New Quarters

by Tey Holden

  Karen could barely turn, or believe that more could be coming. Addy saw the happy, unbelieving, exhausted look. “You okay?”

  “Uh huh.” When Karen turned and opened her eyes, she saw smiling, loving brown eyes. Karen managed to raise a hand and caressed her face. She brought her closer and tenderly kissed her. “I love you.”

  Addy smiled lovingly. “Me too.” She gave her a million little kisses everywhere she could reach as she ran her finger nails up and down Karen’s still panting body her hand finally resting on Karen’s pubic area. “Do you want more or do you want to rest?” She asked again raising her right eyebrow in a questioning mode.

  Karen smiled. “Can we continue tomorrow at home?” Addy chuckled, knowing that she had exhausted her partner. She combed Karen’s hair back and kissed her. Karen continued to smile, hoping that Addy had gotten the message.

  “Okay. We rest.”

  She gave Addy a knowing smile and closed her eyes drifting off to sleep, as she felt Addy’s kisses on her face.

  ***

  The next day they had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Karen was much more relaxed and smiling all through breakfast. “Wipe that grin of your face, Larsen. We already checked out of the hotel, you know? Do you recall contractual language of ‘impossibility of performance?”

  Karen chuckled, unable to stop grinning. “That has never stopped us before.” Karen gave her the naughty look. “There’s always the car. We’ve managed that well before.”

  Addy grimaced. “But not at a temperature of about four degrees.”

  “Well, we have talked about body heat before and if there’s one thing that generates heat it’s—.”

  “Karen! We are in a public place, we can be overheard.”

  Karen looked around and smiled. “Okay, but I still want that second part of the massage, if may I remind you.”

  “I have not forgotten, but we wait until we get home.”

  “Okay.”

  When Addy blushed, Karen’s grin became bigger. When they finished their breakfast, they went over to the hospital to see Dr. Naylor. “How’s the boy?” Karen asked the minute she saw him.

  “He is fine now. His appendix ruptured, but they caught it in time and now with a due dosage of antibiotics he’ll be fine. Ms. Larsen, if you had not driven him here last night, he would have died.” Addy grabbed Karen’s arm and smiled.

  “Would you like to see him?” Dr. Naylor asked.

  “Thanks doctor, but I think we should head back home.” Karen immediately replied, wanting to put an end to the previous night ordeal.

  “Will you be coming back with us, Dr. Naylor?” Addy asked.

  “No, I think I will stick around and stay with my sister tonight. She lives here in Edinburgh. I’ll make my way back home tomorrow. I’d like to make sure that the boy is fine, and keep Sarah company. I’ve treated that boy since he was a baby. Again, Ms. Marcos, Ms. Larsen I cannot thank either of you enough, and I’m sure Sarah is just as grateful, or more.”

  Karen pursed her lips and said nothing. Addy, being more the people person was the one who replied. “No problem, Dr. Naylor. We were glad to help and very happy that all turned out well. Please, give our regards and best wishes to Sarah.”

  “Of course, Ms. Marcos, of course.” Having finished their conversation, Addy turned to Karen. “Shall we?” Karen nodded and they walked away and towards the exit doors. As they walked out, Addy laced her arm through Karen’s. “You are a hero, Ms. Larsen, and this time, not just my hero.”

  Karen looked at her and smiled. “So are you.”

  ***

  Before they exited the long hallway, Sarah called out to them and approached them. “Ms. Larsen, Ms. Marcos, I would like to thank you for what you did for us.”

  Karen spoke first. “We are glad to hear that your son is doing fine.” She quickly cut the conversation short. “We need to head home now.”

  Addy interjected. “Is there anything that you might need from town?”

  “No. Thank you. My mother and sister are on their way here. I would like to see if we could work out an arrangement regarding the inn. You need to understand that it is my way of making a living. I have a child, and—.”

