by Jae
Annie inhaled deeply before she let the breath escape. “With Drew, yes.” In fact, it was their first official date, and just thinking about it made butterflies the size of sparrows take flight in Annie’s belly. “I’m not dating anyone else. Drew says hi, by the way. She’s sorry she can’t make it. She wanted to come with me, but she needs to cover the tasting room until seven.”
Silence settled between them as they wandered from painting to painting, looking at each of them for a minute or two.
“Does she make you happy?” her mother asked after a while.
The question caught Annie by surprise. She stared at her mother. As far as she could remember, her mother had never asked her a question like that. For a moment, Annie thought about just giving the shortest possible answer. In the past, her parents had always been satisfied with that because their interest in Annie’s life ran only skin-deep—at least it always seemed so. But if she wanted to give her parents a chance to participate in her life more fully, she had to open up and show them the kind of communication she wanted. “I’ve never relied on anyone for my happiness.” She strolled to the next painting and thought about her words. “But I think I’m finally learning to. Drew shows me every day that I can trust her to be there for me, no matter what.”
Her mother nodded and followed her. For a few moments, silence settled between them, then her mother asked, “What do you think of that one?”
Annie suppressed a sigh. It seemed her mother’s attempt to connect and really talk to each other was over already. She turned her head to look at the painting her mother was indicating. On the canvas, fog swirled through a dark pine forest. “It’s kind of depressing.” The painting didn’t fit her mood at all. Depressed was the last thing Annie was feeling. Excited to see Drew later, nervous about their first official date, yes, but not depressed. She shrugged. “But I’m not an expert. Art is your passion, Mom, not mine.”
They turned a corner to the next artworks.
Annie stumbled to a stop and stared at a painting of a beach.
The setting sun seemed to float on the ocean, dipping it in orange. Waves sprayed rocks that jutted into the water and rained down on a group of sunbathing seals. Their fur gleamed like bronze.
In the painting’s foreground, a couple knelt on a blanket that covered the tiny pebbles. The glowing light of the sunset surrounded them like a halo and made their features unrecognizable, their shapes revealed that both were women. The smaller, stockier one had one arm stretched out, offering something in her hand. The other woman’s fingertips were about to touch whatever rested on her companion’s palm.
This is us, Drew and me! Annie shook her dazed head. God, what are the chances? Her gaze darted to the painting’s title: Heart’s Offering. She swallowed. Could it really be? She stepped even closer.
The pebbles instead of sand, the build of the two women, the blanket in front of a piece of driftwood ... the painting’s details fit too well for it to show any other couple.
That day on the beach, Drew had given Annie the moonstone, not her heart. Still, the artist had apparently sensed some sort of romantic connection between them.
If Annie was honest with herself, she had sensed it too, but she had blamed it on the setting, on their plan to trick Jake, on anything but her growing feelings.
Not anymore.
She turned to her mother. “Heart’s Offering. Who painted it?”
Her mother stepped closer and glanced at the initials in the corner of the painting. “That’s one of Bridget’s. She’s around here somewhere.”
Annie scanned the crowd of artists and visitors wandering the gallery. “Can you point her out to me? I want to buy her painting.”
“I thought you don’t care about art,” her mother said.
“I care about this painting.”
“If you like the seascape, I can give you one of mine that—”
“No, Mom,” Annie said before her mother could go into a detailed description of her own painting. “I don’t want just any seascape painting. This one is special.” She couldn’t keep her gaze off the seascape. The artist had captured the magic of that moment so well. She reached into her coat pocket to touch the moonstone.
It wasn’t there.
Her mouth went dry. She searched her other pocket.
Nothing.
With trembling fingers, she rifled through her purse. A lump formed in her throat.
The moonstone was gone.
Oh, God, no. Had she lost it when she had taken off the coat?
“Special?” Her mother interrupted her panicked thoughts. She still studied the painting through narrowed eyes. “What’s so special about Bridget’s painting that you would prefer it over one of mine?”
