Keep Tahoe Blue

by Nicole Pyland

  “Me too.” Reese gave her a shy smile.

  “But I don’t know that we should speed it up either.”

  “Ah.” Reese lifted her eyebrows. “You mean sex.”

  Kellan smiled at her, slid a little closer on the bench seat, and replied, “Not exclusively.”

  “You want to have non-exclusive sex?” Reese teased. “That either means you want to be able to have sex with other people or that you want you and I to have sex with other people together.” She gave a playful wink.

  “I mean neither of those things, and you know it.” Kellan rolled her eyes.

  “You want to wait for that part.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying either, Reese.” She leaned in. Reese’s heart sped up as she met Kellan’s sexy blue eyes. “I’m saying I want everything to happen naturally. I don’t want us to rush anything because I’m not a full-time resident of South Lake.”

  “I see.”

  “Is that a problem?” Kellan pulled back slightly and appeared concerned.

  “Kellan, just because I’ve had some one-night stands and a little fun doesn’t mean that’s what I always do or that that’s what I want out of this,” she began. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with us. But not including that time we spent on the beach just you and me, this is only our second date. It’s true that, after I got sick, I played around a little. I wasn’t exactly planning on stopping that. I mean, I saw you in the visitor’s center and thought about doing the same thing I’d done with some of the other women I’ve been with. If I pretended otherwise, I’d be lying. I don’t know if I’m ready for a relationship; that’s the truth.” She paused and placed her hand on Kellan’s cheek. “I’m nervous and scared right now because I like you more than I thought I would. I’m enjoying spending time with you. But you’re leaving, Kellan. Whether it’s in a week or two or three, you’ll go back to San Francisco. I’ll be here. I don’t know what happens then.”

  “Me neither.”

  “If you and I keep spending time together while you’re here, will we keep doing that when you’re gone? Find time to see one another?”

  “I hope so,” Kellan answered and leaned her cheek into Reese’s palm.

  “Come on. We should probably hit the road. Not all of us are on vacation. Some of us have to work tomorrow.” Reese stood.

  She held out her hand for Kellan to take. It seemed like a good next step for the two of them. Kellan stood with a smile on her face. She took Reese’s outstretched hand and entwined their fingers. Reese stared down at their linked hands. Yeah, this was right.

  CHAPTER 13

  “I feel like I hardly see you now that you’ve got a girlfriend,” Remy teased as she helped Reese move a table into place.

  “I do not have a girlfriend,” Reese countered. “And you were at your boyfriend’s place last night. I got home at a reasonable hour.”

  “Bummer.” Remy unfolded the red plastic tablecloth and passed a section of it to Reese to place on top. “Is she a bad kisser or something?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Reese revealed.

  “You haven’t even kissed the girl yet?” Remy chuckled as they worked to arrange the tablecloth together. “You spent all night with her out in the cold. I seem to remember something about her taking care of you because you were freezing. And don’t get me started on the fact that you nearly froze to death, Reese. You know you have to be careful. If you were going out to the island, you should have–”

  “First of all, I don’t even think I was that bad. Second of all, I had no idea we were going to the island. Third, I definitely didn’t plan to get trapped there. And fourth, I didn’t kiss her because I could barely move my lips at that point. When we got back the next morning, we rushed home so I could get ready for work. You kind of killed the mood there, Rem.”

  “Oh, please.” Remy dismissed her with a wave. “You didn’t even let the girl inside the house. I’m pretty sure that’s what killed your mood. What happened last night though?”

  “Nothing.” Reese placed a tray of store-bought cookies on the table.

  “Well, I know that.” Remy moved two sleeves of red cups to the table.

  “No, I mean nothing happened that made me not want to kiss her. Actually, I wanted to kiss her several times over the course of the drive, but that would have gotten us both killed. And then at dinner, we were out in public. I don’t know her stance on public displays of affection yet.”

  “And when you dropped her off? Not even a goodnight kiss? When did you turn into such a prude?” Remy laughed.

  “I’m not a prude.” Reese glanced around the small multi-purpose room at the other people completing their varying tasks to prepare for the school’s open house. “She didn’t exactly kiss me either.”

  “You two don’t have a lot of time left, Reese. She’s leaving on Sunday, right?”

  “She’s not, actually.” Reese smiled and moved a few two-liters of fruit punch onto the table next to the cups. “She’s staying for at least another week; maybe longer.”

  “Really? What changed?”

  “I guess I contributed to her decision.”

  “She’s staying for you? That’s adorable.” Remy stacked napkins next to the cookies.

  “I don’t know if it’s entirely for me, but she’s staying a little longer.”

  “Still, Reese, another week or two isn’t all that long. If you want to–”

  “It’s not just about sex, Rem.” She moved to stand closer to her sister. “I like her.”

  “I know you do.”

  “No, I mean I really like her.”

  “I get it. I also understand that when you like a person how you like her, you generally move past the staring longingly into their eyes to hand holding and then to kissing. Then, sometimes, two consenting adults even get naked with one another, and–” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  “I lost my virginity first, Rem. I’m pretty sure I understand how sex works.”

