Lindsay nodded. “She says you have a video for us to watch.”
“Yes, it’s kind of grainy because it was so dark, but you’ll get the gist. The pink paint glowed.”
Lindsay checked the chicken and began loading it onto a serving tray. “If you’ll get the door for me, we’ll be ready to eat in just a minute.”
As they walked into the kitchen, Rose was filling the last of three wineglasses. “I set up trays in the living room,” she said brightly. “We’re being totally hedonistic tonight.”
“We’re plum wild,” Lindsay said drolly. “Eating in front of the TV, drinking wine. What’ll be the topper—tabletop dancing?”
“Only at your house, my dear.” Rose handed Lindsay a plate. “I waxed my furniture yesterday.”
With full plates and glasses, the three women settled in the living room. Rose took the recliner, leaving Lindsay to sit on the couch with Nicole, who had burned the video onto a disc that was beginning to show on the TV screen.
“Oh, dear.” Rose laughed when the first McCreedy boy fell face first into the grass.
“That was Ruby’s shooting skills right there.” Nicole pointed at the screen. “I don’t know how close she was, but her aim is deadly, isn’t it?”
“Ira was a sportsman. Ruby always said she had to learn to love hunting and fishing so she could spend time with him.” Rose made a face. “I never could’ve done that. But Ira taught her how to shoot, and obviously, she’s kept up her skills.”
Lindsay squinted at the screen. “They’re literally glowing in the dark.”
“I figure each one of them must’ve been hit more than a dozen times.” Nicole shrugged. “I can’t help but feel a little guilty. I imagine they’re all in pain right now.”
“Yeah, well, Mom straightened me out when I felt sorry for them, too.” Lindsay tore open her chicken. “Those boys have been terrorizing this town for years, and nothing’s been done about it. They would’ve continued messing with you if Ruby hadn’t stepped in.”
“Nicole,” Rose said suddenly, “are you planning on going back to Montana for the holidays?”
Nicole held up a finger as she finished chewing a bite of food. “Not this year, much to the consternation of my mother.”
“Good—well, not good since you’re not going to be able to be with your family.” Rose smiled. “We’d like to be your substitute unless you already have plans.”
“I haven’t given much thought to it, but thank you, Rose.”
Lindsay looked at Rose in surprise. They hadn’t discussed the topic, but her mother was doing a good job of making it look like they had.
“We don’t do much,” Rose went on, undaunted. “On Thanksgiving, we gather here since Lindsay’s house is larger. We’ll get together around one. I always invite Mrs. Achord, she’s the lady who lives next to me. Oh, you’ll like her. She’s full of stories, especially about Lindsay when she was growing up. Her favorite was the time—”
Lindsay coughed loudly and pointed her fork at her mother.
Rose rolled her eyes and went on. “We’re much more festive on Christmas. We attend the festival on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning, I make a big breakfast while Alexis opens her Santa gifts. And then…” Rose lowered her fork and turned to Lindsay. “Mike’s home for Christmas this year, isn’t he?”
Lindsay nodded. “He’d like to have her for Christmas dinner.”
Rose tried to remain cheerful. “Then it’ll be the four of us. Two old women and two young beautiful ones.” She raised her wineglass. “We’ll have more of this then, too.”
The TV played softly in the background as they ate for a while in silence. Rose ate the last of her chicken and once again turned her attention to Nicole. “Does it make you sad that you won’t be with your family this year?”
“Yes and no.” Nicole laid her napkin on her empty plate. “I’ll miss them, but I won’t miss the argument we get into every year. Usually, Brian and Kim want to draw names since there are so many of us. Mary and Ethan want spending limits on the gifts, and they don’t want to draw names. It’s an argument they’ve been having since we all became adults. I stay neutral, and that makes everyone mad at me. Then they argue about when and where we’re going to have our celebration, and by the time that day rolls around, everyone is just stressed out and cranky.” Nicole sat back with her glass of wine. “I have a very large opinionated family. It always makes for an interesting and very loud gathering.”
