by Joy Argento
“Sarah, this is my friend Emily. Emily, Sarah. Emily’s dad has the white house across from me.”
“Hello,” Emily said, holding out her hand.
“So nice to meet you.” Sarah’s hand was soft, but her handshake firm. She continued to hold Emily’s hand while talking. “I think I’ve seen you before when I was at Lauren’s.”
Emily searched her memory. I think I would have noticed meeting someone as hot as you. Oh my God, what is up with me noticing how good women look lately?
“We didn’t actually meet,” Sarah continued. “I noticed you from across the street.”
How can anyone have teeth that white and perfect? Emily realized she was looking a little too intensely at Sarah’s mouth. She looked down at the ground in an attempt to hide her blush and the grin she was trying to suppress. When she looked up at Sarah again, Emily found herself captured by deep green eyes.
“As I recall, Lauren told me you’re an art teacher.”
Her hand was still in Sarah’s, and Emily was surprised that the contact wasn’t making her uncomfortable in the least. “Yes. I teach in Syracuse now.” She was staring again.
Lauren’s voice broke the trace she was in. “Sarah, I need to get going. I have to pick Sean up from his friend’s house.” Sean, Lauren’s ten-year-old son, had often done odd jobs for Emily’s mother. “Anything you want me to do before I go?”
“No, I think I am all set here. Thanks so much for helping me this morning. I really appreciate it.” Sarah let go of Emily’s hand so she could give her sister a hug.
“It was so nice to see you, Lauren. Mindy and I are at Dad’s all weekend if you want to stop over,” Emily told her.
Lauren reached over and gave Emily’s shoulder a squeeze. “Great to see you too. Maybe I’ll see you later.” With that, she turned and left.
The two women watched her walk away for a moment and then turned back toward each other.
“So, do you like teaching?” Sarah continued the conversation.
“I love it. I have a steady job and I get to do my own art on the side. It’s a win-win situation.”
“I can understand that. It is very difficult making a living with just your artwork these days. I do all right, but I wouldn’t mind doing a little better.” Sarah smiled broadly.
“Your work is wonderful.” Emily broke the intense eye contact to glance at the paintings lining the walls of the booth. “You have quite an eye for beauty.” Emily felt like she could reach out and touch the petals on a painting of an orchid and actually feel their velvety texture.
“I sure do,” Sarah replied, her eyes never leaving Emily.
She’s flirting with me.
Is she flirting with me?
I think she’s flirting with me.
The nervous feeling in the pit of Emily’s stomach was a familiar one. Okay, enough of this shit, she told herself. So what if she’s flirting with me? I don’t need to get all nervous about it. So what? A beautiful woman is flirting with me. She certainly is beautiful, isn’t she? Emily smiled at Sarah despite her thoughts. Or maybe she smiled because of her thoughts.
“Tell me about your art.” Sarah’s smile matched Emily’s.
“Excuse me. Can you tell me the price of this painting?” Neither woman noticed an older gentleman who had entered the booth.
“I am going to let you get back to work,” Emily said. Time to bow out of this situation. Besides, it wasn’t fair of her to take Sarah’s time while she was working.
“I’ll be with you in one second.” Sarah held up one finger to the man. She took one of her business cards from the table at the front of the booth and handed it to Emily. “Have a drink with me later. It would be fun, and I would love to hear more about your art.” Her fingers brushed Emily’s hand as Emily accepted the card. An unexpected tingle traveled through Emily, startling her.
“Call me after six thirty. I’ll be done here by then.” Sarah turned her attention back to the man who had asked the question.
Emily tucked the card into the front pocket of her jeans. Flattered by the attention, she doubted she would take Sarah up on the offer. Would it be rude not to call? She slipped quietly out of the booth.