  Remy only laughed and then moved two chairs into place. Reese continued to set up the room. Parents would be arriving in a few minutes. Remy had offered her assistance along with Ryan’s. Her boyfriend was currently helping with a setup of the sound system so they could play soft music in the background while parents and students milled about the room. The open house was mainly for students to decide on after-school activities, but each teacher needed to spend at least one hour in their classroom in case parents needed to stop by with questions or just to see their kid’s artwork plastered over the walls.

  “You should invite her to football again on Sunday. She seemed to have a good time,” Remy suggested.

  “Yeah, maybe.” Reese considered it, but then she thought of Morgan and how that might be awkward. “I’ll be right back. You good here?”

  “I think I can move a few chairs out of the way, Reese.”

  Reese rolled her eyes at her sister and moved to the double doors, which she opened, heading out into the hallway. She walked down to her classroom. After making sure no one had arrived yet to check out the finger paintings she’d hung earlier in the day, she closed the door behind her and pulled out her phone.

  “Hey,” Kellan’s voice greeted. “Shouldn’t you be open housing?”

  “I am.” Reese laughed and then she remembered she had no reason to call Kellan other than the fact that she’d been thinking about her and wanted to hear her voice.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, Remy is here helping me set up tonight. She just mentioned something.”

  “Did you need help setting up? I could’ve come. It’s not like I’m doing anything.”

  “No, it’s fine. Ryan is helping with the sound system. He’s the one we really needed. She just came along. But Remy wanted to invite you to football. It’s on Sunday at the same place. Since you’re not leaving, she thought you’d like to come.” Reese closed her eyes and forced herself to stop pacing. “You don’t have to. I know we have a date tomorrow. Maybe you want t
o see how that goes before we make other plans.”

  “I’d love to come to football if you want me there,” Kellan replied. “But I assume Morgan will be there, too.”

  “She rarely misses a game.”

  “I’d like to go if that’s where you’ll be.” Kellan hesitated then. “I don’t need tomorrow to know I want to spend as much time with you as I can while I’m here, Reese. If you think it’ll be awkward with Morgan there, though, maybe I should skip it.”

  “Hell, maybe I should skip it,” she argued.

  “Do you ever skip it?”

  “Not since I was sick. I just sit there though. It’s the same thing every week. I wouldn’t mind missing it if I had other plans.”

  “Did you used to play?” Kellan asked.

  “Before, yeah.”

  “But you don’t want to anymore?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I do.”

  “Then, you should, Reese. You climbed into that canoe with me, hiked up those rocks, and spent the night outside. You can play a game of touch football.”

  Reese bit her upper lip in frustration; not at Kellan but at herself. She sat in the chair behind her desk and considered her options.

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  “I’ll give you a maybe.”

  “Then, I’ll go to football on Sunday.”

  “Okay.” Reese laughed. “I guess we’ll both be there at the same time and in the same place.”

  “I guess so.” Kellan chuckled.

  “This is so lame. I feel like a teenager right now.”

  “So do I.” Kellan’s chuckle grew louder. “I stared at my phone for another ten minutes last night after we sent those goodnight texts just in case you’d send something else,” she admitted.

  “Oh, my God! I did the same thing. But then you didn’t send anything, so I thought you went to sleep.”

  “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Is saying that lame too?”

  “No, it’s cute, actually,” Reese replied. “I can’t wait to see you either.” She heard a knock at the door and looked up to see one of the other teachers in the small window. “I have to go. The parents will be arriving soon. Remy’s probably trying to track me down.”

  “I guess I’ll say good night now then, since I’m sure you’ll be tired after.”

  “I can still text you when I get home. You know, so you know I’m safe.” She bit her upper lip again and smiled through it.

  “I’d like that. I’ll wait up for you.”

  The teacher knocked again. Reese met the woman’s eyes. She held up one finger to indicate she needed a moment and returned her attention to Kellan.

  “I really have to go now. I’m getting a glare from Mrs. Torres.”

  Kellan laughed. Reese enjoyed that sound so much she considered telling everyone she didn’t feel well just to go hear it in person.

  “I’ll talk to you later. Have fun tonight,” Kellan instructed.

  “I will.”

  Mrs. Torres went back to the multi-purpose room to help complete the setup. Remy and Ryan left for dinner before everyone arrived. Reese completed her obligation to the school by shaking hands, smiling, and telling parents stories of their children in her class. When the open house ended, she helped the remaining teachers with the extra food and the trash before heading to her car to begin her drive home. She was exhausted. It was after ten, and she wanted nothing more than a full night of sleep, but there was something else she wanted more.

  She pulled into the driveway, got out of her car, and tried not to run to the front door so as to retain some semblance of her dignity. She knocked too loudly and waited. When nothing happened, she knocked again and thought maybe she’d made a bad decision. She’d almost turned to go when the front door opened. Kellan stood there, wearing a pair of black shorts and a white tank top.

  “Reese?”

