“Gang, this is my friend, Kelsey. Kels, this is the gang.” Hannah went around the table and introduced everybody—their names left Kelsey’s head almost instantly, much to her dismay—and then asked her what she wanted to drink.
For the next hour, wine in hand, Kelsey sat at the table with Hannah and her friends and listened to them talk about any number of subjects. Movies. Politics. Food. She jumped in here and there, but had more fun just observing. They were a nice group of people, and Kelsey decided she was glad she’d come.
“Hey, where’s the little girls’ room?” she asked quietly as she leaned toward Hannah.
“Come with me.” Hannah stood and led the way across the yard and into the house. Kelsey was surprised to note that the crowd hadn’t seemed to have dissipated at all. The house was cute, not too large and not too small, and Kelsey realized that she knew very little about Hannah’s home life, other than she still lived here at twenty-five years old and was saving as much as she could so she could get her own place. She didn’t know what Hannah’s parents did for a living. She didn’t know if there were siblings. As she looked around the house, Kelsey suddenly felt like a terrible friend.
“Right here,” Hannah said, as they stopped in front of a closed door in the hall. “Somebody’s in there, so just hang.” She glanced at Kelsey’s near empty cup. “More wine?”
“That’d be great,” Kelsey said, handing the cup to her.
“Be right back.”
Kelsey leaned back against the wall, keeping herself out of the way as best she could of people moving through the hall, which connected the kitchen to the front foyer of the house. The wall was a pleasing shade of light mauve, and Liz Keene had a good eye for décor. There was some art on the wall, all with matching frames, all of various kinds of flowers. Each painting had at least a touch of the light mauve from the wall, tying it all nicely together. She was squinting to read the artist’s name at the bottom of one of the paintings when the lock on the powder room knob clicked and the door swung open. Kelsey stepped back and out of the way of it, but then her breath caught in her throat as the pair of gorgeous blue eyes widened in shock.
“Here you go,” Hannah said just then as she came around the corner with a red Solo cup half full of Pinot Grigio.
“Shelley,” the woman coming out of the bathroom whispered in what could only be disbelief, and her face broke into a huge smile.
“No, goof,” Hannah said with a laugh. “This is Kelsey. Kelsey, this is my half-sister Theresa.”
“Kelsey,” the woman said softly, as if trying out the name, seeing how it felt on her tongue.
Theresa. Lisa. Made sense.
But Kelsey couldn’t move. She simply stood and stared and let Hannah continue to hold out the cup while she continued to not take it.
Lisa—er—Theresa didn’t move either. The two of them simply stood there, overwhelmed by the shock of seeing each other someplace so utterly unexpected.
“You didn’t show up,” Kelsey said quietly. Finally.
Theresa looked chagrined and glanced down at her feet while her face tinted a pretty pink. “I know. I’m so sorry. I got stuck in a meeting and when I went to call you and tell you, I realized...I don’t have your number.” She cocked her head and made an expression that said, “Duh.”
Of course! How could Kelsey be so stupid? They didn’t have each other’s numbers. The weight of disappointment that had been pushing down on her shoulders since yesterday suddenly evaporated, and she felt infinitely lighter. Happier. Shocked.
“Um...what’s going on?” Hannah said, her eyes darting from Theresa to Kelsey and back. “Somebody wanna clue me in?”
This is my half-sister, Theresa.
Hannah’s earlier words hit Kelsey like a board to the head. The object of Kelsey’s desire was Hannah’s sister! Oh, shit. Not good. Not good at all.
Theresa, obviously unaware of any tension, chuckled. “I met...Kelsey here—” She stopped and her face was bright, happy. “Not used to that name yet. I met Kelsey here at Starbucks a couple weeks ago.” She told the whole story to Hannah, unaware that Kelsey had told the exact same story to her the day before. And while Kelsey wanted to watch Hannah, gauge her reaction and jump in if necessary, she had a hard time pulling her eyes away from Theresa.
Theresa.
Her name is Theresa.