The next several booths held no interest, and Emily passed them by with barely a glance. Farther down, a charcoal drawing caught her eye. She stepped inside the tent to take a better look. It was a drawing of a female. The figure was sitting with her back to the viewer with one hip perched on a stool. The model’s dark hair and the side of her face, barely visible, reminded Emily of Andi. Again, the image of Andi kissing someone came to the forefront of her mind, causing a pang in her heart. She ran her fingers over the business card in her pocket and forced her thoughts from Andi to Sarah. Maybe she would call her after all.
***
“So tell me about your new chick,” Taylor said to Andi before they had even sat down with their food.
Andi shook her head and slid into the booth. They’d known each other since college, but Taylor’s choice of words sometimes still made Andi take pause. “She is not my new chick.”
“You said you like her.” Taylor stabbed a French fry with her plastic fork and moved it to her mouth, waiting for an answer.
“As a friend. I like her as a friend. She’s straight. And she’s been through an awful lot the last year or so. The last thing she needs is some lesbian making moves on her.”
Taylor chuckled. “You are not just some lesbian. You are a lesbian extraordinaire.” She stuffed the French fry in her mouth.
“True,” Andi said. “But, not going to happen.” There was no way she would ever make moves on Emily. She wanted to keep her in her life, not send her running. She unwrapped her cheeseburger and lifted the top bun, assessing the amount of ketchup and mustard. Satisfied, she took a bite. She enjoyed her outings with Taylor, but Taylor seemed hell-bent on Andi finding a new love interest. It wasn’t that Andi was against the idea. She just needed to find a lesbian, not some straight woman, no matter how attractive and interesting and funny said straight woman was. She consciously pushed thoughts of Emily aside and turned her attention back to Taylor. “What about you? Any new chicks in your life?” Andi asked, purposely using Taylor’s word.
“As a matter of fact…” Taylor opened her hazel eyes wide.
Andi was envious of those thick dark lashes, in total contrast to her red hair.
“Nope. No new chicks in my life.”
“I love how dramatic you are.”
“Drama is my middle name, darling.” Taylor waved her hand through the air in small circles and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “Actually, that’s not true. My middle name is Gertrude.”
Andi laughed. “You are such a liar. Your middle name is Marie.”
“But Gertrude is so much less mundane. So, seriously, tell me about your new friend,” she said, using air quotes with the word friend.
Andi let out an exasperated breath. She knew Taylor was teasing, but Andi did need to keep Emily in the friend category for real, and Taylor wasn’t helping. She proceeded to tell her about Emily, leaving out the parts about how pretty she found her and how her beautiful blue eyes lit up when she smiled.
“I’m not convinced,” Taylor said, when Andi finished.
“Of what?”
“That she’s in the friend zone for you.”
Andi shook her head. But the truth was, she wasn’t convinced of that either.
Chapter Seven
What am I doing? Emily asked herself. She punched in the number on the business card and put her phone up to her ear. Maybe she won’t answer. I hope she doesn’t answer. I think…
“Hello,” Sarah answered.
“Um, hi.”
“Emily? Hi. I was hoping you would call.”
“Um, yeah?” Oh my God, could you sound like more of an idiot? “Hi, yes. Well, I thought maybe I would take you up on that drink offer. I mean if the offer is still good. I know you must be tired and all.”
; “Absolutely, the offer is still good. How does eight thirty sound? There’s a great place in Pittsford. Rumors. Have you heard of it?”
“It’s in Schoen Place, right?” Emily asked.
Emily could hear a muffled sound on the other end of the line as she heard Sarah ask someone else. “It’s in Schoen Place, right?” Emily wasn’t sure but she thought a male voice said, “Yes.”
“Sorry, yes, that’s the place. Is that all right? Should I meet you there or would you like me to pick you up?”
