and admitted that in spite of how she enjoyed her independence, it was nice that someone had eyes on her.

  “Beth, if my ribs would allow it, I’d need to run all the way to Calgary to trot off that breakfast. Honestly!”

  “I didn’t force that last pancake down your throat, little girl.” Beth laughed, and both Owen and Mia joined in.

  Mia’s appetite hadn’t relented in spite of the previous night’s fireside hamper-fest, and she tore through a stack of pancakes, eggs, hash browns, three sausages, and a pile of maple bacon that Owen had proudly smoked himself. They talked about the springs and the events on the step. Isabel had been in touch with Beth and told her that Duncan planned to meet with the RCMP on Monday morning in Edmonton to discuss what could be done to stop the raids.

  “We’re going to make a weekend of it. The four of us. Leaving tomorrow morning and returning Monday night. Aaron has offered to stay here and tend to the milking and feed. Sweet boy. Will you be okay while we’re gone? Do you need anything in town?”

  “I’m good, thanks.” Mia drank what was left of her coffee and pushed away from the table. “Sorry, I can’t stay. I’m taking Flynn to the vet this afternoon, and I need to work out with Milo first. Not just for Milo,” she added, sitting back in her chair and patting her belly before standing.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You look great, doesn’t she, Owen?” Owen nodded and continued clearing the dishes. The strong silent type. Perfect for Beth, a yin to her yang.

  We should all be so lucky once in life, let alone twice.

  “Are you able to drive? Do you want me to take you?”

  “I’m fine. I managed to drive down here myself, and the vet isn’t that much farther.”

  “Just keep us posted, okay? I’m glad to see you’re feeling better, and I’m sure Flynn will
be fine, too. Try not to worry, little girl.”

  * * *

  Sid stood in the lake, weighing her odds. She had dropped by the urgent care clinic that morning but only because she was picking up some fence wire at the co-op and found herself driving past. Her decision to have her arm checked certainly had nothing to do with Isabel’s insistence or Mia’s or the fact that the throbbing gash kept her up half the night.

  The doctor was quick to write a prescription for an antibiotic ointment, and he applied a large adhesive bandage, instructing Sid to keep it dry and change it twice a day. She stopped at the pharmacy to fill the script and picked up a box of the large wound dressings. The box label promised “waterproof,” which was why she now stood readying herself for her daily swim and questioning whether it was the implausible promise or the prospect of self-inflicted harm that was keeping her from diving in. A large, painful, red and purple bruise had already encircled the injury, wrapping entirely around her upper arm from shoulder to elbow, furthering Sid’s doubt about whether she’d have the range of motion necessary to swim.

  She looked south across the glassy surface of the lake at the opposite shore. This was her spot now, and she allowed it to fill her with a joy she hadn’t experienced since her mother died. She let herself imagine a house on the southwest shore, the morning sun on the wraparound porch, a dog running along the shoreline, sniffing at the banked red canoe and leaping through the high grasses.

  How could she make it work?

  Sid contemplated what moving back here might feel like. Aside from sorting out a work arrangement with the gallery—provided she was still employed there after the smoke of this most recent fire cleared—would living here alone be good for her? Alone. She thought of Mia’s strange utterances that night she’d tucked her in. Funny. Not alone. The words had sounded strange then, but she’d pushed them aside. She wished she could as easily push aside the feelings she had for Mia. Persistent feelings. After yesterday morning’s phone call interrupted their most recent kiss, she did her best to keep her mind on finding a solution for her client, but it was clear that her mind was still on Mia. Repeatedly, she ran her tongue along her lower lip, imagining that the taste of honey remained.

  Why not rent the U-Haul now?

  She laughed aloud at the lesbian first-date reference and walked into the cool water. While thinking about Mia distracted her from the professional challenges she was facing, Sid was careful not to delve too deeply into fantasy. It was fantasy, after all, that had lured her into a destructive relationship with Aurora. She’d heard the rumors about the impetuous artist and wondered if knowing that monogamy wasn’t part of the St. Germaine package made the choice to date her all the more alluring. Regardless, if it was Sid’s plan to avoid intimacy, it ended up only proving to her how important intimacy was. She was lonelier with Aurora than without her. Would dating Mia be any different? Mia, who only two years ago lost her wife. Mia, who was quite likely grieving and in no position to manage a serious relationship.

  Serious? Did I just use the word serious? Whoa back, Harris. You’ve only had two kisses.

  True. But she wanted more. Her thoughts turned to how critical timing was to relationships and whether love was worth it when it was so easily lost. Her dad crossed her mind, and she acknowledged how he had managed to find happiness again with Isabel. Maybe she could roll the dice, too, and if lucky, stop settling for convenient. Aurora was convenient. And Mia was decidedly not.

  * * *

  Mia had been watching Sid for some time. She seemed deep in contemplation of something perplexing. As she moved closer, Mia wondered at Sid’s ability to win at poker; even in profile, her face was far more expressive than most players she’d met. Or perhaps she was now paying much closer attention to its subtleties.

  The dogs sniffed along the bank, then moved into the high grasses. Flynn would keep Milo close if the youngster decided to explore too far afield.

  She stepped from behind the stand of trees that concealed her. “I was hoping I’d find you here. You may not know it, but I gave you a rain check for the steak dinner.” Mia continued appraising Sid’s mood as she approached, hoping to lighten it. “If you wait too long, it may expire.”

  “That’s illegal. And I have no intention of not cashing it. Sorry, but everything takes a bit longer at the moment.” Sid touched her bandage and recoiled.

