by Dena Blake
Tony was right. She’d spent only a short amount of time with Mel, but she felt so comfortable, like they’d been friends forever. “Long enough to know she’s straight.” And long enough to wish she wasn’t.
“And you’re gonna chance it anyway?” He released her from the embrace.
“I really like her, Tony.” She lifted her shoulders. “She’s different.”
“What if she just wants to be friends?”
“That’s all we are, Tony. I told you she’s married.”
“I’ve seen that look in your eye before, Iz.” He tightened his lips. “I hope she doesn’t break your heart.”
“Yeah, me too,” she whispered.
*
The community center was busy today. It was the seniors’ monthly birthday and anniversary party. They had chosen a luau theme, so everyone aged sixty and above was dressed for fun in the sun. There were Hawaiian shirts, muumuus, and even an occasional grass skirt worn by a few of the bolder women in the group. Everyone was adorned with a multicolored lei hanging from their neck.
Mel had created the webpage announcing the party, and it had brought in more than the usual number of seniors this month. She scanned the crowd for Bella, who had asked for additional help after her lesson on email and Internet safety last month. Mel had purposely come early to make sure she’d understood what they’d discussed.
Bella came bustling across the room. “Mary Elizabeth, I’m ready to learn how to write to my cousin in Italy.”
“Wonderful. Just let me set up my laptop, and we’ll get started.” She moved to a table in the corner of the room.
“It’s so sweet of you to help me. I don’t know anything about computers.”
Benito pulled out a chair for Bella before he plopped into the chair next to her. “Our youngest Angie is a whiz, but she won’t ask her.”
“She’s busy with her classes. Besides, I want to make sure I can do it before I surprise her, Benny.”
“Of course you can do it.” He smiled broadly. “Do you think she got her computer skills from me?”
Bella gazed lovingly back at him and gave him a soft smile. “My cheering section.”
“You two are so funny. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were in love.” Mel winked.
“Anyone want punch?” Benito asked.
Bella spoke up. “We’d love some, dear.”
Benito smiled and squeezed Bella’s hand as he left the table.
Mel’s heart swelled as she watched the exchange. Even though they’d been married for forty-plus years, the love between Bella and Benito was solid yet still fresh in some way. He waited on her and complimented her as thought they’d just met the week before. He was still courting her after all these years. In all the ten years of her marriage, Jack had never looked at her that way, and she doubted he ever would. Sadness crept in and tears welled in her eyes. She would never have a love like that.
She felt Bella’s hand on her own. “Are you okay, dear?”
“I’m fine,” she said, focusing on her computer screen. She pinched her eyes closed before looking back up at Bella. “How do you two do it? How can you still be so in love after being married so long?”
“We’ve had some wonderful times, but it hasn’t always been easy. The difficult times are when you need to remember how good it can be. You always need to keep the light glowing.” She laid her hand across her heart.
“What if you’ve never had that light?”
“Then maybe you’re with the wrong person.” She squeezed Mel’s hand. “You should come to family dinner sometime and meet my children. I think you would get along well.” Bella assessed her for a minute. “And they’re all single.” She winked.
Mel chuckled. “I, however, am not.” There was no question she’d get along well with one of them.
“Time will tell,” Bella quipped with a broad smile.
Benito came back with two glasses of punch and set them on the table. “While you do this, I’m going to catch a little of the Giants game in the rec room.”
“Don’t stay too long.” Her voice rose sweetly. “You’re number one on my dance card.”
He shot her a wink. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
After creating a free email account and showing Bella how to access and create a message to her cousin, Mel watched Bella and Benito dance to famous crooners from earlier decades. She imagined herself doing the same, only it wasn’t Jack holding her close on the dance floor. It was Izzy. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to clear the image from her mind but couldn’t seem to shake it. Maybe Bella was right. Maybe time will tell where her heart belonged.
*
Izzy tried to play it cool as Mel watched her work in the kitchen. All she needed was a sliced finger to deal with.