Emily still wasn’t sure what she was doing. Was a new friend asking her to have a drink or was she being asked out on a date? She suspected it was the latter. She had never done anything like this before. Just the thought of it made her nervous. But there was something intriguing about it all too. She’d never had a woman ask her out on a date before and was flattered by the attention. Whereas she’d never been fond of attention from men. Hmm. Wonder why? This probably isn’t a date. I’m making myself crazy. She’s a nice person asking me to have a drink. Emily had the urge to call Andi and talk to her about it. No. She wasn’t going to call Andi. She was fully capable of making a decision about this on her own.
“Emily?”
“Um, yes, I’m here.” She had to think back to the question. “Yes, that’s fine. I can meet you there. You said eight thirty, right?” Okay, guess I made a decision.
“Yes. Super. I’ll see you there.”
Emily hit the End button on her iPhone and closed her fist around it. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said to herself. Of course, I don’t. Oh my God, what am I going to wear?
***
Emily pulled into a parking space, lucky to find a spot so close to Rumors in the lot shared by a number of small shops and restaurants. She took a deep breath and fought off the feeling of nausea creeping from her stomach up her throat. Stepping out of the car, she pulled her wallet from her backpack and threw her backpack on the back seat, slipping the wallet into the rear pocket of her dark denim jeans. Another deep breath.
She tugged her deep pink cable knit sweater down in the back and straightened the simple gold chain around her neck. Both bought on sale from J.Jill. She ran a hand over her hair to smooth it down. Nothing to be nervous about. This is most likely just a drink with a new friend…or not.
“Emily.” She turned at the sound of her name. Sarah stopped about a foot and a half away. Her eyes traveled down the length of Emily’s body and back up to her eyes. “You look great,” she said, with a smile. She stepped closer and gave Emily a hug.
I think this is a date, Emily’s brain screamed. She pushed the panic back down her throat with a hard swallow. Okay, I can handle this. What’s so bad about a date with a beautiful woman? And she is beautiful, isn’t she? I can handle this. I don’t know if I can handle this. She managed a smile as they walked in.
“Table for two?” the young hostess asked.
“We would like to be seated at the bar if that’s all right.” Sarah looked at Emily.
Emily nodded. They were led through the restaurant area and up a few steps to the bar in the back.
“What would you like to drink, Emily?” Sarah asked once they were seated.
“A glass of Chardonnay would be great.” Chardonnay. That’s what Andi brought last night. Andi. Sarah. She was with Sarah, shouldn’t be thinking about Andi.
Sarah flagged the bartender. His quick smile lit up his handsome face. The top two buttons of his neatly pressed white shirt were undone, a hint of soft chest hair visible. His jeans were a bit too tight. Emily glanced at him briefly, then looked past him at the large mirror behind the bar. She saw herself sitting next to a very beautiful woman. This looks right. The thought surprised her.
“Can we get two glasses of Chardonnay? Your best,” Sarah said.
Emily turned her gaze from the mirror to look at Sarah directly, her smile genuine. She was going to enjoy this evening and enjoy the company of this woman. The number of butterflies in her stomach seemed to lessen, and the alcohol would take care of any of the little critters that remained. They made small talk until the wine arrived.
“I’m so glad you agreed to meet me. I’m sure your time must be limited on your visit.”
“I’m so glad you asked me.” In this moment, Emily meant it, and she found herself relaxing into the conversation.
“So, Emily, you’ve seen my art. Tell me about yours.”
Emily liked the way her name sounded when Sarah said it, deep and rich. “I work mostly in oils. I love landscapes, especially early morning or evening scenes, the way the sun dances on the trees as it sets or rises.”
Sarah nodded and reached for her drink. Emily did the same. “Do you work from photos or plein air?” Sarah asked, using the French term meaning “in the open air.” Sarah sipped her wine, but her eyes never left Emily.
“I take photos whenever I get the chance. I work mostly from those. I don’t get a chance to paint outside too often.”
“I can understand that,” Sarah said. She ran her hand through her blond hair. Emily noticed that it had a light curl to it that wasn’t there earlier. She had also changed her clothes and had applied more makeup. Her gray slacks were slimming and her dark blue blouse showed a hint of cleavage, which Emily noticed but did her best not to let her eyes linger on. She wore no jewelry other than the diamond studs in her pierced ears.
