by Tey Holden
“Yes, I think she does know what she’s talking about.”
“Good. Let’s go home then and have some wine to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?”
“The finding of good people to work with, the beginning of our project and just life, Ker. Our wonderful, beautiful life.” Addy pulled her from the wall and inserted her arm around Karen’s to walk out the door of the half dilapidated Manor. Karen smiled contently. Although, she didn’t share Addy’s optimism on the project, she was glad to be by the woman who inspired so many dreams and who certainly made hers come true.
***
Shortly after meeting with Sandy, the parade of contractors began and the money started to pour out. Not only had they taken two loans from the Chamber of Commerce and the Historical Society to start the project, but they had also invested a hefty amount of their own money as security or down payment to ensure that both groups would continue their support and funding.
Karen was sitting in front of the computer anguishing over all the expenses and the money that was being committed to the project. Her entire life had been about making money. She had made tons of money for a lot of people, including Addy and herself, but now, she was in shear panic seeing the money pour out. They had talked about finances and had agreed on a budget and the money they’d use to finance the project. They both agreed to not go over the budget because neither of them wanted to overcommit to the point of losing all their money. So, ultimately, Karen knew that there would be a financial end, if things got really ugly. She just feared getting to that point because she didn’t want to be the one to kill Addy’s dream. However, she would if it came to that, or their financial ruin.
“Ker, relax, everything will go well, you’ll see.”
“I think I’m going to need a drink to relax tonight, baby, have you seen how much money we are paying for drapes?” Oh God, I see myself working the rest of my life unable to retire.”
“Come here, Blondie.”
Blondie was a code name that only the two of them understood. Addy had the theory that 90% of the blonde women in the USA weren’t really blonde. She believed that blonde hair was a recessive gene and that most blonde women were Clairol blondes. As proof, she’d say that if blonde hair was a dominant color, why wouldn’t there be as many blonde men as women? So, back in Japan when they were thoroughly exploring their bodies for the first time, Addy ran her hand over Karen’s curls, and it was there that she mentioned her blonde women theory to Karen.
“Imagine! Now that I finally find a real blonde, I can’t tell anyone about it!” Karen loved the comment, and since then, whenever Addy referred to ‘Blondie,’ Karen knew exactly what Addy was referring to. So, sometimes when they were in a group, or party Addy liked to tease Karen and would say something like “Blondie, ready to go?” Or she’d approach Karen and whisper in her ear “I have Blondie on my mind!” Karen would glance at her knowing exactly what she meant. After getting the visceral pang, she’d hurry out the door of wherever they were and head home. The result was always the same, by the time they were closing the cottage door, Karen was already undressing Addy. Sometimes they made it to the bedroom, sometimes barely to the sofa.
So, on this particular night the mere mention of Blondie was sufficient. Karen grinned. All worries forgotten. “How can I be of service?”
Addy smiled. “I was thinking more in terms of me providing the service to relax you. Maybe give you a full tune up to check all the important parts and make sure that they are working well.”
Blondie got more than her fair share that night. After all the important parts had been thoroughly checked, both women relaxed holding each other. “Easy, baby, easy.” Karen snuggled into her planting kisses on Addy’s neck while Addy combed her hair back and kissed her.
“I think we should get some sleep now, baby.” Before Addy finished her sentence, Karen was already asleep with a smile on her face. Addy always wore her out.
***
In the morning, it was Karen who was up first. She looked happy and relaxed. She always took pleasure looking at the semi naked Addy sprawled on the bed. Gorgeous! I still can’t believe it I get to see her every morning by my side. Karen kissed Addy on the shoulder and bit one of her buttocks.
“Hey no fair, I’m sleeping.”
“All’s fair in love and war. Come on hot butt, we’ve got stuff to do today.”
Addy started to get up. “I just want to know who named you boss?”
Karen went into the bathroom laughing while Addy put on her robe and went downstairs to make coffee. Karen came downstairs whistling.
