by Aurora Rey
Graham looked at her earnestly. “I don’t think it matters so much now.”
“That’s fair.” Will nodded. “I’ve always had the hots for older women.”
Graham gave her a funny look. “Really?”
Will shrugged. She wasn’t about to talk to Graham about her crush on Nora. “Just a thing, I guess.”
Graham smiled shyly. “I know what you mean.”
For some reason, that made Will feel better. She left Graham to work on her thesis and drove over to Emerson’s. They were putting the final touches on Liam’s loft bed Christmas present before he was out of school. “I think we should put it together in the basement,” Will said when she arrived.
Emerson looked incredulous. “That sounds like a massive amount of extra work.”
Will shook her head. “It really isn’t. All the real work is in cutting, sanding, and painting.”
“Don’t forget pre-drilling.”
Will chuckled. They’d had a lengthy conversation on the merits of pre-drilling. “Exactly. We won’t fully tighten everything downstairs. Or secure it to the wall, obviously. But then Liam will get to see it and not just the sketch.”
“That would be really cool. He asked for a loft bed, but he has no sense of what he’s actually getting. I’d love to see his face the first time he sees it.”
“Christmas morning, you could send him downstairs. It would be such a surprise. And the fact that it’s fully assembled in the basement would blow his mind.”
“Right.” Emerson nodded slowly, then grinned. “How in the world did it get down there?”
“So, we can do it?”
Emerson laughed. “I love how you’re even more excited about this than I am. Thank you for that.”
Will shrugged. This project was sort of the Holy Grail for her—creative, working with her hands, spending time with her sister. On top of that, she got to take the lead and play expert. That never happened in her life these days. “I am. No shame. I’m hoping Liam will let me hang out with him.”
“He adores you already.”
Will smiled. Liam did seem to like her. She’d never wanted kids of her own, but being the cool aunt was shaping up to be one of her favorite things. She wondered if Nora felt that way about Graham. “The feeling is definitely mutual.”
Chapter Nine
Between all the holiday bookings and Graham’s parents coming in for Christmas, more than a week passed where Will didn’t see Nora or Graham at all. She did her best not to mope, or to dwell on the fact that Graham would be heading back to school soon.
Spending time with Emerson helped, as did Liam’s absolute delight in his new bed. In addition to getting it assembled in his room, she and Emerson tackled the cabinets and replaced the bathroom vanity. But even as she helped Emerson check items off her list, Will missed her work at the inn. And she definitely missed Nora.
By the time Nora’s New Year’s party rolled around, Will had worked herself into a state equal parts excitement and nerves. She adjusted her tie and assessed herself in the mirror. Even with it being the middle of winter, she was in better shape and had better color than she’d had in years. Not that it did her any good. The few times she managed to be in the same room as Nora, she hardly gave Will the time of day. Will shook her head. She sure knew how to pick them.
Still. Tonight would be fun. Besides getting to see Nora and Graham, Darcy and Emerson were coming. And Alex and Lia from the café, whom she’d met, but only briefly. The party promised to be the kind of swanky affair that she dreamed about more than she ever got to attend.
Will checked her watch. Emerson and Darcy were due to pick her up any minute. She slipped on her new wingtips, grateful she had a ride instead of having to trudge through the snow. Her phone pinged just as she finished buttoning her coat. Instead of responding, she headed out.
The ride to Failte took all of three minutes and they were early enough to get a parking spot right across the street. The lights Will had helped to hang right after Thanksgiving twinkled, reflecting off the snow and giving the house and front garden a magical, sparkly feel. She led the way up the front steps and into the foyer. Jazz played and a few people already gathered in the sitting room, sipping drinks.
Will took Darcy and Emerson’s coats and pointed them toward the sitting room. She headed down the hall toward the closet just as Graham emerged from the kitchen.
“You’re here.” Graham’s face lit up and she pulled Will, coats and all, into a hug.
“Wouldn’t be anywhere else.” Will returned the hug as best she could. If she could get half that enthusiasm from Nora, she’d be beside herself.
“Aunt Nora will be so happy. She was afraid you might not make it.”
Will fought the urge to scowl. Why would Nora say that? Or think it? “Nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Graham took the coats and hung them in the closet. “I’m going to push these to the back to make more room. That means you’ll have to be the last to leave.”
“Twist my arm.”
Graham didn’t twist, but she did link her arm through Will’s for a second and give it a squeeze. “Let’s get started with a cup of good cheer.”
Graham led the way toward the dining room. Before Will could follow, Nora appeared in the hallway. She locked eyes with Will and stopped short. Like she was surprised Will was there. Or disappointed. “Hello.”
Will offered a bright smile and tried not to stare at the way Nora’s silvery blue dress made her look like a movie star. “Hi. Thank you so much for the invitation. You look fabulous.”
Nora returned the smile, but Will couldn’t help but feel like it was forced. She squared her shoulders, determined to have a good time. And hopefully the party vibe might help Nora relax a little. Although, since she was the host, that wasn’t likely. “Thank you for coming. Did you bring your sister?”
Will nodded. “She and Darcy are in the sitting room. It was so generous of you to invite them as well.”
