“Alright, that much older, huh.” He grinned. “As long as it’s nothing unhealthy or bad you know I won’t say anything. I respect your privacy.” He paused and licked his lips, adjusting himself on the couch. “Look, there’s something I need to tell you about today—”
The sound of a loud metal clang, followed by a large whooshing noise, drew their attention. The smell of pungent smoke began to waft their way and Reeve leapt up from his seat.
“Jesus fucking Christ! Steven, you better not be messing with my grill! You know you’re not allowed near it or an open flame!” He stormed off in the direction of their balcony, which was attached just off of the kitchen.
Natalie’s brows were high on her forehead as she pondered Steven’s fascination with fire.
Things became muffled when the door to the patio was shut. She could hear Reeve growling something, followed by the sounds of a scuffle.
She knew Reeve would win, he always did. Even though Steven was tall and had decent musculature, Reeve knew all his weak spots and never hesitated in exploiting them.
The sliding glass door to the balcony opened and she could just picture Reeve dragging Steven in by an ear.
The sound of the doorbell ringing pulled her attention away, and she hurried to the door. She could guess at some of the people invited, but she was still curious.
She peeked through the peephole, a delighted grin stretching her face as she opened the door.
“Tiva!” Natalie exclaimed as Tiva immediately leaned in for a hug.
“Hey, stranger,” Tiva said as she stepped back.
Natalie smiled sheepishly at the subtle dig. “Hey, how’ve you been?”
Tiva tilted her head, one eyebrow slowly rising. “Good. You?”
“Uh,” Tiva’s look was knowing. Natalie winced. “Good?”
Steven suddenly appeared, smacking Natalie hard on the back. His left ear was a very angry red. “You’ll have to excuse Natalie. She’s been slipping away to hook up with some new lady friend and it’s slowly destroying her brain cells.”
Natalie pinched the bridge of her nose.
“What? I said I wouldn’t tell Victoria or Brittney. I didn’t say anything about Tiva.” Steven grinned smugly at them both.
Tiva eyed Steven coolly. “What happened to your eyebrows? I’m glad that sorry excuse of a thing you called a mustache is gone, but you look weird with no eyebrows.”
Steven blanched, one hand rising to rub at the poor remnants of his facial hair. “Uh, I’ll be back in a bit.”
He scrambled away, leaving a snickering Natalie and placid Tiva in his wake.
“Now that he’s gone,” Tiva turned her focus back to Natalie, “you can tell me how things are going with Maddie.”
Natalie’s eyes widened, and she forced out an odd-sounding laugh. “Maddie? Who said anything about her?” Her dark eyes roamed the apartment, desperately hoping neither Steven nor Reeve were close enough to hear.
“I’m not an idiot. I know you talked to her the night of the party. You left several voicemails on my phone about it.” Tiva looked as serene as always, her face showing a clear lack of judgement.
Natalie fumbled for some way to deny the truth. What was the point? With another look, she led Tiva back to the privacy of her room.
Once the door was shut she sat down on her bed with a huff. “It wasn’t even like that in the beginning,” she began in a low voice.
She spoke to Tiva for nearly twenty minutes about her slow progression with Maddie from the night of the charity event, culminating with the night several days before when they’d finally kissed and had platonically slept together.
“Be careful,” Tiva cautioned her, “remember she’s not divorced yet. It doesn’t matter to me what you do, but a lot of people could get hurt by the two of you getting involved so soon.”
Natalie grimaced and smoothed a hand over her hair. “I know.”
Tiva nodded, her head angling after a moment. “More guests have arrived. We’ve been in here long enough, I don’t want anyone to think I’m your mystery woman. Again.”
She reached a hand forward to help Natalie up from the bed, pausing when they were both standing again. “Maddie’s gorgeous. Never realized how much older you really liked your women, though.”
The words were followed by a one-armed hug, and Natalie’s chest still shook with silent mirth as they headed for the living room.
She smiled as they entered the communal space, noting several familiar faces. The smile dropped when she focused on a very unexpected duo.
