Change of Heart (The True Heart Series Book 3)

by Layce Gardner

  Tess’s anger dissipated as she watched the other woman’s pain manifest itself in wracking sobs. Damn it all to hell, she thought. She needed to be the better person here. Wasn’t it enough that Carrie had lost everything? It must have been the hardest thing in the world to come here.

  Tess softened and went to Carrie. She placed her hand on Carrie’s back and gently patted. “Hey, hey, I believe you. I shouldn’t have said that. It was cruel of me.”

  Carrie looked at her through tear-streaked mascara. “I deserved it.”

  “What you deserve is a second chance.” Tess quickly held her hand up in a stop gesture. “Just not with my girlfriend.”

  Carrie chuckled a little, the kind of laugh where it’s a relief to know that the worst part is over. “I won’t even try, I promise. I’ll leave town.”

  “No, Fenton is your home and it seems you need to be here. And I need to trust Susan.”

  “I never should have let her help me. Her weakness is her generosity. And her ability to see the good in everyone.”

  “That’s just how she is. She wanted you to have a second chance. I was too blinded by fear to see that.”

  Carrie leveled her gaze and said sincerely, “Susan would never hurt you. She’s incapable of deceit like that. She’d rip her own heart out before she’d cheat on you. She’s too good a person.”

  Tess nodded. She knew Carrie was right. “I was afraid I was losing her.”

  “You aren’t.”

  “I am if she doesn’t give me a second chance.”

  “She will.”

  They didn’t say anything for a moment. Then Tess broke the silence by saying, “Is that offer of coffee still good?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “She did what?” Susan shouted into her new phone. She was in her office, preparing to leave work.

  “Don’t yell at me. It wasn’t my idea. Ask Rosa what the hell she was thinking,” Steph said. “I wasn’t privy to the idea.”

  “Let me talk to Rosa, please,” Susan said through gritted teeth.

  “She wants to talk to you,” Steph said. There was rustling in the background as Steph handed the phone over to Rosa.

  “Before you say anything. . . It’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it’s good news,” Rosa said quickly into the phone.

  “Really? Sending my ex to see my soon-to-be ex so they could have a little chat? What were you thinking?” Susan said.

  “I was thinking that Carrie would be the best person to tell Tess nothing was going on.”

  “Rosa, I can’t see how that’s going to work out, even in a parallel universe. Why would Tess believe Carrie?”

  “Because she’s very persuasive and ex-addicts don’t lie. If they do, it’s as good as going back to their drug of choice. Lying goes hand in hand with it. Tess will know that. So, do you want the good news or are you going to stay mad at me?”

  “There’s good news?” Susan asked.

  “Tess is feeling worse than you, which is saying something. You need to relax. Get off work and go save your love.”

  “If that’s even possible,” Susan said glumly.

  “It is,” Rosa said. “But the window will be closing soon. Hurry.”

  ***

  It was late when Susan got off work. She found Parker and Steph leaning up against her car in the hospital parking lot. “What’s wrong? Is Amy or Rosa hurt?” she asked. Her heart beat rapidly. She morphed into doctor mode, then remembered that if someone were actually hurt, they’d be on their way to the hospital and she was standing in the hospital parking lot.

  “We’ve come to help,” Parker said.

  Susan took two deep breaths before asking, “Help with what exactly?”

  “We have planned the most romantic get-together scene next to a Hollywood movie,” Steph said.

  “Get-back-together scene,” Parker corrected.

  A cloud that had been covering a nearly full moon drifted past and moonlight spilled onto the parking lot. It was a nice night, warm but not hot, a gentle breeze caressing the skin—a perfect night to declare one’s love, Susan thought. Or re-declare one’s love.

  “Parker had an idea and we took the liberty of getting the supplies together to make everything perfect for your reunion,” Steph said.

  Susan raised an eyebrow.

  Steph smiled. “You’ll like it. When have I ever led you astray?”

