Lori took her beer to the kitchen table. As much as she needed to talk she instinctively understood this was not the woman who should hear what was on her mind. If anything, Peachy was the exact opposite. Picking at the label on the bottle, she tried to get as far from her thoughts of Aydan as possible. “So I guess the club was a bust tonight?”
Groaning, the woman slid into a chair next to her before taking a long pull on her own beer. “Ugh! What a meat market. And the women, it’s as if they get younger and younger every week. I swear it was like a friggin’ pre-school in there tonight. How the hell’s a girl gonna get some with a crowd like that?”
“So you figured you’d just head over here for a little servicing?” The disgust in her voice was more than enough to make her feelings understood. They had been through this before and each time Peachy had assured her there was nothing between them. “We’re just friends,” she would say, before offering additional benefits.
Lori had to question her own behavior. The truth was she didn’t see a problem with that or hadn’t until she tried to examine Aydan’s view if it were to ever come up and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew one day it would. Peachy was just like that. Actually, she was a lot like Zoe. Whenever they spotted some shiny bauble they might like, they went for it with gusto. It was the losing interest most people weren’t prepared for and women like Peachy and Zoe could lose interest in a heartbeat. That was the worst part for Lori. She had just assumed Peachy would lose interest in her. This constant boomeranging was wearing her down and fraying her nerves.
“Okay, so you want to be pissy all night. I get it, so you struck out too. Want to tell me about it?”
“No!” Lori refused to fall into that trap.
“Fine already.” Peachy shot back. “Come on, grouch. Let’s go watch a movie,” she suggested as she made her way to the living room, beer in hand. “We can watch a friggin’ movie, come on, friends do that you know.”
Giving in, Lori shuffled after her. It was just a movie. And that’s all it will ever be.
Chapter Sixteen
Waving off the offer of assistance, Tyler poured her own coffee before sitting down at Lori’s kitchen table. She watched as Peachy fussed, pulling out the ingredients for breakfast.
“I wish Lori had told me you and Georgie were coming,” Peachy said. “I would have used the one-cup thingy instead of brewing a whole pot. Now I feel bad. Will Georgie be okay?”
“She’ll be fine,” Tyler promised. She had watched Georgie’s reaction to Peachy welcoming them in and knew that more than the smell of coffee had driven her back out. With Maggie at her side and Lori’s golden retriever on her heels, she had waved off Tyler’s concern. “Just need air,” she had reassured her, turning for the beach and most probably a quick visit with Helen just a dozen doors away. “Actually, we weren’t planning on breakfast. Lori was supposed to meet us at the boatyard. When she didn’t show and didn’t answer her phone, we decided to walk over.”
“Oh that nut-bar!” she offered with affection. Clearly she was in her element, reveling in her self-imposed role as hostess to Lori’s guests. “I’m afraid we had a few too many last night but you know what it’s like.”
Actually I don’t and neither does my dismayed and disappointed fiancée. “Why don’t you let me start the bacon, so you can go get dressed?”
Peachy was literally barefoot in Lori’s kitchen and wearing nothing but a skimpy robe. Of course both she and Georgie had seen a lot more of Peachy during the shakedown cruise but this felt weird, as if they had just caught Lori cheating.
“Oh I’m fine, Ty. Can I make you another—”
“Peachy,” Lori growled from the doorway, “go get dressed, I’ve got this.” Her fresh-from-the-shower appearance did nothing to hide the ravages of a serious hangover. “What are you doing here?” she demanded the moment Peachy was gone.
“Really?” Tyler asked, shaking her head. She got up from the table, setting her half-finished coffee in the sink and removing the unattended frying pan from the burner. She hissed, “You were supposed to meet us at the boatyard and your phone is off so give me a break if we were concerned.”
Lori looked like she would snap back at her, argue. Instead she slumped into a kitchen chair.
Tyler moved to stand at the patio doors. Looking out onto the beach, she watched as Georgie tossed a stick for the dogs to fetch. When she finally heard the sound of the shower running upstairs, she turned to Lori. “What the fuck!”
