Learning Curve

by Rachel Spangler

  Ash adjusted her position so their bodies were closer together. “What line of work are you in?”

  “I’m a realtor. Had a major open house this morning and I spent all afternoon trying to process all the follow-up requests.”

  Ash feigned interest. “Sounds like a good day.”

  “Sure, good for the bank account, but boring as hell. I could use a little something to spice up what’s left of my weekend, if you know what I mean.”

  “I might.” Ash knew exactly what she meant. Wasn’t she here for the same reason? Jeanette was giving her all the right signals. All she had to do now was close the deal.

  “I’m sure you do, sweetheart.” Jeanette gave her a smile that seemed genuine but there was a hardness to it, like it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  They were hazel, Ash noticed, and her gaze was calculating. She had the feeling Jeanette was already comparing her with other women in the bar, trying to decide who was worth her time. As Jeanette downed the remainder of her beer and signaled for another, Ash looked at the bottle in her own hand. It was still mostly full. She wasn’t a lightweight, and she had never had any problem with women who drank, but the alcohol wasn’t very appealing to her tonight. In fact, nothing seemed very appealing to her at the moment. Maybe she had settled too soon.

  Without making it obvious that she was cruising her other possibilities, Ash scanned the other women in the bar. No one caught her eye. Some of the softball players were cute, but she wouldn’t call any of them sexy. When she looked more closely, she recognized various faces and realized she’d slept with at least a third of the team. That was odd. They didn’t seem all that attractive. Ash reasoned that the unflattering uniforms were probably turning her off.

  One of the women shooting pool was a past bed partner as well. She was relatively attractive at first glance, but nothing special now that Ash was looking at her a little harder. Were her standards really that low, or was she just having an off night? She’d never been this picky before. She enjoyed women of all ages, races, and body types. She could usually get turned on at the drop of a hat. Why the sudden change?

  She looked more intently at Jeanette. She was the most attractive prospect in the room, but Ash wasn’t able to muster any enthusiasm over her. Jeanette’s hand claimed Ash’s leg. She was practically throwing herself at her.

  “I’m ready to go, Ash. You want to head out and see if we can’t find something better to do?”

  Yes, Ash thought. Just say yes. This was her turf, familiar territory. She needed to get back to her routine. She needed to feel like herself again and this woman was offering her the chance to do that. She was attractive, available, and willing to let Ash take the lead. What more could she ask for?

  “No thanks,” Ash said, mentally kicking herself even as the words left her mouth.

  “What?” Jeanette seemed surprised.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’m going to call it a night.” Ash felt bad for misleading her, so she tried to give a charming smile. “If you wait till I finish my beer, I’ll walk you out.”

  Jeanette shrugged, never breaking the contact between them. “If that’s all you have to offer, then I guess I’ll take what I can get.”

  *

  Carrie stood in the doorway watching the scene unfold before her. It had taken her almost fifteen minutes to work up the nerve to step inside the bar, and she now wished she’d gone home. Ash hadn’t wasted any time. The brunette on the bar stool next to her was well into her personal space, and while Carrie couldn’t hear them, the conversation appeared to be anything but casual. The woman’s hand rested high up on Ash’s thigh. There was something both suggestive and possessive in the touch that made Carrie’s stomach churn with jealousåy. She knew she should leave. She shouldn’t have followed Ash here in the first place. Everyone had warned her about Ash’s reputation. Carrie wasn’t sure why she needed to see the proof for herself. She truly believed people could change, but they had to want to. Ash had given her no indication that she was dissatisfied with her life. This was what she wanted, meaningless encounters and one-night stands. That’s all this woman would be to her. She wouldn’t even remember her a few days from now.

  Carrie felt unreasonably angry as she watched Ash with the woman. She could only imagine what they were saying. Ash was probably turning on her trademark charm. Maybe she was even telling her some of the same things she’d told Carrie. Did she casually let her know how good she was with her hands? Was she telling the woman that she wanted her? Or was she simply making that fact known through the innuendo that came so easily to her? Carrie felt sick just watching them.

