by Rhavensfyre
Allyse.
Chapter Eight
Allyse had fallen asleep worried about the troubled young woman passed out in the bedroom across from her and she woke up still worried about her. That was why she had to stop in front of Dani’s bedroom door on the way downstairs and peek in. Callie had abandoned her initial infatuation with Allyse and was back where she belonged, lying at the foot of Dani’s bed. Almond shaped eyes stared at her placidly, and she greeted her with a single lackluster tail wag before flopping back down with a tired huff. Allyse smiled in amusement at the utter lack of enthusiasm. Some guard dog you are, she thought, then had to bite her tongue to keep silent when Callie waggled her eyebrows at her. That showed her. You never knew what a dog heard, or understood, even when you didn’t say something aloud.
She hadn’t planned on going in, but no matter how she strained her vision she couldn’t see enough details except for a still lump lying in the bed that ought to be Dani. The television in the corner flickered, casting an eerie blue/black glow across the room. When she passed in front of the TV, its light cast a distorted shadow that danced in front of her. It reminded her of the old black and white horror flicks she loved to watch late at night, except she wasn’t some movie screen monster sneaking up on the unsuspecting maiden-slash-victim. She did feel slightly weird in a ‘hope I’m not being too creepy way’ that probably had something to do with sneaking around inside another woman’s bedroom in the pre-dawn hours.
Like any good parent, Allyse had become adept at checking for the subtle signs of breathing in near black conditions. Dani wasn’t a child by any means, but the old skill came in handy now. Sometime in the night she had curled up on her side, tucking her injured hand close to her body in a protective gesture. The blankets were so twisted and tangled around her legs that they were useless for anything but keeping her from moving freely.
Allyse carefully pulled the constraining blankets free from Dani’s legs, dislodging a liquor bottle from where it lay nestled beneath her knee. She lifted the bottle up to eye level and shook it. She was dismayed by how much of the amber colored liquid was left—or rather, how very little of it was left. The bottle had been well over half-full when Dani took it upstairs with her last night and now it was almost empty.
“Oh, sweetie,” Allyse whispered, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain Dani must be feeling. A muffled whimper and groan froze her in place. She held her breath while Dani shifted restlessly, afraid the sleeping woman would open her eyes and find her standing at the edge of the bed. With nothing but the sound of her heart pounding in her chest for company it seemed like forever before Dani settled back down. Allyse exhaled and gently laid the liberated blanket back around the sleeping woman’s shoulders. Before she turned to leave, she placed the bottle on the bedside table, then walked out with a heavier heart than she had gone in with.
That was hours ago. Even though it was well after eight in the morning the house was unusually still, like it was still sleeping along with its owner. It was quiet, peaceful in a way she was starting to appreciate now that she had gotten used to the absence of city sounds. A lone bird chirped a question outside the nearest window, bravely begging permission to break out into song.
She was almost finished with her second cup of coffee when Dani wandered in. Allyse glanced at the time and raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t expected to see Dani up before noon.
“Good morning. How are you feeling?” Allyse got up and poured Dani a cup of fresh coffee. She looked like she needed it.
“Sore,” Dani answered, her voice sounding raspy and dry until she cleared it. She raked her fingers through wildly tangled morning hair, barely taming it into a semblance of order.
“Your head or your hand?” Allyse asked, remembering the almost empty liquor bottle.
“My hand. Why would my head be sore?” Dani asked while scooping a sinful amount of sugar into her coffee cup.
“Don’t you have a hangover?”
“Nope. Don’t get them, never have,” Dani answered, sounding way more chipper than she had a right to be. She took a sip of her coffee and made a face. “Needs creamer.”
“Don’t forget to take your antibiotics.”
“Yes, dear,” Dani answered with a lopsided grin. With her cup full of sugar and cream and a little bit of coffee, Dani snatched up the day-glow orange bottle sitting on the countertop.
