by Jae
The weirdest thing, though, was that while this was new and a little awkward, it didn’t make Rae as uncomfortable as she had expected.
Steph pulled away first and lowered her head. This time, it was Steph who was blushing. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to…” She waved her hand toward the spot on Rae’s shoulder where her head had rested a moment ago. “I shouldn’t get so upset. Dogs coming and going is part of my job after all.”
“It’s part of your job to care about the dogs, so you’d be a lousy dog walker if you weren’t upset.”
Steph looked up into Rae’s eyes. The tiniest of smiles tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You’re right. Thank you.”
Rae wished she had more comforting wisdom to share…or at least some chocolate. But the one rule her parents had when she’d been growing up was no processed carbs, so even as an adult, she tended not to buy any sweets. Should she offer some kind of distraction? She said the first thing that came to mind. “Um, want to go on a little trip?”
“Where?” Steph asked.
Hell if I know. But Rae didn’t admit that. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
This trip had to be the worst idea ever. Rae realized it before they had even reached the car. It was half past seven, so darkness engulfed them as they left the building. What was I thinking?
She looked at Steph, who looked back at her expectantly.
Cheering her up. That’s what I was thinking. Sacrificing a bit of her pride was a small price to pay if she accomplished that task. “Um, would you mind driving?”
“Out of gas?” Steph asked.
Rae considered just saying yes, but she didn’t want to lie. “No. I… Ever since I…since I lost my eye, my night vision has been total shit. It’s probably because there are no shadows when it’s dark, and I rely on them a lot to judge depth. Plus the glare of lights from oncoming cars is difficult for me to handle.”
“Oh. Sure. I don’t mind driving.” Steph paused next to their cars. “Is that why you were so eager to find an apartment closer to the club? So you wouldn’t have to drive at night?”
“No, it’s because you charmed me so much at first sight that I couldn’t wait to move in with you.”
Steph bumped her.
Rae bumped back, but with her more muscular frame accidentally shoved Steph against the driver’s side door. “Oops. Sorry.”
“Brute.” Steph jingled her keys. “Want us to take your car so you’ll have more legroom?”
“Um…” Rae looked back and forth between Steph’s convertible and her SUV. She had never allowed anyone else to driver her car.
A chuckle rose from Steph’s chest. “God, you’re so much like my sister sometimes. Total control freak.”
Rae frowned. While she liked Claire well enough, she didn’t like being compared to Steph’s sister at all. She didn’t want to examine the reason for that too closely, though. “Fine. Let’s take my car.” She tossed Steph the keys.
Steph fumbled and nearly dropped them as if the move had surprised her. “Thanks.” She grinned as she unlocked the car. “A Subaru. Such a lesbian stereotype.”
“That’s not why I picked it.” Rae hesitated but then decided to offer more of an explanation. “When I learned how to drive with one eye, I realized that my old car wouldn’t work. I needed something with a huge windshield and rear window to reduce the blind spots. So I traded the old one in for this one.” She patted the passenger-side door.
“Oh. That makes sense. Sorry. I didn’t know, or I wouldn’t have made fun of—”
“It’s okay.” Rae climbed into the passenger seat.
Steph settled behind the wheel and moved the seat up for her shorter height. When she reached out to adjust the side mirrors, she paused. “What’s that?”
Rae turned her head to see what Steph was pointing at. It was the small, round mirrors in the upper corner of the SUV’s side-view mirrors. “Blind-spot mirrors.”
Steph glanced up at the larger-than-usual rearview mirror and then turned in the driver’s seat to face Rae. “Driving with one eye must be pretty hard.”
Rae’s muscles tightened, even though she told herself there was no need to become defensive. “Luckily, my right eye has 20/20 vision, so I can drive fine, at least during the day. I just need to turn my head more than you.”
“Still,” Steph said. “If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need a driver, let me know, okay? I’m always up for a little road trip.”
Rae didn’t plan to ever take her up on it, but she appreciated the offer—and the way Steph had phrased it, as if it would be a fun adventure rather than a burden. “Thanks.”
Steph buckled her seat belt and started the engine.
Being in the passenger seat of her own car was strange, but Rae had to admit that Steph was a good driver. She smoothly navigated them backward and out of the parking space.
When they reached the gate at the end of the driveway, the car beeped.
Steph jumped. “Jeez.”
“Sorry.” Rae pressed the button to open the gate. “The car comes with a lot of safety features like a backup camera and front sensors. Took me a while to get used to, but now I find them really helpful. I can turn them off.”
Steph playfully batted her hand away. “No, that’s fine. I don’t mind a talkative car. So where are we going? You realize that if I’m driving, you’ll have to tell me where you’re taking me.”
Shit. Rae still had no idea where to take her. It needed to be some magical place that was sure to cheer Steph up. Bonus points for any location that wouldn’t annoy Rae with holiday music or large crowds. Magical… Enchanted. The Forest of Light maybe?
Steph didn’t like holiday lights, but the lighting display in the botanical garden had nothing to do with the holidays. Mike and Kim had tried to drag her there last year, but Rae had refused, not wanting to be a third wheel on one of her partner’s rare days off. Her friends had raved about the experience and had even given Rae two tickets for Christmas. She hadn’t used them yet.
