Where the Light Glows

by Dena Blake

  “There’s nothing wrong with having a healthy sex life.”

  “Stop.” She dropped her fork and pressed her hands to her ears. “Kids aren’t supposed to know what their parents do in the bedroom.” The sound of her own voice echoed in her head.

  Izzy heard the muffled sounds of protest through her hands. When she saw her mother’s lips tip up, Izzy removed her hands and picked up her fork.

  “If you’d like to invite your friend for breakfast,” Izzy cut a piece of French toast and snaked it through the flakes of powdered sugar scattered across the plate, “I’d be happy to fix it for the two of you, but I don’t want any matchmaking.” She stuffed the bite into her mouth.

  After Izzy finished her breakfast, she cleared their plates.

  “Did Dad eat?”

  “He’ll probably get a roll while he’s out.”

  Izzy reheated the frying pan and threw a couple more slices of drenched bread into it. “I’ll cook these last two slices for him.”

  “He’ll appreciate that.”

  “You think so?” She glanced back at her mother as she slid them out of the pan and onto a plate, then buttered them before covering them with aluminum foil and leaving them on the counter for her father. He might not love her right now, but she hadn’t stopped loving him.

  “Of course he will.”

  “I’ve got to go now, Momma.” She leaned over to give her mother a kiss on the cheek. “When Dad gets back, all you have to do is warm those up in the microwave and sprinkle a little powdered sugar on them.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart.” Bella took Izzy’s face in her hands. “He may not show it, but he does love you, Isabel.”

  “It would be nice if he actually spoke to me once in a while.” She hated to admit it, but she missed her conversations with her father, even if they always turned into debates.

  “He’ll come around.”

  She shot out a short breath. “It’s been five years, Mom.”

  “I’m working on him.”

  “Thanks, Momma.” She choked back the tears as she pressed her lips to her mother’s head. “I’m going to the market to pick up the makings for the special today.” She made a mental note. Steak, crab, asparagus, bread. “You need anything?”

  “Bring me some fresh mozzarella and tomatoes for salad.” Bella pulled open the refrigerator and rummaged through the vegetable drawer. “My friend is coming for lunch tomorrow.”

  Izzy opened the door before turning and raising a brow. “Your friend?”

  “Yes, the one I was telling you about.”

  “Oh.” She pushed the door back slightly. “Does she come to the house a lot?”

  “A few times a week.”

  Halfway out the door, she hesitated, wondering about her mother’s mystery friend. “What’s your friend’s name?”

  “Mary Elizabeth.”

  “Mary Elizabeth what?”

  She pushed the drawer in and let the refrigerator door close. “She told me, but I can’t remember.”

  “Hmm,” Izzy said, thoughtfully. “You have fresh basil?”

  “No. I’ll need that too.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.” She headed out the door, pulling it closed behind her. And maybe I’ll drop back by for lunch.

  *

  Izzy loved the local market. Family-owned since 1929, Mill Valley Market was a landmark in town. There were newer, larger markets that many shopped at, but none compared to this one when it came to fresh, homegrown products. The store was filled with good memories for Izzy. When she was younger, her mother had taken her there often. She got all the best cuts of meat because she knew all the butchers from the old neighborhood. Most of them had their sons working with them now, even a few Izzy had surfed with.

  Izzy had been a tomboy and hung out with the guys most of the time growing up. Then she’d discovered girls—pretty girls who were attracted to other pretty girls. She fell head over heels in love with one of her culinary instructors. The relationship was short-lived, and Izzy was stricken with her first broken heart at the age of twenty. That was a defining period in her life because she knew from that day forward she would never be happy in a heterosexual relationship.

  “Basil, tomatoes, she’ll want mozzarella too,” Izzy mumbled to herself as she wandered through the produce. “This looks good,” she said, picking up a couple of bunches of young asparagus and heading toward the butcher counter.

  “Hey, Joe,” she called to her regular butcher. “You got any nice tenderloin steaks back there?”

  “You bet, Izzy. How thick you want ’em?”