Nora’s features softened. Was it the mention of Emerson, or the compliment about being a generous host? “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
“I may have told Darcy about your lobster bisque. Be warned that she might try to sweet talk the recipe out of you.”
Nora smiled then, a real and genuine smile. Why couldn’t Will inspire that? “Perhaps she and I could trade secrets.”
Will swallowed. Although there was nothing suggestive or sexual about Nora’s comment, she couldn’t stop her mind from going there. She forced away the thought of sharing a different kind of secret with Nora. “I’m sure she’d be open to a barter.”
The front door opened and more guests arrived. Nora excused herself to greet them. Will headed to the dining room to find Graham. She’d expected an impressive spread, but this exceeded even her imagination. “Wow.”
Graham laughed. “Are you really still surprised?”
Will chuckled in return. “I shouldn’t be.”
Graham poured wine and they rejoined Emerson and Darcy, who’d found drinks and claimed a spot near the window with Lia and Alex. Will kissed Lia lightly on the cheek and extended a hand to Alex. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Alex said.
“We were just congratulating them,” Darcy said with a wide smile.
“On?” Will looked at Lia and Alex, who seemed to be bubbling with happiness.
Lia patted her stomach. “Starting a family.”
“Oh, my God. Congratulations.” Even without being close to them, Will’s heart filled with joy. Before moving to Provincetown, so few of her friends were lesbian. To have not just lesbians, but lesbian couples and families around every turn made her happy.
Alex and Lia got pulled away, leaving Will and Graham with Emerson and Darcy. “Are you two going to have more kids?” Graham asked.
Will watched the unspoken exchange between her sister and Darcy. Eventually, Darcy lifted a shoulder and smiled. “It’s not off the table, but we
’re focusing on one thing at a time.”
Emerson slid a hand around her waist. “What she said. I think I have to convince her to marry me first.”
Graham sighed. “I can’t wait to fall in love.”
Will nodded. “You and me both.”
Conversation turned from love to Graham’s return to school, projects at Emerson and Darcy’s house, and other things. Each time there was a lull, or anytime she thought no one would catch her, she looked around in search of Nora. With seemingly no effort, Nora worked the rooms. She laughed and talked and touched people on the arm or shoulder. She refilled glasses and opened bottles of wine. On more than one occasion, she vanished into the kitchen, only to reappear moments later with another tray of food. She never broke a sweat.
At one point, she drifted over to their little group. She graciously accepted compliments, waved off offers of help, and negotiated a recipe trade with Darcy. Everything about the conversation was easy and light. Nothing like Will’s attempts to chat up Nora one on one. But it was hard to be bothered about anything when Nora smiled and laughed and, once, rested her hand on Will’s arm as she made a point. No, Will could think of nothing but how she might get more of this Nora.
But even as she reveled in it, Will knew Nora wouldn’t linger. Will watched as she kept one eye on the door. The moment it opened for a batch of new arrivals, Nora excused herself.
After greeting friends from one of the real estate offices in town, Nora continued to circulate. She’d enjoyed talking with Emerson and Darcy more than she’d expected. Whether it was their work or Darcy’s son, they seemed older to her, more settled. She could have sworn Graham told her Will was the older of the two, but she must be mistaken. Of course, in the context of that conversation, Will had been perfectly fine—witty, easy to talk to even.
Nora uncorked another bottle of Cabernet and let her gaze wander. Like a magnet, it went right to Will. Will caught her eye and smiled. God, she had a nice smile. Nora glanced away. When she looked again, Will’s attention was directed at her sister. Nora gave herself permission to study her, just for a minute.
She certainly cleaned up nicely. The blue dress shirt made her eyes seem even more blue. The gunmetal gray tie matched her pants and made her look far more grownup than Nora had come to think of her. If she didn’t know better, if Will wasn’t friends with Graham and had simply showed up at her party, Nora might be tempted to indulge in a little flirtation. The kind that would make Tisha proud.
Nora shook her head. Her imagination was getting the better of her. After she’d ensured the food didn’t need replenishing, she made a point of moving out of Will’s line of vision. Or maybe more accurately, making sure Will was out of hers.
Shortly before midnight, Nora weaved her way through the downstairs rooms with glasses of champagne. When she was confident everyone had something to toast with, she climbed the first couple of stairs and called for everyone’s attention. All eyes turned toward her. After checking her watch, she started the countdown. She called out thirty seconds, then twenty. At ten, everyone joined in. She returned to the main floor just as calls of “Happy New Year” filled the room.
Cheers went up. A few people had come with noisemakers. She watched friends and couples embrace, friendly kisses and some with a bit more heat behind them. She watched Will kiss Graham on the cheek and felt a wave of relief that it looked nothing more than platonic.
She exchanged hugs and friendly kisses with Martha and Heidi, then Graham. As she turned away from Graham, Nora found herself face to face with Will. She saw the surprise she felt mirrored in Will’s eyes. But more than that, she saw something more. Desire? Was that possible? Nora’s pulse ratcheted up.
Will smiled. “Happy New Year.”
Every other person in the house melted away. It was her and Will and a shimmery aura of potential. Nora leaned in and, for a second, thought Will would kiss her. Really kiss her. In that second, Nora realized how badly she wanted her to.