Christ, now her artist’s ego is hurt. Why did her mother have to make everything about herself? Annie lifted her hand, interrupting her mother’s lecture about the quality of the brushwork and color choice. “It’s not about artistic value. This is personal.” She looked at the painting again and fought the urge to run her finger over the smaller figure. “I think it’s a painting of Drew and me.”
A chuckle escaped her mother. “And here I always thought you didn’t have any imagination.”
Ouch. She should have known that her mother wouldn’t change completely overnight. “No, Mom, really. When we were at the beach three weeks ago, there was a woman with an easel.” She pointed at the painting. “That’s us.”
Her mother took her glasses from her purse and put them on. She bent and looked at the painting again. “Are you sure?”
Annie nodded. She remembered every detail of that day at the beach vividly.
“But I thought you haven’t been ... you know ...” Her mother gestured wildly and finally left it up to Annie to fill in the blanks. “... for long?”
Haven’t been in love? Haven’t been a couple? Haven’t been sleeping with Drew? She hadn’t yet, but that was none of her mother’s business. “We just admitted our feelings to each other on Thanksgiving, but they’ve been there for quite some time,” Annie said. “Now can you please get Bridget for me? I have to leave in twenty minutes, or I’ll be late for my date.”
Her mother sighed. “I’ll get her.”
* * *
Dating had never been comfortable for Annie, but now as the hostess led her to the table, she felt like throwing up. The clinking of cutlery against plates and the low hum of conversations sounded overly loud. She felt the gazes of the other restaurant guests like pinpricks on her skin, but when she glanced at the diners, no one was looking her way.
Then she caught sight of Drew, who was already seated at the table.
Drew glanced up.
Their gazes met.
For a moment, the noises in the restaurant receded and everything seemed to move in slow motion.
With a bright smile, Drew stood and approached her.
A pair of dark gray slacks clung to her rounded hips and muscular thighs. A baby-blue blouse, its sleeves rolled up, contrasted nicely with her tan. Annie’s gaze was drawn to the bit of smooth skin that the two open buttons on Drew’s blouse revealed. She swallowed.
Drew looked as if she had dressed with care; yet with her rolled up sleeves and open buttons, she still seemed entirely comfortable in her own skin.
In contrast, Annie felt like a child playing at being grown-up in her burgundy dress.
“Hi,” Drew said. Her raspy voice sent shivers down Annie’s spine. “You look beautiful.”
Annie smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress, very aware that the hostess was still within earshot. “Thank you. I went back and got the dress.”
“I’m glad you did. It looks wonderful on you.” Drew took another step closer and reached for her.
Annie’s heart leaped. Will she kiss me in front of all the other customers?
But instead, Drew hugged her.
Annie put her arms around Drew’s back, at the same time relieved and disappointed that Drew hadn’t kissed her. S
he mentally shook her head and chided herself for her foolish thoughts.
Drew held on longer than the polite two seconds that Annie was used to. Instead of just touching her shoulders, Drew pressed her whole torso against Annie’s in a full-body hug.
Conscious of the people surrounding them, Annie struggled not to pull away before Drew ended the hug. After a moment, she just relaxed and enjoyed the warm, solid feel of Drew’s body against hers. It felt new and exciting, yet at the same time soothingly familiar.
Finally, Drew let go and Annie stumbled to her chair on wobbly legs.
“Are you okay?” Drew asked, leaning forward to look at her with a concerned gaze.
“I’m fine. How was work? Was the tasting room busy today?”
“We got a lot of folks looking for the right wine for Christmas,” Drew said. “And how was the art opening?”
Annie thought of the painting in her trunk. She wanted to tell Drew then and there what she had found, but she bit her tongue. The painting would make a nice Christmas present for Drew. “It was more interesting than I thought.”
