“It’s eye-catching and tastefully understated at the same time. I also did the design for a winery in Stonington. Want to see?”
They locked eyes for a moment, and Kate couldn’t help smiling. Jordan smiled back, and suddenly their business meeting felt as awkward as a first good-night kiss.
“I, uh, I was about to say something else,” Jordan stammered. “Sorry, I…”
Kate smiled wider as their professionalism spiraled into blatant flirtation. “The winery in Stonington?”
“Oh, yeah, duh,” Jordan said. “Now I’m thinking my presentation would’ve been far more professional if we were Skyping.”
Their laughter reduced the boiling sexual tension to a simmer.
“No worries, Jordan. I’m impressed with your work and the delivery of your sales pitch.”
“Thank you.” She pulled a flyer out of her bag. “Here’s the list of links to my other clients’ sites. In the meantime, do you have any questions for me?”
Kate arched an eyebrow. You mean like where have you been all my life? “Uh, no. I’m good right now. I’ll review those sites, and when I choose one I like, then we can talk pricing.”
“Great. Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.”
They stood at the same time, and Jordan shook her hand again. As they walked to the door, Kate stopped her.
“Say, I do have one question, a personal one, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure.” She dazzled Kate again with those eyes.
“How old are you?”
She hesitated like a suspect hedging how much the cops already knew. “Thirty.”
That’s exactly what Kate was afraid she’d say. “All right then. I’ll be in touch.”
“I hope so.” The lilt of temptation in Jordan’s voice told Kate she wasn’t talking business anymore.
Kate swallowed hard and extended her arm for Jordan to go ahead of her into the reception area.
“So,” Didi said, startling them both. “Do we have a partnership here or what?”
Kate scowled at her as she passed her desk and walked Jordan out. After closing the door, she leaned against it and exhaled.
“Well?” Didi asked.
“She’s thirty years old,” Kate finally said.
“You have an age requirement to have a website designed?”
Kate dropped on the couch and ran her hands through her hair. “Didi, I can’t hire her to do the website. I’m attracted to her.”
“What does one have to do with the other if you like her work? Besides, if you end up going out with her, that’s just a bonus.”
“No, no, no.” Kate flailed her hand back and forth. “There will be no dating involved in this.”
“What’s wrong with you? She’s smart, sexy, and artistic. And she’s obviously smitten with you. You can see it when she lets her gaze linger on you. It’s so adorbs.”
“Didi, she was born the year I graduated high school.”
“Really? That’s kind of creepy.”
“Thank you.”
“Kate, I’m just kidding. I think she’s great for you. Age shouldn’t matter. It’s not like she’s twenty. She’s established and seems very mature.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Kate leapt up from the couch and headed into her office.
Didi appeared in the doorway. “Kate, just go out on one date with her. Not for nothing, but you need the practice. You literally haven’t been out with someone new in over twenty years.”
“Really?” Kate said. “Seventeen years with Lydia, four years single. Yeah. You’re right.”
“Which means you haven’t been laid in four years.” She sucked her teeth. “Pathetic. I’m surprised you let her out of your office without a struggle,” she said with a giggle.
“I believe the estimate is closer to six years, but who’s counting?”
“Oh-em-gee. Then just sleep with her. Come on. Pretty soon it’s gonna pucker shut on you.”
Kate laughed. “I’m not going to sleep with her. You know I don’t do that.”
“You must be exhausted constantly trying to cover all that moral high ground.”
“It’s not about morality. With the exception of one drunken night with Viv when I was barely out of my teens, I’ve never been into sex without some type of emotional connection. And right now, I’m not into pursuing an emotional connection either. I’m quite content with my emotionally uncomplicated life, thank you.”
“Boy, did we end up in opposite places in our lives. I’d take her into the supply closet right now if she wanted.”
Kate scratched her head. “You were friends with two out lesbians for decades. Why did it take you till you were forty to realize you’re one, too?”
“Hmm, let’s see.” She counted off on her fingers. “Catholic. Italian. A son. A mortgage. Xanax.”
“Fair enough.” Kate headed back to her office.
“What about the website? Are you going to hire Jordan?”
Kate stopped at the door and thought for a moment. “Only if you’ll handle it. I don’t want to have any more interaction with her. It’s not wise to mix business with pleasure. But more importantly, I’m not a fan of cold showers,” she added with a grin.
“Fair enough,” Didi said and smiled.
Chapter Four
Indecent Proposal
Her eyes weak from what seemed like hours playing game apps and trolling photos and comment posts on Jordan’s Facebook page, Kate curled up in silky sheets, bargaining with herself to shut down her brain and go to sleep. It was after one a.m., but no matter how many times she covered and uncovered her head with the pillow, she could not chase Jordan out of her mind. The whole thing defied explanation. Why was she being taunted with visions of that girl’s rich olive skin, juicy caramel lips, and tall, slender figure every time she closed her eyes? Cosmic retribution, that’s what it was—the ultimate payback for every judgment she’d ever passed on Viv’s dubious romantic dalliances and dig she’d ever made to Didi for drooling over some girl young enough to be her daughter. Karma. ’Tis indeed a bitch.