  But why? Ash wasn’t hers. In fact, she’d made it abundantly clear all weekend that she didn’t want a physical relationship with Ash. So why shouldn’t she find satisfaction with someone who shared her philosophy? Plenty of women would love a shot at someone so suave and attractive. She was sexy and charming, and everything anyone would want in a lover, but did any of them see beyond that? Did they know how sweet she could be? Did they ever look past the bravado and see that underlying vulnerability Carrie knew existed just below the surface? Would the brunette even stop to wonder who Ash was, what she cared about, what made her tick?

  Carrie watched as the woman moved her hand up Ash’s body and rested it gently on her arm. Would she ever know the pride Ash took in her work or realize how good she was with kids, or care about her the way Carrie did?

  Her head spun with the realization of what she was thinking. She cared for Ash. She had feelings for her. Not just as an acquaintance, or even as a friend. Despite her best efforts and most fervent denials, she was falling for Ashton Clarke.

  Carrie wanted to move, but her legs failed to comply. Ash and the brunette stood, the woman’s hand still resting on Ash’s arm. As they turned toward the door, Ash froze, looking directly at Carrie. Their eyes locked for a long, painful moment. Carrie read so many emotions flash across Ash’s face, surprise, guilt, remorse. Still, the only thing she could process was the fact that Ash was about to leave the bar with another woman. It was a thought she just couldn’t handle, so she turned and fled.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ash stood outside the coffee house watching Betty Ryan approach. When she saw Ash, she broke into a smile, weaving her way purposefully against the grain of the foot traffic on the sidewalk. Ash stuffed her hands in her pockets and watched her. She hoped she’d have half the fire Betty possessed when she was her age.

  Smiling broadly, she held open the restaurant door as Betty reached her side. The place was filled with the usual weekday lunch crowd, students grabbing a bite to eat between classes and downtown businesspeople stopping in for a lunch away from the office. Ash settled in across from Betty at a small table in the middle of the room.

  “They have a great peanut soup here,” Betty said.

  “Sounds good.” Ash was starting to read her menu when the waitress approached them.

  She looked familiar. Her long red hair was pulled back in a messy bun held by a pencil. She had gray eyes, a great smile, and legs a person would love to die tangled in. These looked great in form-fitting black slacks and she wore a white shirt with the top two buttons undone.

  “Ash.” She seemed happy to see her. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing great. How are you, Shea?”

  “Oh, things have been busy here, but other than that, I’m good.”

  Ash breathed a silent sigh of relief that she’d remembered the woman’s name. “Good to hear.”

  “I’ve been meaning to call you.”

  “Yeah?” Ash started to get a little uncomfortable.

  “I need a tune-up.” Shea smiled playfully. “I mean my car needs a tune-up.”

  “Well, I’d be happy to take a look for you. If I can’t fix it, I’ll be able to send you to someone who can.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.”

  “I’ll have a water,” Betty cut in.

  Shea
looked at her like she’d just appeared out of nowhere. “Okay, two waters coming right up.”

  “Who was that?” Betty asked as soon as they were alone.

  Ash pretended to be absorbed in her menu. “Some girl I met a while back.”

  “She seemed pretty friendly to be just some girl.”

  “Betty, you know I’m too classy to kiss and tell.”

  “I think you did more than kiss her.”

  Ash just smiled.

  “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” Betty noted.

  “What?”

  “Oh, don’t play coy with me. That charm of yours just comes natural. Women fall right into your lap without you even having to work at it.”

  Ash chuckled. “I wish that were always the case.”

  “When is it not the case?”

  Carrie’s face flashed across Ash’s memory. Carrie breaking off the kiss, Carrie eating a toasted marshmallow. Carrie drying her hair, saying good-bye, standing in the doorway of the bar two nights ago looking heartbroken.