Reeve became visible on the periphery of her vision, a hesitant look on his face. “Sorry, I meant to tell you they were coming.” He nodded his head toward Brittney and Adam.
Natalie had difficulty trying to swallow around the hard lump in her throat. “It’s okay.”
His worried expression faded. He turned so he was standing next to her. “Brittney said he’s been acting weird lately and she thought a small party might help. You like Adam, right? I thought it would be okay.”
This is not okay! Acid churned in Natalie’s stomach. She’d kissed and touched Maddie—even shared her bed. They hadn’t quite had sex yet, but what they’d done was enough. How was she going to act normal around Adam? “It’s okay,” she repeated robotically.
*****
Maddie bit her lip as she stared at her phone, willing Natalie to text her again. Logically she knew Natalie was busy with the party, but she still couldn’t help the strong desire to stay in contact.
She wanted to be there. She could be there, couldn’t she? They didn’t have to announce to the world that they were a couple. They’d been on friendly terms for a long time.
“Do I need to take that away from you?”
She slowly pulled her hand away from her phone and offered Kaili an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m not used to feeling this way. It’s difficult to adjust to.”
Kaili smirked.
Maddie sighed and rubbed her forehead, knowing her old friend was dying to release a snappy comment. “Just say it.”
“Is Mrs. Robinson madly in lust?” Kaili asked cheekily.
Maddie’s heart skipped a beat, her mouth dropping open in surprise. “That was a little worse than I expected.”
“Oh, Maddie,” Kaili cooed as she stretched, “there’s nothing wrong with it, I just wanted to see the look on your face. Have the two of you had sex yet?”
“I’m not seeing Natalie for the sex, Kaili.” Maddie felt annoyed; she and Natalie connected in more ways than the physical. It had been a confusing, difficult time coming to terms with her feelings. Having that reduced to just sex was upsetting.
“Relax Maddie, I know. I was just curious.” Kaili reached for her margarita, sipping slowly as she waited for Maddie to speak.
“We haven’t yet. But we both really want to,” Maddie blurted out before reaching for her own glass, “and it makes me feel both horrible and amazing. So we’re taking it slowly.”
Kaili raised an eyebrow, silently encouraging her to elaborate.
Maddie sighed and tugged a hand through her hair, reaching for the icy pitcher to refill her glass. Kaili had become a pro at making margaritas when they were still in college, and she was glad she hadn’t rejected the offer.
“I haven’t been with anyone but Adam in two decades. In the heat of the moment, Natalie is all I can think about. Even then, there's always a stopping point. I remember the guilt I feel when she's not around. Adam knew I had feelings for someone when he left me, but this—being with Natalie now is… I’m still technically married! God, and then I know she finds me attractive but she hasn’t seen me naked. I don’t think she understands how things start to change after thirty.” Her hands waved about as she spoke, sloshing the contents of her glass and nearly spilling.
“Easy there, Satya will hate you if you spill on the carpet. She just had them all deep-cleaned.” Kaili didn’t particularly care, but it was the first thing she thought of. It worked in calmi
ng Maddie down.
“As if she needs any more reason to hate me,” Maddie murmured before taking another sip from her glass.
Kaili snorted into her drink and set it down. “It’s not that she hates you per se; it’s more that she hates that you were my first. She’s not normally jealous, but we all remember our first woman with a certain…” Her words drifted off. She was smirking again when she looked at Maddie. “Your valid concerns aside, I bet you and Natalie are going to burn hotter than Dicyanoacetylene.”
Maddie shook her head. She’d nearly forgotten Kaili had majored in biochemistry. “You and Natalie would get along very well.”
“Ooo, when do we get to meet?” Kaili bounced in her seat, impressively balancing her drink at the same time.
“I don’t know, I—” the sound of Natalie’s ringtone cut her off, and she spared Kaili only a brief look before accepting the call. She stood and turned away so she could focus.
“Natalie?” Maddie winced at how breathless she sounded. Behind her, she could hear Kaili stifling laughter.
