by Jae
Sasha couldn’t help smiling. Who knew? Ashley Gaines was a romantic.
“What?” Ashley asked. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“Can’t I just be enjoying a peaceful Sunday morning stroll with a—” Sasha stopped herself before she could say beautiful woman.
Ashley sent her a questioning gaze. “With a what?”
“With a friend at my side.”
That didn’t get her the blush she knew her intended sentence would have evoked, but the shy smile curling Ashley’s lips was even better.
Sasha wasn’t sure how long they stood at Holly and Leo’s special spot and smiled at each other.
Rapid steps crunching over the gravel path interrupted their eye contact.
When Sasha turned, Holly and Leo were jogging toward them, keeping perfect pace with each other despite Leo’s longer legs.
“Good morning.” Holly paused in front of them. “You’re not stealing our spot, are you?”
Now Ashley did blush. “What? No, no, we were just…”
Holly chuckled. “I’m just kidding, Ash.” She gave Ashley a quick hug and then nudged Leo to do the same while she embraced Sasha.
Over Holly’s head, Sasha watched Leo and Ashley hug. After what she had found out about the kiss they had shared on prom night, Sasha saw their interaction in a new light. They made a striking couple, but she couldn’t see them in a relationship with each other, and neither could she see Ashley with Holly.
Once everyone had exchanged hugs and the dogs had gotten their share of attention, Holly gestured toward the creek. “So, what are you really doing here? You’re not working on a beautiful Sunday morning, are you?”
Working? How could what they were doing look like work? “Um, what do you mean?” Sasha asked.
Holly wrapped one arm around Leo and pulled her close so they were touching from hip to shoulder.
Ashley watched them with a stony expression. Emotion darted through her eyes like clouds across the sky on a windy day. Not jealousy exactly, but Sasha could sense that she was mentally chewing on something.
Wow. When had she gotten so good at reading Ashley?
“Are you checking out the place for our ceremony to plan the flower decorations and other wedding stuff?” Holly asked.
Neither of them had even mentioned flowers, but Sasha wasn’t sure if Ashley wanted their friends to know that they had started to hang out together without the rest of the gang present. She bit her lip and waited for Ashley to answer.
“Um, that too,” Ashley finally said.
God, she was incredibly good at not telling the truth without lying outright. It was a talent that Sasha never wanted to develop. Being denied like that left a bitter taste in her mouth, so she could only imagine how Holly must have felt when she and Ashley had been in a secret relationship.
The leather of Casper’s leash creaked as if Ashley was gripping it too tightly and then she added, “But mainly, I’m just enjoying a peaceful Sunday morning stroll with a friend.”
The bitter taste disappeared from Sasha’s mouth as if it had never existed. She had a feeling she was grinning way out of proportion for such a simple statement. But she knew it had been anything but simple—or easy—for Ashley.
“Well, then…” Holly and Leo exchanged a gaze, clearly both not sure what to say to that.
“We’d better continue before we cool down too much,” Leo finally said.
“Are you going to be in the bakery later, Sasha?” Holly asked. “We might drop by if we need a little break from our mothers obsessing over party favors, hors d’oeuvres, and wedding dresses.”
“Yeah, sure, come by any time you need a wedding-free zone. We’ll be there.”
Holly gave her a strange look. With a wave and a “see you later,” the two disappeared around a bend in the path.
“Did I say something wrong?” Sasha wondered out loud.
“You said we,” Ashley murmured.
Sasha ran what she had said through her mind again. “Oh. I didn’t mean to say that or to make any assumptions. I just thought maybe you might want to come to the bakery with me and replenish some of the calories we burned.”
“All twenty of them?” A teasing twinkle entered Ashley’s nougat-colored eyes.
Now that it was just the two of them again, she seemed a lot more relaxed.
Sasha laughed. “Yeah. So? Want to join me?”
“What about Casper?” Ashley pointed at the dog, who was sniffing at a tuft of grass. “He can’t come into the bakery.”
“He can hang out with Snickerdoodle at my aunt’s until you’re ready to leave for your parents’.”
Ashley looked back and forth between Sasha and the dog. A wrinkle formed on her brow. “Are you sure Mae won’t mind? Casper isn’t exactly tiny, like Snickerdoodle.”
“Mind?” Sasha laughed. “You might have to fight her to get him back.”
“Okay, then let’s go. But just so you know: If my mother complains about me not having much of an appetite at lunch, I’m sending her to you.”
Would she really, Sasha wondered as they set off toward A Slice of Heaven. Would she tell her parents where she had spent the morning, or would she carefully avoid mentioning Sasha’s name during lunch?
Sasha had a feeling it might be the latter. But maybe, just maybe, Ashley would surprise her, the way she had when she had told Holly and Leo she was here to enjoy a stroll with a friend.
They hadn’t even made it five steps down the path when another person out for a Sunday morning walk approached them.
Ash instantly recognized Regina Beasley, one of her regulars, who was walking her yappy Chihuahua.