  Karen interrupted, before Sarah could finish. She was afraid Sarah would get on Addy’s soft side. “Mrs. Foster, I believe our lawyers will be speaking. We need to go now. Goodbye.” Not knowing what to say, Addy slightly smiled and walked away with Karen.

  “Ker, maybe we should have talked to her some more. I felt good vibes from her.”

  Karen stopped. “Addy, I can appreciate your good vibes sometimes, but on this matter I believe we are beyond good vibes. This woman is taking us to court. There are lawyers involved and a lot at stake. No good vibe is going to make me talk to her at this point.” Addy didn’t say another word. Her legal mind told her that Karen was right. Her heart said something else, but she had to follow the legal process now just as Karen indicated.

  The return trip was a quiet one. Karen was focused on the road, which was still treacherous, while Addy remained pensive. Karen never liked it when Addy was quiet. The silence usually meant that something was brewing on her mind. “What’s on your mind master masseuse?”

  Addy pursed her lips and smiled slightly. “Ker, what if Phillip is not able to settle the matter?”

  “I have the feeling that it will be resolved. I really don’t want to give it any further thought until we know exactly where we stand. It may not be worth our trouble. For now let’s just be glad that we made it to the hospital and that the boy is fine.”

  “Yeah, you are right. We did a good thing, regardless of everything else. Let’s just wait and see what happens now.” Addy replied.

  “And I hope that you have not forgotten that I need to make my payment for last night’s massage.”

  Addy smiled. “No, I have not forgotten. Will you be able to make immediate payment, or are we waiting until tonight?”

  Karen smiled and accelerated the car. “Immediate. I was thinking sofa massage.”

  Addy grinned and then she felt Karen’s hand on hers.

  ***

  A few days later, Phillip called. “Karen, I didn’t have to pull the final card. I don’t know what happened, but I received a call from Mrs. Foster’s attorney letting me know that she was removing her complaint. The Chamber of Commerce reissued the permit, which you should be getting soon in the mail. I’ve requested that the Cease and Desist Order be dismissed. You can continue with the plans for the inn.”

  “She withdrew the complaint?”

  “Yes, just like that. I don’t know what happened. I hadn’t even talked to her lawyer yet.”

  “Well, thank you, Phillip. Please, send us your bill when you have a chance.”

  “No, I won’t. What I’ll have you do is put me up for a weekend at that famous inn when it’s all done.”

  “You got it. Just let us know when.”

  After they hung up the phone, Addy commented. “I knew that she had a change of heart. I got the right vibe!” She pointed a finger at Karen.

  Karen smiled. “Yes, she must have felt grateful for us having taken her son to the hospital. You got the right vibe, but you know that sometimes it’s best—.”

  “I know, I know. I thought you were right, and that’s why I didn’t act on my instinct.”

  “Good.”

  ***

  Two weeks later, both of them went to see Sarah. “Hello, Sarah, may we come in?”

  “Yes, certainly.”

  “How’s your son?” Karen asked. As of lately, and at Addy’s request, she was trying to be more polite with people.

  “Much better, thank you. What can I do for you?” Sarah seemed a bit nervous.

  “Sarah, we’ve come to see you because we would like to share a concern with you.” Addy spoke.

  “As much as we have made plans and projections, we really don’t know for certain what impact our inn will have on yours. We think that our inn is des
igned to cater to high-end guests looking for luxury, and that you will be able to maintain your local clientele. However, Sarah, we would like for you to let us know if you see a negative impact and perhaps we can do something that will keep both inns successful. We don’t know what, but please know that we do not want to affect your business.”

  “Thank you Addy, Ms. Larsen. This is very kind of you. I’m sure we can figure something out.”

  The women left satisfied with their attempt to reach out, and reciprocate in kind. “She called you Addy and she called me Ms. Larsen, why do you think she did that?”

  Addy smiled. “Elementary, my dear Watson. It’s obvious that she sees me as the friendly one, you on the other hand—.” She didn’t finish her statement. Karen grabbed her from behind and lifted her from the ground.