  Reese moved instantly over the threshold of the cabin and wrapped both arms around Kellan’s neck. She pulled Kellan into her and pressed their bodies together before covering Kellan’s lips with her own. It took Kellan only a moment to respond. When she did, her arms went around Reese’s waist and pulled her even closer. Reese could feel Kellan’s warmth through the thin fabric of her shirt. She balled her hands into fists to prevent them from moving down and removing it. Kellan’s tongue met Reese’s, and the kiss intensified for several moments before it slowed naturally. Kellan pecked her lips gently and ran her hands up and down Reese’s back. Reese leaned in again and captured Kellan’s lips once more, keeping it gentle too, before she removed her arms from around Kellan’s neck and moved back over the threshold.

  “Good night, Kellan,” she said after she regained some of her composure.

  “Wait. What?”

  “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now, and I should have done that last night.”

  “Come inside, Reese.” Kellan moved to the side and held out her hand.

  “Not tonight. I really just wanted to kiss you.”

  “So, you kiss me like that, and then you just leave?” Kellan smirked at her.

  “Yes. I’ll text you when I get home though.”

  “You’ll do better than that,” Kellan insisted. “I want a phone call.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Reese gave a mock-salute and then realized how stupid that must have looked. “God, I swear I’m not this ridiculous.”

  “I like you ridiculous.” Kellan smiled back at her. “You sure you don’t want to come in? We can just talk.”

  “No, we can’t.” Reese took a few steps back. “Now that I know you can kiss like that, we can’t be alone in your cabin and just talk.” She moved back toward her car. “I will call you when I get into bed.”

  “I guess that will have to be enough.” Kellan held her hand over her heart and offered a playful smile.

  “For tonight.” Reese winked at her. “It’s enough for tonight, Kell.”

  CHAPTER 14

  As Kellan trekked down the hill, she turned her music off to take in the sounds of nature. She listened to the chickadees in the trees as she walked. These small, fat-looking birds were common in Tahoe and had a black top to their heads that almost looked like a hat, black bib under their chin, and a white line over their eyes. She watched one swing from the branches of the tree to her left and listened to its very distinctive three-note whistle. She sat off to the side of the trail on a large rock that had obviously acted as a resting spot for many a hiker and peeled open one of the granola bars she’d packed with her.

  She wasn’t starving, but she’d eaten breakfast around six and wouldn’t eat lunch until Reese’s arrival. She peeled the wrapper back on it, placed it on top of her pack to her side, and then reached for her water bottle to grab a quick sip when she saw a Steller’s Jay scoop down from a low-hanging tree branch and land next to her granola bar on top of her bag. The pigeon-sized bird had dark blue wings, tail, and breast, along with a lighter but brighter body. She’d seen a million of them on her visits. They were one of the most common birds in the woods.

  “Have to be careful around here. Those birds are fearless. I’ve seen them steal bread crusts from people at picnic tables,” Morgan said from behind her.

  Kellan turned to Morgan for a moment before glancing back at the bird that tilted its head to the side as she took the creature in and then lowered its head confidently to try to chip away at her granola bar. Kellan smiled at it and turned back to Morgan. The movement must have frightened the bird, though, because he quickly flitted away back into the trees, leaving his hard-earned reward still atop her bag. Kellan picked it up. She broke it into easy to consume bites for the birds and tossed it into the brush beside the trail before standing.

  “What are you doing here?” Kellan asked once she’d donned her backpack and turned to Morgan. “Do you have a group with you?”

  “It’s just me today.” She pointed through the heavy trees. “I live back through there. I was planning to take the kayak out this mornin
g. This is the quickest way to get where I dock it.” She motioned past Kellan down the trail, which led to the water’s edge.

  “I just wanted a short hike this morning,” Kellan replied even though Morgan hadn’t asked what had brought her to the trail.

  “Well, have fun.” Morgan lifted both eyebrows only for a second before lowering them.

  “Morgan, can we talk for a second?” she asked just as the woman began to walk past her on the trail toward the water.

  “About how you’re dating my ex-girlfriend?” She stopped in front of Kellan. “Or about how I thought you and I had a good time, I asked you out, you turned me down and then started dating my ex-girlfriend?”

  “I don’t know what Reese and I are doing,” she shared. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”

  “Have you been on more than one date?”

  “Yeah, but–”

  “That’s called dating, Kellan.”

  “Hey, come on.” Kellan moved back a little. “Morgan, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I came here to spend time by myself. I had no idea I’d meet you or Reese. I planned on being here for a couple of weeks and then going home. The biggest goal I’d set for myself was to maybe start to heal a broken heart.”

  “Seems like that’s been accomplished,” Morgan said.

  “It’s interesting how sometimes you get some space or time away from a specific place or person and your brain clears.”

  “Well, I’m glad for you if you’re feeling better.”

  “Morgan, I’m sorry if I led you on or something. That wasn’t my intention.” She shifted her backpack on her shoulders out of anxiousness more than anything. “I did have fun with you on the hike and when we played football before that.”

  “But you’re not interested in me in any way beyond friendship. I get it.”

  “I like Reese,” she confessed with a shrug.

  “I can tell.” Morgan hesitated, lowered her gaze, and then brought her eyes back to Kellan’s. “She likes you, too.”