“I’m really sorry I missed it.” Drew grinned. “I need to find another way to earn brownie points with your mother.”
“You earned brownie points with me by being here extra-early even though I know you had a busy day,” Annie said.
“I didn’t want to make you wait like the last time.”
The last time. So much had changed since the last time they’d had dinner here two months before. They had gone from hesitant allies in a plot against Jake to being friends and now potential lovers so fast that Annie’s head was spinning.
The ordering of the food and wine rushed by in a nervous daze.
Calm down and just enjoy the evening. But that was easier said than done. She reached for her pocket to touch the moonstone, a gesture she found calming, and then remembered that her dress didn’t have any pockets—and that the moonstone was gone. She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth.
“What is it?” Drew asked. The candle in the middle of the table threw flickering shadows over her face as she leaned forward and regarded Annie closely. “What’s wrong?”
Annie felt like a woman who had lost her lover’s fifty-thousand-dollar diamond ring. “Drew, I ... There’s something I’ve got to tell you.”
Drew blanched beneath her tan. She sank against the back of her chair. “You changed your mind.”
“What?” Annie stared at her.
“About me. About us.”
“Oh. You thought ...? No, no, no. That’s not what this is all about.” Annie leaned forward and touched Drew’s hand that was clamped around her wineglass. It was strangely encouraging to see that she wasn’t the only one feeling insecure when it came to their relationship. “No negative assumptions, remember?”
“Yeah.” Drew loosened her death grip on the wineglass. “I remember.” A tiny smile brought out her dimples.
Instantly, Annie wanted to make her smile again, but instead, she had to give her some bad news. She inhaled and held the breath for as long as she could before she blurted out, “I think I lost the moonstone.”
“Oh.”
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know how it happened. I swear I—”
“Annie, stop.” Drew reached across the table and touched Annie’s cheek. “On the way to the restaurant, I stopped to pick up your Christmas present.”
What did that have to do with anything? Was Drew trying to cheer her up? Annie tilted her head and waited for Drew to continue.
“I think you should have it now, though,” Drew said. She fumbled for something in her pocket. Her eyes shone, and a flush covered her cheeks.
Annie had to smile. She’s so cute. Her smile froze when Drew pushed a jewelry box across the table. Annie’s heartbeat thundered through her ears, and she wasn’t sure whether she was scared that it might be a ring or afraid that it wasn’t. It’s too soon, isn’t it? With trembling fingers, she took the little box and opened it.
Before her lay a silver necklace. A milky-white stone pendant gleamed against the dark velvet of the jewelry box.
Phew. Annie exhaled sharply. Not a ring.
She squinted and looked more closely. “Isn’t that a moonstone?” She looked at Drew.
Drew grinned and nodded. “Not just any moonstone. That’s yours. Ours. I took it from your coat pocket when you weren’t paying attention. I’m sorry I made you think you might have lost it. I didn’t think you would notice it was gone this soon.”
Annie rubbed her thumb over its shining surface and exhaled slowly. The thought of having lost the moonstone had plagued her all evening.
“I hope it’s okay that I had the jeweler cut and polish it,” Drew said. “I know you don’t like sentimental trinkets like this, but ...” She shrugged and trailed off, looking at Annie with a hopeful expression.
Three months ago, Annie would have thought it a childish superstition and a waste of money to put a simple stone from a beach on a necklace. Now the moonstone represented hope, love, and a more positive way of thinking. “Of course it’s okay.” She smiled at Drew. “I love it. I’m finding I like sentimental these days.” She took the necklace from the box and looked at the dangling pendant for a moment before she lifted it to her neck.
“Let me do it,” Drew said. She got up and rounded the table. Her fingers brushed feather-light against Annie’s skin as she closed the necklace’s catch, making goose bumps trail down Annie’s body. “There.” With one gentle finger, Drew touched the moonstone resting on Annie’s chest.
