Where Shadows Linger (Intertwined Souls Series Book 2)

by Mary D. Brooks

  “My back doesn’t hurt.”

  ”Who said anything about your back hurting?” Zoe replied in a sultry voice. “I read about some new relaxation techniques that involve a lot of kissing,” she said, leaning down and again kissing Eva’s sweet lips. “Lots of exploration of skin.” She nuzzled Eva’s neck while sneaking her free hand down to gently rub circles over the flat stomach below her, drawing a little moan from Eva. “And lots and lots of loving,” Zoe finished as she moved up for a long sensuous moment of exploring Eva’s lips while her fingers continued to stroke fire over Eva’s belly.

  “Oh, I like that.” Eva purred, a little breathlessly.

  Zoe grinned. She watched Eva close her eyes and sigh contentedly. For a brief moment no one else existed but the two of them. Zoe was determined that no one was going to intrude on this delusion for a few more hours.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Zoe did not want to leave Eva but she had a shopping date with Elena and it was something they both enjoyed doing. Eva walked her out and watched her leave. The morning had been a wonderful respite from all the bad news that had descended on them.

  The department store was crowded with shoppers moving about, browsing, and chattering. It had been a lean few years during the war, and money as well as goods had been scarce, but with the ending of the hostilities in Europe and the Pacific, products were becoming available again, and people began to spend some of their hard-earned money.

  “Good morning, ma’am,” the saleslady said as she smiled broadly. “Can I interest you in some aftershave for your husband?”

  Zoe looked at Elena and grinned. Elena saw the twinkle in Zoe’s eyes and started feeling sorry for the poor saleslady. She wondered if warning her that Zoe was in the mood to play would do anything, but decided that she would rather see where the situation might lead.

  “Sure,” Zoe said, giving her bags to Elena as though divesting herself of unnecessary accoutrements before entering a battle.

  “Were you looking for a gift?” the saleslady asked.

  “Yes, a birthday gift. I already bought some clothes.” Zoe sniffed at the aftershave and crinkled her nose. Elena smiled. Their morning’s shopping had been very fruitful, with Zoe finding a few inexpensive items. They had a day off from the restaurant, which had closed to allow some painting to be done. It was a chance for them to go shopping and have fun together.

  “Oh, how wonderful! I’m sure your husband is a lucky man,” the saleslady gushed.

  Elena turned away and rolled her eyes, disgusted by the woman’s sycophancy.

  “I’m the lucky one,” Zoe replied.

  “Of course, of course. Now, how old will your husband be?”

  “Twenty-eight.”

  “Ah, a young man, with a beautiful wife. Any children?”

  “No, none, we can’t have any.” Zoe gave the saleslady a sad look.

  Elena coughed loudly to cover up her chuckles as Zoe played with the woman. She moved further away from Zoe trying very hard not to lose her composure, although she was afraid that she might rupture something important if Zoe’s mischief continued too much longer.

  “Oh, I am so sorry! You have your husband, though. That’s the main thing.” The saleslady patted Zoe on the shoulder. “We have an excellent range of aftershaves and colognes for men.”

  “Hmm...” Zoe sniffed at the various bottles. “Hey, El, come over here.”

  Elena returned to her side, a grin threatening to split her face as she struggled to control her expression and not give the game away. “Yes?”

  “Do you think Eva would like aftershave for her legs? Hmm, no, I don’t think so.” Zoe turned to the saleslady and Elena attempted unsuccessfully to strangle a snort of amusement. “My lover doesn’t shave; well, except for her legs of course,” Zoe said.

  The saleslady’s face had turned a bright shade of crimson which only increased in color when Zoe started giggling. Elena was torn between wanting to laugh at Zoe’s antics and being concerned about the scene Zoe was now creating. She gave up the fight and burst out laughing. The saleslady had such a look of total shock and horror on her face.

  “You said you were married!” said the saleslady finally, after opening and closing her mouth a few times. She was clearly having difficulty articulating her disbelief.

  “I am married.” Zoe chuckled. “My lover is the most wonderful, loving woman on the planet, and she loves me too. Isn’t that great?”

