Mending Defects

by Lynn Galli

  I found Lena talking to some parents next to the Spanish club booth. They had huge smiles, gesturing back to the kids helping the ones swinging wildly at the piñata. More satisfied parents, clearly. She was so good at her job it was almost dazzling.

  “How did he take it?” Lena asked when the parents wandered off.

  I felt a smile take over my face. I’d tried to remain stone faced while at the impromptu board gathering so I didn’t show preferential treatment, but I didn’t have to hide that now. Her matching smile made my heart thump. “Tried to talk me out of it.”

  “Of course.”

  “I caved.”

  Her eyes went wide. A second later she laughed and pushed against me. “You evil little punk.”

  “But you dig me.”

  She blew out a loud breath. “I do.”

  She wanted to kiss me. I could read her mind, but she was at work and all the kids and parents kept her discreet. “Come on, we’ll get some corn on the cob and check out more booths. We’ll save dessert at the bake sale for later.”

  “Will we?” I liked to give her a hard time about her incessant planning.

  She smiled, a promise to torture me later. “Yes, because you dig me, too.”

  I did. A lot.

  Chapter 34

  Sunday afternoon, a gang of my friends were walking through Snowmass Village, enjoying the relatively tourist free area for the first time since Lena moved here. We planned to walk the nature trail and picnic along the way. I’d mentioned our plan to Mei and Brooke at the office, and they’d jumped on board, bringing in Brooke’s husband and daughter who invited Ashlyn and Maddy. Mei got Spencer lined up and her dad who called my dad. Cassie and her family were on board, too. We were fifteen total, strolling through the Village, intermittently breaking off into smaller groups to explore here and there.

  I looked over at Lena, who had become more easy going around large groups in recent weeks. It was a big relief to me because I came with a lot of people baggage. For a woman who moved partway across the country on her own, stepping into a relationship with a woman who had a lot of ties may be intimidating. Thankfully, she’d become great friends with Brooke and David, and she really liked Mei, Spence, and my parents. When I’d told her that our Sunday hike would now be hauling thirteen others, she didn’t even blink an eye.

  We got stopped many times on our way to the deli. Locals learned to cherish this time between Labor Day and the start of the ski season. We’d reclaim every part of town, even the tourist traps. It was great to walk through town and recognize most of the people we passed.

  “I’m getting roast beef,” Dad told me as we entered the deli. “Don’t tell your mother.”

  Lena and Mei’s dad laughed. I just shook my head. My dad was starting to put on a little weight now that he was in his late fifties, and my mom was constantly worried about his cholesterol levels.

  “I’m getting some spring rolls,” Mei’s dad declared, making Mei and I gasp. Her mother’s spring rolls were the best. He was committing sacrilege.

  Lena came over to stand behind me as everyone squeezed inside. I felt her body brush against mine as we all took turns ordering. She’d been making me crazy with our time together since we’d first made love. She’d stop by after work for a drink on the porch almost every night, but she’d usually go home afterward without once getting naked. She saved that for a Friday or Saturday night. I’d liked the slow before, but now it seemed like a game to her. See how much she could wind me up before vanishing.

  Her hand came up to grip my waist as she leaned forward to give her order. Any contact was titillating at this point. A sound of surprise came from my left. I turned to see Jason, one of my former classmates, staring at the placement of Lena’s hand before shooting his wide eyes up to me.

  “Uh, hey, Glory,” he managed.

  “Hi, Jas,” I said to his retreating back as he sprinted behind the counter to get back to work.

  “Yet another friend?” Lena asked.

  I twirled to face her, grabbing her hands and bringing them to my hips. “One of Cassie’s ex-boyfriends. Mei and I were forced to be nice to him.”

  “Not really a friend, then?” Lena glanced over my shoulder at him. “He seems mighty interested for not being a friend.”

  I stepped closer and rested my hands on her hips. “He’s hoping that I make out with you in front of him, I’m sure.”

  “He’s hoping to see a lot more,” Spence guessed from his spot closest to Lena.

