Unconventional Lovers

by Annette Mori

  Kathleen noticed Bri looking a little lost in the kitchen and decided to give her a job to make her feel useful. “Bri, hon, will you pull out the hamburger buns from the pantry, please?” She pointed to the doors to the right of the refrigerator.

  Bri smiled and opened the doors, surveying the inside, and retrieved two packages of buns from on the middle shelf.

  Everyone seemed to pitch in. When Jeremy walked in with the burgers, their well-oiled machine had all the condiments and dining utensils set up on the counter for everyone to make up their burgers.

  Jeremy set the food on the counter. “Dinner is served. Dig in while it’s hot.”

  †

  Olivia sat back in her chair and wiped her mouth, setting the napkin on top of the plate. “That was delicious. Thanks.”

  She was bursting at the seams to lay out the plan to Siera and Bri, but wanted to wait until Deb arrived. The more time she spent with this family, the more she liked them—even Kathleen, who had, at first, appeared narrow-minded and pushy. Olivia could see the love between Jeremy and Kathleen and the protectiveness Toby displayed toward his older sister. They were a lovely family. She only hoped that as Siera and Bri’s relationship developed, they would still be accepting of the direction she was sure it was going to take. She knew Deb was okay with it, but she wasn’t sure where the rest of the family would land on the subject.

  Finally, she heard two quick knocks on the door leading to the garage, and Deb burst in.

  “I don’t suppose you have any burgers left for me? I’m starving,” Deb declared.

  “One of each is on the counter. You might want to reheat it though,” Kathleen answered.

  “I think I’ll nuke the garden burger. It probably tastes better reheated.” Deb locked her dark brown eyes to Olivia’s and smiled. “Hey stranger.”

  Olivia gave a little wave. “Hurry up and join us, we have some news and wanted to share it with everyone at the same time.”

  “Mmm, a little intrigue. I like it.” Deb quickly tossed one of the garden burgers into the microwave and fixed up her plate. After taking an open seat with her dinner, she asked, “So what’s the big announcement?”

  Olivia ventured a side glance at Kathleen, who nodded. “While in college, I had a small grooming business that helped pay for vet school. I’ve been wanting to expand my clinic business for some time now, to venture into other services such as dog and cat grooming, pet sitting, dog walking, things like that. But I haven’t had the personnel to do it. Siera and Bri, if you are willing, I could teach you how to groom cats and dogs. Siera, you know that room we use for storage right now? It can easily be converted. We’d need to get someone to plumb it for us. I’d like to hire you, Siera, to help clean up the room to get it ready. For now, I propose being a silent partner, but I could contribute some of the capital needed for professional grooming equipment.”

  Siera smiled and glanced at her mother. “I would love to work for you, Olivia. I would work really hard.”

  “Siera, I’m not only asking you to work for me. I’m asking you to create a business. I’ll need your expertise, especially after you complete some of your college courses, to grow this business and make it successful. I’m counting on you and Bri to be the ones to run it, completely.”

  “I’ve been saving my money, Aunt Olivia. Do I have enough for the equipment?” Bri asked.

  Olivia smiled. She was so proud of her niece. “Almost, Bri. That’s why I’m offering to be a silent partner and contribute some capital funding as well as the room in the back that we’ll convert. In exchange, I’ll take five percent of your net profits.”

  Siera’s knees were bouncing up and down. “I have some money saved. I want to contribute. That will make it a true partnership, right?”

  “Yes, it will,” Kathleen answered.

  “Should we ask a lawyer to draw up some official papers?” Siera asked.

  All eyes turned in the direction of Siera. Olivia smiled. She presumed Siera had shocked everyone with her astute approach to the plan. This was additional evidence Siera had so much more to offer than people gave her credit for. “I think that is a very good idea. We’ll all want to agree on the finer details and can get some assistance applying for a business license.”

  “One of the nurses I work with is married to an attorney who, I think, specializes in business law. I could ask her how much he would charge to help you set this up,” Deb offered.