“I know, I know,” she groaned, this time in shame or perhaps some sort of self-loathing.
“What happened? You’ve been all gaga over a certain woman we know for months now.”
Lori stood, pushing herself to the counter. Her hands were shaking when she reached for a coffee mug.
“Stop!” Tyler said, and told her, “Sit down before you fall down. I’ll get your coffee.”
Lori slid back into her chair.
“Where’s the booze?” Tyler asked then stormed past her, returning with a bottle of Crown Royal, adding a finger to Lori’s mug.
Wide-eyed, she stared, “I don’t think…”
“Drink it!” Tyler ordered. “I’m not in the mood for your bullshit today, Phipps.” She poured another coffee before joining her. “I don’t get it. You’ve been going on and on about Aydan and now you’re what, shacking up with Peachy?”
“It’s not like that.” Lori cradled her head in her hands. Finally, she took a tentative sip of her brew. “I thought you were supposed to drink tomato juice for a hangover.”
“Trust me. A little hair of the dog never hurt anyone. Well, as long as you don’t make it a habit,” she added. “Lori, I know the world thinks you’re some sort of lesbian Romeo but I know better, so does Georgie.”
“Oh shit, Georgie! She’ll kill me. Where is she anyway?”
“Relax. She’s outside playing with the dogs and she won’t kill you. She will, however, wonder what the hell’s going on. Even she’s figured out you’ve got it bad for our Aydan, and you know how obtuse she can be when it comes to these things.”
Lori just groaned her reply before finally admitting, “I…you know why. You saw them last night. I’m wasting my time and you know it.”
Last night, Marnie and Jack had treated all the sales and marketing staff to a dinner and included all the primaries from the other divisions. It wasn’t supposed to be a big thing but Leslie offered the newly finished private dining room on the third floor, wanting to give her staff a less stressful first run. Instead of hosting a small dinner for just his sales reps, the discount Leslie offered allowed him to invite all his staff, their spouses, and close DME family members. Tyler had invited Lori up for drinks before dinner unaware that Aydan had a date with Zoe. She had tried to act cool and pretend it didn’t bother her, but even Georgie had seen through that ruse, wrapping a consoling arm around her after Zoe and Aydan were out the door. At least they wouldn’t be joining the dinner party. That was something she could be thankful for.
“So, what, that’s it? She has one date with someone else and you give up? I can’t believe it. The great Lori Phipps thinks a woman’s out of her reach!”
“Buzz off,” Lori warned, then swore when they heard the shower stop. “Shit Ty, now what the fuck do I do?”
Tyler moved to the glass doors to check on Georgie. She and the dogs, thankfully, were still playing. An involuntary smile crept across her face. Georgie was safe, Georgie was having fun, and she was hers, all hers. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you this isn’t it. Look, whether you realize it or not, you’re using that girl,” she said, pointing in the general direction of the upstairs bath.
“It wasn’t exactly my idea…”
“What wasn’t your idea, honey?” Peachy asked, strolling back in.
The woman must have set a warp speed record getting dressed. Her hair was toweled dry but hadn’t been combed. Her baggy T-shirt, obviously one of Lori’s, clung to her soaking back. As
she passed the table, she stopped to pat Lori in a commiserating fashion before planting a peck on her head. “Oh, my poor honey. Ty, you should have seen our girl last night.” She poured the last of the coffee for herself and began making a second pot. “You know, I think I’ll make pancakes. That should help with your tummy, honey.”
She turned her attention back to Tyler. “Why don’t you have a seat, Ty? I know you can’t function without at least two of these,” she added, holding up her own cup.
“No thank you, Sue Ellen. Georgie and I have a full day planned and we’re already behind. Now that we won’t be putting the boat in the water today, I’m going to take her shopping. She needs new boots, plus she’s been begging me for a visit to her favorite bookstore. Lori, can I count on you to have someone available tomorrow to operate the yard crane? Or should I have the marina staff schedule it in?”
