"Just wait until you see the tattoos." She winked.
"Tattoos?" Nicole’s voice was weak.
"Nicole Hebert, you bring your guest in here and introduce her properly." Melba commanded from the kitchen.
"She’s not a guest. She’s family." Stan corrected. "Now get in here, both of you."
"You sure you want to be here?" Nicole asked. "This is your last chance to cut and run. Once you get past that door, there’s no turning back."
"I am very sure. C’mon." Laurel took her hand. "There’s no way I’m backing out of this. Let’s go eat with the family." Hand in hand they entered the kitchen.
"Melba, I’d like you to meet Laurel Kendrick. Laurel, this is Melba." Nicole made the introductions.
"Hi." Laurel freed her hand and shook the housekeeper’s. "I’ve heard a lot about you."
"Not as much as I’ve heard about you, I’m sure." Melba gripped her hand tightly. Laurel would have sworn there was a threat implied there.
"I hope it was all good." She tried her charm.
"Some good, some bad. Let’s hope the good continues to outweigh the bad, ok?" The housekeeper looked at her sharply.
"Yes ma’am." Laurel reclaimed her hand and then turned to the other person standing in the room. "Stan the man. How’s it hanging?"
"Halfway to my knees." He grinned. "How’ve you been? It is so great to see you." He pulled her into a hug.
"Better, worse, you know how it goes." She laughed. "I get the feeling it might get a lot better from now on."
"It better." Nicole stated. "C’mon let’s get some food into you. Melba, do we have any left?"
"Left? Honey, we have tons of food, and it looks as if your friend could use most of it." The housekeeper finally smiled. "C’mon sit down, let me get you a plate. Are you a picky eater like Nicky?"
"No ma’am, not really." Laurel answered. "I’ll try just about anything once."
"Now that’s what I like to hear." Melba smiled broadly as Laurel took a seat at the table.
"Have you eaten?" She asked Nicole.
"Yes, but I’ll sit here while you do."
"Good." She leaned over. "I don’t know if your housekeeper trusts me or not. You might wanna stay here and protect me."
"She won’t hurt you." Nicole laughed. "She’s just a little protective."
"A little?" Stan asked. "Try a lot."
"Here you go. Something to drink?" Melba set a large plate in front of the bassist.
"Thanks. Tea if you have any please." She looked down at her plate. "You know, I don’t think I’ve seen this much food in a long time."
"Get used to it. Melba loves to over cook." Stan told her.
"I heard that. If I didn’t cook so much, how would you eat?" The housekeeper asked as she joined them at the table. "So, what plans do you have for your life?"
"Um. I was going to go to graduate school. I’ve made more than enough to pay for that and live pretty comfortably." Laurel answered after hastily swallowing a mouthful of food. "After that, I might try teaching."
"Cool. Are you moving in here?" Stan asked.
"I don’t know." She answered. All she knew is she was staying there that evening. There was more they had to talk about before living arrangements were decided. "We’ll get to that eventually."
"That reminds me." Nicole broke into the conversation. "Stan, can you get Laurel’s bags from her truck? We don’t want to leave them out there in case it rains or someone decides to borrow them."
"Sure, no problem. I’ll be right back." He left to run his errand.
"This is really good." It was without a doubt, the best meal she had eaten in months.
"I’m glad you enjoyed it. Wait until you see what I have planned for dinner." Melba seemed friendlier now that Laurel had shown appreciation for her food. "Why don’t you two go talk or something while I clean up? I’ll call you for dinner."
"Thanks, Melba." Nicole smiled at the housekeeper. "Want the tour?"
"Sure." Laurel was willing. Touring a house was a lot easier than touring the country.
***
"Holy shit. Is it always like that here?" Laurel asked as Stan finally left the house.
"Like what?" Nicole asked mildly from her seat on the couch.
"Packed with people?"
"Sometimes. Phil and Jay come over regularly, or did to see grandmother. Now they probably will too to check up on everything. Stan is over here a lot to eat. Kay used to be here a few nights a week. Denney did the weekend thing. I guess they’ll still drop in when they want to, though I will try to cut some of that down. Mainly they get bored so they come over here." She shrugged. "At least now you’ve met most of the family."