  Mei elbowed him and sighed in sympathy at us. “Ignore him.”

  “Honey,” my dad called out from the other side of Brooke’s family. “Do I like the mac or potato salad here? Your mom always orders for us.”

  “You’re having neither if you’re going through with the roast beef threat. Get a Cobb salad with vinaigrette.”

  “This is my day of freedom,” he grumbled, but I noticed he ordered the Cobb salad.

  Once out on the trail, it didn’t take long before I was completely worn out. Wrangling fifteen people through the afternoon had been a lot more work than managing the trail by myself. We turned back shortly after the picnic, and it wasn’t too soon for me.

  Lena and I ended the day on my porch. Her dogs settled into their spots as I collapsed into my chair.

  “You’re tuckered out.” Lena noticed as she sat with me. “Was the hike too much or just a long day?”

  “I’m starting to think your solitude thing might have something to it.”

  She smiled and ran her hand down my arm. “I’ll make you a loner yet.”

  I leaned toward her, tilting my face up. She took the hint and closed the distance, kissing me like we had hours to do nothing else. Her lips had this way of infusing energy into me. I no longer felt exhausted.

  Breaking the kiss, I got up to shift over to her chair. Setting my knees on each side of her lap, I put myself in a better position to kiss her. I took my time exploring her mouth as my hands drifted over her. She moaned, spurring me on. I wanted her naked. Right out here.

  Before I could get her shirt over her head, she stopped me. “It’s a school night, Glory.”

  “So?”

  “We’re taking this slow, remember?”

  “We have been.”

  “Two nights in a row isn’t slow.” Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction.

  Last night had been wonderful, but I really, really wanted her again. “After more than a month, yeah, it is.”

  She cradled my face in her hands. “We’re going to do this right, Glory.”

  “Aren’t we already?” I frowned.

  She kissed me once, long and deep. “We’re doing this slowly because I want this to be the last time I ever have to do this again.”

  I blinked, settling back on her lap, letting her words sink in. “Last time?”

  She nodded, looking at me with that unspoken emotion that made my heart do gymnastics. She was falling for me, which was a good thing because I was on the same slope with her. “The last time I ever have to start a relationship.”

  Warmth spread through my body at her words. She wanted to do this right. Take it slow so that it would last for a lifetime. “Sounds perfect,” I confirmed.

  Last for a lifetime. A goal I never knew I had until I’d gotten to know her. If I’d known that I’d get a life mate out of my neighbor when I first met her, I might have brought over more baked goods to welcome her to town.

  Please enjoy excerpts from Lynn Galli’s other novels,

  Wasted Heart, Imagining Reality, Uncommon Emotions, Blessed Twice, and Full Court Pressure, all currently available.

  Wasted Heart

  “Somebody’s having a good day,” a now familiar voice pronounced from the doorway.

  The smile I’d been wearing from the prospect of the new case widened when I looked up at Elise. That pesky school of fish swam swiftly through my midsection again, causing a little lightheadedness. She was in a skirt today conservatively an inch above the knee
but plenty enticing. For instance, I was having a hard time not fantasizing about how soft the skin would be at the back of her knee. If my friend Des was here witnessing my perusal of Elise, she’d say something crass like how badly I needed to get laid. Crass, but true.

  “Hi,” I tried for nonchalant, but I’m guessing she saw right through me. “What are you doing here?”

  She tipped her head back toward the hallway. “I was going over an investigation on a case that Rachel’s taking to trial next week.”

  “Wasn’t Jake on that?” I waved her inside the office to sit in one of my guest chairs. I tried to keep my eyes from staring at her toned calves as she floated into the chair and kicked one leg over the other. Her skirt rode up another couple of inches, and my mouth dried with each revealing hike of material.

  Oblivious to my parched state, she responded, “He put in for a transfer to Phoenix to help out the family business now that his father’s gone. He wanted to be more available to them.”

  Jake’s dedication helped relieve my dazed reverie. “Amazing how it takes a death to make us realize which things are really important in life.”