  “Perfect. I did a little research last night, and there is an excellent manual on dog and cat grooming. I hope you two don’t mind; I went ahead and ordered it. I think it would be a good idea for you both to study it in detail, while we’re preparing the room and waiting for the equipment.”

  Siera and Bri’s excited head nods were a delight to see.

  “I’m going to give my notice to Walmart tomorrow. I can start in two weeks.” Siera popped up from her seat next to Bri and ran over to Olivia, wrapping her short arms around Olivia’s neck and squeezing her in a hug. “Thank you for this opportunity. I am so happy right now. I could burst.”

  Olivia chuckled. “Oh, this is going to line my pockets, as I sit back and watch you girls make money for me.” She slid her gaze to meet Deb, who gave her the thumbs up signal, and she knew she’d done a great thing.

  †

  Olivia was too wound up to go to sleep and sat on the couch clicking around on the internet. She was researching professional grooming equipment and calculating the costs in her head. She’d determined they could get top of the line tools for just shy of ten thousand, when she heard a quiet knock.

  She set the laptop on her coffee table and opened her front door. Deb’s brilliant smile greeted her. “Hey, don’t you have to work early tomorrow?”

  “I do, but I wanted to drop by and tell you how much I appreciate what you’re doing for Siera. Damn, woman, you are making it extremely hard not to fall madly in love with you, and I haven’t even tasted your delectable fruits.”

  Olivia frowned. “Come on in. I’ve been meaning to have a serious talk with you.”

  “Oh, that’s never a good sign. The four most hated words in the English language, ‘we need to talk.’”

  Olivia sat heavily on the couch and Deb followed. She turned and met Deb’s inquisitive gaze. “I’ve really loved spending time with you, Deb…” Olivia started.

  “I hear a huge but coming.”

  Olivia sighed. “I don’t have the capacity at this time to offer anything more than friendship. I know I’ve been clear about that before, but I’m afraid I’ve allowed myself to engage in the innocent flirtations and banter. The last thing I want to do is lead you on or hurt your feelings.”

  Deb looked down. “I know the score.” When she lifted her eyes back up to meet Olivia’s, they were filled with unshed tears.

  “God, I’m so sorry. I wish things were different. I would be lying if I didn’t admit I am attracted to you, but I really cannot handle a relationship right now. Do you understand that? Will we be able to remain friends?” Olivia asked.

  “If that’s all that is on the table, I’ll take it. Maybe someday things will change, but for right now, your friendship is important enough for me to work through my other feelings.”

  Olivia pulled Deb into an embrace and hugged her. “Thank you for understanding.”

  When Deb was released from Olivia’s embrace she smiled. “Don’t expect me to stop flirting though, because that is a fundamental part of my personality. You’ll have to endure that along with my sincere offer of friendship.”

  Olivia chuckled. “Deal. I have to admit it feels kind of good, so I can easily accept that added condition.”

  “Just remember, you’ll have to be the one to cross the barrier. I won’t ever violate the boundary, but I can’t help remaining hopeful that one day you will.” Deb grinned.

  Chapter Seventeen

  October 2010

  Siera sat next to their brand-new grooming table and used her hand to prop her head up
. Business was slow, school was hard, and she wanted to admit defeat. In high school, she’d had a lot of extra help. Now that she was at Big Bend, she was hesitant to tell her mom she needed to seek out help from the tutors at school.

  Bri had pulled up a chair and sat next to Siera. “It’ll be okay, Siera. Aunt Olivia said it takes time to build a new business.”

  “I know. School is so much harder than I thought it would be. I can’t help out a lot during the week. The only people that come in are the ones Olivia sends to us. I can’t be an equal partner, when we can’t fill our Saturday schedule,” Siera complained.

  “We will. I’ll bet those flyers you handed out at the college and around town will get us some new business.” Bri slung her arm around Siera’s shoulder.

  Siera hesitated to share her idea with Bri, but hope inspired her to take a chance. “Bri, I learned something in my business econ class today.”

  “Is it something that will help us?” Bri asked.