Now that she’d wrung out every ounce of romanticism from the Jordan situation, how long was this foolishness supposed to last? A woman in her early-late forties had no business lying wide-awake while her emotions surged like they had as a teenager when she’d discovered her first Kathleen Turner movie. And over who? Some kid who’d probably have nothing more than a brief fascination with a woman creeping up on the half-century mark.
Regardless of her momentary lapse, Kate Randall was no teenager, and she resolved to purge these unwelcome feelings from her decommissioned heart if she had to lie there and count sheep until the entire flock stampeded her.
* * *
The next day, Kate stood at the water cooler in the reception area of her office sipping water from a cone-shaped paper cup. She eyed Didi, who was engrossed in the Request for Disclosure document she was preparing.
“Do you know what I dislike most about you?”
Didi looked up from her keyboard. “I beg your pardon?”
“When you gloat,” Kate said, staring her down. “All week long, every time I’ve walked past you, I’ve had to look at your smug face.”
“What am I gloating over?”
“You know.”
“What? Jordan?”
Kate glared at her with disgust. “Look at you, acting all innocent. Yes, Jordan.”
“Kate, I don’t know what you’re getting so indignant over. I haven’t bothered you about her since you told me to handle the website design myself. I even had her come into the office while you were at court, so you wouldn’t run into her.”
“She came here again? Why?”
“I had a couple of questions, and she said she’d rather show me in person than try to explain it over the phone. I thought it was very sweet of her and a testament to her professionalism toward her clients.”
“And I’m sure you didn’t mind her near you
, leaning over you either.”
Didi smirked. “I said it was a testament to her professionalism, not mine. Besides, something tells me her service-oriented attitude had more to do with hoping she’d run into you again. She seemed bummed when I said you were in court.”
“Is that right?” Kate tried to tame her elation. “Well, I’m sorry for accusing you of gloating.”
“You said she’s too young and you’re not interested in her. I’m respecting that.”
“Thank you, Didi.” Kate smiled sincerely. “I appreciate your consideration.”
“Even if I do think you’re stupid for not exploring the possibilities.”
“Thanks, Didi.” Kate rolled her eyes and headed back to her desk.
Why was she feeling disappointed? For once, Didi had done exactly what she’d requested of her. She hadn’t meddled. Anyway, even if Jordan had considered pursuing more than a business relationship, Kate sent a clear message that she wasn’t when she’d left Didi in charge of the website development. Not that it mattered. Summer had just begun, and Kate and her friends were looking forward to a full social calendar of get-togethers, charity events, and fund-raising work for various LGBT causes in Connecticut.
“She asked about you.” Didi posed against the door frame with arms folded.
The smile spread across Kate’s mouth before she had a chance to contain it, but she remained tight-lipped.
“You know you’re dying to know what she said,” Didi said. “Even you’re not that cool.”
Kate reclined in her leather chair. “But you have to admit, I fake it pretty well.”
“Too well.” Didi sat in a chair in front of Kate’s desk. “After the initial ‘where were you, how are you’ foreplay questions, by the end of the appointment she was gushing about how attractive and smart you are and how curious she was as to how you didn’t have a wife, a girlfriend, or a mistress. I said you’re waiting for the right one to come along, like the rest of us.”
“Good answer,” Kate said. “You didn’t reveal anything else, did you?”
Didi shook her head. “All other information is on a need-to-know basis, as in maybe you can tell her yourself sometime.”
“Or she can meet someone her own age, and you can leave me alone about this.”
“But this is so much more fun. She made a point to mention that she performs at a winery. We should go sometime.”
Kate offered a noncommittal nod despite the tingles that fanned across her body at the thought of Jordan cavorting around onstage.
“Come on, Kate. We’ll get a few people to join us so it won’t look so obvious.”
“There’s no need for subterfuge, Didi. That implies I’ve something to hide, and I don’t.”
“Not even the fact that you’re crushing on someone for the first time in decades?”
Kate scoffed. “A crush? Oh, please.” She began pecking away on her laptop keyboard.
“What would you call it then? You and I both know it’s something. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Kate mulled it over for a moment, staring out at the turret on the old Victorian across from her office building. “A passing interest,” she concluded.
Didi laughed. “That’s funny. Don’t passing interests usually pass?” She stretched out her legs and kicked off her sequined mules.
“It will. It’s a slow-moving one.”
“It’s not a weather front. I hate to break this to you, honey, but you’ve got a thing for her. Surely you have some recollection of what it feels like.”
“I remember having a thing for someone,” Kate said, and suddenly all humor vanished into the atmosphere. “If Lydia’s leaving taught me anything, it’s that those feelings are misleading and fleeting. And once they’re gone, it’s work to keep a relationship going, hard work that requires two people equally committed to the cause, which rarely happens. Frankly, I’d rather devote my energy to causes that won’t ultimately blow up in my face.”
“It’s good to know you’re not bitter or anything.”
Kate arched an eyebrow. “Who, me?”
“Look. Romance is a dirty business,” Didi said. “But lucky for me, crawling around in the mud’s my thing.”