But as quickly as the moment came, it vanished. Will kissed her lightly on the cheek, just as she had done with Graham. Relief and disappointment coursed through her, along with a jolt of electricity. Although brief—and in no way sexual—the contact made her heart thud in her chest and left her lightheaded.
Nora grasped the banister and tried to get her bearings. She just needed a minute to collect herself. Fortunately, everyone seemed caught up in the celebrations. She escaped to the kitchen.
Once alone, she was able to take a few deep breaths. She held onto the counter and closed her eyes. Slowly, the dizziness faded.
“Are you okay?”
Nora opened her eyes to find Martha standing in the doorway, concern etched on her face. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. You’re all flushed. And I saw you book it in here like something was on fire.”
Damn it. “I felt a little overheated. All the people, I think. And the champagne.”
“In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never been a very convincing liar. You should give it up.”
In spite of being cornered, Nora laughed. “And in all the years I’ve known you, you’ve been a know-it-all.”
“I don’t know all, but I do know you. What’s up?”
Nora pressed the back of her hand to her cheek, trying to will away the flush she knew was there. “Nothing serious or bad, I promise. Can we leave it at that for now?”
Martha studied her for a moment. “If you promise to fill me in later. The fact that something’s affected you, and you don’t want to talk about it, makes it important enough to tell your best friend.”
She had a point. Had the tables been turned, Nora would have felt the same. “That’s fair. At the moment, I have a house full of guests and I need to get back to them.”
Martha pushed open the swinging door and made a flourish with her arm. “By all means, madam hostess.”
In the few minutes she’d been gone, several of those guests had started collecting their coats. Nora stationed herself by the door to thank people for coming and wish them a good night. Among those leaving were Emerson and Darcy, but Will wasn’t with them. Nora resisted the urge to look for her among the remaining guests.
By one, nearly everyone had left or, in the case of her overnight guests, retired to their rooms. She didn’t mind. It was hours past most of her friends’ bedtimes. Hers as well.
Martha and Heidi lingered at the door and seemed to be the last to depart, except for the fact she still hadn’t seen Will. Would she leave without saying goodbye? Rude, but maybe for the best.
“Bridge next week, yes?” Heidi asked.
“At your place. I’ll be there.”
“And you’ll spill,” Martha said.
Heidi raised a brow. “Spill what?”
“Nothing.” Nora rolled her eyes. “Your wife exaggerates.”
Martha huffed. “We’ll see about that.”
They left and Nora looked around. No sign of Graham. She wondered if she and Will had sneaked off somewhere. Instantly perturbed, Nora squared her shoulders and headed to the kitchen. She’d work off a little of her annoyance before bed and make a dent in the cleanup. It would make breakfast service in the morning easier anyway.
She stopped in her room long enough to slip out of her shoes and dress. She changed into a work shirt and capris, along with mules she wore around the house. When she stepped into the kitchen a moment later, she found Graham and Will side by side at the sink.
“What are you two doing?”
They turned in unison. “Dishes,” Graham said.
“I can see that. Perhaps a more appropriate question is why.”
Will smiled at her and Nora experienced an echo of the feeling she got when Will had kissed her earlier. “You threw an amazing party. We wanted to show our appreciation.”
She would have expected as much from Graham. Nora wondered if Will had expressed interest in cleanup duty or if she’d been roped in. “Really, a thank you would have suff
iced. You’re still wearing your nice clothes.”
Will shrugged. “We borrowed a couple of aprons. Now, are you going to keep giving us a hard time or put things away as we wash and dry?”
Will’s tone seemed mildly flirtatious. Nora tried not to fixate on it. “I’ll put things away. I’ll also find a way to thank you both for doing all this work you didn’t need to do.”
“Um, you’ve put a roof over my head for six months. I think I’m the one who owes you.” Graham finished drying a punch bowl and handed it to her.
Nora took it into the dining room and tucked it into the china cabinet in the corner. It was one thing for Graham to say that, but what about Will? What was her angle? She returned to the kitchen and started putting away the platters Graham had stacked.
“And you’ve given me a job,” Will said, as though reading Nora’s mind. “I feel like you took a chance on me and I appreciate it.”
That was true, but probably not for the reasons Will thought. “You’ve earned every dollar I’ve paid you. In fact, I’ll pay you for tonight as well.”
Will smiled at her again. Again, it gave Nora a flutter of something she’d rather not think about. “Absolutely not. This is strictly volunteer.”
Nora stopped trying to reason or argue with both of them. She focused on getting her kitchen, as well as the dining room, back in order. In between putting away bowls and platters, she cleared the few remaining plates and glasses from the rest of the downstairs. In less than an hour, they were done. “I still feel badly that you did all this work, but I’m grateful.”
Graham draped an arm over her shoulder. “We were more than happy to help. Now you get to sleep for three whole hours before you start up again.”
“You have to get up in three hours?” Will seemed horrified by the idea.
“I’ve got three couples who’ll be expecting breakfast. I’ll probably sneak in a nap tomorrow afternoon. It’s the one day a year it feels justified.”