Wrong Number, Right Woman

by Jae

  When Denny rounded the car to get to the driver’s side, she missed the curb, stumbled, and flailed to keep her balance.

  Eliza’s heart pounded faster, this time with worry. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Denny flushed a deeper pink than her cheeks already were and clambered behind the wheel.

  They waved at each other through the window.

  Denny started the engine, and within seconds, the Subaru got smaller and smaller until it disappeared in the distance.

  Eliza stood without moving for a while longer before she bent and picked up the box with the pizza container perched on top. She cradled both to her chest the way she had clutched Denny to her earlier. The scent of Denny’s cologne lingered around her, and she hoped it wouldn’t fade anytime soon.

  When she stepped into the elevator and let it carry her upstairs, a realization slammed into her. That was why that feeling seemed so familiar! Wrapped in Denny’s arms, she felt the way she had on the Viking ship, in that moment of weightlessness as the ship reached its highest point—elated and giddy, wanting to laugh and scream out of sheer joy, but scared at the same time.

  Now the question was: Did she want to get off the ship or hang on for the ride?

  Salem collapsed onto the couch next to Denny as if every bone in her body had vaporized and weakly gestured upstairs toward Bella’s room. “Phew! I thought they would never stop giggling and go to sleep!”

  Denny wiggled her bare toes on the coffee table. She had felt less exhausted after running the register all day, but it wasn’t just from keeping up with a bunch of tweens on a sugar rush. Mostly, it was from trying to keep a tight grip on her emotions whenever Eliza was near. “How did you finally manage to get them to quiet down?”

  “I told Bella all that noise would upset Kiwi, and I’d have to take him downstairs if they didn’t go to sleep.”

  The name Eliza had suggested made Denny grin. What was it with Eliza and food-related pet names?

  Salem eyed her. “What’s that smile for?”

  “Can’t I be in a good mood after throwing a successful party for my favorite niece?” Denny asked. “It was a success, wasn’t it?”

  “Are you kidding? Bella loved it—especially getting to show off her aunt’s cool, artsy friend!”

  Denny’s smile widened. Eliza had been a big hit with the girls. “You liked her too, right?”

  “Of course. Although…”

  Denny turned her head and narrowed her eyes at her sister, ready to defend Eliza. “Although…what?”

  “Although not as much as you do.” Salem flashed a grin.

  “Salem…” Denny lowered her voice to a warning growl.

  Salem held up a hand. “Let me just say one thing, and then I’ll be quiet.”

  “That would be a first,” Denny muttered.

  “I’d kick you for that remark, but I’m too tired. Anyway, I watched the two of you together, and forgive me for saying so, but that didn’t look like an unrequited crush to me.”

  Denny wanted to deny it, but then she stopped herself. This was Salem, her sister. If she couldn’t confide in her, who else could she talk to? “Okay, I admit it. I think I left crush territory behind, probably before I even met her.” She let her head fall back against the couch. “It makes no sense because I’ve known her for two months and only met her three times, but… God, I’m so drawn to her! And it’s not just because she’s so damn beautiful and so nice and so…everything. I’m trying hard to be reasonable, but my heart refuses to listen.” She hesitated and peeked at Salem before quietly adding, “I think if I’m not careful, I could really fall for her.”

  “No shit, Sherlock,” Salem muttered.

  Denny slid her feet off the coffee table to face her more fully. “Look, I know what you’re going to say. And you’re right. Pinning my heart on a straight woman—and one who’s more than ten years younger too—is committing emotional hara-kiri. I know that. But you don’t need to worry. I’ll get over it.” She sighed. “Somehow. Eventually.”

  “That’s not what I wanted to say.”

  “No?”

  “No,” Salem said. “I meant it didn’t look like your more-than-a-crush was entirely unrequited.”

  Denny stared at her. A flutter spread through her belly, and she couldn’t tell what it was or even if it was pleasant or unpleasant. It felt like a complicated mix of both. She wanted so much to believe her sister and cling to her words with every fiber in her body, but at the same time, she wanted to curl into a ball and protect herself. “Don’t do that, Salem. Don’t get my hopes up. I know Eliza likes me, but to her, I’m just a friend.”