“Sorry about the beef Wellington. We had a mix-up with the butcher.” She pulled open the fridge and reached inside. “But I have a couple of nice steaks I can cook.”
“That sounds good, but pasta would be fine if it’s easier.”
“Okay.” She slipped the steaks back onto the shelf and reached for a different package. “How about some scallops?”
“I’m sure anything you make will be delicious.”
“Well, I’m not so good at Chinese.”
Mel let out a deep belly laugh. “That’s okay. I know a great place for takeout.”
Tony took the package of scallops from her and replaced it with the steaks. “Why don’t you take the steaks home and grill? Show your friend here the view from your deck.” He turned to look at Gio. “We can handle it tonight. Right, Gio?”
Gio nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
Izzy turned to Tony. “You’re actually volunteering to work alone with Gio?” The two worked well as brothers, but not so good as co-chefs. Tony was always giving advice, and Gio was always rejecting it.
“We’ve done it before.” He waved her off. “Better get out of here before I change my mind.”
“You want to?” Izzy could sense Mel’s hesitation. “Oh, wow, what was I thinking?” She touched her fingers to her forehead. “You probably have other plans later.”
“No, no plans. I’d love to see your view.” She shot her a subtle smile.
“Okay then.” Izzy took off her lime-green chef’s coat and tossed it into the laundry. “Let’s do as Tony says and get out of here before he changes his mind.”
Izzy walked with Mel to her car and opened the door for her. “Just follow the black Jeep.” She pointed toward the mid-sized SUV parked farther down the street.
“Lead the way.”
The thirty-minute drive seemed shorter tonight, and it certainly wasn’t enough time to prepare herself for being alone with Mel. She should’ve run the first time she saw her, but she couldn’t. The gravity surrounding her was too strong to resist.
Chapter Eight
Mel pulled into the driveway at the side of the house next to Izzy. She could see as she drove up that the house was shaped like an H from the front, a wing with a large window on each side. Not unlike that of a William Wurster design, Mel thought. Red cedar shingles covered the structure all around. Flowerpots lined the walkway, mixed with a variety of herbs and flowers. It seemed as though Izzy had a way with plants as well as with cooking. Izzy unlocked the front door, slid it open, and waited for Mel to enter before her. She dropped her keys on the table just inside, and Mel followed suit.
She stood in the entryway for a moment, in awe of the living room. Large sets of sliding doors matched the adjoining windows exactly the same on both the front and back of the house. The living room was engulfed in the middle between them, creating an amazing outdoor experience. She followed Izzy in farther and noted the fir wainscot that covered the floors and butted up to the bluestone fireplace, flanked by bookcases filled with books.
“You like to read?” She moved to the bookcase and took in the wide variety of authors. Izzy had classic works by Henry David Thoreau, Oscar Wilde, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Willa Cathe
r, and even Darwin, as well as contemporary fiction by Stephen King, John Grisham, Nora Roberts, David Sedaris, and Alice Munro.
“I do. It helps me relax.” Izzy slid the back doors open, and the sea air flooded in as she stepped out onto the redwood deck.
“Tony was right about the view.” As the sun peeked just above the water, Mel turned and caught Izzy’s gaze. “This is positively radiant.” She stopped, studied Izzy for a moment. With the fiery red, burnt-orange colors of sunset reflected on her face, she was positively radiant. Mel wanted to go to her, pull her in close, and kiss her right then. God, I shouldn’t have come.
“I just wish I could spend more time here,” Izzy said.
Mel cleared her throat and strolled to the edge of the deck. The beach stretched as far as she could see. “I think I’d have to work from home if I lived here.” She let out a soft sigh. “No. I would have to work from home.” She turned around and caught Izzy checking out her view. Izzy’s cheeks pinked as she slipped around the grill to turn on the gas and ignite it. After that, she stepped back inside to the kitchen. Mel spent a few more minutes taking in the sunset before she followed her in.
“What can I do to help?” Mel noticed the bowl filled with fresh greens on the counter, a bottle of homemade dressing behind it.