The childproof cap proved too much for Dani, but instead of asking for help, she kept trying. Allyse finally interfered when Dani approached the stubborn bottle with a knife and an impressive string of colorful curses that followed her failed attempt to open the container with only one good hand.
“Are you trying to permanently maim yourself?” Allyse snatched the pills out of Dani’s hand and twisting the bottle open for her.
“It deserves it. Stubborn ass bottle.” Dani took the pill Allyse offered her.
“It’s not the only stubborn one. What were you going to do with this?” Allyse held up the serrated edged steak knife Dani had been brandishing a moment before.
“Cut the top off,” Dani growled, popping the antibiotic in her mouth and washing it down with a sip of coffee.
“Let’s not do that. It doesn’t deserve a death sentence. I can just open it for you when your pills are due.”
“It still deserves to be punished. It was holding my pills hostage,” Dani muttered, maintaining her false resentment at the reluctant pill bottle. It was hard keeping a straight face, what with her sense of humor trying to poke a hole through her scowl.
“Well, I’m issuing it a pardon. Now, sit down and I’ll get you breakfast.”
“Are you always so bossy?” Dani asked, her eyes widening at Allyse’s attempt to bully her, even if it was in jest.
“Yes,” Allyse said, not missing a beat. “It comes in handy, you know. Erick texted me first thing this morning. I told him you were still sleeping and that under no circumstances was he to call you directly.”
“Thanks.” Dani fished her phone out of her pocket and peeked at it. A quick nod confirmed what Allyse already knew. Erick had neither called nor texted her this morning. “I guess I should call him. He always calls when I’m asleep and then wonders why I get cranky. Someday I’m going to call him at one in the morning and see how he likes it.”
“That should be interesting. Let me know beforehand so I can be there.” Allyse returned Dani’s playful grin. She found the idea of conspiring against her friend with his niece quite enticing.
“I’ll be right back.” Dani left the room to call Erick, then returned to the kitchen after a few minutes a great deal quieter than before she had left.
Great, what did he say to her to ruin her good mood? Allyse thought.
“That was quick.” Allyse noted, following Dani’s back as she bypassed the kitchen table to refill her coffee cup.
“Yeah. He was too busy to talk. He said something about a meeting with Mr. Peterson.”
“What?” Allyse reacted to Dani’s words with a sudden flurry of movement, reaching for her own phone and calling Erick immediately. What the hell? We didn’t have any meeting scheduled with Mr. Peterson.
When Erick answered, Dani leaned against the kitchen counter and blew the steam from her coffee, quietly watching Allyse pale then turn beet red.
“Allyse, I’m kind of busy. Do you need something?” Erick asked, sounding distracted and more than a little flustered. She heard a strange echo and the sounds of a toilet flushing.
“Never mind, I think your rotten niece just got even with both of us.”
Dani managed to keep an air of innocence about her until the effort of holding back her laughter made her snort.
“You are evil,” Allyse announced the minute she hung up on Erick.
“Was he still in the bathroom?” Dani asked.
“I heard noises I never wanted to hear. I can’t believe you did that to us.”
Despite the horror in her voice, she was more than pleased at the way the day h
ad started. Dani had revealed a wicked sense of humor that Allyse could appreciate. She rarely had a chance to just talk and joke around with someone. Most of the people she interacted with on a daily basis were too afraid of offending her. Somehow, she got the impression that wasn’t something Dani worried about.
“How do you even know who Mr. Peterson is?” she asked. Mr. Peterson was the company’s accountant. He never showed up unless needed, and if he showed up outside of their scheduled appointments, something unpleasant was about to happen.
Dani didn’t answer her right away. She was too busy laughing so hard she looked like she could barely breathe.
“Hurts, does it? Serves you right! Just for that you don’t get breakfast,” Allyse scowled at the woman laughing at her, but it was a toothless scowl.
“Please? I won’t do it again.” Dani held out her bandaged hand, managing to look like a poor, starving waif. “I’m injured. Please feed me.”
