Twice in a Lifetime

by Clare Lydon

  “Did I mention I like these new benefits?”

  “I think you had your mouth full last night,” Sally replied, smiling. Then she remembered Harriet was flying home today. She closed her eyes and sighed.

  “Hey,” Harriet said, stroking her hair back from her face. “Why the big sigh?”

  “You know,” Sally said. “We just had a fabulous night, and now my aunt’s here and you have to go today.” She sighed again. “This is why I’ve never done long distance, too. I’m not good with goodbyes.”

  “I know,” Harriet replied. “But remember, we’re not long distance, we’re casual-exclusive.”

  Sally laughed. “Then I have issues with casual-exclusive, too.”

  “Don’t get down, not when I’m still here. Let’s just make the most of the time we have.” Harriet paused, a grin crossing her face. “How long till your aunt gets back?”

  “Not long enough for you to have an orgasm.”

  “What about you?”

  “I don’t want my last time with you interrupted by my aunt banging on the door again.”

  “Good point.”

  Harriet trailed a finger up Sally’s arm, then down it, before kissing her forehead. “I don’t want to leave either. But we’ll make this work, okay?”

  “If you say so,” Sally said, every sinew of her body willing it to be true. “How’s your lip today?”

  Harriet put a hand to her mouth. “I’ll live — I think you kissed it better enough last night.” She gave Sally a satisfied smile. “I had a great time last night.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I’m already slotting you into my schedule for a repeat performance, okay?”

  “Slot away,” Sally replied.

  “Talk dirty to me, baby.”

  Sally laughed, grabbing her phone from her bedside table. “You know, maybe I can ask Taylor to come round and take her girlfriend off our hands for the morning — then we could say goodbye properly, like I thought we would this morning.” Sally sat up, jabbing her phone and smiling at the screen.

  “That sounds like the perfect plan.”

  Two minutes later, she had her answer, a grin lighting up her face. “Awesome, Taylor’s in — and I know Paula will be.”

  “I can think of a thing or two they could do to fill the time.”

  Sally threw her phone down on the bed and crawled back over to Harriet, one eyebrow raised, matching Harriet’s own.

  “Can you really?” she said, straddling Harriet. “Might it be something like this?” Sally reached behind her and pressed her hand over Harriet’s pussy.

  Harriet let out a strangled sound and closed her eyes, nodding her head at the same time. “Along those lines,” she said, catching her breath.

  When Sally’s phone beeped again, she slung an arm to her right and felt for it on the duvet, before reading the message and putting a hand to her mouth.

  Harriet scrunched her brows together. “What’s wrong?”

  Sally shook her head. “Nothing — just a message from Taylor asking if I’ve had any adventures in elevators lately.”

  “She knows?”

  Sally nodded. “Looks like it — good news travels fast.”

  Harriet shook her head, beginning to laugh. “At least there were no security cameras, let’s look on the bright side.”

  Sally’s stomach dropped. “That we know of,” she replied.

  “If there were cameras, rest assured: you were magnificent.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Harriet pulled up at her parents’ house later that week, a skip in her step: that’s what being back with Sally was doing for her, despite the fact she was missing her so much. She was still amazed at how life could spin in an instant: one lost suitcase, two months of heartache, but now she couldn’t get her thoughts in order because of Sally McCall.

  Joanna had informed her she was acting “out of character”. But perhaps it was the other way around? Perhaps this was her character, she’d always been this way and she’d been hiding behind her well-manicured persona for too long. Now Sally was in the picture, she was bringing out the true Harriet.

  She pushed open the heavy front door, which was slightly ajar — she was going to have to have words with her parents about security — and crossed the hallway, going to the heart of the kitchen where, from the aromas of meat, tomatoes, and spices, she expected to find Robert preparing the evening meal. The chef had been with her parents for the past 20 years, and he was one of the key reasons Harriet had kept coming home when their relationship went through a rocky patch when she first came out. Robert’s lasagna, along with his cherry pie, had been a constant in the storm of emotions, and they were still here today.