She pointed to the open bottle and glasses on the table. “You can pour the wine.”
“I certainly can.” The cabernet nosed nicely as she poured. Mel picked up the glasses and took them into the kitchen, where she handed one to Izzy. Mel raised the glass to her lips but stopped midway and clinked it against Izzy’s. “Cheers,” she said, fighting the dangerously strong urge to lean close and touch Izzy’s full lips with her own. Izzy took a sip, holding her gaze before setting the glass on the counter and focusing her attention back on the steaks. Mel watched her season them with salt and pepper on one side, then flip them to do the same on the other. Long, thin fingers, lovely petite hands, tanned arms and shoulders, long, beautiful neck. How soft would it feel under her lips, and just how sweet would it taste?
Avoiding her gaze, Izzy handed Mel her glass. “Would you mind?” Mel took it from her as Izzy gathered the plate of steaks and a pair of tongs. Her feet wouldn’t move. She was stuck, still in a daze thinking about what it would be like to touch her. Only when Izzy motioned to her did she snap out of it and follow.
Mel handed Izzy her glass and stood beside her at the grill. “Can you show me how you get your steaks so crisp on the outside and tender inside?”
“Sure.” Izzy gave her a soft smile. “First you preheat the grill and get it really hot—500-degrees hot.”
Mel raised her eyebrows. “Wow.”
“Yeah. You have to be careful.” Izzy lifted the corner of the steak. “You see how it comes off the grill easily?”
Mel nodded.
“It only takes a few minutes, but you need to wait for that.” Izzy handed her the tongs. “Go ahead, flip them.”
Mel took the tongs and flipped both the steaks. “Now what?”
“You do the same on the other side.”
“And then they’re done?” Mel scrunched her nose up.
“If they’re thick like these, just move them over to the other side of the grill and close the lid for a minute or two so they can cook with the indirect heat.” Izzy wrapped her hand around Mel’s, picked up one of the steaks, and moved it to the other side of the grill. The wave of heat was instant and blazing, radiating from Mel’s hand up through her shoulder. She didn’t speak; she just nodded as Izzy released her hand.
Izzy picked up the empty plate and said, “I’ll be right back.” Then she went into the house and came out again with a clean one.
“How do I know when they’re done?”
“That’s why you have me.”
Is that why I have you? Mel watched her walk into the house, then gazed up at the darkening sky and took in a deep breath. The sun had gone down below the water now, and only the glow of violet remained in the sky. Being here with Izzy in this beautiful place was like a dream, a dream Mel didn’t want to wake up from. Izzy appeared next to her again, opened the grill, and moved the steaks to a fresh plate.
“Now we just have to let them rest for a few minutes to let the juices settle.” She took Mel’s hand and led her to the edge of the deck. “No matter how many times I see the sunset it always amazes me.” She pointed to the sky. “Look at the way it reflects in the clouds, the twilight hues billowing together like soft waves fading into the darkness.”
Izzy’s low, velvety voice filled Mel’s senses. Her soft, sensual passion provoked incredible feelings in Mel, feelings she’d never felt before.
“You ready to eat?” Izzy said.
Mel cleared her throat. “I am.”
Izzy pointed to the table that had somehow been set in the meantime with cloth place mats and napkins, along with a small amber lantern in the middle.
Izzy filled their wineglasses and held hers up. “To you, earth, and life, till the last ray gleams.”
“Walt Whitman,” Mel said with a smile as she clinked her glass against Izzy’s.
They sat quietly adjacent to each other as they ate. The air between them was thick, somehow charged with awareness and sensuality. Mel’s body was sizzling; even the cool breeze from the ocean had no effect on her. She concentrated hard on her dinner, which was delicious, but didn’t come close to capturing her attention like the beautiful woman sitting next to her. She watched as Izzy slid a knife into her steak. Mel knew she was in serious trouble.
