“And that’s when he left?” Leslie scoffed. “That isn’t any better.”
“Not so much left,” Erica said. “More that he just didn’t come home as much. He travels a lot, too, so there’s a lot of room for ambiguity. I was actually the one that brought up the divorce, largely to cut the tension when he did come home, but it was time.”
Leslie’s expression softened. “Being the single parent of a child with autism has to be tough.”
“Sometimes.” Erica felt a wave of that sense from earlier, of being understood. “But I’ll take any part of it over co-parenting with someone who doesn’t want to be here with us.”
Something that looked like anger flashed ever so briefly in Leslie’s eyes, then vanished. “How often does he visit?”
“Not very, but more than he used to.” Erica tried to sound satisfied with Trent’s efforts. “For the first couple of years after we split, he didn’t ask to see Siena at all, but he’s seen her three times in the last year or so. It’s an improvement.”
Leslie looked as though she had something more to say about that but simply nodded. “So do you miss Chicago?”
Erica hadn’t realized she’d grown tense talking about Trent until she felt herself relax. She smiled. “I don’t miss the winters,” she said, remembering the icy winds off Lake Michigan. “I love walking outside here, in the middle of January, needing nothing but a light jacket. But I do miss Giordano’s pizza.” She feigned a swoon.
Leslie grinned. “That good, huh?”
“Oh, my God! It’s so good.” Erica’s mouth started watering just thinking about it. “Their meat lover’s pizza is to die for.”
“That’s high praise.” Leslie chuckled. “And how long has it been since you had it?”
“Four years.” Erica drew the words out to emphasize just how really long it’d been. She leaned forward and folded her arms on the table. “I dated a woman a couple years ago who went to Chicago on a business trip, and she ate there and agreed on how delicious it is, but that’s the closest I’ve come since the move.” She started to laugh, but it died on her lips at Leslie’s expression. “Is something wrong?”
“You dated a woman?” Leslie asked in the same tone of astonishment one would use to ask, You grew up on Mars?
Ah, another uncovered topic. “I’m sorry. I’m so comfortable with you, I forget we don’t really know each other very well,” Erica said lightly. “I’m bisexual.” This time, there was no doubt in her mind that something shifted in Leslie. “Is that a problem?”
“Uh, no. Not at all.” Leslie’s voice regained its normal pitch, but her body held tension. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to sound like it was.”
Erica’s defenses inched up. “I assumed it wouldn’t be an issue, since you’re obviously either bi or gay.”
Leslie arched an eyebrow.
“Your cousin left you a note about tapping the hot piece next door, who, by the way, happens to be a woman,” Erica said, answering the unspoken question.
Leslie took in a breath and gave a single nod. “You’re right. I’m gay, and I do apologize.” She met Erica’s gaze with sincerity. “Please, forgive me. I just…I had it in my head that you were straight and married. That’s all.”
“Why would that matter?” Erica was genuinely perplexed. Unless…Is she attracted to me? But if that were the case, wouldn’t Leslie be happy to find out she was single and a possibility?
“It doesn’t. I…” Leslie faltered. “Look, I’m sorry. I should go.” She rose, and Gus leapt up from where he’d nestled alongside her foot, his chin resting on the toe of her shoe.
Erica could only stare at her, bewildered. What just happened?
Leslie pushed her chair beneath the table. “Thank you for the wine and the conversation.” The last word trailed off.
Erica wanted to say something, to stop her and get her to talk about whatever was going on, but she didn’t know Leslie, and wasn’t sure what might push her away rather than convince her to stay. It wasn’t as though she could go far. Maybe I can catch her tomorrow, after she’s had some time to…Think? Process? “Okay,” Erica said, studying her. “I’m sorry for whatever—”
“No, you don’t need to be sorry. It’s…” Pain flashed in Leslie’s eyes. “It’s my stuff. I just need to go.”
And suddenly, Erica understood. She nodded. “Thank you for dinner and the evening,” she said quietly.