  “Okay, what’s the plan? I’m not saying I’m agreeing to it…yet,” Susan said. Of course, she would agree. She needed something, something special, something extraordinary, that would show Tess how sorry she was and how much she was committed to this relationship. It hadn’t been lost on Susan that when Tess packed up her stuff, it had only amounted to two suitcases. That didn’t look like much of a commitment—it looked more like Susan was a guest in her own relationship. Tess deserved better than that.

  Steph put her hands up like a movie director sketching out the scene. “Picture this: It’s a moonlit evening. A blanket lies on the grass. Surrounded by tiki torches.”

  “Wait,” Parker said, “Tiki torches? Sounds a little Nazi-esque.”

  “Don’t worry. Just a few, so the light is ambient. Nearby a picnic basket is packed with goodies and a bottle of very expensive champagne and real glass flutes. Your phone has a playlist filled with soft music. Think Nina Simone or Nora Jones.”

  “Starting off with Reunited by Peaches and Herb,” Parker said.

  Steph continued, “And you stare into each other’s eyes…”

  Parker interrupted, “Great, Steph, I think she’s got the idea. Now, on to the particulars: we have all the necessary provisions in my van. We’ll download the music on the way to Griffin Park. You’re going to have a midnight picnic on the very spot you two met that very first time.”

  Susan was stunned. Was this really happening? Were her friends staging the best get-back-together moment ever? Tess was willing to take her back? Carrie had convinced Tess that nothing was going on, nothing ever would go on. And it worked? It was all too much. Susan’s head swam.

  Steph grabbed her arm. “Get in the van. We’ll get your car tomorrow. Tess will drive you home so the moment isn’t spoiled with car details. It’ll be like you’re driving off into the sunset instead of ‘I’ll follow you home in my own car.’ That spoils the moment.”

  “You’re such a hopeless romantic,” Susan said lightly.

  “I prefer to be called a hopeful romantic,” Steph countered. She turned Susan toward Parker’s van and gave her a little push.

  It was hard to tell who was more eager for the date—Susan or Steph.

  ***

  Susan spent the drive to Griffin Park squished into the passenger seat with Steph, who’d managed to get the seat belt strapped over both of them. It was a little more togetherness than Susan was comfortable with.

  “I really think I should’ve taken my car,” Susan muttered.

  “Steph was worried you wouldn’t go through with it if you had your own transportation,” Parker said.

  “Hmmph,” Susan snorted. It wounded her pride that Steph and Parker knew her so well.

  Steph said, “I packed all your favorites: deviled eggs, roasted chicken sandwiches, grapes, canapés, petit fours, and lots of napkins. Oh, and a tin of Altoids so you’ll have fresh breath for the smooching scene.”

  Susan looked over at Parker. “Please tell me she’s not actually recording this.”

  “She’s not. She reads way too many romance novels is all. This is her moment to make it come alive. She’s been living for this moment, so you’ll just have to humor her,” Parker said.

  “You’ll thank me later,” Steph said.

  Susan hoped Steph’s dream would be a reality—that Tess would show up, that it wouldn’t be a raging, tear-filled exchange instead of love and romance.

  An idea struck her like a flash of lightning, hitting her heart and stimulating the little gray cells. She studied Parker’s profile, thinking about how happy Parker had m
ade Amy. She wanted nothing more than to make Tess that happy.

  “Parker?” Susan said.

  “Yes?”

  “If Tess takes me back, will you build us a lake house?”

  Parker’s smile lit up the van. “Sure. I’ve already got a lot all picked out. One for both of you.”

  “Both? I think they’d like to live on the same lot in the same house,” Steph said.

  “The other lot is for you and Rosa, you big dork.”

  “Oh,” Steph said.

  “When you’re ready. And before you go on and on about leaving your precious garden behind, you’d have the space to make the dream garden you’ve always wanted. This is all in the future so don’t get all freaked out right now,” Parker said.

  “I’m not freaked out,” Steph said defensively.

  “Yeah, right.”

