by TJ Thomas
“Sure.”
“Do you have a card? I would love to have you paint something as a surprise for my fiancée.”
Dawn walked to her desk and pulled out one of her business cards. “Here you go. Give me a call when you want to discuss the details.”
“Great. I’ll do that.” June slipped the card into the back pocket of her jeans. “Listen, I should get back. Kate and Cam will wonder if I got lost crossing the yard. That will be funnier when you know me better.” She made her way back to the front door, then turned. “Why don’t you come over and have a glass of wine with us?”
“Thanks, but I should get back to work.”
“On Saturday? Come on, just one glass.”
Dawn hesitated. She was leery of spending time with the handsome woman she met earlier, but if there were other people to act as a buffer, she thought it might be the perfect time. “When you work for yourself, there is no such thing as a weekend. But since I do work for myself, I suppose I can take a break and go over for a few minutes. Let me just change my shirt real quick.”
“Seriously? We’ve been moving things for hours. We’re sweaty and dusty. If you freshen up you’ll make us all realize just how dirty we are.”
Dawn examined the paint splattered T-shirt she had pulled on hours earlier. She hesitated. She liked to make the best impression possible and dressed nicely when she left the house, but she didn’t want June to feel uncomfortable. She supposed it wasn’t all that bad. “Fair enough, but I really do need to wash my brushes first if you wouldn’t mind waiting a couple of minutes.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter Two
Dawn and June stepped outside, and Dawn pulled the door closed behind them.
“I noticed your flowers on the way over. Your garden is beautiful,” June said.
“Thank you.”
“Are you this good at everything you do?”
Dawn raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“Well, you have an award-winning garden in your front yard and incredible works of art hanging on your living room walls. I just wondered if there was anything you don’t do well.”
“Sure, lots of things.”
“Will you tell me one?”
“I can’t cook to save my life.”
June chuckled. “Thank goodness. We can’t have too much perfection in the neighborhood.”
Dawn was still shaking her head as she entered the house next door. She saw boxes everywhere but was surprised at the progress. When they walked into the living room, the willowy brunette from the SUV glanced over. She knelt on the floor arranging books from a box on a bookshelf. “Oh, hi. We thought maybe you’d gotten lost.”
June glanced at Dawn and rolled her eyes playfully. “Told you.” She gave the brunette an easy but affectionate kiss. “Kate, this is Dawn. It is my fault it took so long, but only because I got lost looking at Dawn’s paintings. She’s quite a talented artist.” She turned back to Dawn. “This is my fiancée, Kate.”
Dawn extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Kate.”
“You too, Dawn. I’m glad you could join us. I would love to see your work some time.”
“Sure, any time.”
“I hope June thanked you for lunch. It was very sweet.”
“She did. It really wasn’t a big deal.”
Before Dawn could say anything else, the gorgeous stranger from earlier entered the room. June broke the silence. “I believe you two have already met.”
“Not officially. Dawn, is it? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Cam. Thanks for lunch and use of the corkscrew.”
Cam held out her hand to Dawn. Dawn returned the gesture. When their hands met, Dawn’s breath caught. She hoped she was the only one who heard it. Cam’s eyes darkened. She was mesmerized as a corner of Cam’s mouth lifted into a grin. Dawn mentally shook herself and pulled her hand away as nonchalantly as she could manage. Her hand was warm with sensations. “No problem. It’s nice to meet you too.”
June and Kate stood behind Cam, so neither saw her smile deepen. It made Dawn’s heart gallop in her chest. When Cam turned to her friends, Dawn took her first full breath since Cam entered the room and managed to pull herself together.
“Shall we move this party outside? At the least the yard isn’t a moving zone,” Cam said.
They headed for the kitchen. Cam grabbed a bottle of wine off the wine rack, June grabbed plastic cups and paper plates, and Kate grabbed the pizza and napkins. They were so in sync Dawn imagined the three of them had done this many times before. June headed into the backyard. Dawn followed her. Kate and Cam quickly joined them.
Dawn tried to calm her racing heart and clear her muddled brain. Luckily, nobody paid much attention to her as she chastised herself. It’s true, Cam’s gorgeous. It doesn’t matter. You can’t let it matter. You have to calm down. She’s your neighbor. Just keep it friendly. You can handle this. You’re an adult. Just relax and try to enjoy yourself.
They ended up on the covered patio. As Cam opened the wine, Kate put pizza on plates and June pulled out cups, then she set out napkins. Dawn surveyed the yard. The grill and patio set were already set up, but there was a heavy bag leaning against one of the posts of the patio cover. Then she turned her attention to the yard. It was as deep and wide as hers with almost no landscaping, just green grass all the way back to the fence. Functional, she supposed, but plain, an empty canvas to fill with color. She would love to get her hands on it. She laughed at herself. Then she noticed the gigantic doghouse in the corner of the yard under the one tree in the back corner of the yard. Just as she was about to comment on it, Kate got her attention. “Dawn, would you like some pizza?”
She started to decline until she realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was nearly four in the afternoon. “Sure. I’d love a slice. Thank you.”
She rejoined them at the table. When Cam handed her a glass of wine, she took it easily. “Thank you. So, do you have a dog?”