  “Sure, like Matt was just a friend to me before we started dating.”

  “There’s one important difference between Matt and Eliza.” Denny held up one finger.

  A grin crept across Salem’s face. “Eliza shaves her legs?”

  Denny scowled at her. “I’m serious. Matt is interested in women; Eliza isn’t. She’s straight.”

  “Well, I know a thing or two about being straight. But let me tell you, if I ever found myself looking at another woman the way she looked at you today…” Salem tilted her head. “I’d start to second-guess that label.”

  Denny pulled her legs up on the couch and hugged them to her chest. But it didn’t matter how forcefully she pressed her knees to her chest, she couldn’t drive back the kernel of hope. “Great. Now you’ve done it. Thanks so much, sis. Now I’ll scrutinize every little touch, every look, everything she says, hoping it means she likes me back as more than a friend. That goddamn hope is worse than being sure she’ll never see me that way.”

  “Why don’t you cut to the chase and ask her?”

  “Ask her?” Denny’s arms dropped from her legs as she stared at her sister.

  Salem shrugged. “Why not? You two talk for hours every day. I’ve heard you tell her stuff I barely even knew. So why not bite the bullet and ask her if she thinks she could ever feel something other than friendship for you?”

  “Oh no.” Denny shook her head so hard that spots of light danced before her eyes. “I could never do that. If you’re wrong, that’ll make things awkward between us. Her friendship means too much to me to risk that.”

  “Chicken.”

  Denny pulled a pillow from beneath herself and threw it at her.

  Salem threw it back, and the pillow fight was on.

  Denny eagerly lost herself in the physical activity and tried to channel all her anxiety into it.

  After a minute or two, Salem held up both hands. “Uncle, uncle!”

  “I’m not your uncle.” Denny hit her with the pillow again. “I’m your sister.”

  “Okay, then, sister, sister.” Salem waved an imaginary white flag.

  Denny lowered the pillow and flopped back onto the couch. If only she could wrestle her feelings for Eliza into submission as easily.

  Chapter 16

  On the list of things Eliza never thought she would google, how do I know if I’m bisexual definitely made the top three. But here she was, spending the Sunday after Bella’s party reading articles on sexual fluidity and taking a quiz to determine her sexual orientation.

  Instead of helping, the questions left her more confused than ever. “I would kiss a woman,” she read one of the questions out loud. Her gaze flickered back and forth between the two options, true or false.

  But it wasn’t as black-and-white for her. If asked in the abstract, her instinct was to click false. She didn’t want to kiss just any woman. What about kissing Denny, though?

  She imagined them saying goodbye with a hug, as they had yesterday, but instead of letting go and walking to her car, Denny pulled her closer and tenderly cradled her face in her broad hands. Eliza could almost feel her warm breath on her lips as Denny’s face came closer. Her heart pounded a rapid staccato, and her gaze zeroed in on Denny until all she saw was her soft-looking lips.

  Just as their mouths were about to meet, a knock and the sou
nd of a key in the lock wrenched her back to reality.

  Eliza flinched and slapped her laptop closed.

  Heather swung the door open and waved an empty Tupperware container. “Pizza for breakfast is the best! If you talk to Denny before I do, please tell her thanks.”

  The mere mention of Denny’s name made Eliza feel like a teenager caught watching porn.

  Heather sat on the couch next to her and gave her a curious look. “What’s up with you?”

  “Nothing. Just a little tired.” While Eliza wanted to talk about it with someone, she wasn’t sure she was ready. Besides, maybe Heather wouldn’t be the best person, since she’d gone on a date with Denny. She didn’t want things between them to become awkward.

  Heather continued to study her. “Wild party yesterday? You disappeared so fast that I didn’t even have time to ask when you dropped off the pizza.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t call a craft party for an eleven-year-old ‘wild’…”

  “Yeah, if that’s the highlight on your social calendar, you’re doing something wrong. But don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. Your social life is about to get much more exciting. I found the perfect guy for you!” Heather held out her phone like a celebrity presenting the card with the name of an Oscar winner.