There was a beat of silence as Kelsey realized Theresa had finished her story, but Hannah had yet to comment. Hannah’s face was alarmingly neutral, like she was working very hard at keeping it that way, and Kelsey felt the sudden urge to lighten the mood. Change the subject. Something. Anything.
“So...you guys are sisters?” Kelsey made sure her confusion was apparent so she didn’t have to say things like, There’s a pretty big age difference between you or But you look nothing alike...at all.
“We have the same father,” Theresa said, and a shadow passed so quickly across her face, Kelsey wondered if maybe she’d imagined it. “But, I look like my mom and Hannah looks like hers.”
“Right,” Hannah said, and pushed the Solo cup toward Kelsey. “Here you go, Kels.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Kelsey took the cup and lifted it a bit in a salute of sorts, which was completely lame, she realized, as she did it.
“I’m gonna go back out,” Hannah said with an expression that said she needed to get out of that tiny hallway ASAP.
“Okay.” Kelsey didn’t know what else to say, so she and Theresa stood there and watched her walk away. “That wasn’t at all awkward,” she muttered after a couple seconds.
“Yeah,” Theresa said, sort of drawing the word out. She turned to look at Kelsey, normally smooth brow furrowed. “Why was it?”
Kelsey sighed, glanced back in the direction Hannah had gone. “It’s complicated.”
“So uncomplicate it for me.” Theresa’s voice was matter-of-fact. “Let’s get me a drink and we’ll sit down and you can fill me in.”
As if there was any way in hell Kelsey would say no to this woman. “Lead the way.”
Rather than back into the kitchen, Theresa led Kelsey toward the front foyer, which opened up to a large living room/dining room that took up one side of the house. The walls went from an earthy green in the living room to a muted, autumn-like orange in the dining room. Neither color was one Kelsey would pick individually, but in tandem, they worked remarkably well. That space was warm and inviting. Along a wall in the dining room ran a sideboard that was set up as a bar—and a shockingly well-appointed one at that. A quick scan showed Kelsey four vodkas in various flavors, gin, three rums, vermouth, whiskey, bourbon, and several more bottles of which she couldn’t see the labels.
“Wow. Somebody here knows their booze,” Kelsey said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, that’d be my dad.” Theresa grabbed a cup and filled it with ice from the bucket on the end of the bar. “You good on wine?”
Kelsey held up the cup she had yet to sip from. “All set.” She tried not to enjoy the view too much as Theresa made herself a rum and Coke using the Myer’s Dark. She wore denim shorts today—not an article of clothing Kelsey had seen her in yet, but now hoped to see her in more because her ass was...almost unbelievably perfect. Kelsey clutched her cup with both hands to keep from doing what she really wanted to do: slide her hands into the back pockets of those shorts and prop her chin on Theresa’s shoulder from behind.
Theresa turned around to face her. “Follow me.”
Kelsey snapped back to attention. Again, instead of going the expected way (out back to the party), Theresa led her through the front door to a tiny concrete slab of a porch with two white wicker chairs and a small table in between them. The cushions were a festive, summery lime green, and their location under the front door awning kept them cool in the shade.
Theresa made herself comfortable, crossing her ridiculous legs, and leaning back in her chair. She took a sip of her drink as she studied Kelsey, who tried her best not to squirm. And to ignore the ache growing low in h
er body. “So.”
“So.” Kelsey sipped her wine, more for something to do with her hands than from an actual urge to drink it.
“How do you know Hannah?”
“First of all, I had no idea she was your sister.”
“Half-sister.” The way Theresa said it made it feel like an important distinction.
“Half-sister. Okay.” Kelsey sipped again. “Well, I’m fairly new to town. Once I got settled, I decided to make the effort to find some friends since they, shockingly, were not falling into my lap out of the blue.”
Theresa laughed and Kelsey basked in the sound of it. “Imagine that.”
“Right? So I went online, did a little searching, and found a lesbian website that had a bunch of local events listed. I went to a softball game, met Hannah, and we became fast friends.”
“And more?” Theresa asked over the rim of her cup. All Kelsey could see was those eyes, and she couldn’t look away.