She helped clear the plates, but Izzy insisted she just leave them in the sink for later. Izzy closed the sliding doors, and they moved into the living room on the couch. Still able to see the beautiful view of the ocean, Mel watched the surf through the glass doors.
“How did you end up here, in this house?”
“It was my grandfather’s. He left it to my mom and dad, but they didn’t want to leave the old neighborhood. They offered it to Tony first, but he doesn’t like isolation. He likes living in the city within walking distance of everything.” She took a sip of her wine. “I was just lucky enough to be next in line.”
Mel raised an eyebrow and drained her glass. “Not the usual luck of the second child.”
“No, I guess not.” Izzy chuckled, bending forward to refill Mel’s glass. “Listen. I need to tell you something.” Izzy settled back and shifted on the couch facing Mel.
“I hope it’s that you have some of that wonderful cheesecake from the restaurant.” She said it lightly, but her stomach tightened from thinking it might have to do with the tension between them.
“I do have that, but that’s not it.” There was a seriousness in her voice.
“What is it?” Mel said quietly.
“I saw Jack at the market today.”
“Oh, really?” Mel’s voice was low and even.
Izzy nodded, seeming to notice that the news didn’t surprise her.
Mel shifted on the couch, looking past Izzy. “I know.”
“You know?” Izzy’s voice rose, confusion filling her blue eyes.
She put her hand to her forehead and pinched it. “He’s having another affair.”
“Another affair?”
“He had one last year.” She shook her head. “Maybe more than one. I don’t know. Hell, it’s not like we share the same bed anymore. He’s been sleeping in the guest room for almost a year. When he’s home, that is.”
“So why do you stay with him?” The question from Izzy seemed honest, nonjudgmental.
“I don’t really know.” She ran through all of the same reasons that didn’t seem to be valid anymore, considering where she was sitting right now. “I guess it’s just convenient. I’m not good at change.”
“Sleeping in separate rooms? It sounds like you’ve already had a major change. Don’t you think there’s more out there for you than convenience?”
“We just got into a routine and…between his work and mine, we saw less and les
s of each other. I always thought it would get better.”
“But it hasn’t.”
“No. You actually have to make an effort for that to happen.” She blew out a slow breath. “We don’t talk. We don’t have sex. We don’t connect at all anymore. We haven’t in a long time.” She tossed the pillow she’d been absently holding to her body away. “I feel more connected to you than I ever have to him.” She bolted up and paced the room. “And probably more connected to this bottle of wine too.” She picked it up and clanked it back down to the table before swiping her keys off the counter.
“Well, that’s great. I’m as good as a bottle of wine.” Izzy grumbled, getting up to follow her.
Mel turned back to Izzy and shook her head, tears on the verge of spilling out. “That’s not what I meant.”
“You shouldn’t drive.” Izzy took the keys from her hand.
Mel felt a tear run down her cheek, and Izzy wiped it away with her thumb. Mel fell into her arms. Izzy’s warm body pressed up against her, and then a hand rubbed her back gently.
“Maybe you should—”
“No. I can’t stay, Izzy.” She pushed away. Looking deep into Izzy’s dark-blue eyes, she knew Izzy understood why.
“Come on. I’ll drive you home.” Izzy took her by the hand.
*
Izzy fished Mel’s keys out of her pocket and set them on the entryway table with her own. She’d absently slipped them into her pocket after unlocking Mel’s front door and letting her inside. Mel had invited her in, but after stepping into the darkened foyer, Izzy had thought twice about it and decided taking the night any further was a bad idea.
She raked her hand across her face and eyed the clock. It was after midnight. It had taken her an hour round trip to drive Mel home. Five minutes into the ride, Mel had passed out mid-sentence. Izzy was impressed when she pulled up to the condo, which had a well-landscaped yard and backed up to a golf course. She wondered which of them played golf, Mel or Jack. Jack. The name rang in her head. Mel had taken the news about her husband in stride and hadn’t given the slightest indication of jealousy. The anger bubbled in her chest. Izzy didn’t understand why a strong, beautiful woman like Mel would let someone treat her that way.