  “Utter filth!” The saleslady huffed angrily. She lifted her chin. “Get out of my store!”

  “Was it something I said?” Zoe asked Elena, who had regained her composure at last. “Come on, El,” Zoe continued, “I hear food calling my name.”

  “You’re a wicked woman,” Elena whispered after they were a short distance from the saleslady.

  “Oh, yeah!” Zoe replied, steering Elena out of the perfume section. Elena glanced over her shoulder and saw the saleslady chatting to another person and casting dirty looks at their retreating backs. Zoe stuck out her tongue in the woman’s direction and said, “Cow.”

  “You know, it is the way most everyone thinks in today’s world. Though for you and Eva it doesn’t matter,” Elena said. She placed an arm around Zoe’s shoulder as they exited the store and began walking down the sidewalk together.

  “Yes, it does,” Zoe replied. They settled into the booth of a little teahouse just up the road from the department store. “It matters. That lady can’t see past her snout.”

  “If that woman was accepting, would it make your love for Eva any stronger?”

  “No.”

  “See? It doesn’t make a difference. She’s a narrow-minded old cow.”

  “It’s not that simple. I can walk down the street holding Evy’s hand like we’re girlfriends and we’re having a gay old time, but I have to censor myself from saying how much I love her.” Zoe sniffed. “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s my lover. She’s my wife, for God’s sake!”

  “But you didn’t censor yourself; you just told half the department store about your love for Eva!”

  “I wish I could tell the entire world about it.”

  “Do you want people to hate you?” Elena asked.

  “No, of course not,” Zoe replied, sounding sullen. “Why should they hate me for loving a woman? That’s so stupid. Why does that cow instantly have to think I’m married to a man?”

  Elena shook her head slowly. “She thinks you’re married to a man because that is what girls marry.”

  “Well, she’s wrong.”

  “I don’t know what to say, Zoe. I don’t know why you are getting upset at the saleslady. She just wanted to help you,” Elena said. “I don’t think you should go around declaring you are a lesbian.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Well, you did back there.” Elena indicated the store’s direction with a jab of her thumb. “People are going to hate you, and I’m sure you don’t want that.”

  “Of course I don’t,” Zoe replied defensively. “It’s hard, El. Husbands and wives can shop for their spouses, but all I can do is talk in riddles in case someone gets upset.”

  “There have to be people who are like you—”

  “Lesbians.” Zoe smiled wryly. “So I have to go looking for a lesbian department store or a lesbian glee club?”

  “Are there such things?”

  “I don’t know.” Zoe shrugged. “I’m quite sure Evy and I are not the only lesbians in Sydney.”

  “I know you’re not,” Elena said cryptically.

  Zoe looked curious. “Really, how do you know that?”

  “You know Maggie in apartment two?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s a lesbian,” Elena whispered.

  “Sounds like we belong to some club already.” Zoe grinned. “How do you know?”

  “I have eyes and I can see.” Elena laughed. “So you’re not the only ones.” She was pleased with her ability to spot a lesbian like Maggie. She had often wondered if sh
e could tell if a woman was a lesbian—Zoe and Eva did not seem any different from ordinary girls when she had initially met them. She and Zoe had had a discussion once on the subject. Elena was not quite sure how the conversation had started, but she had told Zoe that Eva did not look like a lesbian, whatever that meant at the time. She had got a few giggles out of Zoe for that observation.

  “How does that help the fact that I can’t kiss Eva out of our apartment?” Zoe asked.

  “It doesn’t, but you alone can’t change the world,” Elena said reasonably. “It’s just the way things are.”

  “That’s defeatist.”

  “No, Zoe, that’s being a pragmatist. Being a lesbian isn’t normal—”

  “Oh, that sounds great, thank you, Elena.” Zoe glanced at Elena and shook her head. “What is normal? Because society tells us something is normal, then it’s normal?”

  “You know I didn’t mean...”

  “I love a woman—that is normal to me.” Zoe’s hackles were clearly rising. “I’m sick of people saying that what I feel is a sin against God. I’m sick of people saying I’m a deviant.”