  “You’re so right.” She sloped into that sexy head tilt again. “Jake asked me to tell you goodbye for him. I think he was a little enchanted with you.”

  “No.” I tossed aside her remark without any consideration. Jake and I had worked seven cases together, and he was never more than affable with me.

  Elise studied me for a long moment, not letting up on her sexiness. “Fascinating. You don’t believe someone could be enchanted by you?” She was taking great enjoyment from my astonished expression. Before I could react, she stood up to leave. “I didn’t really mean that as a question. Good seeing you, Austy.”

  Sassy, smart, and sexy: the very definition of trouble for me.

  Imagining Reality

  “Oh yeah! Who’s that?” someone yelled above the music.

  I looked over and groaned. Jordan Palow stood among the tree stumps of her friends staring at our table. More specifically Elise whose striking looks would catch anyone’s attention. Jordan mistakenly believed that she was in a contest with me about who could bed more women. She didn’t seem to care that I wouldn’t play along. Leering pointedly at Elise, she ignored the rest of us. “You’d make my whole year if you danced with me.”

  “No thanks,” Elise forced a steady voice.

  “Aw, come on, hottie. You won’t get a better offer.”

  “Will I do, doll?” my mouth spoke before my brain did. Seduction permeated my skin, rising in waves that I’m certain everyone could see. Why was I doing this? Just because my friend was overwhelmed, didn’t mean I needed to step in to make things easier.

  Jordan looked astonished. We were barely civil to each other. I traced my fingers over her arm, feeling it flinch before eagerly pushing into my fingertips. I didn’t bother to look for the shock from my friends.

  She obediently followed my lead to the dance floor. When we faced each other, she snapped her eyes up with a suspicious look. I gave her my most seductive smile, latched my fingers onto her hips, and pulled her into me. With the sound of the thumping beat, I pushed who she was from my mind and began a slow grind with her.

  When the fifth song ended, I leaned back and looked into her startled grey-blue eyes. “That was spectacular, doll. We should do this more often.” My husky voice made my own skin crawl as I released her and watched her float away from me.

  A hand grabbed me before I made it all the way off the dance floor. “You’re dancing with me now.” My friend Lauren ordered, grabbing my waist to keep me in place. I laughed at her forcefulness. She was so cute sometimes.

  She gave me a wink and turned around to wiggle her tush in time with the music. My lousy mood at working over Jordan vanished as I got into the enjoyment of dancing with my friend.

  When the next song turned slow, she grabbed my hands and slid them around her waist before looping her arms around my neck. When she pressed against me, she led us in a slow dance. Hmm, this is interesting.

  “That was nice what you did.”

  I leaned back and gave her a questioning look. “What did I do?”

  “You know what you did. You don’t fool me, Jess.”

  “How much have you had to drink, L?”

  “Ha-ha. Play all toughie with everyone else, but I know what you did.”

  I quirked my eyebrows at her. No? She couldn’t actually know, could she? “Don’t know what you’re talking about, shug.”

  “Yes, you do. You made Jordan disappear so that Elise wouldn’t be uncomfortable anymore. You took a woman that you don’t like out on the dance floor and made her think she was the only person in the world. You’re a good woman, Jessamine Ximena, even if you won’t let yourself believe it.” Lauren pressed closer, moving our bodies with ease. “One of these days, I’ll make even you see it.” She tilted up and kissed my cheek before detaching herself to walk away.

  Five seconds passed before I realized the song had ended.

  Uncommon Emotions

  Raven pulled her car into the Paul Industries parking lot. Mine was the only vehicle left, so she didn’t need to ask where I was parked. “Ahh, modern,” she teased of my Lexus.

  “Boring but functional and an automatic.”

  “Is your ankle still bothering you?” She couldn’t hide the worry from her tone.

  “No, but automatics are much easier with all the traffic around here.”

  We got out to load my share of the desserts into the back seat of my car. The process took a couple of trips, and we only bumped into each other once. When I surfaced from my last drop off of takeout boxes, Raven stood a foot away. The look in her eyes halted my sidestep.