Allyse could practically hear a small English voice in the background. Alms? Alms? Alms for the poor? There was no way Allyse could deny that pitiful face and even more pathetic acting, even if she had wanted to. She had to admit that Dani was being awfully amusing this morning, charming even, in her own way.
“Fine, you get breakfast…just so I don’t have to see such a sad display again.”
“Thanks.” Dani dropped her pitiful waif routine and popped up to kiss Allyse on the cheek.
“No problem,” Allyse murmured. Her cheek tingled where Dani’s lips had briefly pressed and her face felt hot. She hoped Dani wouldn’t notice the flush that always accompanied that sensation. Dani's lips had been so soft against her cheek. She wanted to feel them on her lips. Allyse mentally shook herself, but that wasn’t enough. She had too good of an imagination, one that tended towards the visual. She was already mentally drawing the images to match the thoughts running amuck inside her head, could feel her fingers twitch like she was holding the pencil between her fingertips.
Dani cleared her throat. Allyse looked up and found Dani watching her, her head cocked just the slightest bit. “Did you change your mind? I mean, I can find something around here to munch on.”
“No, of course not. Let me get breakfast started.” Allyse launched from her chair and started pulling out pans from the cabinet. The loud clatter was distracting, but not enough. She kept trying to figure out where Dani was coming from but for some reason she was having an extraordinarily difficult time doing so. Sometimes Dani seemed to be flirting with her and other times she just came off as being friendly. It was frustrating. She now knew for certain that Dani was a lesbian and she was pretty sure that Erick had told Dani everything about her, but that didn’t mean Dani would be interested in her. On the other hand, she hadn’t exactly said no yesterday, had she?
Ask me sometime and we’ll find out. Dani’s exact words played back at her. Allyse’s pulse jumped. That was definitely not a no. It might have been a firm maybe, but she was going to interpret that as a positive “yes, if you ask.” Now all Allyse had to do was find the courage to ask her out.
“You seem to be in a good mood this morning. I figured with your hand and everything…” Allyse left the rest of her sentence hanging in the air. She busied herself in the refrigerator, pulling out the milk and eggs she needed to make French toast.
“I can’t do anything about it. It happened. It’s over, so why dwell on what I can’t change? It’s only for a few days.” Dani shrugged, her pragmatism eloquent in its simplicity. “Speaking of which, can you help me with the bandages? I need to change them and I really want a shower.”
“After breakfast,” she promised, keeping a careful eye on the skillet while she cut thick slices from a loaf of French bread. Allyse was impressed with Dani’s attitude. She wasn’t sure if she could be so forgiving if the circumstances had been reversed.
***
“This looks great.” Dani’s gratitude was genuine and had everything to do with how loudly her stomach growled the minute she dug into her food. Allyse had gone all out. Fresh blueberries and strawberries decorated the surface of each perfect slice under a light dusting of powdered sugar.
While Dani ate, Allyse took care of Callie. She had been sniffing around the kitchen looking for something good to eat, but since Allyse hadn’t bothered making any sausage or bacon, the dog gave up and thumped herself down in the corner. She almost…almost, looked as forlorn as Dani had earlier. “Does Callie need her breakfast?”
“Yes.” Dani started to get up but Allyse waved her back down.
“I’m up. I’ll get it.”
“But you haven’t eaten yet.”
“It’ll just take a second. Then I’ll join you.”
Dani thanked her for taking care of Callie the minute she sat down.
“It’s no problem, she is very sweet and undemanding.”
“That’s important to you, isn’t it? You must have a lot of demands back in New York. I guess it’s nice when you don’t.” Dani asked, digging into a second helping of French toast. “This is very good.”
“Thank you.” Allyse smiled, amused at Dani’s scattered thoughts. “Yes, but I wanted a career so I try not to complain too much.”
A thoughtful expression crossed Dani’s face. She looked down at her plate, then back up at Allyse. “I don’t mean to be taking up so much of your time. I know you came here for a break.”