Before Lori could respond, Peachy cut in, “Ty, it’s none of my business but why can’t Georgie do it herself? It really is a lot to ask of Lori on her day off. You know how hard she works.”
Tyler smiled sweetly as she bristled inside. This was Lori’s mess to clean up, not hers. She slid the patio door open, stepping out into the screened-in deck before answering, “Of course it is. Unfortunately, running a company isn’t always a nine-to-five job.” Turning to Lori she added, “Let me know about getting the boat in. Georgie would indeed do it herself but it’s not a one-person job. And Lori, please think about that other project. I don’t imagine you want to miss out on that one if you can help it.” With that she strolled out of the house and across the beach.
Georgie looked so cute, playing some sort of game with the dogs. When she looked up, she smiled. That was Georgie, her Georgie, full of life and love. Tyler couldn’t help herself, walking right to her and wrapping herself into her as tightly as she could. There was no hesitation; Georgie’s arms were strong and welcoming. She had come to count on that. “Guess what, baby. It’s just you and me today. Feel like doing some shopping? We could hit the shops or head to the mall.”
“Old Editions?” she asked with a happy grin.
“Yes, we can hit the bookstore too.”
Still grinning, Georgie called to the loping dogs. “FALL IN!” It was her back-to-work command for Maggie, and by habit Izzy, Lori’s golden, trotted to her side as well. She connected Maggie’s lead before signaling for Izzy to follow them up to the house. A dozen steps in that direction and Izzy broke formation running to her wilted mother who was waiting on the deck stairs.
“Morning, sorry I slept in. Any chance you want some breakfast? Peachy’s making pancakes.”
Georgie shook her head. “Rest…call later. We will reschedule.”
Tyler watched as Lori silently pleaded with her cousin. Eventually Georgie offered a lifeline. It was what Tyler had come to think of as the DiNamico/Phipps Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card. She said loudly enough for Peachy to hear, “Important project to discuss…Tyler will text…time. Can’t put off…understand?”
“Yeah,” Lori answered, providing the appropriate look of contrition. “Sorry Georgie, I’ll get my act together and bring over those reports you wanted to see. I can have everything at the office by the time you’re back from the bookstore.”
Georgie nodded, turning to leave, then stopped. “My Tyler…should…leave Maggie?”
She nodded. “Actually that’s a good idea. She gets so bored with you in the bookstore and Lori has to come into the office anyway. You don’t mind, do you Lori?” It was all Tyler could do to keep a straight face. Peachy was standing in the enclosed porch, arms crossed, listening to every word.
Lori accepted Maggie’s leash. “I’ll see you two later, thanks for understanding.”
As they strolled back toward the boatyard, Georgie reached out to take Tyler’s hand. “She okay?”
“I think she’s having an uncharacteristic bout of timidity.”
Georgie groaned her sympathy. “Been there…especially with…competition.”
“What competition?”
She smiled, pulling her closer and wrapping her arm around Tyler’s waist. “Competition for you,” she admitted simply. “Not like Zoe…I suffered…lack confidence too.”
Unable to resist, Tyler planted a long slow kiss on her wife-to-be. “Mmm, I can’t believe we’re getting married in three weeks.”
Leaning back against the truck, she took Georgie in her arms and pulled her close to stand between her legs. “I don’t trust Zoe with Aydan but it’s not our place to get involved. I’ve been careful to infuse a little reality with her, but it’s really up to her and frankly, Zoe can be charming when she wants.”
“Aydan,” Georgie asked. “Should I try?”
“No baby, not yet, she’ll come to us when she’s ready for advice. I know she’s not a kid, but maybe we should think of her that way. If we try to influence her now, we may just alienate her and she’s already come so far.”
Georgie nodded, leaning in closer, taking full advantage of Tyler’s exposed neck. She worked her way methodically from just below her ear to nip along her collarbone, before moving on to the pulse points in her neck.
Tyler surrendered her lips and all conscious thought to Georgie’s clever, clever mouth. It was easy to get lost in her attention. Her hands were under her spring jacket, skillfully making their way to her breasts when a car horn blasted close by. “Hey you two, get a room!”
