by Lydia Rose
Love Isn’t Always Easy
By
Lydia Rose
Edited By Holly Schneider
FOR LINDA ALWAYS
CHAPTER ONE
Jane Simmons was in her office going over paperwork at the end of the day. She looked at the clock seeing it was already six o’clock. Jane realized that she had been in her food store for the last twelve hours and it was time to go home. A knock on the doorframe raised her eyes.
“Are you ready to leave, Jane?” Denny Parker, her business partner, asked her.
“Just a few more minutes and I’ll be ready.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning, Jane.” Denny’s bright smile couldn’t cover the tiredness in his eyes.
“Good night, Denny. I’ll see you in the morning.” Jane smiled at his departing figure.
Denny was Jane’s best friend besides being her business partner. Most people thought they were a couple, but the truth was he was gay. If Jane had to identify herself, she too would consider herself gay. Even though she had no experience with either a man or woman, her heart told her what sex she would be with.
Jane spent her childhood at the Jersey Shore with her parents and grandmother. Her love for cooking came from her mother and grandmother. Days would be spent learning new recipes. Most kids spent their time on the beach and Jane’s was spent in a kitchen. She realized at a young age just what she wanted to do with her life. Once she graduated high school, she left for the French Culinary Institute. That is where she met Denny. After graduation, they both worked in restaurants honing their craft. Now all these years later, they both owned this small food store in her sleepy hometown. The town attracted many people in the summer, mostly from New York,and along with them came their money. The reception to their specialty breakfast sandwiches in the morning was a big hit. Lunch and dinner specials attracted the people who didn’t want to cook or go out to dinner every night. Denny and Jane always took advantage of the fresh seafood in the area and used whatever was available for their store. On the side of the building were a few tables set up if someone wanted to eat on the premises. The success was welcomed by her and Denny, but along with success came no private life.
Jane rubbed her tired hazel eyes and closed her computer. Her grandmother would be expecting her home and she locked up the store before walking to her car. She sat at a traffic light waiting for the light to change. A new recipe was going through her mind as the light turned green. The car in front of her moved through the intersection and Jane followed.
When Jane opened her eyes, she was confused as to what had just happened. The airbag deployed and she felt pain in her left knee. She reached for the door handle, but the door wouldn’t open. Jane’s head went back onto the head rest and closed her eyes again. When her eyes opened, she was looking into the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her life.
“Don’t move,” the voice said softly.
Not moving, Jane asked, “What happened?”
“You’ve been in a car accident.” The hand of the stranger held something against her forehead. “What’s your name?”
“Jane.” She lifted her head and became agitated. “I have to call my grandmother. She’ll be expecting me.”
The voice gently pushed Jane back. “Give me her number and I’ll give her a call.”
Jane relayed the information and closed her eyes again. The voices outside of the car distracted Jane from the pain in her head.
A few minutes later the soft voice was speaking to someone else. “She’s got a cut on her head and it looks like her knee is jammed in there.”
“Okay, Erin. We’ll get her out.” The new voice stuck his head in the open window. “Hi. I’m Eddie. We will have you out of here in a few minutes. Try not to move.”
Jane looked at the face of a fireman and just nodded. The calm voices were followed by loud noises as they pried the door open. As soon as the door was removed EMT people were at her side.
“Try not to move while we get you out of here,” another calm voice said.
Before Jane realized it, she was being wheeled into the hospital.
Erin reached for her cellphone and dialed. The voice on the other end answered.
“Hello.”
“Hello. This is Officer Erin Walters. I’m calling on behalf of your granddaughter. She was in a car accident.”
“Is Jane okay?” a suddenly nervous woman asked.
“They took her to the hospital. Jane was talking after the accident so I don’t believe her injuries are very serious.”
“Thank you for calling me.” The older woman suddenly realized something. “How am I going to get there?”
Erin thought for a moment. “I could take you after I get off from work.” She now wondered where that came from. Erin knew the woman in the car looked familiar to her, but she didn’t know her. All she knew was that when the hazel eyes looked at her the first time, she felt something in the pit of her stomach.
“That’s not necessary, Officer. I’ll ask Denny to take me. He loves Jane as much as I do,” the woman answered. “Thank you for calling me.”
“You’re welcome,” Erin said before she disconnected the call. She now huffed. Just her luck, she meets a beautiful woman and she’s straight. Even with the small cut on Jane’s head, she couldn’t keep her eyes off the stranger’s face.
CHAPTER TWO
Abby McNally walked into the emergency room and went to the desk. “Hello. My granddaughter, Jane Simmons was brought in by ambulance from a car accident.”
The nurse looked up at the worried woman’s face and smiled. “They’ve taken her to X-ray. You can have a seat and I’ll call you when she’s back.”
Abby and Denny sat waiting impatiently. Denny began to pace the ER unable to relax.
“Mrs. McNally,” the nurse called.