Rose stood and picked up her plate. She held a hand out when Lindsay tried to do the same. “I took off work early today, so I’m on cleanup. I’ll tidy the kitchen and put my old bones to bed.”
“To be fair, I should be on cleanup duty,” Nicole said as she stood. “I didn’t cook anything.”
Rose gave Nicole a kiss on the cheek and a playful shove that sent her back down onto the sofa. “No arguments.” She kissed Lindsay on the forehead and winked at Nicole. “I’m saving your duty day for Thanksgiving. You ought to see the mess Lindsay makes with the turkey. She took a new electric carving knife for a test spin last year, and we had to wipe the ceiling. Good night.”
“She’s telling the truth,” Lindsay said drolly. “That thing was like a chain saw.”
Nicole groaned and patted her stomach. “Your mother is spoiling me.”
“She’s being gentle with you right now. Soon, she’ll be inviting you to church and her once-a-month bridge games.” Lindsay took a sip of her wine. “And today, she referred to you as her adopted daughter when she was talking to Mr. Morris. Before long, everyone will think your last name is Strickland.”
Nicole laughed. “She loves easy, doesn’t she?”
“Sometimes, but there are many that she holds at arm’s length, those she doesn’t trust. Don’t let that sweet nature fool you, either. Her bad side is hard to get onto, but once you’re there, you might as well be dead. Vera Hawthorne knows that better than anyone. They were friends, but Vera had too much to drink at a party one time and made a pass at Dad when he and Mom were engaged. Mom and Vera haven’t spoken since.”
Lindsay glanced over at Nicole, who seemed to be mentally a million miles away until Peepers leapt into her lap.
“Hey there, fella.” Nicole began scratching him under the chin. Lindsay could hear the purring on the other end of the couch.
“He misses Alexis. He’ll sleep all over me tonight and follow me around the house in the morning, expecting treats.”
“I miss her, too.” Nicole looked at Lindsay. “She’s a great kid. You’ve done a wonderful job with her.”
“I can’t take all the credit. Mike’s a pretty good dad, then of course, there’s Mom.”
“What about Mom?” Rose asked as she walked into the room with the wine bottle.
Lindsay smiled up at her. “You help me take care of Alexis.”
“It’s just like taking care of you when you were young—easy, easy.” Rose topped off Lindsay’s glass and poured the remainder into Nicole’s glass.
“Thanks, Mom,” Nicole said with a laugh.
“I like the sound of that. Good night, girls.” Rose left the room without looking back.
“I may have to leave my car here and walk the six blocks home.” Nicole swirled the liquid in her glass and took a sniff of it before she drank. “This is the most alcohol I’ve had at one time in years.”
“I’m not much of a drinker myself.” Lindsay stared at her glass.
“What do you do for entertainment?”
Lindsay was thoughtful for a moment. “That should be something easily answered.” She made a face. “I watch a movie every now and then or read a book. That’s about it.”
“Presently, that’s about all I do, too. Should we be ashamed?”
“Not unless we don’t enjoy it,” Lindsay said with a grin.
“I do, though.” Nicole sat up a little straighter. Peepers mewled his discontent and resettled. “I guess I’m at the age where I find quiet time enjoyable. I think th
at’s why St. Claire appealed to me so much. It’s just peaceful and serene.”
“Were you a party animal in Montana?”
Nicole shrugged. “I frequented the bars in college. Afterward, I got into a serious relationship that lasted a couple of years. Connie and I would go out dancing with friends every now and then, but for the most part, we just stayed at home. I was working for Dad then, and he kept me hopping. By the time I ate dinner, I just wanted to shower and sleep.”
Lindsay turned and stretched out her legs with a sigh. “What kind of work did Connie do?”
“Respiratory therapy. She worked on shift at the hospital. I had a lot of alone time. When she was home at night, we’d do just what we’re doing now. Make dinner, talk, watch TV.”
“If it’s not too personal, may I ask why you broke up?” Lindsay internally chastised herself for behaving just like her mother and digging.