  “But I don’t think we’ll ever have the money for lakefront property,” Steph said, as they pulled into the empty parking lot of Griffin Park.

  “Both lots are adjacent to mine and I own them. Which means I can sell them. At an agreeable price.”

  They all got out of the van. Parker and Steph began to unload all the props they needed to turn the dream into a reality.

  “I like the idea of a lesbian compound out at the lake,” Steph said, warming to the idea.

  “Our very own little town,” Parker said.

  “Can I be the sheriff?” Steph teased.

  “Nope. That’ll be Rosa’s job.”

  Even Susan joined in on the dream: “We have almost everything we need to start our own town. Police, fire department, doctor, builder, journalist, social worker.”

  They all laughed. Susan walked to the edge of the parking lot and surveyed the darkness. “I don’t remember the exact spot. Does getting close count?”

  “No, it’ll spoil the magic,” Steph said. “Parker’s got this. Don’t you?”

  “The exact spot is 45 paces from basket seven on the golf course and 15 degrees south,” Parker said.

  “We can always count on you,” Steph said.

  Parker tapped her temple, saying, “When I saw the way they looked at each other at that first meeting, I logged the specifics just in case.”

  Susan laughed. “I hope you didn’t log our first sexual encounter.”

  “Sadly, no,” Parker joked back.

  Parker put on her headlamp, flicked it on, and went in search of basket number seven. Susan and Steph waited, watching her pace off and calculate the 15 degrees.

  “Does she have a sextant in her head?” Steph asked, looking up at the stars.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Susan said, holding the unlit tiki torches in her arms.

  “I found it! Right here,” Parker said, pointing at the exact spot.

  They couldn’t see Parker, only her headlamp.

  “I’ll take your word for it,” Susan said.

  “Get the battery-powered work lights out of the truck, Steph,” Parker called. She stabbed a wooden stake with a little red flag into the grass, marking the exact spot.

  Parker walked back to the van. She and Steph went to set up the lights while Susan stood marveling at the organization of Parker’s van. Everything had its place. To one side sat all the accoutrements for the midnight picnic—a proper picnic basket made of wicker, just like in the movies, a bottle of champagne nestled in a cooler, a soft blanket with cupids and hearts all over it. “Really, Steph?” Susan said, pointing at the blanket. “Little chubby baby cupids?”

  “How do you know it was me?” Steph said.

  Susan raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay, it was me. Here, hand me those tiki torches,” Steph said.

  Susan handed them over. She draped the cupid and hearts blanket over her shoulder and took the picnic basket and cooler. Parker had the work light blazing. It was as bright as a UFO landing in the middle of the night.

  Parker hammered lengths of PVC pipe into the ground. She slipped the tiki torches into the pipe. They stood firmly upright.

  “You can just leave the torches here when you leave. Blow them out, though. I’ll drive by in the morning and pick them up,” Parker said.

  “You don’t have to do that. I can clean up,” Susan said.

  “No!” Steph said a little too quickly. She followed with, “You’ll ruin the moment. Digging up tiki torches after a romantic picnic douses the flames of love.”

  “Douses the flames of love?” Susan said with a chuckle.

  “I’m a firefighter, what d’ya expect?”

  “You really have to stop reading those romance novels,” Susan said. “They’re giving you an unrealistic view of life.”

  Parker snorted.

  “Look, you two,” Steph said, “Without those books, we wouldn’t be setting up a romantic picnic so you can win your girl back, because I never would’ve thought of it—so there.” She helped Susan spread out the blanket.

  “She does have a point,” Parker said. “Two left-brained people like ourselves never would’ve come up with this.”

  “Speaking of love, how’re the wedding plans coming along?” Steph said.

  “We’re getting closer. We’ve got the cake picked out and Amy is going for a fitting next week,” Parker said.

  “Hopefully, you’ll get married before our esteemed president takes that away from us,” Steph said.

  “As long as we get married before any of our friends,” Parker said, pointedly looking at Susan. “You’re not allowed to get married before me.”

