Before It Stains

by R. E. Bradshaw

  Stephanie never told Molly that she slept with Mo before she ended their relationship. She didn’t think anybody knew. She lowered her head and twirled the wine around in her glass.

  “Yes, I did. I’m not proud of it,” she finally said.

  “I’m not looking for an apology. I just wanted to point out that you are capable of betraying trust. You’re human and so is Mo.”

  “Oh my God, everybody is defending Mo, even you.” Stephanie stood up and started walking away.

  Molly put her glass down and followed, grabbing Stephanie by the elbow. “Hey, I’m not defending her. Steph, I’ve prayed for this day more often than I would care to admit. I’ve been in love with you all these years, but…”

  “But what?”

  “But not this way, not when you’re just trying to get even with Mo. What better way to make her pay, than to sleep with the one person she would never forgive?”

  Stephanie had enough talk. She didn’t want to think. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

  She draped her arms around Molly’s neck and pulled her lips to hers. Stephanie instantly remembered the soft lips pressed against her own. She kissed Molly until she gave into desire and pulled Stephanie into her arms. Stephanie’s body remembered Molly, too. It woke up and began to yearn for Molly’s touch. The kiss deepened, their bodies pressing into each other, picking up where they left off years ago.

  Only it wasn’t working. Mo’s presence between them was unmistakable. Stephanie knew it was no use. The kiss that once melted her into Molly’s arms was not Mo’s kiss. It was not the kiss that grabbed her in the pit of her stomach and made her swoon each time Mo’s lips brushed hers. She had hoped that she could feel that way from another’s touch, but Stephanie gave into the knowledge that no one would ever move her the way Mo did, not even Molly. Stephanie was doomed to love Mo for the rest of her life. She was ruined for anyone else. The first tear hit her cheek, just before Molly pulled her lips away.

  Molly held Stephanie’s face in her hands and wiped the tears away with her thumbs. She smiled and spoke very softly.

  “If one day, you really do leave Mo, I hope I’m still around, but you need to go home to your wife, Steph. I don’t want you if I can’t have all of you, and I know I can’t. You belong to Mo. Do you understand?”

  “I don’t want to love her anymore,” Stephanie cried.

  She fell against Molly’s chest, her tears falling freely now. Molly held her there and let her cry.

  Molly spoke softly. “I know you don’t want to love her right now, but you can’t change the fact that you do, can you? She loves you, Steph. I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but you two belong together.”

  Still clinging to Molly, Stephanie said, “Then why did she cheat on me?”

  “That really doesn’t matter. If you love her, then fight for this relationship. Don’t let her go because your pride is hurt. It will haunt you, if you don’t at least try. Trust me, I’ve lived with that regret for seventeen years.”

  Stephanie’s heart cracked again. A sharp pain gripped her chest, because she saw in Molly’s face just how deep a wound she had inflicted, and Stephanie had done that with hardly a care for Molly’s feelings.

  “Oh God, Molly, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how much I hurt you.”

  “You were my Mo, Steph. I just wasn’t yours. It took me a while to figure that out, but every woman since you has paid a price for that betrayal,” she smiled, “and for not being you.”

  “You must hate me. I can’t believe you even speak to me.” Stephanie searched Molly’s face. “I know I asked you this before, but can you really forgive me? I never meant to hurt you.”

  “I’m sure Mo didn’t mean to hurt you either. Can you forgive her?”

  A nervous laugh escaped Stephanie’s throat. “That wasn’t an answer, counselor.”

  Molly leaned down and kissed Stephanie one last time, sweet and soft, a goodbye kiss. She pulled away, a little smile forming on her lips.

  “I will always love you, and yes, I forgive you. I think it’s time I get on with the rest of my life and you - you swallow your pride and go home. I very much want you to be happy and you’ll only be happy with Mo.”

  Stephanie laughed, out of desperation. She knew what Molly was saying was true. She shook her head and said, “Molly Kincaid, you always were too smart for your own good. You just passed up a night of wild sex with a willing woman.”

  Molly grinned at her. “You may have been willing, but your heart wasn’t.”