  However, instead of Robert, she was faced with her mother holding an avocado and looking perplexed. She had her blue shirt sleeves rolled up, and the radio on low, Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” spilling out of its speakers. On the stove a pan of tomato-based sauce was bubbling, and the kitchen looked like a tornado had blown through, with food detritus and packaging covering most surfaces.

  Her mom was sucking on her bottom lip when she looked up and caught sight of Harriet. Despite being very much out of her element, there was a light in her eyes Harriet only ever usually saw when she was under the hood of her car. She was wearing a white apron over her shirt and jeans — at least, it had been white before she started cooking.

  “You are just the person I need,” her mom said, giving her a wide grin. “Avocados — I’m a bit scared to peel it. I saw a show on TV the other day and it said there were more avocado injuries in the ER than most other things.” She gave the offending produce a concerned glance. “Can a vegetable really be that dangerous?”

  Harriet shook her head, walking over to her mom. “They’re not known for their attacking properties: I’ve peeled one many times and I’m here to tell the tale.”

  “Google it, it’s scary.” Her mom pointed to her iPad, set on the kitchen bench.

  “Never look up medical symptoms or how to peel an avocado, it’s bound to be bad news.” Harriet stood beside her mom, grabbing the avocado. “And it’s a fruit, not a vegetable, by the way,” she said. “Actually, a single-seeded berry, but that seems to be taking things a little too far.”

  Her mom scoffed. “A berry? I wasn’t born yesterday.” She watched closely as Harriet ran a knife around the center of the fruit, before twisting. The fruit came apart easily and her mom nodded her appreciation. Harriet removed the stone with her fingers, then peeled the skin slowly, the fruit perfectly ripe so it came away easily.

  “What are you making?” Harriet asked as she washed her hands of avocado under the faucet.

  “I’m doing a black bean chipotle chili and I read about an avocado salad to go with it.”

  Harriet dried her hands on a yellow dishcloth hung up on the oven, eyeing her mother as if she’d had a body takeover. Which, judging by the fact she was in the kitchen, she kinda had. “Things are changing around here — you’re in the kitchen?”

  Her mom shrugged. “Robert’s wife had a health scare — she’s recovering, though — so I gave him a month off to be there for her.”

  Harriet managed to stop her jaw dropping wide open in the nick of time.

  Her mom continued. “I thought about getting someone in to cover for him, but then I thought with your dad home now, I have someone to eat meals with, which is unusual but not unwelcome. He was always out or away on business, so I had no need to learn how to cook. But now I have the time, I’ve decided to give it a try.” She pointed toward the fridge. “Robert emailed me his lasagna recipe and his cherry pie with step-by-step instructions, so I’m giving that a try this weekend.”

  Harriet folded her arms, shaking her head in amazement. “What’s happened to my mother and who are you?” she asked, giving her mom a grin. “My mom doesn’t cook or plan meals.”

  “Mock all you like, but I’m finding it quite therapeutic, actually. It’s not that dissimilar to working on
a car — it takes practice and patience, and while the end result might be worth it, you’re going to get messy in the process.” She held up her hands and looked down at her splattered apron to drive home the point.

  “And you and Dad are enjoying being home together?” Harriet had wondered how that was going to go, seeing as her mom was used to ruling the roost.

  “We are,” her mom replied, running a hand through her auburn hair. “It’s like getting to know each other all over again, now both our lives are standing still for a moment. I’ve put off all my appointments, and your dad has had to put off all of his. And far from being difficult, as I’d feared, we’re enjoying each other’s company.” She shrugged her shoulders. “When you get a partner, you’ll understand.”

  A double whammy: her parents were getting lovey-dovey and her mom had mentioned the prospect of her having a partner. Dad’s illness had waved a magic wand and this household was now a more relaxed one. Harriet could have given a little cheer if she wasn’t so shocked.