  She held up a bunch of asparagus. “About an inch, inch and a half maybe. The special tonight’s gonna be steak Oscar.”

  “Don’t tell my wife. She’ll drag me down there for dinner.” He smiled.

  “I’d love to see her. What’s her number again?” She pulled out her cell phone and slid her finger across it.

  “Don’t you dare. The basketball game is on tonight.” He headed in the back to cut her steaks.

  She shouted after him. “Okay, Joe. I’ll take that excuse.”

  She thumbed through her text messages as she waited for him to come back. Delete, delete, delete. Dana just wasn’t getting the message.

  Joe returned through the door and slid the package of meat across the top of the case. “Here you go.”

  “I’ll see you and Rose on Saturday night, then?”

  “As usual.” He gave her a wink.

  *

  Mel’s stomach growled. Thoughts of spaghetti Bolognese, sourdough bread, and Isabel Calabrese flew through her mind. Boy, that woman could cook. The image of her standing in the doorway with that grin on her face invaded her thoughts, and her stomach flipped. She shook her head. What the hell is that about? She took a ten from her wallet and headed out of her office to run to the corner deli for a sandwich. Mel had opened her public-relations firm years ago and had leased the same office space within a multi-tenant building because she craved the daily interaction with others. When she first started the business, she had worked from home and found it to be a very lonely experience. Renting space downtown in one of the newly restored buildings worked well for her. As she’d added other services like web design, social-media promotion, teaching, and blogging, she had room to expand the office. Plus, she respected and got along well with the business tenants, which made her life not so lonely.

  “Hey, where you going?” Nancy said, increasing her pace to catch up with her in the hallway.

  “Down to the corner to get something to eat.”

  “To the diner? Why don’t I go with you, and we can sit down and grab a bite together?”

  “I was just going to get a quick sandwich at the deli.” Mel continued her pace. She’d tried to slip out without anyone noticing to avoid exactly what was happening.

  “I really, really want a cheeseburger. Please don’t make me eat it alone.”

  “I’ve still got an awful lot of work to do and am trying to get out of here early tonight.”

  “Come on. It’ll take an hour max.” Nancy gave her a sad, puppy-dog face.

  Mel smiled and blew out a breath. “All right, but no more than an hour.”

  “Great. Let me grab some cash.”

  “Grab a lot. Lunch is on you,” Mel said, following her back into the office.

  *

  The waiter seated them in a booth by the window and told them the specials. Mel ordered the chicken salad, and Nancy got the biggest cheeseburger on the menu.

  “So what’s going on tonight?” Nancy asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Don’t lie to me. You never cut out early unless there’s a reason.”

  “Just dinner at Bella’s.” Mel focused her attention out the window, watching the cars as they passed.

  “Is Jack back in town?”

  “No. He won’t be back for a while.”

  “Then who are you going with?”

  “No one, just me.�
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  “What’s the occasion?”

  “I finished the prelim for Rick’s website.”

  “Boy. You banged that out in record time.”

  “I had a little more time to work on it this weekend than I expected.”

  “You and Jack were supposed to go away together.” She picked up a fry and trailed it through the catsup before biting off the end.

  “Didn’t happen.”

  “Why?”

  “Same reason.”

  “I’m sorry, Mel.”

  “Don’t be. It gave me some time to think.”

  “About what?”

  “About what I want.”

  “And?”

  “I think I want out.” Saying it lifted a huge weight off her chest.

  “Wow. Just like that?”

  “It’s been coming for a long time.”

  “You certainly hid it well. I thought you two were the perfect couple.”

  “We do put on a good show, don’t we? I’m tired of faking it.”

  “Hey. Why don’t I join you for dinner tonight?” She shot Mel a huge smile. “And you can tell me all about it.”

  “That’s okay, I’m fine.” Mel took a drink of her water. “You probably already have plans.” She didn’t want to explain everything to Nancy right now.

  “Nope. Ann’s got spin class tonight.” She flopped back in her chair. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  She let her lips tip up. “All right, but just dinner. Don’t try to drag me out for a drink afterward.”