The older woman looked as if she was ready for church, dressed in a black wool coat and a black below-the-knee skirt. Dressing in black was probably a side effect of being married to the man who owned the local funeral parlor. Or maybe it was an indication of Mrs. Beasley’s mood. The corners of her mouth pointed downward as if she had just bitten into something sour.
Casper bounded toward the Chihuahua, tail wagging, but the tiny dog barked at him so fiercely that the pink bow nearly slipped out of her fur, so Casper backed off.
Snickerdoodle plopped down on a tuft of grass and ignored the yapping.
“Did you hear about them?” Mrs. Beasley said, not even bothering with a good morning. She pointed down the path.
“Um, who?” Ash asked.
“Leontyne Blake and Holly Drummond. They are getting married.”
Ash nodded carefully. “I heard.”
“Well, by now, probably everyone’s heard.” Mrs. Beasley tsked. “I really don’t know why they find it necessary to rub people’s noses in their lifestyle. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against homosexuals.”
Ash bit the inside of her cheek to keep quiet. She couldn’t afford to annoy the wife of one of her most important customers.
“No, of course not.” Sasha’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.
Ash couldn’t help admiring her for fearlessly standing up to Mrs. Beasley in a way that she couldn’t. At the same time, she prayed that she would let it go. She fought the urge to grip Sasha’s arm and drag her away from this fruitless discussion. Nothing good would come out of arguing with Mrs. Beasley.
Mrs. Beasley gave Sasha an icy stare. “I’m not. One of my nephews is…like that, and I helped pay his college tuition. I just never understood why they have to flaunt their personal business like that.”
“Flaunt it?” Sasha echoed. “If getting married is considered flaunting your lifestyle, why did you get married?”
“That’s hardly the same! It’s not like they could have children and start a family.”
“They could, if they wanted,” Sasha answered calmly. “But you probably think that’s wrong too.”
“And you don’t?” Mrs
. Beasley looked honestly baffled. Her gaze went from Sasha to Ash. “Don’t tell me you’re part of this wedding.”
Ash gathered her courage and struggled to look her in the eyes, bolstered by Sasha’s solid presence next to her. “It’s our job, Mrs. Beasley. We can’t just turn them away.”
“So you are doing their flowers? Are you sure that’s a good idea, dear?” Mrs. Beasley gave her a look of fake motherly concern. “Aren’t you afraid it will harm your business?”
Ash sputtered. “Why would it harm my business? I’ll be able to say I did the flowers for Jenna Blake’s wedding. That will bring me a lot of business from out of town, from people who want to be able to say they used the same florist as the famous pop star.”
“Be that as it may, but after that dies down, you’ll once again be dependent on local customers, and I can’t imagine anyone in Fair Oaks liking that kind of thing. I’m sure they would rather get their flowers from someone who supports traditional values.”
Ash’s mouth went dry. Was Mrs. Beasley threatening her? She definitely had the power to do that since she was incredibly well-connected. Not only did her husband own the only funeral parlor in town, but she was also the head of the Fair Oaks improvement committee and hosted a Bible study group and a quilting club. Nothing happened at the Fair Oaks community center without Mrs. Beasley knowing about it. If she got her husband and her friends to boycott her flower shop, Ash would be in trouble.
“Oh, the two of us are the biggest supporters of traditional values you can imagine,” Sasha said before Ash could get her vocal cords to work.
Ash hoped she would leave it at that, but she knew her well enough by now to suspect she wouldn’t.
A pleased smile spread across Mrs. Beasley’s face.
“I mean, two people in love wanting to spend the rest of their lives together…” Sasha added. “You can’t get much more traditional than that, right?”
Mrs. Beasley’s smile disappeared as fast as chalk being wiped off a blackboard. “I guess I can’t blame you for thinking like that, having been raised without a mother and all. It’s not your fault no one instilled family values in you.”
Sasha staggered back a step as if Mrs. Beasley had hit her with the huge purse slung over her shoulder.
Ash’s mouth dropped open. Wow, what a low blow. She couldn’t believe Mrs. Beasley had just said that. She raised her arm to wrap it around Sasha, but under Mrs. Beasley’s observant gaze, she pulled back at the last moment.
Sasha straightened to her full six-foot-plus height and stared down at the older woman. “I can assure you my father and my aunt instilled plenty of values in me—including not being mean to people or talking about them behind their backs.”
Mrs. Beasley’s mouth moved, but nothing came out. She looked like a fish that had been pulled out of the water. It would have been comical if the situation hadn’t been so tense. “I can’t believe I thought so highly of you. Come on, Princess.” She tugged on the leash, pulled the Chihuahua past them, and marched down the path.
Oh shit. Ash stared after her. That was bad. Really, really bad.
Casper whined, pressed against her leg, and tried to lick her hand.
She buried her fingers in his fur and then turned toward Sasha, who was watching Mrs. Beasley storm off too. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I don’t let mean biddies like her get to me. Well, not much.” Sasha’s eyes narrowed, and she took a step toward her. “But are you okay? You’re shaking like a leaf.”
Ash wrapped her arms around herself and tried to get her emotions under control, but another tremor ran through her limbs.
“Hey.” Sasha pressed against her side and wrapped one arm around her.