"There’s more?" Laurel seemed shocked.
"Yep. There are a lot of us."
"So, now that we’re alone again, where am I sleeping tonight?" Laurel asked. The tour of the house had been cut short by Phil and Jay’s arrival. They had been overjoyed to see the bassist and insisted on staying for dinner to talk to her.
"Anywhere you want except Melba’s room. I don’t think she’d like that too much. She refuses to get something other than a double bed." Nicole was nervous. She decided to take it easy and let the bassist decide this issue.
"Can I sleep in your room? Or are you not allowed to have over night guests?"
"I’m allowed." She laughed. "Sheryl used to stay over all the time. Nothing happened though, so my bed is still innocent." For some reason it felt important to make that clear.
"Ok then. I could use some sleep. I fell asleep on the plane before we took off this morning." Laurel said around a yawn.
"You flew in today and then drove down here?"
"Yep."
"No wonder you’re tired. Come on, let’s go get some sleep." Nicole stood. "Can you bring the dogs inside?" Muggster and Mozart had bonded instantly. They shared a love of the backyard.
"Yeah. I think I remember the way. Yours is the room above the kitchen right?"
"Yes it is. By the way, how did you get in the backyard this afternoon?" Nicole asked. The gate was always kept locked.
"I climbed the fence." Laurel smirked. "Go on up, I’ll be there in a minute."
"Ok."
Nicole used the time alone to change into her pajamas. She was thrilled Laurel was home, but did not know if she could handle more than sharing the bed. So much had happened, so much was still unsaid. She knew they would have to talk it all out before they resumed their relationship completely.
"Um, Nicole, did you know your pajamas have ducks on them?" Laurel asked as she entered the room.
"Yeah. They’re old. I actually wore them in high school."
"Ok. I was just checking. Mind if I change in here?" She was pleased to see that Laurel was feeling the same awkwardness.
"Go ahead." Nicole climbed under the covers. Both dogs took that as their cue and joined her on the bed.
She watched as Laurel took off her jeans. As always, the bassist was wearing boxer shorts. The long sleeve shirt was placed on the chair by the desk, but the t-shirt stayed. Laurel did however remove her bra by slipping it out through one of the t-shirt’s sleeves. It was unfortunate, but Nicole only caught a quick glimpse of the tattoo on Laurel’s arm. She knew she would see it in detail later.
"Can I join you or should I sleep on the floor?" The bassist grinned.
"Come on." Nicole moved to the edge of the bed to make room. It did not take long. As soon as Laurel was fully under the covers, Nicole found her shoulder. "I missed this."
"I did too. Muggster is not the best cuddle toy." Laurel laughed softly as she put her arm around the photographer.
"Mo isn’t either. I did however find a stuffed monkey. That was a good one. You’re better."
"You got the monkey?"
"And the CD, and three unsigned postcards. What was the Grand Canyon like?" Nicole asked. It seemed a good place to start their conversation.
"Hot. It was hot, dry and beautiful. I got it all on tap
e if you want to see it later."
"I would love to see it." Nicole rolled over and placed her arm around Laurel’s waist. She felt her lover shift and welcome her. "What was it really like out there on tour?"
"It was rough. We played almost every night. Every callus I had doubled in size. I had blisters underneath each one within a few weeks of touring. We never got a good night’s sleep it seems, I never really had time to eat decent meals, I know we didn’t drink enough water. But, I saw some really neat places. I meet some really great people, and I ran into an old friend on one of our stops."
"Good friend or bad friend?" Nicole could not tell from her lover’s tone.
"I tell you what. I’ll trade you one of my bad experiences for one of yours, ok?" Laurel rolled over so they were facing one another.
"You mean you tell me one and then I tell you one?"