  Shea returned with their glasses of water and took their order. After she walked away, Ash moved the conversation to more neutral ground. “So, Betty, what did you do on the weekend?”

  “Same as always. Red Hat Ladies tea on Saturday afternoon, mass Sunday morning, soup kitchen on Sunday afternoon,” Betty answered, sounding bored. “And yesterday I delivered meals to shut-ins from our church.”

  “You stay pretty busy.”

  “Not busy enough, if you ask me. After raising two kids and hauling them to catechism, marching band, football practice, and dance recitals, nothing seems very busy.”

  “But you have clubs of your own these days, don’t you? What about the League of Women Voters?”

  Betty waved her off. “You can only register so many people to vote in an off year before you end up just sitting around staring at each other.”

  “Is that why you resorted to learning to change flat tires?”

  “Damn right! You get bored enough and you’ll do anything. Even go to lunch with scoundrels like you.”

  “I thought you liked scoundrels.” Ash pretended to be offended.

  “Oh, I like a good cad as much as the next woman, but it’s just not the same as having someone to fuss after.”

  “I thought that’s what you were doing here,” Ash teased. “Aren’t you going to fuss after me?”

  Betty laughed. “It’s not that you couldn’t use some fussing, that’s for sure, but somehow I think you have women lined up around the block for that job.”

  “None as enticing as you,” Ash said with exaggerated charm.

  “See? What did I tell you? You just can’t help yourself.”

  They were both still laughing when their food arrived.

  “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you switched the subject earlier from your personal life to mine,” Betty said.

  “I did nothing of the sort.” Ash sampled the peanut soup. The initial taste was exactly what she expected, creamy and slightly sweet, but as she swallowed, the heat began to spread across her tongue accompanied by a slow burn. “That’s hot!”

  Betty gave her a puzzled look. “Well, blow on it.”

  “No.” Ash took a drink of her water. “I mean it’s spicy.”

  Betty shook her head. “First the artillery punch, now the soup. You really are a lightweight, aren’t you?”

  “I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.” Ash braced herself and took another spoonful.

  “You were changing the subject again, is what you were doing,” Betty insisted. “It’s your turn now. What did you do on the weekend?”

  “I went camping.”

  Betty regarded her suspiciously. “You don’t strike me as the camping type.”

  Ash chuckled. “Usually I’m not, but a friend needed help chaperoning a youth trip.”

  “You definitely don’t seem like the chaperoning type.”

  “Yeah, well, they were desperate.”

  “So, is this friend the woman you have your eye on?” Betty asked.

  “No, this friend is happily partnered up and has a two-year-old daughter.”

  “So what’s up with the one you’re after?”

  “She was there.” Ash tried to sound casual.

  “And?” Betty waggled her eyebrows.

  “Well, apart from getting dunked in a freezing cold lake, I guess you could say it was an interesting trip.”

  Betty burst out laughing. “How did the dunking happen? Did you get fresh with her?”

  Ash finished a mouthful of soup. “No, one of the teenagers did it. I wouldn’t mind if I never saw that girl again in my life. She’s a pain, but…” Ash sighed. “For some reason she’s important to Carrie.”

  “And Carrie’s important to you?”

  “Yeah, well. I mean, I guess I like her.”

  “I have a hard time believing you’d put up with camping, dunking, and a hellion, all for some woman you just like.”

  Put that way, Ash could see her point.

  Betty wasn’t done. “You wouldn’t spend a weekend at a youth camp for our waitress, would you?”

  “For Shea? No.”

  “Then why this woman?”

  “I don’t know.” Ash thought about the question for a moment. “Carrie’s different.”

  “Are you in love with her?”

  Ash choked and hastily lifted her napkin to her mouth. “What? No.” She coughed again. “I mean, I’m not that kind of person. I’m not real big on love.”

  Betty looked at her, wide-eyed. “Settle down. I didn’t mean to send you into a spell.”

  Ash took a deep breath. “I was just caught off guard.”

  “I can see that.”