“Somebody is feeling very peppy this morning.”
“Why not? After I got all my parts checked last night, I feel great.” She kissed Addy grinning and waltzing. Addy was smiling as she reached for the coffee pot. Addy was not a morning person and she didn’t function very well until she had that first cup of coffee.
“Are you up for a tune up?” Karen asked grinning.
“Maybe tonight.”
“Well, my shop is open 24/7, and I’ll be more than glad to check all your parts.” Addy smiled, as she ate her croissant and drank her coffee. Karen came around and popped her face right in front of her. “Well, do we have an appointment?”
“I didn’t know I had to make an appointment.”
“You don’t. I just wanted to know so that I can eat some extra protein to prepare for any overtime I need to put in.” She kissed Addy again.
“What’s on tab for today, Bwana Karen?”
“At last! There’s recognition of who is the boss around here!”
“Don’t push your luck, Blondie, or I may cancel my appointment tonight.”
“No way, I’m already geared up to provide full service.” Another kiss. Addy continued to eat smiling. “The other night, while ‘allegedly’ I was just drinking with the boys at the pub, they told me that there’s a restaurant near Belington which opens only for dinner. The guys said that the chef is really good and does real fancy stuff. So, I thought that we could pay him a visit because maybe he might be willing to prepare breakfast at the inn. Gourmet breakfast?”
“Nice work, my dear Watson.”
“Thank you, Holmes.”
“Let me go get dressed. I’ll be right back. I think we should also check those pool service people.”
***
By mid-November, the plans for the inn were going full blast. They were trying to rush things to get as much as they could get done before the onset of winter. The plan was to do any outside work while the weather was still not so cold, and all the inside work during the colder winter months. When the work began, the place was buzzing with excitement. Contractors were coming and going. Trucks with materials were up and down the road, and things were all marching along.
Although Thanksgiving was coming up, Addy had been very busy with the inn and she had almost forgotten the holiday, just as Karen hoped. The holiday was easy to forget since Thanksgiving is an American holiday and there was no fanfare in Altee. Or at least, that was the case until Thanksgiving week was upon them. When Karen came into the cottage, she found Addy sitting in the kitchen nook area looking out the bay window. It was already too cold to sit outside, so they had moved their gathering place to the area in front of the bay window in the kitchen.
Karen froze when she saw Addy’s somber look to the horizon. When Addy heard her come in she looked towards her and smiled. Too late, Adriana, I saw you.
“Hi, baby.”
Karen came close to her and with the back of her hand caressed Addy’s cheek. Addy knew Karen suspected she was sad. Karen crouched in front of her and dropped on one knee. “Look at me.”
Addy looked at her and smiled. “What are you up to, Ms. Larsen?”
“Did you think I was just going to let it be?”
“What?”
“Pack for four days and three nights. We are going home for Thanksgiving.”
“Oh my God Ker! You didn’t!”
“It�
�s all reported with Mr. Kimbell. We leave here tonight, spend the night at the airport in Edinburgh and leave at five thirty a.m. for D.C.”
“Ker!” Addy hugged her and Karen smiled. This was the right thing to do for sure. Karen was glad she had done it. Thanksgiving and Christmas was going to exhaust the two-week limit to be outside Scotland as per the requirement in the will, and that left no time for any emergency, but Karen had determined that if there was such an emergency that required Addy to be there, everything else was secondary. All that mattered was that that Addy continue to feel good now.
“Ker?”
“What?”
“Something you said was not right.”
Karen narrowed her brows. “What?”
“We are going to D.C., but we are home here. Why can’t I get that through your head?”
Karen smiled. “Addy you have a family, and a daughter. I have none of that. I’m not blind. I know I’m not everything to you like you are to me.” Karen looked down as she talked. “I have this fear that one morning you’ll wake up and wonder what the hell you are doing here so far from everything, and will want to leave.”
