One Woman’s Treasure

by Jean Copeland

  “I’m excited for you,” Nina said as she pulled another slice of pizza from the pie. “You’re going to be an exceptional business student.”

  Daphne smiled as she chewed. “This may shock you, but I was the nerd who always sat at the front of the class.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me at all.”

  “I wasn’t an A student or anything. Sitting in front of the teacher just made it harder for the kids to pick on me.”

  “Oh, no.” Nina felt her lips fall into a pout. “They bullied you?”

  “Not really bullied,” Daphne said. “Nobody ever tried to intimidate me or make me feel unsafe. It was more like good-natured teasing.” She looked away and added softly, “A lot of it.”

  Nina nodded as she envisioned poor, young Daphne with braces and tangled hair sitting alone at lunch doodling gorgons and dragons on her notebook. “Just enough to make going to school every day uncomfortable.”

  Daphne shrugged, seeming unwilling to admit it.

  “I knew the type of girls who did that,” Nina said. “The one and only time I was ever disciplined at school was when I shoved a girl into a locker for repeatedly calling this quiet boy gay. Every day coming back from lunch she was on this kid’s ass, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I missed the middle-school spring dance as punishment, but I never regretted putting that little jerk in her place.”

  “I so could’ve used a friend like you back then.”

  Nina shrugged. “You have me now, not that I imagine anyone teases you much these days.”

  “Not since my breakup.” Daphne added an awkward grin.

  Nina studied her for a moment. Was she kidding? Suddenly, her phone vibrated. “Oh, that must be Noah. Excuse me for a sec.” She pulled it from her back pocket and recognized Lacey’s number in the missed-call notification. She swallowed hard after a warm wave of surprise and titillation swept up her neck.

  “Everything okay?” Daphne asked.

  “Oh, uh, yeah. It’s a missed call from my ex. That’s weird.”

  “Noah’s father?”

  “Um, no. Lacey.” Nina put the phone down and forced a casual smile.

  “Did she leave a voice mail?”

  Nina checked the phone and shrugged, but inside she was dying. “Nope. Probably butt-dialed me.”

  “Call her back and see what she wanted.”

  “Get out of here.”

  “What? Aren’t you even curious?”

  Nina furrowed her brow to downplay any interest. “If she didn’t leave a message, it obviously wasn’t important. Guaranteed it was accidental.”

  “I don’t think so. She probably felt dumb leaving a voice mail. She’s expecting you to return her call.”

  “I can’t imagine what she could possibly want. We had a clean break.”

  “She wants you back, dummy. She’s realized she made a mistake letting you go.”

  For some reason having that conversation with Daphne made Nina uncomfortable, like she was desecrating the sacred tenet of never speaking about exes on a first date. Except this wasn’t the first time they’d been out, and it certainly wasn’t a date.

  “How did you get all that from one missed call?”

  “Why else would she have contacted you? Unless you agreed to stay friends after the breakup.”

  “No agreement. Definitely not friends.”

  “Then we’re back to my first reason.” Daphne picked up Nina’s phone and handed it to her. “Call her back and find out what she wants.”

  “Not now.” Nina snatched it out of her hand.

  “Why not?”

  “We’re having quality friend time here. How rude would that be?”

  “It’s not rude if I’m telling you to. Maybe she’s had a change of heart, Nina. You should find out.”

  “I’m going with being ass-dialed on this one, and that’s my final answer. If she calls again, we’ll know which of us was right.”

  Apparently with Daphne, sometimes it was easy to drift off into conversations Nina had successfully avoided with most others.

  “Okay. Fair enough,” Daphne said. “But I’m willing to wager a round of beer flights at a different brewery that I nailed it. What do you say?”

  Nina grinned at the win-win proposition. “You know what, punk? I’m feeling lucky. You got a bet.” She reached out to shake Daphne’s hand, relieved the conversation had veered away from such pointed inquiry. “Now getting back to your business, the website says there’s a waiting list for a permanent booth at the flea market.”