“No,” Kelsey said quietly. “We’re just friends.”
“You sure? Because she seemed a little...possessive of you in there.”
Kelsey blew out a breath. “Yeah.”
“Let me guess.” Theresa sat forward, elbow on her knee, chin propped in her hand. “She wants more from this friendship than you do.”
Kelsey pressed her lips together and waited a beat before giving a nod. “Yeah.”
Theresa shook her head and sat back again. “Typical Hannah.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.” Theresa took another sip of her rum and Coke and gazed off into the distance, watching a couple come out from along the side of the house. They waved to her as they headed to their car and she waved back.
“Did you grow up here? With Hannah?”
“No. I mean, yes, I grew up in Westland, but not with Hannah. My parents split when I was eight. My mom and I got an apartment on the other side of town. I didn’t see much of my dad. He was always...busy. He eventually married Liz and they had Hannah when I was fourteen.”
“That had to be tough on you. Fourteen’s rough enough as it is.”
Theresa sighed, and again looked off into the distance at something Kelsey couldn’t see. “Yeah, I guess it was. Hannah and I were never close. I always felt like she got the parts of my dad I didn’t. Like she was his new family.” She shook her head then, as if trying to wake herself up. “Wow, that got maudlin fast, didn’t it? Sorry about that.” With a laugh, she reached over and squeezed Kelsey’s knee. “Tell me about you. You said you’re new to town. How long have you been here?”
Kelsey had to admit this was a much more comfortable subject. She felt a little...disloyal talking about Hannah like that. “A few months. I moved here in April.”
“Wow, you are new. And what brought you here? A job?”
There was something exciting and sexy about having Theresa’s full attention. She sat forward again, elbow on her knee, those intense blue eyes focused on Kelsey. “You could say that. I opened my own scent shop. We sell lotions, body scrubs, bubble bath, that kind of thing. Much of it is cruelty-free and a lot is handmade.”
Theresa’s face initially registered surprise, which smoothly morphed into slight awe as Kelsey explained her products. “Wow. That’s impressive. You’re a business owner.”
“I am.” Theresa’s approval made Kelsey blush, and she liked it.
“Do you enjoy it? I mean, I assume you do or you wouldn’t be doing it, right?”
“I do enjoy it. I like people, talking to them to find out what works for them as far as products, what scents they’d like best.” She nodded. “It’s good.”
“That’s pretty cool.” Theresa looked like she meant it, and that made Kelsey grin like a fool. “And where are you new from? Where is home?”
“Charlotte, North Carolina.”
“Wow. Winter will be interesting for you.” Theresa’s grin was teasing.
“People keep telling me that,” Kelsey said, also smiling.
“Are you prepared? Like, do you have the right clothes? For snow and wind, I mean?”
Kelsey pursed her lips. “Not yet.”
“Okay, well, I’d be happy to help you with that. I know a terrific store and I can help you pick out exactly what you’ll need.” Theresa said it like it wasn’t an offer or a suggestion, it was simply fact. She would take Kelsey shopping for winter attire.
“I’d like that very much,” Kelsey said, feeling that tightening in her abdomen. There was something incredibly sexy about Theresa wanting to help her find clothes. “What about you?” she asked then, needing a change of subject. “What do you do?”
“Well, I don’t run my own business, that’s for sure. I’m not nearly as hip as you.” Theresa finished off her drink. “I’m in real estate.”
“That’s pretty awesome.”
“I think so. It can be boring to a lot of people, but I like it.”
“And how long have you been in real estate?”
“Let’s see.” Theresa tapped a forefinger against her lips as she thought. Kelsey tried not to stare. “I started with my company at their home office in New Jersey eight years ago. I just got transferred about six months ago.”
“Back to your hometown. That’s kind of cool.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t sure I wanted to come back here.” She glanced back at the house behind them. “Not all my memories are great, you know?”
“That makes sense.” Kelsey wanted so badly to pry, to dig deeper, to know more about this breathtaking woman, but she also knew it was too soon. The last thing she wanted was to make herself look like some creeper asking questions that were way too personal. She managed to rein herself in. “But you made the move anyway.”