“Crawl away,” Kate said. She tapped a stack of papers on her desk and placed them in an accordion file.
Didi ran her hand through her dark, purple-tinted hair. “You know, it’s quite possible that Jordan coming into the picture is a sign from the universe that you’re ready to date again.”
Kate scoffed. “Yeah. That’s it. If the universe thinks that sending me a hot, thirty-year-old musician who probably gets more ass than a Pride festival Porta-Potty is the way to get me back into the game, then it’s as misguided as you and Viv.”
“Let’s not resort to character assassination here. I thought Viv’s idea to put you on a dating site was a brilliant stroke of innovation. It’s an ideal way for you to get your feet wet again. You didn’t even give it a chance.”
“Who wants wet feet? And if it’s so brilliant, why aren’t you two online?”
“I am. The only reason I went off was because I had to temporarily remove myself to give the slip to this creeper who wouldn’t leave me alone. Since then I’ve met some intriguing women. Forget about Viv. She’s pathologically obsessed with the notion that she’s going to win Maia back.”
Kate studied her for a moment. “How publishers aren’t clamoring for you two to collaborate on a dating-advice book is beyond me.”
Didi rose from the chair with her chin in the air. “Fine, Kate. Make all the jokes you want, but while you’re floundering around in self-imposed social exile protecting your battered heart, I’m living my life, however dubious it may seem at times. My son’s in college in Miami, and I’m finally doing what I want, on my own terms, and I’m not ashamed of it.”
“That’s good. You shouldn’t be. What’s it got to do with me?”
“Let yourself feel something for someone again,” Didi said, sounding exasperated. “Get back in the driver’s seat, throw caution to the wind. C’mon, grow a set.”
Kate rolled her chair away from her desk. “I stand corrected. It’s not your gloating that I dislike the most,” she said, wiggling a finger at her whole aura. “It’s that.”
“What?” Didi sounded offended at the vague insult.
“Whenever you finally find your way out of the dark, you insist on dragging everyone else into the light with you. Except not everyone’s fumbling around in the dark,” she said, heading toward her private bathroom. “Some of us have already evolved and are perfectly fine the way we are, thank you very much.”
Didi chased her around the desk, but Kate slammed the door before Didi could get at her. “It’s okay, Kate.” She teased her through the door. “Even evolved people can have the hots for someone, even someone as snobbish as you.”
Kate whipped open the door. “Snob? Really?”
“Listen, if you think you’re too good for a kid who sings in nightclubs, I get it,” Didi said as she sauntered back into the reception area. “You have to keep up professional appearances. Now that I think of it, she’s a little too rough around the edges for your image anyway.”
Kate bent forward menacingly and propped her hands on Didi’s desk. “What is this? You’re really using reverse psychology on me right now?”
“I’m being a supportive friend. If you’re so dead against talking to the girl that you’ve pawned off something as important as your website design on me, then I’m sure you have your reasons—whether they’re logical or not,” she said under her breath.
“I’d talk to her,” Kate said, then lowered her voice. “I just won’t go out of my way to pursue her. If I ever run into her again, of course I’d talk to her.”
“Fine. Fabulous,” Didi said, busying herself at her desk. “I won’t say another word on the subject.”
“If only.” Kate smiled and headed back into her office.
* * *
That evening at the Oceanview, the sun hovered over New Haven Harbor as revelers at the LGBTQ Resource Center fund-raiser cramming the restaurant spilled over to the back patio to admire the views. Kate had evaded the bustle momentarily and was standing at the railing as a light sea breeze caressed her arms.
“There you are,” Didi said, handing her a flute of champagne. “I noticed a few new faces. Why aren’t you in there getting your mingle on?”
“I’m trying to steer clear of the pasta station. Besides, you know how I am on Friday nights.” She muffled a yawn.
“Sadly, we do.” Vivienne scanned the crowd. “Listen. While we’re here together, I’d like to raise my bubbly to Kate, the best lawyer money can buy and the most loyal friend a girl could ever find.”
They all clinked glasses and sipped their champagne.
“That was quite a toast, Viv,” Kate said. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, girl. You’re my hero.” She kissed Kate on the cheek, leaving a sparkly mulberry lip print on her.
Didi smirked. “This may be a bad time to point this out, but you didn’t actually win your case.”
“Yeah,” Kate said. “I mean I was able to plea you down from the violation of the restraining order and disorderly conduct charges, but you still have two years of probation.”
“You also have to do community service,” Didi said.
“I know all that. But you saved my ass from the joint,” Viv said. “Unless prison really is like Orange Is the New Black,” she said with a flourish across her body, “this ain’t cut out for hard time.”
“You weren’t ever going to jail, Viv. It was your first offense. But if you don’t leave Maia alone, that’s exactly where you’ll end up.”
“It’s hard, Kate. She’s the love of my life, and I ruined everything with my selfishness and hotheaded attitude. We were together five years. That’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had.”
“Makes sense,” Didi said. “Maia’s just as crazy as she is. They really are the perfect couple.”
Kate glared at her. “You’re not helping.”
Summer Fling Page 4