The corners of Leslie’s mouth lifted in a sad smile. Without another word, she walked away, Gus close behind. At the gate, he turned and looked at Erica before they both disappeared around the corner.
“Take care of her, Gus,” she whispered and wondered who could have hurt such a special woman so badly.
Chapter Five
Leslie took a bite of strawberry pie and let the buttery crust melt in her mouth while she savored the sweetness of the fresh berries. The evening had been wonderful—delicious food, great company, and a lot of laughter, but this moment held combined elements of some of her favorite childhood memories—fresh fruit pie and her cousin Nell. It was nice to be home.
“Molly wants you to take a seat on the board,” Nell said from across the large table. Her wife, Paula, had made partner at the firm she’d worked for since her days as an associate right out of law school, and between that and Nell’s position at the Raymond Center, they did a lot of entertaining. The size and elegance of the formal dining room epitomized their home and life, even if sometimes, like tonight, Nell looked and acted like she was twelve again. Short, blond tufts stuck out from beneath her Angels baseball cap, and a swipe of whipped cream smeared her upper lip.
Paula, in customary contrast, sat between them at the head of the table, every strand of her salt-and-pepper hair still in place after a long workday and her black business suit somehow as crisp as if she’d just put it on. Paula could be wearing a nightshirt and she’d still manage to come off as the embodiment of decorum.
Leslie listened, enjoying the familiarity and comfort of the voice of her cousin, who was also her lifelong best friend, rather than considering what she was actually saying. She had no intention of becoming a board member of the Raymond Children’s Center, no matter how much she believed in its mission and admired her mother for starting it. “I’d rather just be a volunteer.”
“Board positions are volunteer,” Nell said, then licked some glaze off the bottom of a huge berry. She was a fascinating dichotomy. She was the responsible, dedicated, and professional director of the center that moved seamlessly through daily administrative duties, promotional and fundraising events, and the rocky terrain of child protective services and the family court system. And yet, somehow she was still such a child at heart. Just that afternoon, she’d gone directly from fighting for, and winning, additional funding from regional services to a staff versus kids softball game at the center. She and Leslie had played on the kids’ team.
“You know what I mean.” Leslie didn’t understand why they were having this conversation. Nell knew how she felt about meetings and budgets and all the things boards spent their time living and breathing. “I’d rather be with the kids.”
“Molly thinks it’d be great for PR and fundraising, given who you are and all,” Nell said without regard for Leslie’s comment.
“What do I care what Molly thinks?” Leslie asked, stabbing her last strawberry with a little too much fervor. Molly was the president of the board of directors for the center, but she wasn’t anything to Leslie. “I’ve only met her once.” And that had been at her mother’s memorial service. In fact, she had difficulty taking the woman seriously. Every time Leslie heard the name, all she could think of was her dad breaking into his Little Richard imitation and singing “Good Golly Miss Molly” any time Molly came up in conversation. It’d made Leslie’s mother smile.
“That’s because you haven’t been home in nine years,” Nell said.
And here we are, back to where we always end up. But not anymore. “I’m home now,” Lesli
e said with a smile. “I guess you’ll have to find something else to bitch at me about.”
Paula chuckled softly.
“I know.” Nell emphasized the words by increasing their length and volume. Her green eyes flashed with excitement, and she grinned. “I’m so glad you’re home.” She rocked her chair backward onto its hind legs.
In an obviously practiced move, Paula reached over and pressed down on the armrest, returning all four legs to the floor.
Leslie laughed, wondering if either of them noticed how in sync they were.
“How are you doing with all that?” Nell asked more seriously, waving a strawberry on the end of her fork.
“I’m fine,” Leslie said, knowing what Nell was hinting at and not really wanting to go there.
“Have you heard from Cassie?” Nell asked. “At all?”