Abby and Denny walked over to her quickly.
“Your granddaughter is in room 312.” The nurse opened the doors for them to enter.
They both rushed in and found her room. “Hey, Gran,” Jane said when she saw the scared woman’s face.
“How are you, dear?”
“I’m okay. Hey, Denny.”
A doctor came in a few minutes later. “Hello,” he said as he walked over to the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Besides my knee being sore, I feel okay,” Jane answered.
“Your knee is twisted and you’ll have to wear a brace for a couple of weeks. The cut on your head didn’t require stitches and you don’t have a concussion.” He patted her arm. “As soon as we put the brace on, you’ll be able to go home. Follow up with your own doctor.” The doctor turned and left the room.
Abby finally sat down in a chair feeling relief wash over her body.
Two hours later, Denny was pulling into Abby’s driveway. He helped Jane out of the car and into the house.
“Don’t come to the store tomorrow.”
“Why?” Jane asked as she sat with a thud. “It’s only a sprained knee.”
“You can’t be on your feet all day and I’m very capable of handling the place without you,” he said with a wide grin.
“I know you can, but…”
“No, buts,” he quickly said. “I’ll call Rebecca when I get home and ask her to come in tomorrow morning.”
Abby just sat back and let Denny do the dirty work. She knew her granddaughter was not going to be happy with the decision, but it was necessary.
“I’ll come in the afternoon,” Jane insisted. She looked at the green eyes that stared at her and began to open her mouth to argue again.
“Jeez,” Jane huffed. “You don’t have to go all man on me.”
Denny and Abby chuckled.
“You’ll call me if you get too busy.” Jane knew Denny wouldn’t call, but she had to make that offer.
Denny rolled his eyes. He went over to Abby and kissed her cheek. “I feel sorry for you tomorrow,” Denny whispered in her ear.
“We’ll be fine, Denny. Thank you for taking me to the hospital.”
He grinned again. “Anything for you, Abby.” Denny turned toward Jane. “Let me help you up the stairs.”
“I can manage,” she said with a scowl.
He held his hands up in defeat. “Good night, you two.”
“Good night, Denny.”
Jane waved him out the door.
Abby went into the kitchen and came back with an ice pack. “Come on. Let’s get you upstairs and into bed.”
CHAPTER THREE
Erin walked into her favorite breakfast place the following morning. She stood in line with the rest of the customers. As the weather began to warm up, the store became more crowded each morning.
“The usual?” Hazel asked when she saw the officer standing there.
“Please,” Erin answered as she moved out of the way of the next customer. She noticed extra workers in the front of the store since the weather warmed up. Erin waited for her order to be ready. As she stood there, she heard two of the workers talking.
“Luckily, it’s only a sprained knee.”
“Will Jane be back tomorrow?” Rita asked.
“Denny said probably since he had a hard time getting her to stay home today,” Hazel said with a laugh.
Erin realized they were talking about the woman from the accident. Now she realized why Jane had looked familiar to her. As she was paying for her coffee and sandwich, Erin asked, “So is Jane going to be okay?”
Rita looked up. “You heard about the accident?”
“I was first on the scene,” Erin said with a shrug. “I thought she looked familiar.”
“Yeah, I guess Jane is usually in the back when you come in the morning for breakfast.” Rita took the cash that Erin held out. “She’s going to be fine if she stays off that knee for a few days.” Rita chuckled. “Denny is going to have a hard time keeping her out of here. This is her baby and she hates to be away from here.”
Erin smiled. “But she has her husband to run the place,” she said softly.
Rita wrinkled her brows. “Husband? Oh you mean Denny. Denny isn’t her husband.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Nope. Business partner,” Rita said with a smile.
At that moment, Erin’s radio began to chatter. “Got to go. Thanks.” She was out the door in a flash.
****
Jane was up early the morning after the accident. Her cup of coffee sat next to her with a pad and pen. The petite woman began to make her phone calls. First she called the police about the report and where her car had been towed to. Next she called the insurance company. Finding out her policy covered a loner car while hers was being repaired, that became her next call.
Abby walked into the kitchen and began making breakfast. “How do you feel?” she asked as Jane hung up the phone.
“I feel fine, Gran.” Jane got up without the crutches to get another cup of coffee.
“Sit down, Jane. I’ll get it for you.”
“I’m not an invalid,” Jane insisted, but took her seat again. She looked around the kitchen as her grandmother poured her coffee. Jane was happy that they had decided to update the kitchen several years ago. Once she moved in with her grandmother, the need for a better kitchen became a necessity. The rest of the house remained as it had been since Jane was a child. Her grandmother’s question brought her out of her daydreaming.
“How’s your eye?
Jane’s hand went to her left eye. “The air bag did a number on me,” she said as her finger moved along the black eye.
“Better a black eye than internal injuries,” Abby added.