“You’re fine. Other than yesterday’s incident, it’s been very relaxing here. It’s nice watching the sunrise come up over the hills in the morning and it is surprising how just listening to the birds is soothing in itself.” Allyse said, surprised that she was the one having to reassure Dani. Is she really trying to apologize to me?
“Have you heard the owls?” Dani asked, taking a sip of what Allyse realized was her third cup of coffee for the morning. Her rapid fire questions made Allyse wonder how much coffee the energetic young woman should drink in the morning.
“No.”
“Maybe tonight. There are two of them that live under the eaves in the barn. I think they’re a mated pair.”
Talking about the farm gave Allyse an idea. “Dani? If you’re feeling up to it, would you mind taking me on a tour of your farm? Erick has talked about this place for years and I have only seen it the one time.” Allyse realized what she was saying and tried to shut up. Dani was in a surprisingly good mood this morning and she didn’t want to ruin it by bringing up the past.
“At my uncle’s funeral. I saw you.” There was a lingering sadness that touched the corners of her eyes as she spoke about her Uncle. “It’s okay, Allyse. I loved my uncle very much. It was great that you were there for Erick.” Dani placed her hand over Allyse’s, squeezing the fingers gently before turning her attention back to her coffee.
But who was there for you?
Allyse hadn’t seen Dani standing with anyone, not even Erick. At the funeral, Dani seemed to avoid Erick and had left as soon as the service ended. Allyse had been curious then, but she didn’t ask Erick about it that day—and she wouldn’t ask Dani about it today, either.
“It’s what friends do, they support each other.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Why wouldn’t you know?” Allyse asked. She was rinsing out their dishes when she realized Dani hadn’t answered. When she turned around she found out why. The kitchen was empty. “Dani?”
Allyse had spoken without thinking, trying to fill the awkward silence that followed Dani’s statement. Now she crumpled against the counter and hung her head, finally realizing what Dani wasn't saying. She wouldn’t know what friends do, because she really didn’t have any. Allyse felt her heart break a little. No one stood with her at the funeral. She didn’t have anyone to stand with her.
“Dani, Dani wait.” She had to rush and catch up with Dani before she disappeared into her room. She caught her hand and spun her around, wrapping Dani in an impulsive hug that shocked them both. Dani stiffened, then slowly relaxed against her. When she finally
returned the hug, she enveloped Allyse in a desperately strong embrace that spoke of years of loneliness.
“I’m sorry,” Allyse whispered.
“It’s okay, I’m used to it.” She extricated herself from Allyse’s embrace and practically ran for the bathroom. She had told Allyse she was okay, but she wasn’t. Jay’s funeral was a reminder of how alone she was in the world. She didn’t have any close friends, and other than Erick, she had no one in her life she really cared about. Apparently she was too blunt for most people, or her sense of humor was off just enough that people didn’t get her. She had stopped trying to connect with people a long time ago and threw herself into what she understood and what understood her—her farm and animals. At least they didn’t judge her. Allyse didn’t seem to mind her too much, but she had only been around the other woman for a few days. She would just wait and see if she got tired of her.
She was pulling roughly at the bandages, trying to get her emotions under control when Allyse walked in.
“I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“I’m sure you will before you leave,” Dani responded gruffly.
“I doubt it.”
Dani kept ripping at the stubborn bandages. She was being stupid, falling for the older woman. Allyse would either get tired of her or forget about her when she left. People like her didn’t have friends. Everyone left, it was just a fact.
She stared blankly at the stitches on her hand as the last bit of dressing fell away from her palm. They were ugly and swollen, the black threadlike sutures straining against the joined skin. Damn, twelve of them, she thought angrily. Oh well, at least Polo is okay and I got his damn shoes back on.
“That looks painful.”
Dani just stared at Allyse. Seriously? Of course it was painful, it fucking hurt, but what was the use in complaining? It was over and done and there was no changing the past.