Nicole ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “According to Connie, I didn’t respect our relationship and was unfaithful.”
Lindsay blinked in surprise, and though she tried, she couldn’t formulate a response.
“I wasn’t seeing or sleeping with anyone else. Connie thought my work was my mistress.” Nicole looked away. “I guess to some degree it was. I got caught up in the Allen drive to succeed. Dad was pushing me hard, and I was letting him. And Connie thought anytime she wasn’t working I should come home early and spend time with her.” Nicole growled in frustration. “It was a constant tug-of-war, and finally one day, she was reading me the riot act, and I realized that I didn’t want to work myself to death, and I didn’t want to be with her, either. She left that night because I didn’t say it nicely. The next day, I had a chat with my dad, and he backed off. I managed to work for him for a while after that, but when he retired and Brian took over, it became too much all over again, and I left. You know my story after that.”
“What did they want from you?”
“To be just like them.” Nicole took a sip of her wine, then another. “I love caring for animals, but I didn’t enjoy selling things I knew they and their owners didn’t need. We had salesmen in our faces, constantly pushing new products that we in turn pushed on our clients. And I hated scaring people into procedures that weren’t warranted just to make a buck.” Nicole shook her head and took another drink. “As I said before, my dad put us all through college doing business that way. I shouldn’t judge, but I don’t have to do the same thing.”
Lindsay cocked her head to the side. “That really upsets you, doesn’t it?”
“It makes me feel…” Nicole gestured as she thought. “Less somehow.”
“Do you pay your bills and have money left over?”
Nicole smiled and nodded. “Thus far.”
“Are you happy with the work you do?”
“I am. That’s not less, is it?”
Lindsay shook her head. “Not in the least. I work at a hardware store. There’s nothing exotic about that, but I enjoy it.”
“You own a hardware store.”
“Trust me when I say I still load feed just like everyone else, and I’m usually filthy when I come home. Some of the people I went to high school with went on to college and have bright careers, but we all work for the same thing—to keep a roof over our head and food on the table.” Lindsay grinned and shrugged. “Their roofs are bigger than mine, but I’m still living well as long as I enjoy what I do.”
“And what exactly do you do?”
“Stay seated, this is wild,” Lindsay said with a laugh. “I make keys, drive the forklift, set up displays, wait on customers, and spend time with Mom on the accounting, of which she is an absolute wiz.”
“Sounds almost as exciting as stuffing a thermometer up a dog’s butt.”
Lindsay made a face. “Not all of us can have the cool jobs like you.”
“Hey, sometimes, I—”
“Stop right there, Nicole Allen. You’re about to be gross, I can see it on your face.”
“Damn.” Nicole laughed. “You know me so well already.”
“Sometimes, I feel like I do.” Lindsay looked away, feeling embarrassed, and she had no idea why.
“Well, what is it you want to know?” Nicole asked playfully.
“I…I…don’t know…what’s it like? Being in a relationship…with a woman?”
Nicole grew serious and was quiet for a moment. “Sexually or just relationship-wise?”
Lindsay wanted to say, “both,” but couldn’t muster the courage. “Relationship.”
“I’ve only had a few serious relationships, and I’ve never been with a man, so I can’t make a comparison there.” Nicole repositioned herself again, and Peepers gave up on her. He hopped down and scampered away. “I always wanted a partner, a meet-me-in-the-middle kind of thing. But the women I seem to attract are…well, I always mowed the grass, and they cooked.” Nicole began to fidget as though she were uncomfortable. “The women I got involved with wanted to be taken care of, and I didn’t mind…but I never felt like it was a partnership.”
“Taken care of how?” Lindsay asked without looking at Nicole.
“Financially, emotionally, and…sexually.”
“So you’re saying they wanted you to pay the bills, hold them when they needed it, and…”
“Take the lead in the bedroom.” Nicole stared at her glass. “I’m still looking for that meet-me-in-the-middle girl, but I haven’t found her yet.”