  Elena held up her hands in surrender. “Whoa, Zoe, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “It makes me awfully mad. Everyone says it’s wrong, but I know it’s not. You’re my friend and it hurts to think that you think it’s wrong.”

  “I didn’t say I thought it was wrong. All I said was that it wasn’t normal.” Elena tried to reason with Zoe, who was becoming agitated by her comments. “You know what I mean. Men marry women; they don’t marry men. Or women don’t marry women. It’s not going to change no matter how much you try.”

  “That’s because everyone is afraid to,” Zoe replied as she looked through the tea store window at a man and a woman holding hands and talking animatedly. “One day, Elena Mannheim, homosexuals and lesbians are going to be accepted. Just wait. One day they are going to walk down the street and they will be able to kiss their lover out in the open.”

  “Would you do it?” Elena asked and inwardly groaned. She already knew the answer to the question. Zoe was bold enough and impulsive enough to do anything she wanted, and nobody would be able to stop her once the notion took root.

  “Why can’t I show the world how much I love Eva? Mrs. Jenkins is organizing a dance soon, and I bet if I took Eva on the dance floor and held her, and then kissed her, it would be a mortal sin and everyone would be scandalized. What rot!” Zoe said.

  “That didn’t answer my question.”

  “Yes, I would, if I thought no one was going to stone me for my shocking behavior,” Zoe replied bitterly.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you.” Elena reached out and touched Zoe’s hand. “You know I love you, don’t you?”

  Zoe nodded. “You don’t think we are sick, do you?”

  “No!” Elena exclaimed, wishing she had not said anything because her words had hurt her best friend. “I just meant that your relationship with Eva isn’t what the world sees as normal. I didn’t say you were abnormal.”

  “All right,” Zoe said quietly.

  “Are we still friends?”

  Zoe smiled and nodded. “Of course we are, silly.”

  “So you’re going to the dance with Mrs. Jenkins’ nephew?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I think Mrs. Jenkins has her eye on Eva for that boy. Earl will probably be my date. I’ll probably find an excuse to dance with Eva and keep her at arm’s length so no one can be the wiser.” Zoe let out a frustrated groan. “I want to dance really close and cuddle. Why can’t I?”

  “Because Eva is not a man,” Elena replied.

  “Are you telling me that fifty years from now, people will still hate me for being a lesbian?”

  “They will still hate me for being Jewish, so yes, that’s what I’m saying,” Elena said.

  “I don’t think so.” Zoe slowly shook her head. “Fifty years from now, El, things will be different. I bet you that when we are old we are going to marvel at how people’s attitudes have changed.”

  “You’re an eternal optimist, and sadly you’re going to be disappointed.”

  “This is not cheering me up,” Zoe said, pointing a finger at Elena in mock rebuke.

  “I’m sorry.” Elena patted Zoe’s hand. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Yes, you’re right. So who is taking you to the dance?”

  “No one.” Elena smiled triumphantly. She had managed to avoid seeing Mrs. Jenkins and had not been invited. “I’m not going.”

  “Oh, you sneak!” Zoe exclaimed. “How did you manage to get out of it?”

  “Ah, young Zoe, you have much to learn about the art of avoidance...rather like our waitress.” Elena grinned, and waved to summon the waitress to take their order.

  ***

  At a table in the teahouse, Friedrich Jacobs and David Harrison were drinking their morning tea. David spied Zoe in the company of another young woman as they entered and took seats in a nearby booth.

  “Hey, Freddy, look who’s here?” David tapped his friend and nodded towards the two women. He recognized the face of the one who was sitting with Zoe. He had seen her briefly at Zoe and Eva’s apartment, but he had not been introduced to her and did not know her name.

  “She’s beautiful,” Friedrich said, sipping his tea.

  “Zoe’s a lesbian,” David reminded him.

  “Not Miss Lambros, although she is cute too, but...” Friedrich stammered to a stop when he caught sight of David’s smirk. He scowled. “The other pretty lady.”

  “Let’s go meet her.” David got up and pulled a reluctant Friedrich over to where Zoe was sitting with Elena.

  “Well, good morning, ladies,” David said. Without waiting for permission, he slid into the booth next to Zoe, who didn’t look happy to see him and then scooted over to give him room. Friedrich stood next to him, looking stiff, awkward, and uncomfortable.