Addy said nothing. Her silence was frightening to Karen who was expecting some sort of immediate denial. Instead, Addy caressed her face and combed her hair back. “Some time ago, I promised to do something. You don’t know about this promise because I didn’t tell you. I promised to let you know every single day of my life how much I love you. I think I have so far, in one way or another. I dare say that there isn’t one day when you haven’t felt my love.”
Karen smiled as Addy continued tracing her face. “I don’t know what I need to do to assure you, to convince you that what you fear will not happen. I think that words will not do it for you. I would rather let time settle the matter. Time will convince you that I’m here to stay, that you are my life and that this is home. Sure, I have other people in my life, but they have lives of their own too. You are my life now, Karen Larsen, and I need you to get that in that stubborn head of yours.” She tapped Karen’s head with her finger. Karen smiled wanting to believe it all, but still she couldn’t.
***
They made it to D.C. for Thanksgiving, and by Sunday night they were back at the cottage. On the way back, sitting next to her on the plane, Karen kept looking at Addy. She was looking for signs of sadness or regret. But happily, she saw neither. Addy was totally content. Karen leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and smiled slightly. Could this be real? Is she totally happy with just me?
Back at the cottage, they unpacked. “Laurie was right. It was too long a trip to be made in such a short period of time.” Addy commented as she unpacked.
“Yeah, luckily for us we have time to recover. Let’s plan to sleep late tomorrow, no work, and no inn.” Karen declared without any rebuttal from Addy.
However, not everyone got that memo. The next morning the phone rang at the crack of dawn. Karen picked up. “Ms. Larsen, we have a delivery for you from the plumbing company, we need to know where to take the shipment.”
Fortunately, Karen was a morning person and immediately reacted to the call. “Yeah, where are you?” Karen proceeded to tell them where the inn was located and told them that she would meet them there in twenty minutes.
When she hung up, she looked at Addy who was, sound asleep and nude. Karen didn’t remember taking Addy’s clothes off the night before, and she was the one to always do it whenever they made love because Addy liked it that way. They hadn’t made love. They were both too tired and had fallen asleep the minute they hit the mattress. Did the little devil remove her clothes? Karen smiled thinking that Addy now enjoyed sleeping nude. Karen couldn’t resist and started to nibble her ear and to place small kisses on her shoulder and neck. Addy was particularly ticklish around her neck and the minute Karen reached a certain point Addy squirmed. “Stop it! I’m sleeping.” Karen chuckled. She could see the smile on Addy’s face. She continued caressing and teasing her. Under false pretenses, Addy again protested, “oh God! What does one need to do around here to get some sleep?” She turned around smiling with her eyes half closed, and put her arms around Karen’s neck.
Karen whispered in her ear. “Maybe not be naked in bed.” Addy grinned, and immediately the kissing began. Karen pulled away while Addy held on to her to pull her down. “Where are you going now that you’ve woken me up in more than one way?”
Karen grinned, knowing the effect she had on the woman underneath her. “I have to meet some delivery people at the inn. As soon as I’m done, I’ll be back to give you what you want.” She raised her eyebrows wickedly.
“You mean food, right?”
“Ha!” Karen yelled from the bathroom, and Addy went back to sleep. Karen put on her sweats and walked out of the bathroom, stopped by the bed, removed the covers and bit one of Addy’s buttocks.
“Hey!”
“Food, huh, is that what you really want?” Karen continued to tickle her as Addy squirmed and tried to cover herself. “I know exactly what kind of food we are going to have when I come back! Give me twenty minutes.”
When Karen left, Addy got up and went to the bathroom and later downstairs to make coffee. Then quickly found her way back to bed to wait for Karen. Karen was back in twenty minutes, and rushed upstairs where she found Addy in bed smiling. “You rushed.”
Karen beamed. “I ran. I knew what was waiting for me here.” She spoke as she quickly undressed, knowing that Addy was nude under the covers.
Addy watched astonished while Karen undressed. “You went to meet people commando?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t find my undies.”