“No one ever did those things for you?”
Nicole shook her head and continued to stare at her glass.
“That’s not how I imagined it.” Lindsay pulled her other leg up on the couch and wrapped her arms around it. “I guess being a woman…in love with another woman, you’d automatically know what she wanted.”
“I have friends that appear to be that way. One always seems to know what the other is thinking, but Sue and Rene are always talking. They’re very open with each other, and that’s the key.”
“Why weren’t you open then?”
Nicole pursed her lips. “Rene asked me the same question. Fear, I didn’t trust them enough. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I do now.” She swallowed down the last of her wine. “I guess if we’d had frank conversations like this, we might’ve lasted.” She grinned. “Then again, maybe not. Connie was kind of a tool.” Nicole stood and stretched. “I need to get out of here and let you go to bed, it’s late.”
Lindsay looked up at the clock and was surprised to find it was after ten. She stood and took Nicole’s empty glass. “I’ve enjoyed it.”
“Me too,” Nicole said with a slight nod and started moving toward the door. “I need to learn to cook, so I can return the favor sometime.” She turned at the front door, her eyes widening a split second when she found Lindsay very close. “Thank you again for a pleasant evening.”
“Thank you for an enlightening evening.” Lindsay hesitated briefly before hugging Nicole. The embrace was warm and tight and lingered longer than previous hugs. “Be safe on your way home.” Lindsay released her and stepped back, seeing confusion and surprise in Nicole’s expression.
The raspy tone of Nicole’s voice when she said “good night” confirmed what Lindsay saw. Desire, plain and simple.
She watched as Nicole moved briskly down the walk and climbed into her car. With a wave, Lindsay closed the door and locked it as the Camaro moved into the street. She sighed as she sank back down onto the sofa and lifted her half-full glass to her lips. She might’ve been naïve about sexual relationships between women, but she knew desire when she saw it. Nicole Allen had no poker face. Her emotions and thoughts were easily discernible.
What Lindsay didn’t know was why. Was Nicole truly attracted to the woman she was coming to know or the idea of taking a virgin lesbian to bed? Whatever Nicole’s motivations were, they troubled Lindsay less than her own because she wasn’t clear on what they actually were, either. Every step she took with Nicole was leading somewhere. The more she learned a
bout Nicole, something inside of her grew more demanding, something that didn’t want to wait, didn’t want to be concerned with what people thought.
*******
Nicole looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror after she closed her garage door. The woman who stared back at her looked composed and calm despite the swirling of arousal she felt in the pit of her stomach. She thanked God that she’d been wearing her poker face earlier.
Lindsay, like her mother, was a storm of mixed signals. The way Lindsay looked when she took the empty glass from her hand made Nicole want to throw caution to the wind and kiss her senseless. But as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, and Nicole all but ran for the door. And then came the closeness and the hug. Lindsay had pressed her body so firmly against Nicole’s that she felt every curve and had Nicole wondering if she missed a subtle cue. Then Lindsay had stepped back, putting distance between them, and once again, Nicole doubted what she felt and saw.
Nicole groaned in frustration as she climbed from the car and pushed through the door. Bieber and Bounce came running to her with verbal demands for her attention and affection. She picked them up, and their bodies felt like they would break apart from the force of their purrs. “Why can’t women be as simple?” Nicole headed to her bedroom. “Although if I ever met one that purred, I’d freak.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Kyle’s off tomorrow?” Rose looked up from the schedule.
“Uh-huh.” Lindsay stared down at the newspaper as she took a sip of her coffee.
“Then who’s going to come in as manager?”
“I am.” Lindsay looked up at Rose. “Alexis is with Mike this weekend. I might as well do something.”
Rose put a hand on her hip. “Yes, you should, like call Stacy and see if she’ll cover. People have Christmas shopping to do this time of year. Overtime is a blessing.” She pulled the paper from Lindsay’s grasp when she refocused her attention on the article she was reading.
Lindsay held up a torn piece of newspaper. “I was reading that.”
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