“Maddie, hey.” Natalie sounded relieved to hear her.
Maddie cradled the phone closer to her face. She walked further away, opening the back door to Kaili’s stone patio and settling down on a padded wicker chair. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon, honey.”
She’d certainly hoped, but since it was Natalie’s birthday party, she hadn’t counted on hearing from Natalie until much later.
“Yeah, I know the guys were hoping to take me bar-hopping after the barbecue, but I told them that’s off the table. They, uh, kinda know I’m seeing someone so they let it go.” Maddie had to remind herself to breathe as Natalie paused. “They guessed, but I didn’t get into anything specific. Well, Tiva knows because she’s freaking crazy observant, but she won’t tell anyone.”
“Well,” Maddie began and halted. She had no idea what to say. She and Natalie had decided to keep things private for now, but she couldn’t fault Natalie’s friends for just knowing her so well.
The day after she’d finally escalated things with Natalie, she’d met Kaili for lunch. It had only taken her old roommate a matter of moments to suss out the fresh relationship. It would be hypocritical of Maddie to get upset with Natalie for something she had no control over.
“Are you upset?” Natalie asked, her voice low and soft.
Maddie blew out a slow, steady breath. “Not really, not with you. Friends can be infuriatingly alert to change. I suppose I just really wish I could be with you on your birthday.”
“If I can slip away before midnight, you still can be.”
“I can’t ask you to ditch your friends. They worked so hard to make this day special for you.” Maddie cursed herself a little, her manners at odds with what she really wanted.
“They can have me most of the day. Besides, it’s my birthday. I really want to see you.” Natalie sounded wistful, and it pulled at something in Maddie that she couldn’t explain.
“Alright. I’ll make my excuses to Kaili and call a cab. What time will you be by?” She felt full of energy quite suddenly, invigorated by the thought of getting to see Natalie after all.
“Cab, huh? Kaili’s margaritas must still be as lethal as they were in college. We still have to eat, so it’ll probably be at least another hour until I can go. Sober up a bit, hm? I don’t take advantage of inebriated women.”
Maddie chuckled. “I’m only a little tipsy.” She licked her lips, double-checking that Kaili was still inside. “Besides, where we’re considered, I wouldn’t mind being taken advantage of.”
There was a long silence that left Maddie wondering if she’d gone too far.
“Let me see if I can get Reeve to hurry the hell up with the brisket. Later, Maddie.”
“Later,” Maddie just barely managed to say before the call ended. She bit her lip and shifted in her chair. Kaili was going to tease her endlessly for leaving early.
When she considered just how she could help Natalie celebrate, she decided any teasing was worth it.
*****
Days flew by, and it was with some regret that Maddie had to return to Sage Falls. As much as she’d enjoyed the time away, especially getting closer to Natalie, her life was back in the small town.
Grady had been kind enough to keep an eye on her home while she was away, and she’d noted with some humor that he’d even made an effort to try and keep her lawn under some kind of control.
She hoped the uneven patches of grass on the far side were due to the handiwork of some kid he’d conned into taking on the job, or she’d really have to reconsider his general level of competence.
Opening the front door for the first time back had been anticlimactic. She wasn’t sure what she had thought she would feel, but the gaping nothing certainly hadn’t been it.
After fifteen years in the house, there was simply nothing left. The place had been a gift from her parents, and Adam had wanted no part of it. The time with their attorneys, though relatively short due to their agreeable split, had been spent untangling their assets. Though Adam hadn’t had much when they’d first gotten together, he’d worked hard to achieve success.
Maddie had taken nothing that he’d earned, and he felt much the same about her things. There were some difficulties in deciding on things they’d accumulated together but their discussions had been relatively civil. They’d been painful, but civil.
Adam was away with Brittney at the moment, an impromptu decision to go camping for spring break making her smile. She could be bitter about Brittney’s extensive support for Adam, but she wasn’t.