“No.” Leslie pushed her plate aside, her interest in her dessert suddenly gone. “Not since we met to close out the joint checking account.” She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant even though the memory of that day could still tear her apart if she let her guard down. It’d been her last chance to try to convince Cassie to allow her a place in Elijah’s life, or at least to see him one last time. She’d failed on both counts.
Nell searched Leslie’s face, clearly seeking more information. She’d always had questions, ones that Leslie couldn’t bring herself to answer at the time. Nell had been patient with her and her healing process. “I know the basics. You know, she left you for a man. She took Elijah and wouldn’t let you see him. Can you talk about it yet?”
She could. She still didn’t want to, but Nell deserved to know the whole story. She’d been there for Leslie every step of the way, from clear across the country. She’d checked on her by phone and text every single day, usually a couple of times. She’d taken two weeks off from work and flown to Florida when Cassie had first moved out, without a word, leaving Leslie to come home from a conference to an empty house. Then she’d taken off another three weeks when Leslie had finally had to face the truth that she might very well never see Elijah again. She hadn’t answered Nell’s calls for several days in her despondency, and Nell had shown up on her doorstep and stayed until she’d gotten back on her feet enough to function. And when Leslie had decided to come home, Nell had taken care of all the details of preparing the house for her. She deserved to have her questions answered. “What do you want to know?”
Nell’s eyebrows shot up. She was so used to the topic being avoided. “Are they still in Miami?”
Leslie shook her head. “No idea. I don’t know if they’re even still in Florida. That’s why I had to get out of there—because of the not knowing. I realized I was sitting around waiting, jumping every time the doorbell rang, looking for them in movie crowds or shopping malls. It was making me crazy. I couldn’t move on.” The last words caught in her throat.
Paula took her hand. “What she did to you was horrible. You’re smart to make a fresh start.”
Leslie squeezed Paula’s fingers in gratitude. “I know. And it isn’t her I was waiting for, other than she’d have to be the one to have a change of heart. He’s only seven.” His bright eyes and freckled face flashed in her mind, his smile pulling her in as it always did. Tears welled in her eyes, the effort to hold them back constricting her throat. It destroyed her to think he might believe she was the one who’d left, that she didn’t want to see him. She had no idea what Cassie had told him. She swallowed hard. “My cell’s the same, or she can reach me through my website, if she ever wants to.”
“What a bitch.” Nell’s voice was sharp. “And after everything you did, everything you gave them, she really said it would be better for Elijah to be raised in a house with a mother and a father?”
“She really did,” Leslie said, the anger she’d stuffed way down deep beginning to rise.
“And that guy isn’t even his father. You’ve been with Elijah, a parent to him, since he was born. That should count for something.” Nell looked at Paula as she always did when she needed her world set right again.
“There’s no explanation that’s going to make sense of what Cassie did, honey.” Paula took Nell’s hand with her free one. “And she holds all the power. She’s the biological parent.”
“Why didn’t you get a lawyer?” Nell asked, returning her attention to Leslie. “I don’t mean it critically. I just…Why didn’t you fight it?”
“You don’t think I tried?” Leslie clenched her jaw, reliving all those calls, all the appointments, all the denials. “There wasn’t a lawyer that would take the case. They all said it was a lost cause. We weren’t married. There was no second parent adoption. I didn’t have anything to stand on.” She remembered the day she’d known it was over, that short of Cassie changing her mind, Leslie would most likely never again see the beautiful little boy she loved as a son. Her tears. Her rage. Her heartbreak. She couldn’t relive it. “I have to trust that he’s fine. That he’s happy. For all her faults, I know Cassie will take care of him. Even with her lies to me about being in love with me and wanting the three of us to be a family, that’s all she was ever trying to do.”
“Bitch,” Nell said, the word almost a growl.
It warmed Leslie’s heart. She’d always been able to count on Nell to champion her causes, whatever they were. She let out a small, humorless laugh. “Thank you.”