  “Speaking of that,” she said, grinding her teeth a little before forcing herself to stop. “I’m kinda seeing someone, so I kinda do have a partner now. Sort of. And you know her. You remember Sally McCall?”

  Her mom frowned slightly, before nodding at Harriet. “I remember Sally McCall very well,” she said. “She sent your dad a lovely card, it was very thoughtful. So I assumed something must be going on.” Her mom paused. “She was your first girlfriend.”

  Harriet felt her cheeks blush: her mom had known more than she let on. Perhaps they weren’t as discreet as they thought they’d been back then. “You knew?”

  Her mom smiled. “I knew far more than you ever thought.” Then she cast her gaze down to the avocado, picking up the knife, before taking a deep breath and putting it down. “You know, I’ve had a lot of time to think since your dad’s episode,” she said, before looking over at Harriet. “Is it my fault?”

  “Is what your fault?” Harriet asked, frowning.

  Her mom paused, twisting her hands together tightly. “It’s just… I’m not a girly girl. I play with cars, I’m not good with emotions. Is that why you’re gay, do you think? Is it my fault?”

  Harriet put her hands in her pockets, shaking her head, her whole face a question mark. “It’s nobody’s fault, Mom, it just is. This is how I am — just like Daniel’s a terrible flirt.”

  Her mom smiled at that. “He is, isn’t he? Although he seems taken with this new woman.”

  “And I’m pretty taken with my not-so-new woman.” Harriet paused. “But seriously, being gay is just a part of me, just like I’m ambitious like Dad, and tenacious like you.”

  “Who are you gay like?”

  Harriet pointed at her chest. “Like me,” she replied.

  “And Sally McCall? You haven’t mentioned her in a very long time.”

  “I hadn’t seen her in a long time — we ran into each other by accident, and we’ve decided to try again.”

  “Even after it didn’t work last time?”

  “That was my fault,” Harriet said, shrugging like it was nothing. “I was going off to college, she was staying here, and I wasn’t mature enough to persevere.”

  “You better not mess it up this time, then, if she’s giving you another chance.”

  Harriet was well aware. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she replied.

  “She’s back here now, though, I take it?”

  Harriet swallowed, shaking her head. “She’s not — she lives in New York.”

  Her mom raised both eyebrows. “So you’re doing long distance? After what happened before?”

  “We are, but I’m hoping to convince her to come home. Or else I might move there, who knows. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best I’ve got right now.”

  Her mom held Harriet’s gaze, studying her intently. “She must still have a hold of your heart if you’re thinking about moving.”

  Harriet shrugged, stabbing the floor with the tip of her shoe. “I’m not getting any younger and meeting her again has been amazing.” A ball of emotion worked its way up her windpipe, but she swallowed it down. “I just want what everyone wants, something like you and Dad, to be happy.” She gave her mom a resigned smile. “And I would love to be happily cooking for Sally in 30 years, just like this. For that to happen, I need to give it a shot at least. I can’t walk away again, not when it was such a mistake the first time. Not when I lost the love of my life.”

  Her mom took a step back at that. “The love of your life?”

  Harriet nodded, standing up tall. “I think so,” she said. But there wasn’t any “think” in that sentence, she knew that. “No, I know so. I don’t regret much, but I do regret losing her.”

  “But if she won’t move?”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  Her mom considered her again as if for the first time. “I’ve never seen you like this about a woman.”

  “That’s because you’ve never really taken the time.”

  Her mom looked like Harriet had just slapped her, and Harriet winced, reaching out and rubbing her arm.

  “Sorry, that came out harsher than I intended. We’ve just never really had a conversation like this, have we?”

  Her mom shook her head. “No, and I’m sorry. I’m going to try to do better from now on. Life’s short, after all, isn’t it?”

  Harriet’s heart was pounding in her chest as she nodded at her mom. “I’ll try to do better, too.”