  “Ms. Larsen, weren’t you the one who said that these public displays of affection could get us kicked out of town?”

  “I’ve thought about that, but as it turns out they can’t. I sort of own the town, remember?” Karen gave her a smug smile.

  Part 8

  It was already March, and their first year anniversary was coming up. Because it fell in the middle of the week, and there was so much going on with the construction of the inn, they agreed to postpone celebrating it until Friday evening when they could go and stay in the city and make a weekend of it.

  Since the inn’s renovations began, they had fallen into a daily routine. In the morning, they’d take care of any legal work pending from the firm. Sometimes matters could take all morning or maybe one or two hours.

  On a normal day, after the legal work was done, they’d do whatever housekeeping was necessary, but house chores never took priority over doing anything fun or interesting, if the work at the inn allowed it. At the moment, the inn seemed to occupy a lot of their time. During the middle of the day, Addy would usually run her errands, and Karen would go to the inn to supervise the construction.

  Karen liked to hang around the construction site watching and sometimes even helping. She became aware that she was pretty good with tools and gradually learned a few skills. The workers loved to see the beautiful woman in overalls or raggedy jeans working side by side with them. They took good care of her and didn’t let her do the ‘hard’ stuff. They liked the interest Karen took in their work, and how easily she picked up any instruction from them. Little did they know that they had a Suma Cum Laude from Oxford, Harvard and Columbia hammering nails or caulking next to them. Addy rolled her eyes every time she saw her.

  “You’ve been at it again? I don’t want you getting hurt over there. Look at you, all dusty, and your hair full of wood bits. You look like you’ve been playing in a sandbox.”

  Karen pouted. “You don’t love me anymore?”

  Addy smiled. “I’d be crazy if I didn’t. Come here, let me get that stuff off your hair.”

  Karen grinned and kissed her. Whenever, there was a major construction event happening at the inn, Karen would go in the morning to make sure things ran well. However, she usually came home for lunch because sometimes she needed to get away from the chaos at the construction site.

  “I don’t know if those people know what they are doing, Addy, sometimes things that look simple become a monumental project. If I had more time, I would have planned all this to the last detail and would have gotten the right people.” Karen rummaged through the refrigerator looking for food.

  “Karen, first, those right people you mentioned would have cost an arm and a leg, so we got what we got! Second, you can’t do everything yourself. Anyway, those people are experts and they know what they are doing. Construction jobs are messy. First there is destruction and everything looks like a great big disaster, then things begin to look better and then when it’s done, all is perfect. You just have to trust the people who know. Here, let me fix you something to eat.” Addy began to put together two turkey sandwiches. Karen pulled two glasses from the cabinet and pour water in them. She set them on the island and sat on one of the kitchen stools. She grabbed a bag of chips and put some on each plate next to the sandwiches, and they began to eat.

  “You say that because you haven’t been there lately, and you haven’t seen what’s going on. It’s maddening. It actually looks as if a bomb has gone off. I doubt very much those people know what they are doing. I’m trying to be patient, but it’s really exasperating. I think I’m getting a headache. You should see the mess they’ve made. I mean you can hardly tell where things were, or are going to be. There are exposed pipes everywhere, walls have been knocked down, there’s a hole in the ceiling, and the floors are gone. The place looks like a war zone! I don’t think it’s going to be possible to put everything back together. I already see ourselves looking for other people to finish the job, and the money, the money just running down the drain! I don’t know how I ever let you convince me to get into this madness!”

  Karen had never gone through a renovation project. Addy, instead, having owned a house was very much aware of how messy things could get before they began to take shape. Addy kissed her on the head. “Stop talking and finish your lunch.”

  Karen had her mouthful. “Did you hear any of what I’ve just said?”

  “Yes, I did.” Addy was unusually calm considering how fiery she was some times. “And you have nothing to say? Aren’t you worried? Your money, the money I didn’t want you to spend on this ‘money pit’ is running down the drain, and here you are so quiet, and calm.”