  “Good morning, Miss Lambros,” David said, extending his hand to Zoe.

  “Well, if it’s not Blondie Keystone Cop,” Zoe muttered and reluctantly shook his hand. He supposed Zoe did not feel as if she could trust him yet, but she was polite enough to take his hand and give it a quick shake.

  “I saw you last night.” Elena smiled, her attention directed towards Friedrich. “I’m Elena Mannheim.”

  “This is Friedrich Jacobs,” Zoe supplied.

  “You remember my name?”

  “I have a good memory,” Zoe replied as she nudged Elena under the table with her foot.

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Jacobs.”

  Friedrich looked stumped. “Ah, yes...uh...” He stuttered as a blush colored his face and ears. Elena looked up at him and smiled. David hid a smile of his own. Friedrich did not know how to speak to women. Even though David had coached him, he was still hopeless in social situations involving the fairer sex.

  “What my friend is trying to say is that it’s a pleasure to meet you too,” David said. He was going to have to work on opening lines with Freddy again.

  “Would you like to join us?” Elena invited Friedrich, since David was already seated. Zoe shot daggers at her, but Elena ignored her.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Mannheim, but we really have to get back to the office—” Friedrich pointedly kicked David’s leg, making him wince.

  “Oh, that’s a shame,” Elena said. She sounded as if she was truly regretful, which gave David an idea.

  “You know, I was just saying to Friedrich how there’s a dance coming up next week and Friedrich hasn't got a date. Isn’t that sad? An eligible bachelor and no date. Would you two like to join us?” David asked. Friedrich appeared to be stunned, and David hoped he would not blurt out anything that would make them both look silly.

  “Yes, we have heard about the dance, and as it happens, Elena doesn’t have a date,” Zoe said. A spark of mischief lit up her eyes. A muffled thump from underneath the table and Zoe’s grimace of pain told David that Elena had probably kicked Zoe’s shins. Sh
e and Friedrich ought to get on like a house on fire, he thought, wishing he could rub his own aching leg.

  “You don’t? Well, we can’t have that,” David said. He waved a hand at Friedrich. “I’m quite sure that Freddy would love to take you to the dance, wouldn’t you, mate?”

  Friedrich was obviously captivated by Elena. He smiled shyly at her, oblivious to David’s attempt to get him a date until David finally smacked him in the stomach with the flat of his hand. “Ah, ye-yes,” he stammered.

  “Excellent! Now, what about you, Miss Lambros, would you like to go on a date with me?”

  The snicker emanating from Elena was enough to tell David that he had caught Zoe out. He did like a challenge, and Miss Lambros was quite a challenge. Anything to gain her trust was going to be worthwhile.

  “She would love to go out with you. Miss Muller is going out with another gentleman to the dance as well.”

  “Excellent! Come on, Freddy. We have things to do, places to go, and people to see. It’s been a pleasure.” He got up, put his arm around Friedrich, and steered him toward the door. He had a great deal of work to do to get Freddy ready. His friend’s shy-boy routine was not going to work for this date with the pretty Miss Mannheim. No rest for the wicked, he thought, and grinned.

  ***

  ”That was a date!” Elena turned to Zoe excitedly.

  “Wait a minute, how did I get roped into this?”

  “I won’t go if you don’t go.”

  Zoe sighed melodramatically and fell back against the leather-backed seat in the cubicle. “Well, Eva’s going to go, and now I have to go.”

  “You do. I can’t go on my own with Mr. Jacobs.”

  “Why? What’s wrong with you going to a dance on your own? Do you like Mr. Jacobs?”

  “He’s cute.”

  “Not my type,” Zoe replied with a smirk. “I like them taller.”

  Elena smiled and then abruptly sobered. “Oh, no!” she cried, anxiety making her shrill.

  “What?” Zoe exclaimed.

  “I don’t have a thing to wear!” Elena cried. A solution occurred to her and she relaxed somewhat, letting her happiness show. “Come on, I want to go and buy a dress and some shoes and maybe some new perfume. I hope I can afford all that!”