“Dad!” Tyler cried, releasing Georgie after a reassuring hug. For some reason her father enjoyed embarrassing the two of them whenever he could and catching them in the middle of a hot and heavy make-out session definitely gave him lots of fuel for his arsenal of jokes. Secretly it pleased her. Even Georgie had said it was refreshing in a way, noting how uniquely accepting the man was of his daughters and their multifaceted lives.
He climbed from his classic Corvette. The top was down and his ears and nose looked red. “So, I see my girls are doing fine, but I don’t see the boat in the water?”
“Lori’s a little under the weather this morning,” Tyler explained.
He laughed good-heartedly. “I tell you, I wish I’d had her stamina when I was half her age. Boy oh boy, the trouble I would have gotten myself into.”
“You!” Georgie jokingly challenged, “Debbie had you…” She made a winding signal with one hand around her other.
He was laughing too. “Oh, you are so right. She had me wrapped around her finger in seconds and my head’s still spinning from the first day we met.”
“You are lucky.” Georgie told him both looking amused and sincere.
He wrapped his big bear arms around them both. “As it should be. Come on,” he urged, “come on over to the car shed.” It was what they were now calling the old millwork building she had made available to him and his Car Club buddies as a free workspace. “Wait till you see our new project!”
* * *
Aydan was restless, pacing the open space of the new office. Not everything was in place yet. The office movers were sure they could get everything upstairs in one day but had booked the entire weekend to move the new division from the second floor to the newly finished offices on eight. While the movers took their lunch break, she inspected their progress with a critical eye. The details mattered to her, but they mattered even more to Georgie and she wanted to get this right for her.
On Thursday she and Tyler had taken her to the fracture clinic for follow-up X-rays. When everything checked out, they had removed the arm cast. The air cast on her leg would need another few weeks but she could dump the crutches and was already weight bearing. She wasn’t sure who was happier about her progress, Georgie or her very excited dog. She had gotten used to walking the dog and secretly hoped she could continue doing so. It was nice to walk at night, feeling secure and unafraid. It wasn’t as if Maggie was a trained attack dog, but she was protective of Georgie. When it was just her and Aydan out for a walk, the dog’s protectiveness encompassed her too.
What an interesting sensa
tion, knowing something would stand up for her without question. Tyler and Georgie too were protective in their own way. It was almost comical except for her instinctive sense that she needed their help. Perhaps it explained why getting the new office just right was so important to her. They believed in her and were giving her the opportunities no one else had. She wanted to surprise them both and getting them out of the building and away from the eighth floor for the move had been her one request.
Aydan had been invited out to the boatyard with them. The Memorial Day long weekend was usually when Georgie and Lori got the big family sailboat into the water. She had been interested, not in the sailboat but in the mechanics of moving a fifty-foot vessel. When the annual exercise was added to Georgie’s schedule, Lori had offered to teach Aydan how to operate the yard crane. She wasn’t sure which part of the invitation appealed to her more, a firsthand chance to operate the big machine, or the time with Lori.
It was strange, really. Up until last night, she had spent a lot of time thinking about women and relationships, and the Phipps women in particular. Zoe was a beautiful girl, no doubt there. Aydan had marveled at the joy of having a young woman like that take an interest in her. She was charming and turned heads wherever they went, but as big a boost as her ego got from that kind of attention, it didn’t exactly make for solid ground for a bond. She wasn’t so naïve to believe other women hadn’t built better relationships on less, but was that really fair? Besides, Zoe was so young, not in life experience like herself, but in so many other ways. Everyone agreed she had grown up a lot in the last year after she’d found herself on the wrong side of a family divide, but she had put in her time with the Dark Side, and was now earning her way into Lori’s division. She was proud of her for that, but secretly worried she carried some resentment. Still, it was easy to sympathize, wondering if she too would have backed her father in a family struggle, and knowing that in the end she would have made the same choice as her friend.
My friend! And the truth of that hit her with full force. That’s how I think of Zoe. She’s not the woman I’m dating, and she’s not the woman I want.
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