Even though Drew wasn’t touching her directly, Annie felt heat flow through her. She coughed against the sudden lump of emotion in her throat. “I’ve got something for you too.” She had wanted to give Drew the painting for Christmas, but now she could hardly wait to see Drew’s face when she saw it. “It’s in the trunk of my car, though, so it’ll have to wait until later.”
“Some things are worth waiting for,” Drew said and smiled.
Annie didn’t know what to say to that. Her mouth was too dry to speak. Suddenly everything they said and did seemed to be filled with so much emotion that she barely knew how to handle it. When the waiter set down the broccoli pasta dish in front of Annie, she picked at her food and searched for something to say. Whenever they had dinner together before, the conversation between them had flowed, but now Annie was left speechless.
The feeling that the other people in the restaurant were watching them didn’t help. In the past, she had enjoyed the anonymity in public places like this. On all of her other dates, she had been just one of many diners, not standing out from the masses at all. No one had paid her any special attention, and that was how Annie preferred it. Now the feeling that all the other people knew something very private about her, just by looking at her and Drew, made her skin crawl.
“Let’s get these to go and head to my place,” Drew said.
Annie looked up, startled. “Go to your place? Why?”
“Because you’re not comfortable here.”
“No, I—”
“Annie,” Drew reached across the table and took her hand, “please don’t do that with me. Don’t pretend to be fine when you’re not.”
Annie stared at Drew’s hand on top of hers. The touch was soothing yet at the same time uncomfortable. She inhaled deeply and forced herself not to pull away. Drew deserved to know. She would understand. At least Annie hoped so. “This,” she nodded down at their hands, “is hard for me.”
When Drew started to pull back her hand, Annie trapped it against hers with her left hand. “It’s fine. I just need to get over my paranoia. I’m sure most people here don’t notice or don’t mind that we’re two women holding hands.” Maybe if she told herself that a few more times, she would start to believe it.
A sad smile flitted across Drew’s face. “I won’t lie to you. Most people really don’t care, but there are a few homophobic jerks, even here in California. We might get some stares when we’re holding ha
nds. If it would make you more comfortable, we could cut out the affectionate touches in public.” Drew looked at her, clearly ready to accept whatever Annie decided.
Annie studied their hands before she let her gaze stray through the restaurant. A man at one of the other tables was staring at them from behind the cover of his menu. The muscles in Annie’s hand jerked as she suppressed the reflex to withdraw her fingers from Drew’s. Yes, it would be easier to avoid all overly affectionate touches while in public. If she just sat here, enjoying dinner and pleasant conversation with Drew, no one would think they were anything but friends.
But she knew it was the coward’s way out and wouldn’t be fair to either her or Drew. If she wanted their relationship to work, she needed to stand up for herself and not let her life be dictated by the expectations of strangers.
“No,” she said. “That’s not what I want. Just give me some time to get used to it, okay?”
“Okay,” Drew said with an understanding smile. She squeezed Annie’s hand and started to pull back when someone stopped next to their table.
Annie looked up, expecting to see the waiter.
Instead, Drew’s friend Lynn stood in front of them. “Hi, Drew. I thought that was you.” She bent to kiss Drew’s cheek.
The kiss lasted a bit too long for Annie’s taste. She found herself glaring at Lynn’s hand on Drew’s shoulder. The possessiveness of that gesture made her want to rip off Lynn’s hand.
When Lynn straightened, her gaze fell on Annie’s and Drew’s still joined hands. She glanced around the restaurant before she grinned at Annie and bent to whisper, “Still trying to trick your brother?”
Drew and Annie exchanged a glance, then Drew gave her a nod, leaving it up to Annie to decide on what to tell Lynn.
Annie hesitated. Pretending not to care about what strangers might think was one thing, but facing Drew’s friends was another. She gave herself a mental kick. “No,” she said, forcing herself to meet Lynn’s gaze. “This doesn’t have anything to do with tricking Jake. Drew and I ... we’re ... together.”