  “Maybe. There’s this thing called supply and demand. I was thinking. There’s so much supply in Moses Lake—all the other established groomers—and not enough demand. I think we should cut our prices. We can make a big deal out of having the lowest cost, but the highest quality in town. We could put testimonials on the flyers,” Siera explained.

  Bri hugged Siera and planted a big kiss on her lips. “Oh Siera, that’s brilliant. You’re so smart.” Bri took both of Siera’s hands in her own and looked into her eyes. Siera saw such an intense emotion, a lot like when her dad looked at her mom. Bri’s words were intense too. “Is it okay I love you, like Aunt Olivia loved Aunt Irene? I think it’s like a best friend but more. Does that make sense?”

  Siera’s sadness lifted and floated away like a wisp of smoke. She was so happy Bri put into words her exact same feelings. “Oh Bri, I love you too. I want us to be girlfriends. Maybe someday, we can live together. Just the two of us. We can be a family.”

  Bri pulled Siera into her arms and kissed her again. “We’re going to make this business successful, because you’re so smart. Can you make up some new flyers on your computer? We can start handing them out at the dog park.”

  Olivia and Deb had opened the door to the back room and were holding their bike helmets in their hands. The cleats on their shoes tip tapped on the polished cement floor, announcing their arrival.

  “Hey girls. Are you interested in going out for some lunch today? We thought we would stop by and see if you were busy,” Olivia said.

  Siera frowned. “No, we have another two hours before our next appointment. I was hoping for a drop in, after I put up my flyers.”

  Deb clip clopped over and put her hand on Siera’s shoulder. “Aw honey, you have to be patient. New businesses take time to establish. You can’t expect to be an overnight sensation.”

  “I know, that’s what Bri said Olivia told her,” Siera answered.

  “Is that all that’s bothering you?” Deb asked.

  Siera shook her head. “I’m learning a lot in school. I got an idea today—from my business econ class. School is really hard. I’m not doing very well, especially in math. I got a C minus on my first test.”

  “If you’re learning useful skills and tips for the business, that’s all that matters. You don’t need to get all A’s for us to be proud of you or for you to be a success.” Deb squeezed her shoulder.

  “Thanks Aunt Deb. We’re going to make new flyers and cut our prices. See, there’s too much supply in Moses Lake. We gotta do something to differentiate our business from the competition.”

  “Oh, look at you. Deb, I think we’re in the presence of the next Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Those Microsoft giants don’t have anything on Siera and Bri.” Olivia winked. “I am so proud of both of you. That is a very astute observation.”

  “Astute?” Siera asked.

  “It means you done good, kid.”

  Siera grinned.

  Bri kissed her cheek. “Isn’t she smart? We’ll be a success, because Siera knows all the important stuff about running a business.”

  “Wow, our very own Moses Lake business moguls, let’s get something to eat while you tell us all about your brilliant business strategies.” Olivia motioned for them to follow.

  †

  Bri missed spending the evenings at the park feeding the geese with Siera, but she wanted to support Siera going to college. When Siera said she loved her and wanted to be her girlfriend, Bri’s heart soared. But for some reason, Siera thought it was better to continue to emphasize they were best friends in front of her mom.

  When they spent time with Aunt Olivia and Deb, Siera seemed a lot more comfortable. They would cuddle together on the couch, holding hands and sharing popcorn. They were always invited to stay, whenever their aunts declared it was time for another movie night. That was happening at least once a week, usually after a bike ride, but now the days were getting shorter. Their evening rides were less frequent, and they still had to work around Deb’s every other weekend work schedule.

  Bri woke up that morning with a big smile on her face. She’d asked Siera if she wanted to spend Sunday together, after she finished her schoolwork. Siera had promised she would be done no later than noon. They were going to meet at the park and try to hand out some flyers they’d worked on after finishing up at the clinic.

  The oranges were brilliant with the golds and reds on the changing trees. Bri was leisurely pedaling her bike to the park. Fall was one of her favorite times of the year, because it wasn’t too hot or cold. She liked to gather all the leaves on the ground and make a big pile to jump in. Then she would toss them in the air. Aunt Olivia taught her this was a fall tradition they should always remember to do, no matter how old they got, because it was fun. She wanted to include Siera in their tradition.