Were they even still valid, even though the timed-entry tickets had been for January, and could she reschedule for tonight on short notice? It was a long shot, but it was a weekday, so maybe luck would be on her side.
“Hold on.” She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and searched for the email with the tickets. Seeing Mike’s name at the bottom of the email made that familiar dark cloud of grief rise up inside of her.
“Rae?” Steph asked softly. “Are you…?”
“I’m fine.” Rae realized she’d been sitting there, staring at the email. Quickly, she scrolled down, found the website link, and logged in. Where is…? Ah. There. She tapped a few times. And…bingo! She sent Steph a triumphant grin. “Just take us in the direction of Pasadena. I’ll tell you where to go when we get close.”
“Pasadena?” Steph echoed.
“Just drive.”
Tonight was definitely the night of bad ideas. Having to ask Steph to drive had been bad enough, but as soon as they got out of the car and headed for the entrance to the botanical garden, Rae realized that walking Descanso Gardens would be as challenging as driving at night.
The gravel paths lay in near darkness, while the tops of surrounding trees were lit up by colorful laser projections. The fact that there were no holiday tunes, only soothing instrumental music, was a small consolation.
A few steps from the entrance, the first display awaited them. Fields of artificial tulips stretched to both sides of the path. Ripples of light in all colors of the rainbow went through them, slowly changing from blue to purple and then from red to yellow as Steph and Rae walked past.
“Wow, Rae!” Steph looked at her with such admiration as if Rae had single-handedly planted the garden and installed the impressive light show. A beam of light danced over her face, revealing the cheerful twinkle that was
back in her eyes. “This is beautiful.”
Rae had to admit that it was. Just as beautiful as the joy in Steph’s eyes. God, listen to yourself. Must be this overly romantic setting.
But admittedly, Steph looked good tonight. She had exchanged her blazer for her leather jacket and the painted-on tie T-shirt for a deep red V-neck top that revealed a hint of cleavage.
Soft chimes accompanied them as they moved on to the next display and stepped beneath towering sycamore trees. Columns of light had been erected beneath the sycamores, and as people touched them, the trees lit up in swirls of colors. Each touch produced new hues.
“Ooh.” Steph tugged on Rae’s sleeve. “Let’s see what colors we can make them.”
Rae had to smile at her childlike eagerness. She followed her over to the seven-foot columns and stepped up onto the wooden platform—or rather she tried to. In the darkness, she misjudged the height of the step and the tip of her sneaker caught on it. Shit. She pitched forward and instinctively raised her hands to break her fall.
Instead of landing on the hard wood, she collided with something soft and warm. Someone soft and warm.
Steph had turned back toward her, either to say something or because she had realized what was happening, and she caught Rae at the last moment.
Arms wrapped around each other, they tumbled across the platform and crashed into one of the columns, which stopped them from falling.
The column and the sycamores lit up in a soft purple.
They stared at each other from only inches away. The glow of the column bathed Steph’s face in a succession of pink, green, and orange. Her eyes seemed to shine brighter than the lights.
“Stunning,” Rae whispered.
Steph blinked up at her. “Um, what?”
“The lights,” Rae said.
“Oh. Yeah. Beautiful.” Steph’s gaze remained fixed on Rae’s face. “You okay?”
Rae gently freed herself from Steph’s arms around her. A shiver went through her as their bodies lost contact. It was only because the air was pretty chilly since the garden was up in the hills. “I’m fine. Just didn’t pay enough attention.” At least not to where she was going. She was paying plenty of attention to the way Steph looked in those magical lights, and that nonsense had to stop right now. She had barely sorted out her life and didn’t need any new complications. Under the pretense of wandering over to touch the next column, she increased the distance between them.
But Steph followed her, took hold of her arm, and pulled her around.
What…? Rae didn’t want to face her; she needed a minute to gather herself, but her body betrayed her and turned before her brain could stop it.
“God, I’m a jerk.” Steph slapped her own forehead. “You can’t really see very much here, can you? I should have thought of that. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Rae shrugged and opened her mouth to answer.
Steph raised her hand. “Don’t say ‘I’m fine.’”
Rae closed her mouth.
“Next time, tell me before you break your neck.” Steph slid her arm through Rae’s, reached over with her other hand, and rested it on Rae’s biceps as if to secure her arm against her own and stop her from pulling away. “Come on. Stick close to me.”
Resistance was futile; Rae knew that much. She let herself be guided down the wooden platform and along the gravel path that led through the forest and then beneath an arbor arch with glowing stars floating above.
Arm in arm, they walked through a rose garden while soothing music played in the background.
Jeez. This was almost ridiculously romantic. No wonder most of the people walking ahead of them seemed to be couples, judging by their body language.
Steph’s fingers on her arm flexed, and she drew them to a stop in the middle of the path. “Oh, damn. I just realized I’m on your left. You don’t like that, do you?”
“I don’t.”
Steph let go of her arm, which instantly started to feel too cold.