“My mom talked me into it.” Theresa gave a small laugh. “She can be kind of insistent.”
“Mine, too. Moms can be like that.”
“Right?”
They sat quietly for long moments. Not uncomfortably. In fact, it felt right sitting there on the porch in a wicker chair on a sunny summer day with Theresa next to her. It felt oddly perfect, and Kelsey let herself bask in it for an extra moment before sighing.
“I should probably find Hannah.”
“Yeah,” Theresa agreed as she looked out toward the quiet street, but her tone was less than convincing. “I’m going to take off, I think.”
“Listen, can I actually get your number this time?” Theresa turned those gorgeous eyes on her and Kelsey felt her stomach flip-flop inside her rib cage. “Because I’d really like to see you again. For longer than fifteen minutes.”
Theresa held her gaze for a delicious few seconds before saying softly, “I’d like that, too.”
Kelsey pulled out her phone, scrolled to the contacts, and made a new entry. Then she handed it to Theresa so she could punch in the number. When she handed it back, Kelsey hit the Call button and Theresa’s phone vibrated in her pocket. “Now you have mine, too,” Kelsey said with satisfied expression.
“I do.”
Again, their eyes held deliciously, and Kelsey tried in vain to recall ever having such intense eye contact with anybody else in her life. “I’ll call you later.” Kelsey stood up, cup in hand, and pocketed her phone.
“I look forward to that.” Theresa held out her hand as if she was going to shake Kelsey’s, but when Kelsey grasped it, Theresa just held it for a soft, warm moment. “See you soon, Kelsey.”
Not trusting herself with the difficult task of actually making words, Kelsey gave a quick nod and reluctantly let go, then headed inside to find Hannah.
The house was still full of people Kelsey didn’t recognize, but she smiled and nodded greetings to anybody who looked in her direction as she made her way through to the back door and then out onto the deck. She spotted Hannah in the back corner with the same group of people she’d initially led Kelsey to: her friends at her mother’s party. Two had left and had been replaced by two more Kelsey didn’t know. Then her eyes fell on Ree and DJ and she felt
a quick blast of relief at seeing other friendly faces.
“I’m back,” Kelsey said as she took a seat next to Ree, then turned to her. “Hi there. Good to see you guys.” Ree squeezed her arm and DJ gave her a wave and a wink. Hannah didn’t look at her, which Kelsey noticed and tried not to let sting. After Kelsey surmised that Hannah wasn’t going to introduce her to the new members of the group, Kelsey half stood and held out her hand to them. “Hi. I’m Kelsey.”
“Bev,” the older of the two said as she enclosed Kelsey’s hand in her beefy, much larger one. “This is my wife, Sue.” She gestured to the very petite woman sitting next to her, who shook Kelsey’s hand with unexpected gusto as she smiled.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Kelsey sat back down and took a sip of her wine, which was now lukewarm. She grimaced into the cup and when she looked up, she locked eyes with Hannah, who quickly looked away.
Kelsey opened her mouth to say something, but decided in front of a group of strangers was probably not the best place, and she closed it again. Instead, she focused on the people around her, did her best to participate in the conversations that were happening. Occasionally, she could feel Hannah’s eyes on her, but she did her best to smile, laugh, and chat as if they weren’t.
“I need a refill,” Ree said to her. “Come with me.”
It wasn’t quite an order, but it was firm and Kelsey stood without question. “Okay. I could use one, too.” She avoided looking at Hannah, simply following Ree into the house. The crowd inside had finally seemed to thin a bit, only a few people milled around the kitchen and bar. Once they reached the alcohol, Ree went to work mixing herself a gin and tonic. Kelsey watched in silence, waiting.
“What’s going on with you two?” Ree finally asked, turning to look at Kelsey. She took a sip of her cocktail, her eyes never leaving Kelsey’s.
Not bothering to feign confusion, Kelsey sighed heavily and found a bottle of wine. Not what she’d been drinking—this one was a red blend—but she poured it anyway. “It’s a long story. Well. Long-ish.”
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