  Daphne groaned. “I knew it sounded too easy to be true.”

  “A minor setback. This actually will work to your benefit. It says here you can start out with a weekend setup in early September.”

  “September?” Daphne looked startled. “That’s only two months from now.”

  “Almost three. But in either case, you’ll be ready.”

  “I will?”

  “Yes, of course. I have a friend at work who creates the most innovative graphic arts for websites. We’ll get that going for you so you can start advertising, and then you’ll just have to select the pieces you want to feature and sell in September.”

  Optimism was dawning in Daphne’s eyes. “This is what I’ve been missing all along.”

  “A business manager?”

  “A good friend.”

  Nina tried not to gush as possibility shone on Daphne’s face like a brilliant sunrise. It thrilled her as much as the missed call from Lacey.

  Chapter Eight

  Although she’d spent a wonderful day with Daphne, on the ride home Nina thought about nothing but Lacey. What if Daphne was right? If not leaving a voice mail was a strategic move to assess Nina’s level of interest in speaking to her, then shouldn’t Nina at least text her and ask, quite casually, what, if anything, was up? But you know what? Fuck her. Lacey had cut her off despite Nina’s pleas and protests, so why should she jump now like she’d been hoping and waiting in quiet desperation to take her back?

  Ugh. Breakups. And she’d had to deal with two simultaneously. Although she’d only been in love with one of the partners, she had been with Zack at one point in time, and dissolving their twelve-year marriage hadn’t been without its complications.

  Then, out of nowhere, came the mystery call from Lacey that could’ve meant either a new beginning or that she’d simply stuffed her phone in her back pocket with the screen unlocked. Nina was nothing if not pragmatic. When she was this conflicted about something, she set it aside before overheating or acting on impulse. She corralled her scattered thoughts toward something less incendiary: laundry. The great mental equalizer. Tackling mountains of dirty clothes like a champ calmed her anxious mind while providing a semblance of purpose.

  As she waited for Zack to drop off Noah from their weekend visit, she fluffed, folded, and refused to check her phone for Lacey’s number. Instead, she let her mind wander to the night of their final fight.

  By that point, the cat had already been out of the bag with Zack, and Nina had been hovering in this bizarre place where her husband had known she’d had an affair with a woman, but rather than jumping into a divorce, he’d implored her to work on repairing their fractured relationship. However, the affair with Lacey hadn’t been over. Both of them had still been grappling with their intense emotional connection and explosive sexual chemistry.

  Nina climbed the steps to Lacey’s front door knowing exactly what she was walking into. Everyone understood what the “We have to talk” preface to any conversation suggested, but she’d heard or read it often enough from Lacey to assume she knew what to expect. She even thought she’d prepared for it.

  When Lacey showed her in, she accepted Nina’s embrace but didn’t linger in it. In fact, she’d practically sprinted across the room and pivoted on her heel like an attorney during closing arguments. “I don’t want to belabor the issue any longer than necessary, Nina, but this has to end. You have to stop calling and texting me.”

 
Although Lacey had made this request several times, it eviscerated Nina to hear it this time as much as it had the first. But now Nina knew how to control her response.

  She sat on the couch and watched Lacey pace the room. “You’re aware how ironic it is for you to ask me to come over to your house to tell me to leave you alone.”

  Lacey rolled her eyes. “Can we not do that now?”

  “Sorry.” Nina sat on the couch and rested her elbows on her knees, Lacey’s stoicism unconvincing. “I know I have to stop contacting you, Lacey. But you have to stop answering me if I slip up.”

  Lacey stopped pacing. “You know why I answer you.”

  “And you know why I text you.”

  Lacey pushed her hair out of her face in apparent frustration. “Have you filed for divorce yet?”

  “I’m working on it,” Nina said, her voice small and uncertain. “I told you that.”

  “Have you even discussed it with him?”

  Nina looked to the floor. “Yes.”

  “It’s been a year, Nina. I can’t go on like this. I’m in love with you, but I can’t stay entangled in this situation. I’m suffocating. It’s not healthy.”