  After she locked up her bike, she sat on the bench and watched for Siera. She didn’t have to wait long before she saw Siera cruise around the bend with her dark, wavy hair flowing in the breeze. She loved to watch the joy on Siera’s face as she pedaled into the park. Lately, Siera had seemed so down, and Bri desperately wanted to see her smile again, like she used to before all the pressures of school got in the way. Today, she saw the delight in Siera’s broad smile and that made her very happy.

  Too anxious to wait for Siera to lock up her bike, Bri jumped up and jogged to meet her. When Bri reached the bike rack, Siera had already locked up and had a fistful of flyers in her hand. Bri hugged her friend. Their lips joined together in a hello kiss. They’d been practicing their kissing, but knew the longer kisses were intended for private time. Private time always happened behind closed doors in Siera’s or Bri’s rooms.

  “I’m so happy we get to spend the day together,” Bri said.

  “We spent the day together yesterday, at the clinic.”

  “I know, but that was work time. Sunday is play time.” Bri grinned. “After we feed the geese and hand out our flyers, will you come home with me? I want to show you our fall tradition. It’s fun.”

  “Okay. I’m glad it’s a nice day.” Siera shifted her eyes around the park and smiled. “There’s a lot of people out and they have dogs,” she said with excitement in her voice.

  Bri grabbed Siera’s hand. “We can feed the geese later. Let’s hand out our flyers.”

  “Okay.” Siera swung Bri’s hand and smiled.

  Bri knew some of the dogs and their owners from the clinic, but they’d managed to hand out flyers to a few potential new clients. Bri was encouraged when one of her favorite dogs and his owner overheard them give their spiel to a woman and her dog. He told the woman how much he liked how Bri took care of his dog and highly recommended their services.

  †

  Olivia was raking the kaleidoscope of colors, as the leaves fluttered around in her yard. She couldn’t help the smile that overtook her face when she saw Deb pedal up her driveway. Deb had mentioned she might stop by, but they hadn’t made definite plans. Spending time with Deb had become a frequent occurrence, an
d she looked forward to their time together. If only she could forget Irene…the loss was still too raw for her. No matter how tempting Deb was, she couldn’t go there.

  “Hey gorgeous. Looking good.” Deb came to a stop and remained seated on her comfortable recumbent trike. “I think I’ll sit here and watch you work, while those beautiful deltoid muscles tantalize me.”

  Olivia chuckled. “You are so good for my ego, but that isn’t going to get you out of work. Come on and give me a hand. The girls should be back from the park in a few hours, and I need help getting everything ready. You’re just the person to assist me.”

  Deb groaned. “You’re going to make me rake leaves, aren’t you? I’ll bet you’re trying to get me back for that first bike ride we took. I’m gonna have spaghetti arms by tomorrow. I’ll only agree to slave labor if you promise to help me with my pain. A little body massage, and I’m all yours.”

  “Deal, but don’t try to turn it into something it’s not,” Olivia replied.

  “Who me? You are such a killjoy.” Deb pushed herself up from the bike and held out her hands. “Rake me.”

  Olivia handed Deb the rake and turned to retrieve her second rake from the garage. “I’ll be right back, but you know what to do. Any special music requests? I’ll open up the windows and blast out the tunes. We can dance and rake, then it won’t seem like work.”

  “Surprise me, you know I’m easy.” Deb grinned. “In more ways than one, if only you would take advantage of that.”

  Olivia chuckled. “Okay, I think I’ll pull out my seventies disco music.”

  “Perfect.”

  †

  There were ten small piles of leaves Olivia was trying to turn into one massive mound. When Deb figured out why Olivia was creating the large, leaf trampoline, she was all in. It had been years since she’d jumped on a pile of leaves and tossed them around. This was the side of Olivia Deb was falling in love with. She could be the responsible, supportive, loving friend, but her playful side was downright irresistible. It took all her willpower not to toss Olivia on the pile of leaves and kiss her senseless.