Her warmth seeped into Ash, and she leaned in to her without much thought.
“Don’t let her spoil our morning, okay?” Sasha wrapped her other arm around her too. Her breath stirred the hair at the top of Ash’s head, making her shiver in a different way.
Ash sighed. “Easier said than done. The funeral parlor is one of my most important customers. If she convinces her husband to use another flower shop from now on…” She looked up into Sasha’s eyes from only inches away. “She could do serious harm to my shop. To the bakery too.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.” Sasha’s hands were on her hips and squeezed gently. “Most of the town will still buy our flowers and baked goods, no matter what Mrs. Beasley says.”
Despite the pleasant feelings coursing through her, Ash couldn’t let go of her despair. “How do you know? Unlike Mrs. Beasley, most people keep their prejudices to themselves, which makes it hard to know how many think exactly like her. How many of the people we have known since we were children would reject us if they knew we’re not straight?”
“Well, you’ll never know unless you come out.”
“I don’t want to find out.” Another tremor went through Ash.
Sasha held her more tightly. “This isn’t just about your shop, is it? What are you so afraid of?”
Ash rested her forehead against Sasha’s strong shoulder for a moment. She wanted to stay in that embrace for the rest of the day, but she forced herself to pull away. It wouldn’t be too long before someone else came around the bend in the path. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. Can we just go and get some cake?”
Sasha slid both hands into her coat pockets as if they suddenly felt empty and led the way toward the bakery. “Cake it is. But you know that you can talk to me any time, don’t you?”
Ash couldn’t imagine ever wanting to talk about her fear of coming out but nodded anyway. If she ever talked to someone, it would probably be Sasha. The realization made Ash’s step falter. Wow. After a lifetime of living in the same town and barely talking, how had that suddenly happened?
“Come on, slowpoke.” Sasha had lengthened her stride and was now several steps ahead of her. “First one to the bakery gets the last piece of orange cheesecake with dark chocolate glaze.”
Ash set off at a run, and Casper immediately caught up with her, enjoying this new game.
“Hey, not fair!” Sasha called when they ran past. “Snickerdoodle is a Frenchie, not a racehorse!”
“All is fair in—” Ash cut herself off. “Um, in the fight for cake.”
“Yeah? Then watch this!” Sasha sped past her with Snickerdoodle securely cradled to her chest.
Barking twice, Casper gave chase and pulled Ash after them.
Ash broke into an all-out sprint, but she knew no matter how fast she sprinted, she wouldn’t be able to outrun her fears.
After running into Mrs. Beasley, Ash had thought her day couldn’t get any worse. That theory was proven wrong when her mother chased her pulled pork around on her plate without really eating.
Finally, she put her fork down and looked over at Ash, who swallowed hard, sensing that something unpleasant was coming. “We were talking to Sheryl and her son after church this morning.”
Ash made a noncommittal sound and gripped her fork more tightly.
“He mentioned how disappointed he was not to see you at Johnny’s last night.”
Ash’s stomach seemed to shrivel into the size of the corn on her plate. “Um, yeah. Something came up. Last-minute order for Mr. Miller’s funeral. You know how it is.”
Now it was her mother who let out a noncommittal “Hmm.”
“By the time I was done with the wreath, I was just too tired to go over to the bar,” Ash added.
“He also mentioned that your friends Leontyne and Holly are getting married—to each other.”
Oh shit. Ash pretended to chew a piece of pulled pork to buy herself some time. “Um, yeah.”
“Did you know?” Her mother waved away her answer before Ash could even open her mouth. “Of course you knew. They are your best friends.”
“They were my best friends,”
Ash said quietly. “We haven’t been close in years.”
“I remember. You never told me what happened. Is it because they are…gay?”
“No, Mom.” Ash shoveled a forkful of corn casserole into her mouth, even though the food suddenly tasted like sawdust. “I guess I got busy trying to establish the flower shop, so I stopped hanging out with Holly. And Leo… That was a long time ago. I barely remember what made us stop talking. Just some crazy teen stuff, I suppose.”
“I just hope you won’t do anything crazy now,” her mother said.
Ash stared at her with alarm. “Um, like what?”
“Like becoming too involved.”
“I-involved?” Ash’s fork clattered onto her plate.
Her mother nodded. “With the wedding. People talk, you know? I don’t want you to be associated with that.”
Part of Ash’s tension lessened. Her mother was just talking about her involvement in the wedding planning, not about her involvement with Holly or Leo—or Sasha. She picked up her fork. “I can’t turn away customers who want me to do the flowers for their wedding.” Then she let herself be inspired by Sasha’s courage when facing down Mrs. Beasley and added, “Not that I’d want to. Even though we aren’t as close as we used to be, they’re still my friends, and I want them to have a beautiful wedding.”
“That’s very kind of you, honey, but…” Her mother wrinkled her nose. “Don’t you think it’s a little strange? Two women getting married?”
Before Ash could be forced to voice an opinion, her father cleared his throat. “Pass me the coleslaw, please.”
Ash was quick to comply, glad for the distraction. “Here, Daddy.”
“Thanks.” He heaped coleslaw onto his plate.