  Stephanie grinned back. “Randy is going to be very disappointed. I’m sure he was counting on this happening and then squeezing me for details.”

  Molly let go of Stephanie, taking her hand and leading her back to the seating area. “No, actually he took the time to warn me that you were in essence off limits. I think his words were, 'If you just want to fuck her, then go for it, but if you want her to love you, that ship has sailed. She’ll go back to Mo. It’s just a matter of how badly she wants Mo to suffer, before she does.'”

  Stephanie sat down and picked up her wine glass. “You never intended to take me to bed, did you?”

  Molly chuckled. “I’m not that noble. It did cross my mind, but no, I wouldn’t take advantage of a drunk woman hell bent on revenge, well, at least not you.”

  “Why did you bring me here?”

  “Because I thought one picture of you pressed up against me, your lips inches from mine, was enough for the lifestyle section of the paper.”

  Stephanie sat up quickly. “What picture? What are you talking about?”

  “Well, that’s the price you pay for hitting on a public figure while surrounded by local photographers. They’ll use that picture just so they can print the words, ‘well-known lesbian attorney.’ It sells papers.”

  Stephanie was stricken. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “Nope, I believe I heard the click of the camera right when you asked me if I had been thinking about unzipping that dress all night, which I had by the way. It’ll probably be in the weekend section of tomorrow’s evening addition.”

  “Oh for the love of God,” Stephanie pleaded. “Can my life get any worse? Mo is going to shit a brick over that.”

  Molly seemed to relax more, now that the hard part was over. She appeared to be enjoying Stephanie’s plight just a bit. “Maybe she won’t see it. She is somewhat distracted, trying to win you back. She looked good tonight. Always was a looker.”

  “You don’t know how many people will make sure she sees that picture. They are clamoring in the wings, just waiting for me to cut her loose.”

  “Well, if you wanted to make her jealous, I think you accomplished that.”

  Stephanie chuckled. “Oh, you have no idea how badly she hates the mention of your name. She’s always been scared you’d come back and take me away, especially after you became so successful. She actually said the other day that she didn’t stand a chance if you got involved in this. I’ve never given her any reason to feel that way.”

  Molly threw her head back and laughed. “You have now.”

  “Did you see that look she gave me before she left tonight?”

  “Yes, I did, but I was more concerned about the one she gave me. If looks could kill, I would be cold on a slab.”

  “You didn’t seem concerned. You were cool as a cucumber,” Stephanie said.

  Molly showed her dimple, her eyes dancing with delight. “You’re not the only one that has a score to settle with old Mo. I’ve been waiting for that little bit of payback for a long time. She stole my girl. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing she thinks I could steal you back.” Molly toasted with her wine glass. “Thank you for that little victory.”

  “Glad I could help,” Stephanie said, laughing. She took a sip of wine and then asked, “So, what about this woman Randy says looks like Charlize Theron, a veterinarian, I think he said?”

  Molly shook her head. “That’s why I went to Texas. Had to cut the l
ovely Dr. Fox loose. She started expecting some sort of exclusive rights and that was never my intention.”

  “Just a piece of ass, eh?” Stephanie asked, grinning over her wine glass.

  “Something like that,” Molly answered.

  A ringtone sounded from Molly’s jacket by the table. Molly furrowed her brow. It was now nearly one-thirty in the morning. Stephanie wondered who could be calling Molly at this hour.

  Molly stood up. “I’m sorry, I have to answer that particular tone. It’s my service and they would only call with an emergency. Excuse me.”

  Molly crossed to her jacket and pulled out the phone. She hit a few buttons and said into the receiver, “This is Molly Kincaid.” She listened to someone on the other end and answered, “Yes, I understand. You did the right thing. Please send the car to my residence. I’ll alert the guard.” Stephanie watched Molly end the call and then press more buttons. She put the receiver to her ear and spoke into the phone, “Jack, my car will be coming through in a few minutes… Yes, thank you.”

  Molly hung up and came back to where Stephanie was sitting. Her brow pinched with concern. She sat down and put her hand on Stephanie’s knee.

  “Stephanie, that message was from Randy. He’s been trying to reach you for hours.”