"Yeah. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"You remember that accident I was in? I met the person who was in the car with me when it happened." Laurel closed her eyes. Nicole could tell this was a painful story for the bassist. "Her name was Sharon. She’s the only other person I’ve ever loved. We were on our way home from a party. I had just graduated high school. Sharon and I were the same age, but in different year groups since I skipped a grade in elementary school. Anyway, it wasn’t long after Jon died. We were drunk, but I didn’t think I was too drunk to drive home. We were both still kinda stoned too, but it wasn’t the first time I’d ever driven stoned. I figured I could handle it. We might have made it too, had Sharon not grabbed the wheel and turned us off the road."
"You ok?" Nicole could feel the shudders running through the body in her arms. She knew this was hard for Laurel.
"Yeah. We ran off the road. I could see this huge oak tree in front of us. Sharon wouldn’t let go of the wheel. I did everything I could, but she was stronger than I was at the time. We had been doing maybe fifty miles an hour when she grabbed the wheel. She crossed over and slammed my foot onto the accelerator as well. I managed to step on the brakes, but it didn’t seem to help. It just made the car want to go out of control. We skidded into the tree. One of us dropped the car into neutral by accident I think. I wish it had been a standard, I could have let off the clutch and let the car die, but it was an automatic. Regardless, I panicked. We collided with the oak, I hit the steering wheel and then the window on my door, or maybe it was the other way around. Sharon hit the dashboard. The next thing I remember, the state police are standing over my bed twelve hours after they brought me to the hospital. As soon as I was released, I was arrested."
"What happened to Sharon?" Nicole could feel an overwhelming hatred for the other passenger.
"I didn’t find this part out until I saw her again, but her father bribed someone to keep her from getting into trouble. It was too late for me. Sharon was shipped off to a rehab center in Gulfport. Her father gave the DA plenty of false information about me, and even though the judge threw most of it out, I was still sentenced to time served, time in a halfway house and probation. It was a weird sentence, but it was better than jail. The judge knew my dad, and my attorney talked me into a plea bargain. Had I pled innocent, I could have avoided all of it, but I think my parents wanted me out of the way and I really didn’t know better at the time. So, I went along with what the attorney told me to do. As a result, I started college a semester late."
"Yeah, but you made it out in four years."
"Three and a half, really. I took at least one course every summer to catch up. Sharon apologized for what happened. She wanted to be friends again, but Laurie Kendrick died in that car accident. I started using my full name after that. I always thought she betrayed me, but she claims she didn’t. She did get my record expunged though. Which is odd, because I was tried as a juvenile since I was still under age." Laurel sounded puzzled.
"Maybe she did anyway." Nicole attempted to reassure her. She did not believe Sharon’s story, but she knew Laurel almost had to. It would heal part of the bassist’s soul. "Betrayal is not easy to live with." The photographer whispered. She leaned in and lightly kissed Laurel’s forehead. "Please don’t think I ever meant to betray you."
"I know you didn’t. Tell me about that?" Laurel freed her hand and dried her eyes. "Please?"
"Brian or Jenny?" Nicole was nervous again. She did not know if Laurel knew about her encounter with Jenny Phelps. "Is it late enough for a full confession?"
"I think so." Laurel chuckled. "It’s not 2 am, but I think it’s late enough for this. Tell me about whichever you wish. I already knew about Jenny, though I didn’t know her name. Did you like her?"
"She was a nice person. She had attractive qualities, but she wasn’t you."
"Carrie wasn’t you either. She was just relief. That article threw me off balance, and she was a way to escape for about half an hour."
"Half an hour?" Nicole laughed. "You only lasted for half an hour?"
"She did. I didn’t let her touch me. I realized why, I think. Sharon made me think about all of that. She was the last person I ever let touch me freely except for you, and even that was always a fight. She made me not want to be vulnerable. I want to be like that with you."
"I do too." Nicole thought she understood what Laurel was attempting to say. "Brian always had a way of playing on my vulnerabilities. He knew what buttons to push to make me react. That night. I still don’t remember it clearly. I know what happened, but I don’t remember how it happened. I think I passed out in his arms. I remember falling as I turned to say something to him, and I think he caught me. That’s all I remember."