“Usually,” Rae added. “But with all the other people around…” She gestured toward the lake ahead of them, where groups of people had gathered to watch lights dance on the water. “I’d rather have you on my left than risk bumping into anyone.”
Steph’s smile was so broad that Rae could see it even in the near dark as the beam of light reflected off her teeth. She gently took hold of Rae’s arm again, and they continued their way to the lake.
Waves of light rippled across the water, moving in sync with the soft music.
Steph didn’t let go of her arm as they stopped to watch it, as if not wanting to give up the position of trust to Rae’s left. Her warmth filtered through the sleeve of Rae’s jacket and seemed to engulf her entire body. Usually, she disliked having someone in her personal space, but with the chill in the air, Steph’s warmth was actually pleasant, especially since Steph managed not to make it feel as if she was leading her but as if she needed the contact just as much to stay warm.
They continued on together, past a grove of majestic live oaks until they reached a gazebo that consisted of an illuminated frame.
An older couple stepped out of the structure. The woman smiled at them. “Would you like me to take a photo of you two?”
“No, th—”
“Oh, yes, please,” Steph said before Rae could finish her sentence. “That would be lovely.” She handed over her cell phone and tugged Rae into the gazebo.
The woman waved at them. “Lean a little closer to each other.”
Steph slid her arm around Rae’s waist. “Come on. I don’t bite.” She leaned even closer and whispered, “Unless that’s a turn-on for you.”
Her warm breath fanned over Rae’s ear, making her shiver. She put her arm around Steph and used that move to pinch her hip.
Steph jumped but giggled. “Is that a yes?”
Rae pinched her again.
The woman stepped up to them and handed back the phone. “Nice photo.”
What? She had already taken the photo? Neither of them had even looked toward her.
“You two are cute together,” the woman added and walked away.
Rae stared after her. “She…she thought we’re…a couple?”
Steph laughed. “Don’t sound so horrified. I’m cute. You’re cute…when you stop scowling…so of course we’d be a cute couple too.” She finally let go of Rae so she could take a look at the photo. Her laughter stopped as she stared at her phone.
Frowning, Rae leaned closer to see what had gotten Steph to fall quiet.
The photo looked like something out of a fantasy movie—or maybe out of a romance. They stood perfectly centered in the illuminated circle, their arms around each other as if they had embraced a thousand times before. Steph’s head was tilted up so she could make eye contact, and she was laughing in that carefree, natural way that made even Rae want to grin in reaction. Rae was looking down at her, not laughing, but her gaze wasn’t as fierce as she had imagined. Her expression was indulgent, her mouth soft as if she was close to smiling.
Steph slid the phone back into her pocket without a word. “Let’s continue,” she said after several seconds of silence. “If we’re not moving, it gets cold.”
Quite the opposite. Rae felt a little too warm. She pulled the zipper of her jacket partway down as they strolled toward the next display.
Illuminated pathways wound through the grass. Children and adults hopped from one tile to the next, making each one change colors.
“You’re not gonna make me hop like a little kid, are you?”
“Can you do it?” Steph asked.
Rae stood a little straighter. “Of course I can.”
“No, I mean, with your eye.” Steph’s tone softened. “I don’t want you to slip and get hurt.”
Now it was Rae who tugged her over to the walkway. It was lit f
rom beneath, so she could see it just fine. Not that she would have admitted it even if she couldn’t. “Watch me.”
They raced each other to see who could make the most colors pop up along two loops of the path. It was completely silly, and Rae hadn’t done something like that in… Truth be told, she had probably never done something like that. She also hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.
When they finally stopped, they were both breathing heavily from the exertion and from laughing so hard.
“I need a break.” Steph slid her arm through Rae’s again and steered her over toward a glowing bench at the edge of the display. When they passed a little cabin that served as a snack shop, she stopped. “Ooh. They have hot chocolate! Save me a seat. I’ll be right back.” She was gone before Rae could answer.
Rae walked on alone and sat on the bench. Its color shifted from yellow to orange beneath her. She exhaled and stared out into the near darkness. Somewhere, a sign with the light show’s name, Enchanted, glowed. Yeah. That’s what she felt like. Completely enchanted. Being here, sharing this otherworldly experience with Steph, seemed to have shifted something between them. Ignore it. It’ll go back to normal in the light of day.
Steph returned in what felt like seconds. She sat on the bench next to her and immediately slid closer until their thighs brushed. “Here.” She held out a paper cup and put something down on Rae’s lap.
“Thanks.” Rae cradled the cup between both hands and looked down at the paper plate on her lap. “What’s that?” Whatever it was, it was hidden beneath a heap of powdered sugar.
“Beignets.” Steph reached over and picked one up. Powdered sugar rained down as she withdrew it, dusting Rae’s jeans. “Oops. Sorry.” She put down her hot chocolate and tried to wipe it off.
The warm fingers trailing up her thigh sent a bolt of arousal straight to Rae’s core. Oh, hell. Her damn libido had hibernated for so long; why did it have to remember now of all times that it existed? She clenched her teeth and trapped Steph’s hand beneath hers to stop it from moving. “Thanks,” she said, hoping she sounded normal. “I’ve got it.”