“Yes, two. Jack is a golden retriever and Mozz is a black lab. The boys are staying with friends today. I wanted to spare them the chaos of the move.”
“Mozz? That’s an interesting name.”
Cam inclined her head. “It’s short for Mozzarella. Jack’s short for Sonoma Jack. All my dogs seem to end up with cheesy names, pun intended. It’s become a tradition. When I got my first puppy at ten, I named him Cheddar. I don’t know why my parents let me stick with the name, but I guess they decided since he was my dog I should name him.”
“That’s great,” Dawn said.
“I think my favorite name was Muenster,” June said.
Everyone laughed.
“Just how long have you all known each other?” Dawn asked.
“Since college,” they answered together.
The three of them shared a look like being this in sync was a common occurrence.
Dawn sipped her wine. “It seems like there’s a story there.”
“So many stories,” June said. “We all met the first day of college. The three of us lived on the same floor. Cam and I were roommates and soccer teammates. Kate lived down the hall. The three of us instantly clicked. We hung out all the time, got really close. It got to the point when someone saw one of us they expected to see the other two.”
“And you’ve been the best of friends all this time?”
“Well, not exactly,” June admitted. “Like any friendship, ours has had its ups and downs. But we’ve always made amends and come back together. We can’t seem to stay away from each other for long. These two know more about me than anyone in my life. I don’t know what I would ever do without either one of them.”
“Likewise,” Cam said.
“Me either,” Kate said softly.
“Wow. That’s great. So, June and Kate, is that when you two got together?”
Kate glanced warmly at June. “No. That happened after college. Back then we were so busy trying to deny our feelings and not
wanting to ruin our friendship that we made things pretty bad between the three of us for a while. Cam got caught in the middle of a lot of the crossfire. She’s the one who finally helped us see what we couldn’t or wouldn’t see on our own.”
“How did you manage that?” Dawn asked Cam.
“I kissed Kate and told June all about it.”
“What? You didn’t!”
“It’s true and I got punched in the face for it,” Cam said.
“I had never hit anyone in my life,” June said. “I don’t know what came over me. One minute Cam is talking, and the next thing I know I’m hot and angry. Then—bam! I didn’t think about it. It wasn’t a conscious thought. I reacted. I hit her. I still can’t believe I did it. And I’ve never hit anyone since. I didn’t know what was going on. Cam did though and she helped me figure it out. I learned a lot about myself that day. Some realizations weren’t so good.” She turned to Kate. “Others were.” June took Kate’s hand gently. “Thank the Goddess she did or I would probably still be hiding from the truth.”
“Did you know before you kissed Kate that June had feelings for her?” Dawn asked Cam.
“Of course. It was obvious to everyone except the two of them.”
“So, why kiss her and risk your friendship? Why not just talk to June about it?”
A mischievous grin spread across Cam’s face. “Well, first of all, look at her.”
“Why thank you, gorgeous,” Kate said.
Cam’s smile widened and she met Dawn’s intense gaze evenly. “But also I had tried talking to June and I had tried talking to Kate, but both of them were too bullheaded to hear me. So I figured I had to do something to shake things up. Things had gotten pretty bad, and I didn’t want to lose either one of them as friends. I figured maybe, just maybe, if each of them could see what she was hiding from, things might get better. There wasn’t much chance the situation could get worse. The two of them weren’t even speaking to each other by that point. I thought if I could get them riled up enough to at least talk to each other, life might improve for all of us.”
“Well, I guess your plan worked.”
“It did, eventually,” June said. “Kate and I still danced around the issue for a while trying to feel each other out before either one of us would spill our guts. Finally though, I showed up on Kate’s doorstep one night and told her we needed to talk.”
“So we talked,” Kate said.
“And the two of them have been together ever since,” Cam said. “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Kate stood to refill everyone’s wine. “So, Dawn, now that we’ve talked your ear off, tell us about yourself.”
“There’s not a lot to tell. I’d rather hear more about ya’ll. Besides, it seems the three of you have a lot of stories.”
“Ya’ll? Are you from the South?” June asked.
“Born and raised in North Carolina. My twang tends to come out when I’m tired or drinking.”
“Tell us more about you,” June said.
Dawn thought a moment. “Okay, let’s see. I have my own business designing T-shirts. I also paint and am currently working on several pieces for a show next month. I love gardening and spend as much time as possible in my yard. What do you all do for work?”
“I’m a computer programmer,” June said.
Kate said, “I’m a dance instructor at night, which is my passion, but I’m also a substitute teacher for elementary school.”
When everyone looked at her, Cam said, “And I’m an IT Manager for a midsized company in Hillcrest.”
Dawn had hoped by asking about their work, they’d forget to come back to her. Not so easily put off, June and Kate started to ask questions over one another. “How long have you lived here?” “Is your family here?” “Any great loves?” “Besides gardening what do you do for fun?”
Dawn laughed at the rapid-fire questions. “What is this, speed dating?”
June and Kate laughed at themselves too. June said, “We’re just curious about you.”