  Reluctantly, Eliza glanced at the screen, but when she recognized the No More Frogs app, she didn’t accept the phone. “You know what? I think I’m going to take some time off from going out with guys.” She bit her lip. Going out with anyone. That was what she’d meant, right? Or would she really consider dating Denny, provided she was interested?

  “Come on. I’ve got a good feeling about this one. He’s a metalsmith. Think about the beautiful jewelry you two could make together.” Heather nudged her with her shoulder and winked. “And the beautiful babies. Look. He’s hot…for a guy.”

  When Heather held the phone under her nose, Eliza took a closer look. A handsome man in his mid-thirties flashed his white teeth in a winsome smile. “Yeah, I guess he’s pretty cute.”

  “Pretty cute?” Heather echoed. “He looks like that guy from The Witcher. You know, the one who also played Superman.”

  Eliza studied his photo more closely. With his dark hair, light eyes, and the dimple in his chin, he did resemble Henry Cavill a little.

  “He sounds like a nice guy too,” Heather added. She read his profile out loud until Eliza lifted both hands in a gesture of surrender.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll send Henry a message and see if he wants to have coffee or something. Happy now?”

  Heather leaned back on the couch and folded her hands over her pizza-filled belly. “Very.”

  Eliza peeked at the closed laptop, where the sexual orientation quiz was waiting for her. She wouldn’t finish it. An online test was silly; she knew that. Maybe going on a date with a guy was actually a better idea to help her clarify her feelings.

  But if it was such a good idea, why did it feel so wrong?

  The next Saturday, Eliza didn’t have to help out at the Feathered Friends stall, so she volunteered to cover her and Heather’s booth by herself, as a thank-you to Heather for stepping in twice in a row. After she had spent most of the week in a haze, the familiar hustle and bustle of the market soothed her soul.

  She had been so distracted at work yesterday that she had accidentally squirted an entire bottle of Elmer’s Wood Glue onto her worktable!

  What had made her week even weirder was that she and Denny hadn’t talked much, and when they had, they danced around each other instead of talking openly. Could Denny tell something was going on with her? Was she giving Eliza space to work it out? Or was she backing away from their friendship?

  Eliza rearranged the pendants and octopus penholders in front of her for the twentieth time. The bow tie pendant made her smile as it reminded her of Denny. Lately, everything reminded her of Denny.

  Even a person standing in line at the nearby kettle corn booth instantly made her think of Denny. Same brown leather jacket, same strong shoulders, same shapely behind.

  Eliza tore her gaze away from the stranger. Jeez, when had she become so familiar with how Denny’s ass looked?

  Thankfully, a customer who was interested in a pair of rose-shaped earrings distracted her.

  She wrapped up the earrings on a small table at the back of the booth. When she turned back around, a familiar face peeked around the waiting customer.

  “Hi.” Bella gave a wave and brushed her long hair behind her ear in a shy gesture that once again reminded Eliza of Denny.

  “Bella! Hi. What are you doing here?”

  “Mom had to work, so Aunt Denny took me to watch the Rose Parade earlier, and I talked her into making a stop at the market so I could get a foraging cup for Kiwi.” Bella pointed in the direction of the Feathered Friends stall. When the customer put the earrings in her purse and left, Bella stepped closer. “Now she’s stuck in line, getting kettle corn.”

  Eliza’s gaze flew to the kettle corn booth. So it hadn’t been her imagination playing tricks on her after all.

  Loaded down with several bags, Denny made her way over. She wore a gray Henley shirt tucked into baggy jeans, and her leather jacket was casually slung over her shoulder. “Hi.”

  Eliza’s mouth went dry, and she smacked her lips before she could speak. “Hi.”

  They smiled at each other. God, it was good to see Denny. It felt much longer than a week since they had last seen each other.

  “Yum. That smells so good.” Bella leaned closer to her aunt.

  Eliza found herself leaning across the table too, but the scent that caught her attention wasn’t the caramel kettle corn; it was Denny’s cologne.

  “I brought you one too.” Denny held out one of the bags. “In case you didn’t get to eat.”

  “I had a ham-and-cheese empanada earlier, but who can resist kettle corn?” Eliza reached across the table and took the offered bag.