“Who called you about the accident?” Jane asked.
“A very nice young officer.” Abby shrugged. “Well, she sounded young.”
“She wasn’t that young, Gran,” Jane said with a laugh, but remembered those blue eyes. The woman wasn’t wearing her hat when she bent down to look at Jane. Blond hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and Jane could tell that this stranger was much taller than herself. “Probably my age at least.”
“To me that is young, dear.” Abby brought over the plates of food and sat down. “Have you called your parents?”
“Gran, I’m not hurt. Why should I worry them?”
Jane parents had moved to Florida after her father retired. He was tired of the cold winters. She knew her mother would have preferred to stay in New Jersey close to her mother and daughter. Thankfully, they visited every summer for a month.
“They’ll both be here next month. I’ll tell them about the accident when they’re here.”
Erin was taking her lunch break up at the beach. She was standing on the boardwalk looking out over the beach and ocean as she drank her smoothie. The soft waves hitting the shore relaxed her, but her mind wandered to the woman from the accident. Erin noticed the hazel eyes as they had looked at her. Her light brown hair was worn in a shorter style and went perfectly with her beautiful face. Erin was surprised when the EMT’s took her from the vehicle that the woman was so petite. Jane didn’t look more than five feet tall, but she had full breasts that looked out of place with her small frame. Hating to leave the calm of the beach, Erin walked back to her vehicle and continued the rest of her shift.
Jane walked out onto the porch as the rental company delivered her new car. She signed the paperwork and took the keys from the young man. “Thank you,” she said before she went back into the house.
“Would you please get off that leg,” Abby said as she came in the door. She was tired of scolding Jane, but every time she saw her Jane was doing something around the house.
“The knee feels fine, Gran.” Jane answered, barely limping.
“I guess you’ll be going back to work tomorrow?”
“Of course,” Jane answered as if the question was unnecessary. “This is our busy season.”
Denny and Jane purchased the store last fall and had been busy from the start. Now that they had an influx of tourists, the store was busy all day long. Everyone seemed to be happy with the food she and Denny prepared. All her dreams were finally coming true. Well, most of them. She still had no one special in her life, but she was used to that. Jane had many opportunities to date over the years, but chose instead to concentrate on her career. She hoped someday to have the time to allow someone into her life. Even though in the back of her mind she thought it was too late. Jane worried that being thirty three years old and having never dated would keep any future prospects away. Denny had tried to get her to date when they were in France, but Jane always refused. She chose work over a social life to attain her dreams.
“Someday you are going to be sorry that you chose a career over having someone in your life,” Abby offered quietly.
“Gran, I have plenty of people in my life. I enjoy what I’m doing.” Jane was used to hearing this from her grandmother and her mother, and this time was no different.
“You have no one close to you. Don’t you want a family of your own someday?”
“I have no interest in having children, Gran.” That’s what Jane told her grandmother, but she honestly didn’t know if that was true.
“What about being in love? Don’t you want that?”
Jane smiled. “Someday, Gran. I’m too busy now.”
“Work won’t keep you warm in bed, Jane.”
Jane laughed. “No. That’s what extra blankets are for,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
“Your grandfather has been gone for ten years and I still miss him every day.”
Jane took her grandmother’s hand. “I know you do. I miss him too.” She laid her head on her grandmother’s shoulder and took her hand. “Don’t worry about me, Gran. I’ll be fine.” Jane sighed. “If I’m destined to fall in love, it will happen.”
Abby squeezed the hand that was holding hers. “Suppose you already met that special someone and you were too busy to notice?”
Jane giggled and shook her head. “You are such a romantic, Gran.” She suddenly remembered the blue eyes looking at her yesterday. All she remembered about the officer was that she was tall because she had to lean down to look at her in the car. It was the blue eyes that she first noticed, but she also remembered the friendly smile.
“I have always been a romantic. Your grandfather made me like that. We had such a wonderful life together. I only wish we were able to have more children after your mother was born.”
Jane watched her grandmother’s face. She had known from an early age that her grandmother loved children and wished that she had a houseful of kids running around. Abby was unaware that her granddaughter was gay and there wouldn’t be grandchildren running around this big house someday.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jane was back at work at six am the following morning. Denny just shook his head as he watched her go about baking. She was now carrying a tray of muffins out to the front of the store.
Erin had just walked into the store when she spotted the petite woman carrying the tray. She watched as Jane placed the tray into the display case. As she stood up, their eyes met over the counter.
“Hi,” Erin said smiling. “How’s the knee?”
Jane realizing this was her officer and returned the smile. “Good. Just a little sore.”
“You’ve got a nice shiner there, too.” Erin pointed with her finger.
Jane’s hand went to her face. “Luckily, it’s only one eye.”
“I knew when I saw you at the accident you looked familiar. I couldn’t place you at the time,” Erin said shuffling her feet, but never took her eyes off Jane’s face.