  “I won’t. Ann’s coming over after class, and I have plans to cuddle up on the couch with her and watch some hospital drama she likes.”

  “Are you sick?” She reached over and touched Nancy’s forehead. “I thought you only liked that reality stuff.”

  “I do.” She laughed and her face lit up. “But you have to give a little to get a little, if you know what I mean.”

  “So are you guys a couple now?”

  “No, but she’s fun to be with.”

  “Oh, I see. She’s not ready yet.”

  “I don’t think either one of us is.”

  “Sooner or later you’re going to have to trust someone.”

  “Not until someone reciprocates.”

  Chapter Five

  Mel pulled into a space not far from the front door of Bella’s Trattoria. “You’re going to love this place. Their spaghetti Bolognese is out of this world.”

  “You come here a lot?” Nancy asked.

  “Once or twice a week. You know I don’t have much time to cook.”

  Nancy grinned. “You weren’t all that good at it either, as I recall.”

  “I’ve gotten a whole lot better since college. Besides, I wouldn’t call mac and cheese and ramen cooking.” She hit the button on her key fob, the headlights blinked, and the horn chirped.

  “You’re not supposed to eat fast food all the time either.”

  “Thank God we had your mother.” Mel chuckled.

  “She is a good cook.”

  “So why didn’t you pick up any of that?”

  “I do all right.”

  “Couldn’t prove it by me.”

  “Maybe I’ll show you sometime.”

  “I bet you could show me lots of things.” Mel lifted a brow and pulled her lip up into a suggestive smile.

  “Are you flirting with me?” Nancy’s eyes grew wide.

  Mel slapped her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God, I think I am.” She chuckled. “I really need to get laid.”

  “You know, I really could help you out with that.”

  “That was a long time ago, Nance.” She drew her brows together. “I wasn’t very good at it, remember?”

  “And I was?” Nancy laughed. “You’ve grown a lot since then.” She laced her fingers in Mel’s and shot her a sly smile. “We both have.”

  She squeezed Nancy’s hand and returned her smile. Mel had grown a lot since then, but her feelings for Nancy hadn’t. They were nothing more than platonic.

  Mel had been Nancy’s first love. They were in the same public-relations program in college and were always seeing one another in class. They became fast friends and ended up pulling a lot of all-nighters studying together. That’s where it began. The harmless banter and locked gazes between them were frequent. They had been for quite some time.

  She remembered the first time it happened. They had been studying at her place on the couch. It was close to three in the morning when Mel woke from a drowsy sleep and heard the rhythm of Nancy’s heartbeat beneath her ear. Her book still on her lap, she’d slid into the crook of Nancy’s shoulder and was resting nicely on her left breast. She remained still for what seemed like hours until she felt Nancy kiss the top of her head. Mel glanced up to see the desire clear in Nancy’s smoldering brown eyes, and that was all it took. Soon their late-night studying sessions were filled with more than just books.

  Mel was crazy about her, but Nancy was out and never worried about what anyone thought. Mel, on the other hand, had been raised in a strict Catholic family and couldn’t overcome the guilt that plagued her. Their whole relationship existed exclusively behind closed doors. Nancy hated it. When Nancy got tired of hiding their relationship, they had so many disagreements, they finally decided to call it quits. It was a painful breakup, but they both had managed to move on. Well, at least she thought they had. After college, Mel met Jack at one of many parties her parents threw at their house in Tiburon while Nancy slept her way through a string of loveless relationships.

  For a brief time they didn’t see each other. Thankfully, they were eventually able to work through the hurt and the awkwardness, and the two of them had remained close ever since. Somewhere along the line, times had changed, Mel had changed. She’d been able to dispense with the Catholic guilt, and now she often remembered those days with Nancy affectionately. But she would never get intimately involved with her again. She couldn’t. No, she wouldn’t risk losing her best friend by letting her believe they could be anything more than friends.

  Nancy pushed the door open and Mel stepped inside, letting her hold the door for her. Seemed like Mel always had someone holding the door for her, and she liked it that way.