  “It’s money, Karen, easy come, easy go.”

  Karen had finished her last bite as Addy took her plate and put it in the dishwasher.“Aaaagh! I swear woman. I don’t understand how sometimes you get all worked up about little things and then with something that really matters you are so calm! I don’t know how it is that all of your clients are crazy about you, when you have that attitude towards money.”

  “Oh, well, let me explain. First, I think it’s good that we don’t get worked up for the same things because that way we can calm each other down. Second, about my clients, it’s very easy, when they see that I don’t worry, they stop worrying.”

  Karen chuckled sarcastically, amazed at what she had just heard. “Addy, things don’t work that way. People worry. Money is important.”

  “Yes, money is important, so I help them not to worry, easy. Except you, I cannot get you not to worry. You are a worry maniac, the money, the doors, and the gun. Why can’t you just relax?”

  “Somebody has to worry when others don’t.”

  Addy picked up the mockery in Karen’s comment and sat next to her. “Ker, it’s not that I don’t worry, I do. It’s just that to me other things matter more. You matter. Everything else is secondary. When I see you all worked up like this, I worry. I worry about you worrying so much. Please, learn to take things as they are. They are just things, they can be fixed. On the other hand if you get sick on account of worrying, then what?” Karen pursed her lips in thought as Addy continued to speak. “Maybe you shouldn’t be going back there any more today. Go upstairs and rest or read a book, or something.”

  “Are you crazy? Do you think I can have any peace when I know I have a bunch of inept people over there knocking down walls? I’m going back. Somebody with some brains should be there to, at least, make those pea brains aware of possible disasters.” She got up to leave, but Addy ran after her and stopped her. “Babe! Please, don’t worry so much. Everything will turn out fine. You’ll see.” Addy got close to her and kissed her. “Green eyes, I love you.” Karen’s heart beat a little faster now, but she didn’t say much. She just smiled, kissed her and started to walk out.

  “I’ll be back by dinner time. Call me if you need me for anything.” Anything usually had a double meaning. It could actually mean anything around the house that needed to be done or anything that needed to be picked up somewhere, or it could mean ‘honey come home, I want to make love to you and need you now.’ It had happened before. Both had occasionally made the call, and the other one
had run home to give due attention to the urgent matter.

  “Don’t worry, babe, I have errands to run in town today.”

  “What errands?” Karen stopped by the door. What is she up to? I wonder if she’s working on some anniversary thing, even though we agreed not to. Umm. Shit! I need to get to town and get her something, just in case.

  “Nothing special, just the usual, groceries and I also want to get a rug for the back door. I might also stop at the hardware store, since that is now one of my assigned duties.” She smiled. Karen had been sending Addy to the hardware store because she didn’t want to run the risk of coming across Mary. “Then I thought I would go check out that bakery on the other side of town to see what they have.”

  “How come you are always running errands?” As usual, once she had overcome the fear of driving on the left side, Addy was unstoppable. Addy knew every nook and cranny around town in virtually no time. She was decisive and ready to go anywhere and take on any task. Her energy and desire to learn and do whatever needed to be done made her very resourceful. She knew where to buy anything needed, the right price to pay, and most importantly because she was so talkative, she knew everyone. She had a natural charm that everyone loved.

  “Karen Larsen, running errands is one of the things that I do best. Do you remember that list we never made? We are opening an inn and we need a lot of things. You are doing what you do best which is supervising contractors and taking care of the money part. I know nothing about construction, and if you ever see me with a hammer and nails in my hands be sure and run to stop me because whatever I’m nailing it’s not going to look pretty, or the wall may never look the same.” All of a sudden she was quiet. So was Karen. “Is anything wrong? Why are you asking what I’m going to do in town today? I always go to town and you never ask. What’s wrong?” Addy came closer and put her hand on Karen’s cheek.

  “Nothing, I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry. I can’t really expect you to be home all day, or following me around, as much as I’d like it.”