  “If Sally is the one for you, bring her over. I might even whip up something delicious, miracles do happen. Plus, it would be lovely to meet her properly this time, not as a timid teenager.” She paused, hesitating before speaking. “Were you in love with her back then, that summer at the lake house?”

  Harriet chewed on her cheek, thinking back to that summer on the boat.

  Yes, she’d always been in love with her.

  “I was,” she replied simply.

  “Then you better convince her to move back to Chicago.”

  Chapter Thirty

  “Oh my god, I cannot believe it. Harriet’s negotiating worked — well, my negotiating with Harriet’s guidance. Luxury Gifts has agreed that order for that price! Now I have to fucking fulfil it, don’t I?”

  Sally sat forward on her stained white wooden chair, her elbows drilling into the wooden table, clutching her phone in one hand, her heart in the other.

  The smells of coffee and freshly baked quiche filled the air, as Sally spied Kristy looking over at their table, but she ignored her. All of a sudden, being back in the cafeteria for the first time after the elevator incident was the least of her worries, because her phone had just brought big news.

  She needed to call Harriet and let her know, but her hand was shaking from shock. This was all Harriet’s doing, pushing her to put herself out there. It’d been a month since they agreed to give their relationship a go, and it was working out just like Sally predicted: she missed her like crazy. Harriet had come over for a single weekend in that time, but it wasn’t enough. Something had to give and Sally had been pondering just what that might be last night.

  She had yet to come to a satisfactory conclusion.

  Sally stared at Taylor and Ben, then put her head in her hands. Ever since her aunt and Harriet had sailed into her life, things had lurched from one extreme to another. From having a trickle of orders — enough to keep her going — all of a sudden she was now being handed an order for ten stores, and it was all a little overwhelming. Luxury Gifts wanted her greetings cards, but she was going to have to create them in quantities she’d never done before. She was equal measures excited and terrified.

  Taylor beamed at her across the table, getting up and giving her a hug. “That’s great news!”

  Sally began to shake her head. “I’ve never produced in this number before — they want 1,000, not 100 like normal. It’s one thing saying you can do it, it’s another thing to actually do it. Shit!”

  B
en put a hand on Sally’s arm, while Taylor took the other. Ben was always the calmest of the three of them, softly spoken, assured. His web design business had quietly taken off last year and Ben had taken it all in his stride. Unlike Taylor, who’d completely flipped when she was first featured in the pages of Elle Decor and her website had crashed from the level of interest.

  Sally stared at her two friends, fear in her eyes. “I can’t do this!” she said, adrenaline pulsing through her. “This is worse than having no orders at all.”

  “Take a deep breath, Sally, in through the nose, out through the mouth,” Ben replied, his bronzed beard perfectly groomed just like always. “You can absolutely do this, and we’ll all help if you need us, won’t we?” Ben looked at Taylor as he spoke, who nodded.

  “Absolutely. Whatever we can do to help, we will.”

  Sally could have kissed Taylor right then, but thought better of it. She’d already been caught having sex in the elevator, after all.

  “You’d do that?” Sally said, relief washing through her. Maybe, with the help of her friends, this might work out.

  “Of course — remember when this happened to me? It’s what we do here, we help. It’s a collective, Sally, don’t forget,” Taylor said.

  “What are we helping who with?” Kristy appeared at Sally’s left, collecting their lunch plates. She still smiled extra-hard when she saw Sally, even though her interest had cooled since Harriet had come on the scene.

  “Sally,” Taylor replied. “She’s got a big order and the deadline is tight.” Taylor cocked her head. “You did a fine arts degree, didn’t you?”

  Kristy nodded.

  “Fancy helping out, too?” Taylor asked.

  Kristy was nodding her head before she even knew what she was agreeing to. “Always — it would be great on my portfolio and I’m always happy to help Sally.”

  Sally gave her a pained smile. “Thanks, that’s very kind,” she said, blushing. She still wasn’t sure where they stood after the elevator incident, but if Kristy had the skills, she was in need.