  “Ooh, I love the ambiance. Rustic Italian décor.”

  Mel glanced around the restaurant. She loved the warm, cozy atmosphere here. Large, unfinished redwood beams stretched across the ceiling, and antiqued, glazed walls met stone window and door wrappings. Pendant lights hung high throughout to give just enough light to enjoy the company and see the food. The fireplace that doubled as a cooking oven was more modern, surrounded by rock, and had a crisscrossed firewood holder underneath that extended from floor to ceiling next to it.

  The bar seemed as though it was centuries old. Directly ahead as you entered, it ran the expanse of the south wall. Behind it sat a collection of liquor that would impress any bartender. Tables were elegantly draped with white cloths and finished with small amber glass candleholders in the middle. And the intimate booths in each corner of the restaurant were elegant, flanked with long curtains hanging from the ceiling at each booth’s entrance that could be pulled for privacy.

  Nancy nodded, zoning in on the corner booth. “With just enough candlelight for romance.”

  “Or for a secret liaison.” Mel winked. Her heels clicked on the swirl-stained concrete floors as she followed the hostess to the table.

  “I like the sound of that.” Nancy took the room in again, letting her gaze fix on the bar this time. “Who’s the babe behind the bar with the beautiful dark hair?”

  Mel glanced back over her shoulder.

  “That’s Izzy, the chef slash owner.”

  “She’s cute.” She glanced over at her again. “Is she gay?”

  “I don’t know.” She rolled her eyes at the usual question Nancy asked whenever she saw an attractive woman. “Why? Is she checking out your ass?”

  “Not mine. Yours.”

  “Really?” Mel’s smile wid
ened. “Well, at least she’s got good taste.” They reached the table, and Mel glanced back over at Izzy, giving her a slight wave. Izzy gave her a nod before pushing through the door behind the bar.

  *

  When Izzy saw Mel come through the door in that royal-blue Anne Klein suit, fitted perfectly to her figure, a searing jolt had attacked her stomach. God, she was unbelievably sexy tonight. She couldn’t tear her eyes away as Angie led her and her friend to a table. The curves, the lines, the way the skirt hugged her body made Izzy shiver. After the conversation they’d had last week, she’d been sure she’d call. If only for a little support, but now she understood why she hadn’t. She already had someone for that.

  She pushed the door behind the bar open a crack and watched them as Angie forced a smile and took their order. She met Angie in the kitchen as she came in. “Who’s that with—”

  “With the bitch?” Angie growled. “I don’t know why I have to wait on her.”

  “Because she’s a customer, Angie. She brings us a lot of business.” Izzy shot back.

  “Well, she’s not doing business tonight. The conversation sounds pret-ty comfortable.” Izzy knew Angie would never get a thick-enough skin to let customer actions and comments roll off her back. Izzy peeked out the kitchen door again. She has a husband, yet she was holding hands with this woman. A beautiful woman with fiery red hair who appeared to be about the same shape and size as Mel, but a little thicker, more athletic. She dropped a handful of pasta into the sauté pan, poured two ladles of Bolognese sauce over the pasta, and mixed it with the metal tongs. “Pasta for two,” she mumbled, letting it slide onto the dish and twisting it up nicely before dusting the top with Parmesan cheese.

  “What?” Tony asked.

  “Angie’s busy. I’m going to deliver this one.” She unfastened the top few buttons of her chef’s coat and let the flap fold down to hide the food splatter, then sucked in a deep breath. She had to know who this woman was and why they were so friendly. She picked up two plates as she hurried out of the kitchen. She had just about reached the table when Mel leaned back in her chair and crossed her long, lean legs. Izzy paused and let her gaze follow the smooth, white thigh up past the line of her skirt. She continued past the ivory silk shell under her suit jacket and made eye contact with beautiful green eyes. They locked with hers and…Sizzle. Heat ran up her neck when Mel caught her staring. Her neck was on fire, but she couldn’t break the connection. Apparently, neither could Mel.