  She held my coat but made no move to give it to me. Her gaze didn’t shutter the emotions this time. She took a step closer before glancing at my mouth. When her eyes returned to mine, I knew without doubt that she wanted to kiss me. This was so different from the men who’d dropped me off after a date in the past. They would look at me with determination; they were going to kiss me. Nothing in their gazes could be mistaken for this kind of wanting. No, the men let me know what they were going to do. This, this look was of a desire to kiss, a craving to kiss, a near Victorian yearning to kiss me. I felt my breath desert me as suddenly as when I’d fallen off her horse.

  Unlike with the men on similar occasions, my heart thumped erratically and something of a ruckus roared through my ears. I felt hot and cold and trapped and free all at the same time. Never once had I experienced this strong of a reaction to anyone. Desire had always been an elusive emotion for me. If I were being totally honest, I’d have to admit that I’d never felt it. Until now.

  I wanted this. I wanted her to kiss me like I’ve never wanted anything in my life. Not because I wanted another woman to kiss me for comparison. No, I wanted this woman to kiss me. This incredibly smart, sexy woman.

  I should do something. Give her a signal to tell her that she could turn her desire into action. If I looked down at her lips, maybe that would be enough of an invitation. Instead, I stared at those eyes, feeling her breath barely touch my face from her spot inches away. Why couldn’t I move my eyes from hers? Give her the simple go ahead, or better yet, tip my head forward and capture those sensuous lips to taste what I knew could become addictive? Perhaps it was my stupid sensibility stopping me; or maybe my concern for her that if we kissed and I felt nothing, as per usual, I’d hurt her desperately. God, I hate being sensible almost as much as I hate being emotionally bereft.

  Before I could break the spell and reach for my jacket, Raven stepped back as suddenly as if she’d been yanked by some unseen force. She shook her head and offered my coat, not meeting my eyes. When I took the garment, she waved and hurried around to the driver’s side of her car.

  “Goodnight, Raven,” I called out weakly as the door was closing. Her tires didn’t exactly squeal as they left the parking lot, but the escape was no less dramatic.
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  Blessed Twice

  There were about a million other things I could be doing right now. Playing tennis, reading a mystery, calling my son at summer camp, working out, rollerblading, base jumping, banging my head against a low hanging beam, and all would be more pleasant than my sixth first date. Cripes, my friend Caroline knew a lot of women. A lot of women who were so wrong for me.

  This one’s name was Polly, and she worked as a court clerk. After her third cup of coffee-I’d learned never to commit to anything that would last several courses-I could sum up Polly’s personality with one word: drama. Or, issues. Or, get me the hell out of here, please!

  “And then I was, like, ‘what do you think you’re doing with my stuff, bitch?’ I mean, like, can you believe she was walking out on me and expected to take the one and only gift she, like, bought me in the entire two months we’d been together? I was, like, ‘you didn’t even pay me rent for two months, you’re not taking my Maroon 5 with you.’” Her pretty green eyes stared expectantly at me, asking me to agree.

  Still stuck on some of the other intimate details she’d shared prior to talking about a massive blowout over a piece of plastic that costs twelve dollars, I merely nodded then shook my head. I didn’t know if she expected me to say, “Yes, I completely agree, even though you’re a loon,” or, “No, that’s just awful, especially since there’s no way you could ever replace such a priceless item. Unless, of course, you walked into any music store, or better yet, downloaded the songs so no one can walk out of your life with her love and your CDs.”

  “You’re so easy to talk to,” she jabbered on after I’d apparently given the appropriate response. “I can’t believe Caroline never introduced us before. I’m having so much fun.” Yeah, because drinking coffee is a riot a minute. “So, like, what’s your story?”

  Well, I’ve never used the word “like” as a verbal pause, I’ve never moved in with someone after one night together, and I’ve never considered a CD worth the effort of an argument. Oh, and I now deem dating a soul draining experience.

  “Briony?”