  Mia felt her stomach lurch as if the pain was her own. “Still tender? Mind if I have a look?”

  “You don’t have to. I did see a doctor.”

  “I’m impressed.” In fact, she was very impressed and not simply because Sid had accepted care. Sid looked striking; even in the afternoon shadows her hair captured the light that bounced off the water’s surface. Her black bathing suit clung to her tight frame. Her full breasts packed against the sleek, satiny fabric such that her nipples were easy to detect.

  “Still, a second opinion is important, don’t you think?” Mia didn’t wait for a response. “I won’t ask what you’re doing in the water. I’m sure the doctor wouldn’t have recommended swimming quite so soon.”

  Her body made all kinds of recommendations where Sid was concerned. She wanted to make Sid feel better. She wanted to feel Sid. And she could tell from how Sid’s eyes were already undressing her that she was welcome to do just that. She unzipped her jeans and lowered them over her hips with her good hand, simultaneously stepping out of her boots.

  “How’s Flynn?” Sid asked, her eyes fixed on Mia as she dropped her jeans and stepped into the water.

  Mia took the oddly timed comment in stride, suspecting, hoping, that Sid needed more cooling off than the lake provided. “He must know he’s going to the vet this afternoon because he rallied this morning and insisted on joining us.” She pulled her T-shirt up over her bra slowly, still aware of the tenderness around her rib cage. “Dogs are like cars…I’m sure you’ve experienced that pervasive rattle that becomes mysteriously undetectable the minute you roll into the mechanic’s?”

  “And then starts rattling again when you’re halfway home?”

  Mia stood knee deep in nothing but her lacy bikini briefs and matching blue bra, perfectly comfortable in her own skin. “Exactly.” She could feel Sid’s eyes but continued to speak matter-of-factly. She wasn’t sure how far she was willing to go with disrobing. In fact, she’d gone further than she’d imagined in front of a relative stranger, relativity being an exaggeration given the fantasies she’d been having. But Mia loved the feeling of the water, and her libido had been dormant for so long that the sensuality of the moment emboldened her. As she reached to undo her bra, she continued the inane conversation, aware of its absurdity but using it to steel her resolve and keep Sid’s welcome attention from straying.

  “Have you ever thought of getting a dog?” She dropped her bra on the pile of clothes, thinking how funny it was that it had taken her fifteen minutes highlighted by agonizing contortions to get the bra on and an equal number of pain free seconds to get it off.

  “I have, but I don’t exactly have a dog lifestyle…back and forth, lots of travel.” Sid spoke more softly, and her tongue ran along her bottom lip. Mia could tell she was struggling to direct her gaze elsewhere.

  She took a few more steps. “When are you planning on going back?” Mia wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but regardless of what it was, she was here right now. And she wasn’t going to waste time.

  “Not sure. I have a couple of things keeping me here.”

  Mia smiled, pleased Sid had dropped the pretense and was now staring at her every curve. Deciding to keep her panties on for no reason other than to tease, she waded until she was waist deep, and stopped only inches from Sid.

  “Are you keeping this dry?” Mia touched the area around the arm patch, circling it, then trailing down Sid’s arm under the water. She took Sid’s hand and lifted it above the surface, placing the wet palm against her lips and kissing it. Sid leaned forward, taking a short step so that her thigh moved between Mia’s,
the lace pressing against her hip.

  * * *

  “I’m trying.” Sid couldn’t imagine trying any harder. She was no longer in touch with her ability to reason, and with Mia rendering every rational thought as flimsy as blue lace, she was quite literally in too deep. She tilted Mia’s head upward before gently claiming her mouth.

  Her body shuddered as their lips met. Honey. She could almost taste the wildflowers from which the pollen was gathered. Goose bumps rippled down her arms as her suit pressed against Mia’s bare chest. Her other hand moved around Mia’s hip, and she pressed it against the wet lace, pulling Mia’s pelvis tighter against her thigh.

  The water was nowhere near cool enough to temper the heat between them. She released the pressure on Mia’s rear, raised her thigh a fraction, then increased the pressure again. Mia moaned, and Sid repeated the motion, angling her thigh so that Mia’s weight rested on it. It was clear she was moving further and further from shore.

  “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  As if to prove it, Mia’s tongue slipped between her lips and delicately, expertly, probed the softness inside. Beneath the water, Sid continued to rock, building the pace and pressure as Mia’s legs coiled tightly around hers. She wedged a hand between them so her thumb could stroke Mia’s hard nipple. It elicited a throaty growl that bolted through Sid like an arrow. She responded by pulling more tightly against her, taking care to avoid pressure on her ribs while trying to remain steady as her own feet shifted into the gravelly lake bottom. Her own mound swelled against Mia’s wrapped leg, thick liquid building in the folds of her pussy, her clit growing hard and sensitive.

  Mia writhed, and Sid grabbed on to support Mia’s lower back, skirting the lace panties. She moved with a swimmer’s rhythm, responding to Mia’s surges. As they quickened, her movements became equally shorter and more intense. She could feel Mia struggling to maintain their kiss as she moved toward climax. Waves of pleasure rolled through Sid’s body and broke, the release even more satisfying because it freed her to focus on Mia, whose head was buried against her neck. Sid stroked harder, her thigh pushing deeper. Mia’s gasps became shorter, her moans strained, and her mouth hot against Sid’s ear. Faster now. More quick gasps. Then Mia’s body tensed.