  Their fingers brushed, and a whoosh of warmth spread through her belly.

  “Wow. Did you make this?”

  Bella’s question reminded Eliza they weren’t alone. She followed the direction of Bella’s gaze.

  The girl was looking at one of her handcrafted journals. Eliza made the 3D covers from polymer clay and then glued them to the front of notebooks. The one that had caught Bella’s attention depicted two dragons, one a bluish green, the other a dark purple with a golden sheen. They were wrapped around each other and touching noses.

  Eliza nodded. “Yes, that’s one of mine.”

  “It’s so awesome.” Bella turned to Denny. “Isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it really is.” Denny’s voice was as soft as her touch as she trailed her fingertips over the scaly tail of the purple dragon.

  A shiver worked its way through Eliza’s body. God, these reactions were getting out of control.

  Bella peered at her from under her bangs. “Would you teach me how to do a budgie one?”

  “Um, Bella, you can’t just—”

  “I’d love to,” Eliza said before Denny could finish her protest.

  “Awesome! Hey, I see Kaylee and her mom over there. Can I go say hi?” Bella was gone before Denny finished nodding.

  Denny shook her head with an indulgent grin. “Oh, to have that kind of energy again.”

  Eliza grinned at her. “Are you having a senior citizen moment?”

  Denny shrugged, then resettled her jacket over her shoulder. “Thanks for being so great with her and agreeing to teach her.”

  “Are you kidding? She’s wonderful, so it’s not a hardship at all. Maybe I could bring my nieces and my nephew, and we could all do it together.”

  “I’d love that.” Denny looked at the dragon journal, then back up at Eliza. “Are you staying until five today?”

  Eliza glanced at her watch, amazed to see it was after two. “No, I’ll pack up in a few minutes.”

  “Great.” Denny gave her a shy smile. “If you don’t have any plans for the rest of the day, do y
ou want to come watch the dragon boat races with Bella and me?”

  Damn. Eliza could think of nothing more perfect than spending the rest of her Saturday with Denny. For a moment, she was tempted to text Jared and cancel their date. But he’d seemed nice in all the messages they had exchanged this week and didn’t deserve her skipping out at the last minute. “I’m sorry. Normally, I’d love to, but I can’t. I, uh, I’m meeting someone for coffee at five, and I need to go home and get changed before that.”

  “Oh. No problem. I hope you have a good time.” Denny smiled, but it didn’t light up the olive-green part of her eyes.

  They both looked at Bella, who was still talking to her friend, while silence stretched between them.

  “So,” Denny finally said, “coffee with someone. Is it a date?”

  Eliza slid the dragon journal an inch to the right. “Um, yes.” Why did admitting it make her feel so guilty? Quickly, she added, “It was Heather’s idea. She thinks she found the perfect guy for me. But knowing my luck, he’ll be another candidate for the Worst-Date-Eliza-Has-Ever-Had Award.”

  “Well, if you need someone to rescue you, let me know.”

  “Oh, so you can fake having quadruplets this time?”

  This time, Denny’s smile reached her eyes. “Nah. I’ll think of something else. Can’t have you getting bored with my rescue efforts.”

  Bella came back over. “Kaylee and her mom are going to watch the dragon boat races too. Can we go with them?”

  “Sure,” Denny said. “Tell them I’ll be there in a minute.”

  After a quick wave and a “bye, Eliza,” Bella ran off.

  Denny shifted the pile of kettle corn bags cradled in her left arm. “Even if you don’t need to be rescued, text me when you make it back from your date safe and sound, okay?”

  The concern for her well-being left a warm feeling in the pit of Eliza’s stomach. “Will do. Have fun at the dragon boat races.”

  “Thanks.” Denny lingered in front of the booth for a few seconds longer, then sighed. “I’d better get going. See you soon.”

  “See ya.” Eliza watched her leave, taking in the familiar way Denny walked, from the shoulders, not the hips. Every instinct urged her to run after her and say that she had changed her mind and would come with them after all, but she reined in that desire. After all, she had a date with, according to Heather, the hottest guy on No More Frogs to look forward to.