  “If you knew me, you’d know how funny that question was.”

  “Because you’re not real big on love?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then you’d better be careful,” Betty warned.

  “Why?”

  “Because I think it might be sneaking up on you.”

  *

  Carrie pulled the budget papers off her desk. “I’ll get out of your way,” she said.

  “No, don’t go,” Ash said. “I mean, you can stay. You won’t be in my way.”

  She shed the jacket she was wearing, revealing the tight gray T-shirt underneath. Carrie allowed her gaze to travel over Ash’s body. Her arms were toned and muscular, causing the short sleeves of her shirt to fit tightly over her biceps. The fabric was stretched tight against what appeared to be solid abs and a naturally sculpted torso. Ash’s carpenter jeans hugged her hips like they were tailor made for her. Carrie felt conscious of her own rather dull attire, brown corduroy pants and a soft maroon sweater that fit just snugly enough to accentuate her curves but certainly didn’t come across as provocative.

  Trying to sound cool and professional, she said, “I appreciate your coming in to finish the bookcases.”

  “It’s no problem.” Ash moved her tool belt over by the bookcase. “I enjoy the woodwork. I’ll be sad to see it end.”

  “Will you be finished today?” Carrie wasn’t sure how she felt about that prospect. It would be better for both of them to stop these interactions since they obviously weren’t leading to anything. But still, despite her simmering anger over the incident at the Triangle Club, the thought of not seeing Ash again upset her.

  “I’ll wrap up all the woodwork today,” Ash said. “Then tomorrow I’ll finish with a varnish to protect it. That should be about it.”

  “Well, thank you for taking the time. I know you probably have bigger jobs you could be doing right now.”

  “Carrie, there’s no place I’d rather be,” Ash said.

  There was a long silence. Neither Carrie nor Ash seemed to know where to go from there. The office was small and suddenly filled with the unspoken. Carrie wanted to say something casual about seeing Ash picking up that brunette on Sunday night, but she knew any remark would sound accusatory. Who was she to commen
t on Ash’s personal life? Ash was free to do whatever she wanted with whomever she chose.

  “I guess I should get started,” Ash said.

  She got her cordless drill out of her tool belt and used its smallest bit to drill pilot holes in the pre-cut shelves. It took everything Carrie had in her to concentrate on the papers in front of her and avoid stealing glances as Ash worked. She made it through the drilling without so much as sneaking a peek, but when she stood up to take a look at Ash’s progress, she was surprised to find Ash watching her.

  The expression on her face made Carrie blush. Her eyes seemed to be darker, her pupils dilated, and there was no mistaking the desire she saw there. Ash stood up without breaking eye contact.

  “I’m sorry.” Carrie stood as well. “I’m distracting you.”

  “Yes, you are.” Ash stepped closer. Her breathing was uneven.

  “I should go,” Carrie whispered, but instead she took the remaining step to bring them within arm’s reach of each other.

  Ash wasn’t sure who closed the final distance between them, but it didn’t seem to matter the minute Carrie’s lips touched hers. The gentle caressing quickly gave way to a bruisingly passionate kiss, and, as she probed deeper, she clasped Carrie’s hips to steady them both. Carrie’s hands cupped her face, holding her where she was. Neither of them was any longer in control of her own actions. Ash was blinded by a hunger that consumed every corner of her mind and body. The need to touch and be touched was terrifying and thrilling all at once.

  Ash barely knew which way was up. On one hand all she wanted was to make love with Carrie, right here in her office. On the other she was smart enough to realize that she was dangerously close to wanting a relationship. She’d known Carrie for two weeks, and her initial infatuation had not worn off, which meant it had lasted about ten days longer than Ash was used to. Maybe it was because Carrie had been so hard to get, and the thrill of the chase was still present. But even if sleeping with her was all Ash needed, she wasn’t sure if Carrie would let that happen. Either way, three days apart had only heightened Ash’s desire. She knew she should stop, but she couldn’t.