"It’s probably for the best that you don’t remember everything." Laurel said softly. "Obviously though, he took advantage of you."
"Obviously." Nicole snorted. "The first, only and last guy I’ve been with. I’ll never tell my child that. For all intents and purposes, Danny is the biological father. He spread the word around that he donated sperm and I used a turkey baster." She laughed. "He wanted to make sure Brian would never know the truth, so he told them all we decided to do it three weeks before we knew Brian was in town."
"He’s a smart man." Laurel commented. "I’m glad he did that. I wish I could beat the crap out of the asshole though."
"Danny did that too. His mother showed me a picture of Brian at his wedding. He had to get married with a broken nose, a black eye, bruised ribs and a split lip."
"Serves him right." Laurel was quiet for a moment. "I should have been here."
"You’re here now. That’s all that matters, ok?" Of all the reactions she expected, Nicole had not expected guilt. She gently took Laurel’s hand and placed it under her naval. "Besides, something good came of it."
"Yeah, I guess it did." Laurel’s smile was interrupted by a yawn.
"It did. Get some sleep. We can talk about everything else in the morning."
"Ok. I love you." Laurel leaned in for a chaste kiss. Incredibly, it almost remained chaste.
"I love you too." Nicole returned to her position on the bassist’s shoulder. "Night."
"Goodnight."
***
"Whooohoooo." Laurel heard the yell right before she felt the weight hit her back and arms cross themselves around her waist. "Welcome home, Lakky."
"Thanks, Sheryl." She turned around and smiled at the critic. "What’s up?"
"That’s just what I was going to ask you. What are you doing here? Where’s the band? How long are you here for? Are you two back together? Where’s Nicole?" The critic barely took a breath as she rattled off questions.
"Eating, West Virginia, forever, I think so, and she’s on assignment." Laurel winked at the chuckling housekeeper. "Any more questions?"
"Tons." Sheryl grinned. "Well? How did you end up here?"
"I flew to Gulfport and then drove here from Hattiesburg." She set her plate down on the table. "Lunch?"
"Sure." The word was barely out of the critic’s mouth before a plate was placed in her hands. "Thanks Melba."
"You are most welcome. Mind if I join you?"
"Come on." Laurel waved her over. "Now what was it you wanted to ask me?" She turned to Sheryl.
"When did you get here? And why wasn’t I told? I feel so out of the loop."
"I got here four days ago. I don’t know why Nicole didn’t call you. She did say you were coming down this weekend so she may have wanted to tell you in person." She reasoned.
"That’s understandable. I’m sure you’ve done lots of talking since then." Sheryl took a bite of her catfish. "This is great."
"Thank you. I made it for lunch instead of dinner because Nicky hates catfish. Stan caught a whole bunch and I wanted it out of my freezer." The housekeeper laughed. "He should be over later to get some of it."
"So I guess you’ve talked about everything?" Sheryl returned to the previous subject.
"Yeah pretty much. It seems like all we’ve done is talk." Laurel chuckled ruefully. They had done nothing more than talk and cuddle. She understood why, but it was testing her patience.
"So are you moving in here?" The critic asked around a mouthful of hushpuppy.
"Oddly enough, we haven’t talked about that yet." She fingered the ring hanging around her neck. She wanted to clear the air completely before she presented it to Nicole.
"What have you talked about?" She could tell Sheryl was hinting around something.
"The baby, what happened to each of us while we were apart, past history and other stuff like that."
"Ok. Good, you know then. You’re sticking around for that?"
"I’m here for the duration if she’ll keep me." They had talked of the past, both recent and ancient, but not the future.
"More catfish?" Melba asked.
"No thank you. If I keep eating everything you offer, I’ll be fat." The bassist pushed her plate away. Melba had warmed up over the past few days, and seemed determined to have Laurel regain the weight she lost plus padding.
"Not the way you jog. This girl is out every morning before I start breakfast, running around the neighborhood." The housekeeper gathered the plates together.
"Really? I thought you hated exercise." Sheryl swiped the last hushpuppy from the plate in the middle of the table.
All That Jazz Page 43