Paula patted Leslie’s hand. “Nell mentioned you bought some furniture,” she said in a clear change of subject.
“I did,” Leslie said with an effort to brighten her tone. “At least, I ordered it. Most of it gets delivered tomorrow.”
“You’ve gotten everything you need already?” Paula asked as she watched Nell scoop up the remaining strawberry glaze and whipped cream from her plate with her fingertips, then lick them clean.
“What?” Nell asked defensively. “It’s just Leslie here.”
Paula laughed and shook her head, her love evident in her soft expression. She leaned close and kissed her, and when she eased away, the whipped cream on Nell’s upper lip was gone.
Leslie smiled. She’d always enjoyed being around Nell and Paula. It kept her belief in love intact, regardless of whatever train wreck had just occurred in her own love life. “I got the basics,” Leslie said in response to Paula’s question. “I found this enormous furniture store that was having a huge sale, and when I saw they had this really great blue couch, I just looked for everything else there, too. I’ll get the rest over time.”
Nell tilted her head quizzically. “You’re centering your décor around a blue couch?”
“I’m not centering my décor around anything,” Leslie said, feeling Gus shift against her foot. “I’m just buying furniture. And I promised Siena a blue couch.” At the thought of Siena, she pictured her snuggled up with Gus in her bed, listening to The House at Pooh Corner. Then she remembered Erica’s revelations about Trent being her ex, not her husband, and about being bi. She shifted uneasily in her chair.
“Who’s Siena?” Paula asked.
“Is that the hot…uh, I mean…” Nell glanced at Paula. “Is she the woman next door?”
Paula shot Nell a glare.
“I only pointed her out to Les in case she might be interested,” Nell said in her defense. “Right, Les?”
“That’s true,” Leslie said, coming to Nell’s rescue. “Nell left me a very descriptive note about my new next-door neighbor…” She leveled her own glare on Nell. “Which she saw, by the way.”
“How’d she see it? I left it on your bar.” Nell’s eyes widened. “She was in your house? Wow, you move fast.”
Leslie rolled her eyes. “She was helping me clean up after breakfast. She loaned me some dishes, until…” She knew she wasn’t making any sense. She hadn’t made sense to herself since Sunday night and her last conversation with Erica.
“Breakfast?” Paula’s interest was piqued now.
“No. Not like that,” Leslie said, running her hand through her hair. “She’
s been nice. She invited me for dinner Saturday night, then brought some bagels and fruit over on Sunday morning, since I didn’t have anything in the house to eat.”
“That is nice,” Paula said with a smile.
“And she’s really great to look at.” Nell grinned at Paula.
“You hush,” Paula said, then turned back to Leslie. “And her name’s Siena? That’s a pretty name.”
“No. Her name’s Erica. Siena’s her daughter. Siena’s seven.” Leslie wondered how Siena’s week was going. She’d made herself scarce the past few days to avoid Erica, but in the process, she’d missed Siena. If she were completely honest, she’d missed Erica, too. “She’s a sweetheart. She loves Gus. They’re adorable together. And she’s fun to talk to. She has autism, and Erica is amazing in how she deals with her. I kind of blew it when I took dinner over there Sunday night. I got Wendy’s hamburgers, not knowing they freak her out…” Leslie trailed off at Nell’s and Paula’s stares. “What?”
“How much time have you spent with them?” Nell asked.
Leslie shrugged. “I ate with them a couple times over the weekend.” That wasn’t all she’d done, though. She left out cleaning up the kitchen twice, all the thought she’d put into her selections for the dinner she’d provided, and reading Siena a bedtime story, because she knew what that would sound like. She knew what those things were. They weren’t things someone did with new neighbors. They were intimate things, things that said someone belonged somewhere. That’s why they’d felt so good. She hadn’t belonged anywhere since Cassie had left with Elijah.
“You sound kind of taken with them,” Paula said softly.
Leslie avoided her gaze.
A Wish Upon a Star Page 8