“Well, thank you. Let’s see…I’ve lived in San Diego for about eleven years, but I only bought my house here in Normal Heights about two years ago. My parents still live in the same town where I grew up in North Carolina, but my little sister, Ali, recently moved to Seattle to work on her doctorate. Besides gardening, I like to go dancing and to classic car shows. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade because I love the fifties styles so much.”
“You forgot one,” Kate said.
“What’s that?”
“Any great loves?”
Dawn looked away before answering softly, “No.”
Cam, who had watched the exchange silently up to this point, said, “That surprises me. You’re very attractive.”
Dawn felt herself blush and silently cursed her pale skin. On impulse, she used the same mockingly seductive tone that Kate had used earlier. “Well, thank you, gorgeous. You’re not so bad yourself.”
June and Kate laughed heartily. For the time being, the subject was dropped, much to Dawn’s relief. It took her a few seconds, but she realized Cam saved her from having to answer. She glanced over and became aware that she was being studied. She held Cam’s gaze for a moment and silently mouthed, “Thank you.”
Cam inclined her head slightly to acknowledge Dawn and then she turned back to June and Kate. This allowed Dawn time to do some studying of her own.
*****
Cam stood with Dawn at the bottom of the porch. She waved to June and Kate as they climbed into their truck. As June drove off, Dawn turned to Cam. “Well, I’ll see you around.”
“I’ll walk you home.”
Dawn stopped. “That’s silly. You can see my porch from here.”
“Humor me. I don’t like to let a lady walk home alone.”
“Suit yourself.”
Walking beside Dawn for a moment in silence, Cam surveyed the gardens in Dawn’s front yard. Even in the waning light, she could see the riot of colors, which at first glance appeared to be random. But when she took a second look, Cam could see it was all a part of a well-planned pattern. “You have a beautiful yard. Did you do all this?”
Genuine pleasure lit Dawn’s entire face. “Yes, thanks.”
The wall Cam sensed between them all evening came down for a moment. Dawn was even more beautiful when her defenses lowered. She wondered again what had happened to Dawn to make those defenses necessary.
At her front porch, Dawn turned to Cam. “Good night.”
“Sweet dreams, Dawn. Thanks again for everything. You’ve made us feel at home.”
Dawn smiled. “Sure thing.” She hurried into her house.
*****
Before the sun breached the horizon the next morning, Cam was already hard at work organizing her things. She wanted to have the majority of the boxes unpacked and put away before she picked up the dogs later that day. Dawn’s striking face stuck with her. It was beautiful and pale with the faintest dusting of freckles across her cheeks and nose. The afternoon sun had glinted off the deep red hair that was pulled up and away in a haphazard bun. A blush of color had crept across those cheeks when their eyes locked. There had been interest in those green eyes when they first met yesterday afternoon. Cam was sure of it. She hadn’t decided how she felt about the fact that her last thoughts before sleep overtook her and her first thoughts this morning swirled around Dawn.
It had been years since that place was held by anyone other than Melanie. From the day she and Mel met, they were in sync. She had been the love of her life. They’d planned to be together forever. Then she’d gotten sick and worse. The devastation in Cam’s heart had overwhelmed her for a while, but Mel had helped her see that Cam wasn’t the one leaving. She needed to figure out how to continue to have a full life even after Mel was gone.
Cam had reached the conclusion that meant a full life on her own because she never expected to be interested in anyone else. Mel had claimed her heart. Before she’d died, she made Cam pr
omise that she wouldn’t ever turn her back on the potential of finding someone else. Mel hadn’t wanted her to be alone forever. It was an easy promise to make because she didn’t think it would ever be an issue. She couldn’t imagine finding a spark like she had with Mel with anyone else.
Cam led a full life. She loved her work. She had wonderful, enriching friendships. She volunteered. There were days she still thought of Melanie and missed her painfully, but she had had time to say good-bye. She tried to make a life for herself Melanie would be proud of, and she was tremendously fulfilled. Recently, she had dated casually, but was happy being on her own. She didn’t think she ever wanted a serious relationship again.
For the first time since she’d made that pledge to Mel, that she wouldn’t close herself off, she found herself intrigued. She always found women interesting and enticing, but it wasn’t often she couldn’t figure one out without much difficulty. There had been sparks between her and Dawn when she had taken her hand. Cam had flirted lightly throughout the evening but hadn’t received the slightest indication of any type of response.
For the umpteenth time, she reviewed what she knew, although Cam admitted it wasn’t much. Dawn was an artist, businesswoman, and gardener. She drank wine, ate pizza, and somewhere in her past, she had been hurt badly. Cam realized she was only guessing about that last piece of information, but she’d seen Dawn’s face last night when Kate and June pressed her to answer their questions about her great loves. Cam couldn’t get that haunted expression out of her mind. She shook her head trying to clear it. She’d seen and felt Dawn’s initial reaction to her, but then Dawn hadn’t responded to her the rest of the night in any way other than as a friendly neighbor.
She had two options: forget about it or gather more data. Cam easily admitted she already knew she had to find out more. She couldn’t ignore such an intriguing woman right next door. She would have to learn her story. Cam laughed at herself. Time to get the pups. At the moment, her doorbell rang. Right on time.