The truth was the divorce hurt but she was more than coping. Thriving, Kaili might say. She’d been emotionally distancing herself from her marriage long before the split thanks to Adam’s constant absence, and having Natalie made the pain of divorce even more bearable.
She felt guilty about the truth but she wouldn’t deny it. Adam and Brittney had always been closer. It was fine.
She paused in boxing up some more of Adam’s things, sighing as she looked around what had once been their master bedroom. It was doubtful that she would be able to sleep here again for some time—perhaps some redecorating and new furniture would help. Though most of his things were already packed away, she could still feel Adam’s essence all over the room.
There had been many mornings of quiet laughter and kisses here, and it felt alien to know this part of her life had ended. She wasn’t certain when the feeling of wrongness would fade, but she hoped it wouldn’t last too long. As much as she still loved Adam, his choice had set her own in motion. She was ready to leave the limbo she hadn’t realized she’d been stuck in.
She checked the time on her watch and blew out a frustrated breath. She was sweaty and dusty, and Natalie was due to arrive any minute.
“So much for grabbing a shower before she gets here,” Maddie mumbled as she slid a hand over one of the neatly stacked cardboard boxes.
There was enough time to clean up a little and change, at least. A glance in the mirror confirmed that she should do something with her hair. She grinned at her reflection, messy as it was. Soon she would see Natalie.
*****
Natalie hummed to herself as she checked the newly repaired wooden shutter. It moved well on its hinges, and she felt pleased with herself. Maddie had informed her that a storm had torn the small doors apart when they’d been improperly secured some months before, and Natalie was happy to do the small chore while Maddie showered.
Her humming became whistling as she moved on to the next shutter, hefting her cordless screwdriver to remove the broken hinges on the other side. It was a nice day, and though Steven and Reeve had offered her all sorts of options for spring break, Maddie had easily won out.
Soft tinkling alerted her to Maddie’s presence, and she turned with a smile to find Maddie standing with two glasses of iced lemonade. “Thanks,” she said as she wiped at some annoying sweat that had gathered on her forehead. Her free hand reache
d for a glass, and she greedily gulped at the cool beverage when she noticed the gauzy shirt Maddie was wearing was nearly see-through. She made a point to ignore the skirt—and the expanse of Maddie’s phenomenal legs it bared.
She inhaled a frustrated breath and set her glass down on the window sill, wishing the cold lemonade had done better to cool her off. Maddie hadn’t said anything yet. It didn’t take long to figure out why.
Maddie’s eyes were making a slow journey over her exposed arms, darting up the skin of her neck and back down again. Heat pooled anew in Natalie’s abdomen.
It was hard to remember they were taking things slowly when Maddie looked at her like that. She’d pulled off her v-neck only a few minutes into her work, not wanting to get it sweaty. The white tank top she’d been wearing underneath had seemed good enough to work in, and it seemed Maddie more than agreed.
“Maddie,” she warned in a heavy voice.
Maddie visibly shivered and Natalie’s self-control began to fray. She blew out a breath in an effort to calm herself.
The glass in Maddie’s hand was gently shaking, so she stepped forward to gently remove it. She set it down next to hers, forcing herself to relax as she turned back to Maddie. The scent of champagne and roses was fresh (a lotion, so Maddie had informed her) and she was having difficulties remembering why they’d agreed to wait. “Maddie—”
Her words were cut off when Maddie pushed forward and reached up. Natalie met her halfway, their lips coalescing in a torrid kiss as Maddie gripped the back of her neck.
Natalie’s world tilted as Maddie sucked on her lower lip, causing her to grasp Maddie’s hips and pull her closer.
“Fuck,” she whispered when Maddie’s mouth began trailing down the sensitive skin of her neck, a hot tongue teasingly fluttering against her pulse point.
“Yes,” Maddie murmured, as if answering a question.
The word electrified Natalie, who was done being good if Maddie couldn’t be, either.
Her hands were tight against the bare skin of Maddie’s sides, and she realized in a haze that she’d pushed up Maddie’s loose, gauzy shirt without conscious thought.
Meeting Mrs Garret Page 28