  “I’m just asking for a little more time. All this has happened so fast, Lacey. I’m having trouble managing it.”

  “I know. So am I.”

  “You’re acting like I’m intentionally trying to drag you down, but that’s so not what’s happening here. You knew I was married when you started flirting with me. And when I flirted back, I never imagined I’d fall in love with you.” Nina’s frustration launched her to her feet. “This whole situation is fucked.” She contemplated going over to Lacey, taking her in her arms, and silencing the conflict, if only for that evening. But she didn’t. She recognized the authenticity of Lacey’s angst, felt the desperation in her plea, and it broke her heart even more knowing she was causing it all.

  Lacey took a deep breath, as if to reorient herself to her purpose. “I’ve given you all the time I can, Nina. I don’t have anything left to hold on to. Zack hasn’t even moved out of the house yet.”

  Already on the verge of breaking down, Nina dropped into a chair and shielded her face with her hands when she realized her tears were about to burst from her like a broken water main. She hated when she needed to make a point, but the quavering of her voice betrayed her. When Lacey hadn’t come to her, she knew this time it really was over.

  She picked up her head, sniffed in her snot, and inhaled to catch her breath. “I’ve been doing the best I can, Lacey. I promise I have.”

  Lacey remained safely across the room. “You said you never imagined you’d fall for me when we started this. How do you know it’s love and not infatuation?”

  “Because I’ve never felt this way before, for anyone…not even Zack on our wedding day. Lacey, you’ve unlocked a part of me I never knew existed. I can’t go back to who I was then. I’m not that woman anymore.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?” Lacey’s voice finally cracked. “If it was me, you wouldn’t still be where you are.”

  “I have a kid, Lacey. My entire life is enmeshed with two other people’s. You’ve been a lesbian since the womb. Can’t you cut me a little slack?”

  “What do you think I’ve been doing all these months? Before we hooked up, I liked you, I was attracted to you, and frankly, I thought seducing an unhappily married, curious straight woman was something of a coup, but this…” Lacey began pacing again. “I never expected this. A woman like you is lesbian kryptonite. All us single lezzies know it, but the moment a beautiful straight girl comes along with her flirt game on eleven, we go to pieces. Just like you’re having a hard time dealing with all your shit, I am, too—dealing with your shit, that is. I feel like I’m drifting out to sea with you, watching myself grow smaller as the waves carry me farther out.”

  “I didn’t mean to set you adrift.” Nina motioned toward Lacey but stopped when she flinched. “It kills me that I’ve hurt you.”

  Her arms locked across her chest, Lacey nodded and wiped the corner of her eyes. “I know.”

  Nina sighed with a mirthless chuckle. “Well, this is certainly a new experience for me—being a hot mess.” She studied Lacey from across the room, searching for something in her eyes that alluded to another chance, some day when the timing was appropriate, but Lacey didn’t seem able to even look at her. “You’re right, baby,” she said softly. “I still have a lot to sort out. I shouldn’t drag everyone I know and care about down with me. I’m sorry.”

  She walked to the door and looked back at Lacey once more before leaving. Lacey’s lips parted as though a leftover poignant sentiment or two was rattling around her brain.

  When Nina’s ears felt like they’d pop from the pressurized silence, she opened the door and left.

  Nina snapped back to reality. Was she over Lacey or not? She’d better figure it out before another phone call came in.

  * * *

  Monday morning, Daphne slithered into work with even less enthusiasm than usual, greeting whomever she passed on her way to her cubicle with merely a chin jut. Pascale dared approach her a few minutes later, offering a cup of black coffee.

  He sat on the corner of her desk. “Bad weekend?”

  She accepted the coffee with gratitude and answered him only after her first sip. “No. Literally the best weekend ever. That’s what makes Mondays suck so much more ferociously than they normally do.”

  “Yeah? What did you do? Finally get laid?”

  “Pascale, why is it every time someone mentions a good time, men have to presume it’s sex-related?”

  “I wasn’t being presumptive. I was being optimistic. How long has it been for you anyway?”