  Stephanie could tell by the tone of Molly’s voice that this wasn’t going to be good news. She sat up, placing her wine glass on the slate tile by the chair.

  The fear was evident in her voice when she asked, “What? What’s happened?”

  Molly continued, “His message said not to panic, but Colt is at the emergency room.”

  Telling Stephanie not to panic was useless. She shot out of her chair. “Oh my God! What happened? Is he hurt?”

  Molly tried to calm her. “His message said it wasn’t life threatening, but you need to go to the hospital. A driver is coming. It usually takes them about fifteen minutes to get here. Come on, I’ll make some coffee.”

  Stephanie charged toward the house. “You do own a car, don’t you? I need to borrow it. I have to get there now.”

  Molly, grabbing her jacket and shoes, tried to keep up. “You need to listen to me, Steph. Let’s get some food and coffee in you, before we go. You don’t want the alcohol to hit you while you’re trying to deal with your son.”

  Stephanie knew Molly was right. She’d had too much to drink to be driving, even if Molly would lend her a car. She was desperate to get to Colt. The frustration caused her to shout, “Where the fuck is Mo?”

  Molly caught up and opened the patio door. Her honesty cut when she said, “She’s probably wondering the same thing about you.”

  #

  Stephanie gobbled down some bread, cheese, and two cups of coffee in Molly’s gourmet kitchen. She tried to get her mother, Randy, and even Mo on the phone, but only reached voice mail. She knew from Colt’s frequent sports related trips to the hospital that phones had to be turned off inside the emergency room. Still, she continued to try to reach someone, even as she and Molly zoomed down the highway toward the hospital. Molly came along, saying she’d feel better if she knew Stephanie and Colt were taken care of. Stephanie actually appreciated Molly’s protectiveness. She wanted an ally, in case she ran into a hornet’s nest of accusations when she arrived at the hospital.

  Yes, Stephanie had turned off her phone. Yes, she had too much to drink. Yes, she went home with Molly, but she had done nothing wrong. She just hoped Mo would see it that way. Stephanie doubted it. If her own shame for being unreachable when her son needed her was any indication, Mo was going to be mad as hell, not to mention how Colt would feel. She squeezed the phone in her hand, until her knuckles turned white. Molly reached for Stephanie’s hands, removed the phone, and slipped it back into Stephanie’s clutch purse.

  “He’s going to be fine. Just hang on.”

  “I’ve always been there when he needed me,” Stephanie said, guilt ridden.

  “He’s not alone, Steph.”

  “Yes, but he’s a momma’s boy.”

  Molly patted Stephanie’s hand. “Good thing he has two of them.”

  The driver pulled the car up close to the emergency room entrance. Molly helped Stephanie, who was back in her heels, out of the car. Although Stephanie was happy to have Molly there to back her up should things go awry, she could also see just a shadow of a dimple, where Stephanie was sure Molly was concealing a tad of “Hey Mo, I brought your wife back” self-satisfaction. Stephanie couldn’t fault Molly for toying with Mo; in fact, she was glad Molly was getting a little revenge. Molly and Stephanie were in agreement that Mo needed to be taken down a peg or two.

  Stephanie noticed heads turning when she walked through the whooshing sound of the automatic doors. She surmised, from the reaction, that not many people dressed like her strolled into the emergency room at this hour of the morning. The nurses’ stares proved her point. Those scrub-clad veterans saw everything imaginable and never batted an eye, but a tall blonde in a designer dress, now that was a novel occurrence. Molly remained at Stephanie’s elbow, steadying her on the recently waxed lobby floor. If Stephanie wasn’t careful, she was going to end up in a bed next to Colt, after busting her ass on the slick linoleum. She was just about to stop and take the shoes off, when Mo pushed her way through the double doors coming out of the treatment area.

  Stephanie stopped in her tracks. Mo did the same. If this was a movie, the soundtrack would have held a high violin note, vibrating with tension, as the two spouses prepared to draw swords. Mo took the first lunge.