Addy chuckled and pulled out the covers for Karen to get under. Karen immediately cuddled to her. “Hmm, I love the feel of your skin on mine.” Their conversation ended, when Karen proceeded to meet Addy’s needs.
***
When the weather turned colder, the inn’s construction slowed down. Anything to be done to the outside depended on the weather. Inside there was so much to do that there was little indication of any progress. Some things could not be done until others were finalized, properly inspected, and then there were the usual unexpected happenings or discoveries. All and all, it seemed like everything took forever.
The temperature outside had dropped dramatically after Thanksgiving and they were spending more time inside, just like Karen had predicted. The days now were cloudy and short, and the nights were cold and long. So there was no more time spent on the patio, or strolling around the rolling hills of the property, or around town.
Some days, it was either bitterly cold, or it rained. During the day, they’d focus on their legal work, and at night they’d watch movies, get in the hot tub, cook special dishes, listen to music, read, or browse the Internet in front of the fireplace. Karen loved to light the fireplace every evening. They were also purchasing Christmas gifts online and making plans to spend Christmas and New Year’s in Washington, D.C. with Laurie and Addy’s family.
Once a week, they went to town to get whatever supplies they needed. It was on one of those outings while walking out of the store, that Karen didn’t see a patch of black ice in front of the grocery store and slipped and fell twisting her ankle. When Addy saw her on the floor she panicked. “Ker!”
“I’m okay, Addy, I’m okay.” But when she tried to get up she realized she couldn’t. Although, she was putting on a good show for Addy, the minute she put weigh on her foot, she grimaced and almost shrieked with pain. She didn’t want to worry Addy, but there was no way she was able to hide the pain. “Shit! I don’t think my ankle is okay. I think I twisted something.”
Addy helped her get in the car’s passenger seat and unequivocally said, “Ker, no way are we going home without a doctor checking your ankle. Not in this weather. I don’t want to have to get home only to have to come back over here to see the doctor. I’m driving you to the doctor, and I don’t want to hear a word from you.” Karen knew better than to contradict Addy when she took a fi
rm stand and quietly, and in very much pain, settled on her seat, and followed Addy’s orders.
“Ms. Larsen, the X-rays say that you have a hairline fracture. It’s very small, therefore I don’t see the need for a cast, but we are going to have to wrap your ankle to immobilize it for some time.” Great! “I’m also going to give you an anti-inflammatory and pain medication. It’s going to feel bad for a few days, before it feels better. I also want you to stay off that foot for a while. Then we’ll take some more X-rays again and we’ll see where we are. I’m also going to get you some crutches, and the medication you need to get at the drug store.”
Karen was horrified when she heard about the crutches. The nurse insisted on giving her lessons on how to use the crutches. Addy pursed her lips when she saw the look on Karen’s face and knew exactly what was going through her head. Karen hated going to doctors, and it was evident that she was ready to storm out of there, crutches or no crutches.
When they were leaving the doctor’s office they came across Sarah Foster, she was the owner of the Carriage House Inn, the inn where they had stayed when they first came to Altee for the reading of the will. Sarah asked about what happened and wished her well.
Immediately after, Addy helped Karen to the car because the ‘walk with crutches’ lesson had not gone too well, and Addy feared that the crutches might be more of an problem than a solution, at least for the now. Karen was not in pain because the doctor had given her pain medication, but she was obviously not happy. “Let’s get those meds before what the doctor gave you wears off.” Karen remained very quiet.
“We have to look on the bright side,” Addy continued to talk as she drove, “it could have been worse.”
Karen looked at her astonished. “How?”
“Well, it could have been broken instead of fractured, or it could have been me and then what would you have done to keep me off my feet?”
The minute she finished the sentence she realized what she had said. When she looked to her side Karen was smiling, amidst her general discontent. “Even though I feel like shit, you still make me smile. With regard to your question, let me just say that I would have come up with a few ideas to keep you off your feet.”