  “Way too long.” She took another sip and savored the taste as it blanketed her throat in warmth.

  “That also explains this mood. We have to get you a date. How about dating sites? Ready to give one a try yet?”

  “Not even remotely,” she said as she scanned her personal email on her work desktop. “Oh. The Outdoor Lesbian Club is having a kayak outing next weekend,” she announced more to herself than him. “I should ask Nina if she’d like to go.”

  He scowled. “Don’t take a straight woman to a lesbian thing. She’ll twat-block you. The single women will think you’re taken.”

  She looked up at him, confused. “Why are you still on me finding a date? I told you that’s a hard pass for now.”

  “You said that for dating sites. You’re going kayaking, for God’s sake. Finding a woman to date there is as easy as finding ants at a picnic.”

  “Pascale, first of all, that’s a terrible analogy, likening women to an invasive species. And secondly, I’ve already told you Nina is a lesbian, a full-on, card-carrying member. She left her husband for a woman. Well, she left him but didn’t end up with the woman she left him for, but she may be getting back with her after all, so who knows?”

  Pascale’s arms flailed like an inflatable tube man. “Daphne, if Nina’s a lesbian, my God, what are you waiting for? She’s so hot.”

  She wrinkled her forehead. “We’re just friends, Pascale. Boy, you love your gay stereotypes, don’t you?” She shook her head. “Lesbians often have friendships without ever hooking up with each other. Nina is good people, and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize our healthy, platonic relationship.”

  “You guys put too much thought into this type of thing.” His eyes widened as though the mere act of thinking was irrational. “Oh, wait. Is that a stereotype, too?”

  “Completely. But nonetheless true.”

  He winked and sipped his coffee. “Besides, isn’t she the one who’s still into her ex-girlfriend?”

  “And there’s that.”

  For some reason, Pascale found that funny, and after a moment, Daphne did, too. When the hilarity died down, he glimpsed over his shoulder for a supervisor check as their eight a.m. start loomed.

  “Keep hope alive, Daphne. You’re a great catch.” He tu
rned around to leave and then spun back. “Someone’s bound to realize it sooner or later.”

  Daphne nodded in appreciation as she adjusted her headset and prepared to face another shift in paradise.

  During her lunch break she texted Nina to see if she was available for a chat. Within a couple of minutes, Nina called her on FaceTime.

  “Happy Monday.” Nina beamed from her office, her face backlit from the sun streaming in through the large window behind her desk.

  Daphne’s soul soared as her day suddenly became a thousand percent better. “Hey, you. So did you hear from Lacey again?” Subtle, Daphne, so subtle. She shook her fists at herself below her phone’s screen.

  “No. And I’m glad I suppressed my urge to text her, especially now that it really seems it was accidental.”

  Daphne felt a twinge of what she could only identify as…jealousy? Was she reading into things, or had Nina sounded a tad disappointed?

  “Are you okay with that?” Daphne asked.

  “Oh God, yes. That’s the last thing I need.”

  “Exes.” Daphne slapped her palm against her forehead. What the hell was happening? She was acting like a dork in the FaceTime chat but couldn’t reel herself in. “So if you like kayaking, there’s a lesbian meet-up this Saturday morning.”

  “I love kayaking, but this is my weekend with Noah. We’re spending the day in my mother’s pool.”

  “Bummer. I’ll wait so you can come, too. Now that summer’s here, someone will arrange another one soon.”

  “No, Daph. Go,” Nina said as she seemed to study her computer monitor. “It’ll be fun. The weather’s supposed to be nice.”

  Although it didn’t make any sense, Daphne wanted Nina not to want her to go on the outing without her. Actually, she wished Nina had invited her to join them for their pool day at Nina’s mother’s house, and not just because Nina would be in a bathing suit. Ewww, Daphne. Why are you being so weird?

  “Oh. Oh, yeah,” she stammered. “I’m gonna go. I know a few people who RSVPed that they would. It’ll be fun. You and I can go some other time.”