  “I see you finally remembered you have a son,” Mo said, scowling at Stephanie. She turned her glare on Molly, taking in her loose cuffs and shirttails. “She won’t be long. I just need her to sign our son out of the hospital so I can take him home. Then you two can get back to wherever you left off. Just like old times.”

  Relieved that whatever happened was minor enough for Colt to be released, Stephanie ignored Mo’s outburst. “What happened? Is he okay?”

  Mo pulled her glowering eyes away from Molly. She focused on Stephanie, barely able to control her rage. Very few things could make Mo this mad. Stephanie with Molly was at the top of that list.

  “Your mother said he was too wound up to sleep and went to shoot hoops in the driveway. He landed wrong and twisted his ankle. They think it’s a severe sprain. We won’t know how severe until he sees the specialist. He’s done with ball for the fall season and he’ll be walking with crutches for a while.”

  “Oh, no! I know he’s crushed. Where is he? I want to see him.”

  “They’re getting him ready to go, putting a cast on until he sees the orthopedist.”

  Stephanie thought about it and asked, “Why couldn’t you sign him out?”

  “It’s the insurance. I couldn’t find my paperwork for him or his cards. Somebody dumped the entire contents of my desk in the floor of the office.”

  Since Mo was not Colt’s natural mother, Randy drew up papers making Mo his guardian in Stephanie’s absence. The law was still unclear on same sex and second parent adoptions in North Carolina. These legal papers gave Mo custody of Colt, should Stephanie not be able to act. All of these rights were automatic in heterosexual families. Not being able to handle the situation on her own had frustrated Mo, not to mention her wife was standing there with her ex-lover. Stephanie could see she was in a no win situation until Mo calmed down. That probably wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  Stephanie didn’t help matters with her sarcasm. “I was looking for something.”

  Molly swallowed a chuckle, but not fast enough to keep Mo from noticing. She flashed Molly another smirk, but stayed focused on Stephanie.

  “What were you looking for, material for your divorce lawyer here? Oh wait, can a lawyer actually fuck the client they’re representing? It’s a question of how ethical the lawyer is, I guess.”

  This was the moment Molly was waiting for. She had remained silent, except for the giggle, and now Mo had invited her into the conversat
ion. She introduced it in direct questioning, a concept any good defense lawyer understood well. Mo opened the door and Molly strode straight in. Randy and Debra Austin came out of the double doors, immediately saw the standoff, and took observation posts just to the left of Mo. Stephanie held her breath when Molly took a step closer to Mo. She could see the fire in both women’s eyes. This, ladies and gentlemen, had been a long time coming.

  Molly’s voice was low and not meant to be heard by anyone but Mo, but the hard surfaces bounced the sound enough for everyone within ten feet of them to hear clearly what attorney Molly Kincaid had to say in defense of her client.

  “Maureen Hunt,” she began.

  Stephanie covered her mouth to hide her grin. Mo hated being called by her real name.

  Molly continued, “I doubt seriously you want to get into a discussion about ethics with me.”

  Randy’s mouth fell open. He mouthed, “Oh shit!” to Stephanie.

  Mo did not back down, which in this particular case was not a smart thing to do. She bowed up her chest and spat out, “Mind your own business, Molly.”

  “You made this my business seventeen years ago, when you slept with my girlfriend, or have you forgotten? You made it my business again, when you let some little Hollywood fame-whore get in your pants. If you were half the woman Stephanie thinks you are, you might deserve her, but right now you are pathetic, angry, and insulting your wife in a public place. If you knew her at all, you would know Stephanie would never betray you, no matter what you’ve done. She has more character than either of us.”

  Molly took a breath and stared at Mo, daring her to make a challenge. Stephanie knew it wasn’t over, as the two women in front of her remained locked in a chest-heaving standoff.

  Molly had one more thing to say. “Wise up, Dr. Hunt. Fix your mess. A woman like that won’t stay lonely, too long.” She leaned in close and whispered. Stephanie strained to hear Molly say, “If you fuck up again, she’ll be done with you. Don’t give me another chance, you’ll lose.”

  With those words said, Molly turned around to face Stephanie. “I enjoyed dancing with you, again. If you need me, you know how to find me. I assume you can get a ride home from here.”