  Susan’s face blanched. They both saw it. “Of course, having a wedding isn’t for everyone,” Parker amended. “Sometimes, owning property together is enough of a commitment.”

  “Sure is,” Steph said, trying to smooth over the look of panic written across Susan’s face.

  “I don’t think I could ever walk down the aisle again,” Susan said quietly. “Wedding PTSD.”

  “Understood,” Parker said, stepping back to check out their work.

  “Oh, crap, I forgot the pillows!” Steph said. She ran back to the van to retrieve them.

  Susan looked over at Parker. “Do you really think this is going to work?” She imagined herself sitting alone in the middle of Griffin Park, waiting for a woman who never showed.

  “I understand how you’d be gun shy, but Tess will show,” Parker said. “Even if I have to drag her out of the house.”

  “That doesn’t sound positive,” Susan said, smoothing out a corner of the blanket.

  “It was a joke. She wants this as much as you do. She told me so.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Susan said. She meant it with all her heart.

  ***

  Tess stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. “You really think this is all right?”

  Amy and Rosa lounged on Tess’s bed and studied her outfit. “I don’t think it’s going to matter much. It’s dark out there,” Rosa said. “Just skip the panties and everything will work out fine.”

  Tess blushed. Amy giggled.

  “I’m sorry,” Rosa said. “You should always wear panties like our mothers always warned us.”

  “In case of an accident,” Tess said.

  “I’m more concerned about having my legs shaved,” Amy said.

  Tess sat down on the bed next to them. “Is this whole midnight picnic thing stupid? I mean she could just come here, and we could talk and sort things out.”

  “It’s not stupid! It’s sweet. Besides, this is kind of a do-over,” Rosa said.

  “Like in a parallel universe, where relationship clusterfucks never happen,” Amy piped in.

  “Everything will work out fine. Believe me, Susan is miserable without you. We can’t let Carrie ruin Susan’s second chance at having a happily ever after. She deserves it and you’re the right woman to give that to her,” Rosa said.

  “We make a good couple, right?” Tess asked in a tiny voice, like she was afraid of hearing the truth.

  She stood and surveyed herself in the mir
ror. She wasn’t as gorgeous as Carrie. She certainly didn’t have her perfect breasts, but she loved Susan more than Carrie had—she hadn’t run off and left her at the altar. She stopped. No. She had thrown Susan out and rendered her homeless. Oh my god, she was worse than Carrie. Tess began to cry.

  “What the hell, Tess?” Rosa said. She put her arms around Tess, trying to comfort her. Tess pulled away, her perfect makeup now streaked with tears.

  “I’m just as bad as Carrie. I didn’t leave her, but I did throw her out.”

  “At least you didn’t fuck the wedding planner,” Rosa said flatly.

  “Well, there is that,” Tess said, snuffling.

  “Good, now get a sweater, that nice oatmeal-colored one. It goes with your watermelon-colored shirt,” Rosa said. She stifled a yawn. Midnight picnics were beyond her age range.

  Tess looked down at her shirt. “It is watermelon-colored. I hadn’t realized that. Maybe I should change.”

  Rosa glanced at her watch. “We don’t have time. It’s almost midnight.”

  “The bewitching hour,” Amy added.

  “Yep, time for you to bewitch the love of your life,” Rosa said.

  “In a watermelon-colored shirt?” Tess said, still not certain.

  “Well, it is a summer picnic,” Amy said.

  ***

  “You can do this,” Steph said, taking Susan by the shoulders and looking sternly into her eyes.

  Susan did not look convinced. “It just seems so weird.”

  “You’re making a memory. In your dotage together, you can reminisce and smile fondly at each other as you sit in matching rocking chairs watching the sun set,” Parker said.

  They both looked at Parker with wide eyes.

  “What?” Parker said, defensively. “You’re not the only one who reads.”

  Steph let go of Susan’s shoulders. “Time for us to go. It’s almost showtime.”

  “You’ll do fine,” Parker reassured Susan.