“I also have my school schedule to work around and my younger sister, Mindy. She came to live with me recently. So it’s easier to work from photos. But I try to get outside to watch sunrises and sunsets whenever possible, to sort of take mental notes for future paintings.”
“Very nice. Do you have pictures of your work?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Emily pulled her iPhone out of her pocket, opened her photos, and clicked on the Artwork album. She brought up the first picture and handed the phone to Sarah.
“Wow. Nice.”
“Thanks,” Emily said. She studied Sarah as Sarah studied the art on her phone. Thin nose with a tiny, barely noticeable freckles, perfectly groomed eyebrows darker than her blond hair, full red lips. Lips.
Sarah looked up. If she knew Emily had been staring, she didn’t say anything. Instead she said, “These last two are different from the rest. A whole different style. These are yours too?” She flipped the phone around to show Emily what she was talking about.
The pieces were different, somewhat of an experiment. An attempt at stepping out of her comfort zone. Emily gave up the experiment and went back to what she knew. She wasn’t much of a risk taker. “They’re mine. I was just messing with some pastels. Nothing serious.” She brought her attention to her glass of wine, swirling the liquid around before taking a sip. Actually it was more like a gulp. What was she doing?
Sarah continued. “I like them. I can see that you are more comfortable with the landscapes, though. But it never hurts to try something new. I’ve always had trouble painting landscapes. I stick to flowers and still life because I feel like I have more control over them.”
“So, you’re a woman who likes to be in control?” Emily asked. Oh my God, why did I say that? I sound like I’m flirting.
“Oh yes.” Sarah raised her eyebrows suggestively. “The only thing I don’t have control over is my bladder. I think I need to go to the little girls’ room.”
“I’ll wait here.” Emily smiled as she watched Sarah walk away. She was surprised at what a nice time she was having. The nerves had dissipated. Sarah was easy to talk to. That helped. What would Andi think if she knew I was out on a date with a woman? At least I think I am. She still didn’t know for sure.
“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?” It was the bartender. “On the house,” he said, setting another glass of wine on the bar in front of her. “I don’t mean to be forward here, but I would love to take you out to dinner sometime.” His smile was charming, but Emily had no interest in his offer.
“No, thank you,” she said sweetly, sliding
the drink back toward him.
He produced a business card from behind the bar, turned it over, and wrote on it. “My cell, in case you change your mind.” His smile seemed sincere as he placed the card in her hand. “And the drink is no strings attached.” He held up his hands in surrender as he backed away.
Sarah slid back into her seat and nodded at the new drink in front of Emily. “Starting round two without me?”
“A gift from the bartender,” Emily said. Was it okay to let your date know someone else hit on you? She wasn’t sure of the rules here.
Almost as if on cue, he returned with another glass of wine and set it in front of Sarah. “Also on the house, for the other beautiful lady,” he said with a wink, and walked away.
“Hmm,” Sarah said.
“He’s right about one thing. You are beautiful.” Emily said, shocking herself.
“I was thinking that very same thing about you.”
Emily could feel heat rising from her center. Hmm, the bartender made a pass at her and she felt nothing. Sarah complimented her and her body reacted. What? She took another a gulp of wine. “Um, so, how long have you been painting?”
“Just about all my life. My mom likes to tell people I was born with a paintbrush in my hand.”
“Ouch,” Emily teased. “That must have made your birth even more painful for your mother.”
Sarah laughed. “I started taking drawing lessons when I was about seven. I guess my parents got tired of the crayon wall murals and decided to try to channel my artistic talents.”
“Did you enjoy the lessons?” Art seemed like a safe subject, and Emily was truly interested. She didn’t have any other artists in her circle of friends.
“At first I hated them. I’ve never been one to play by the rules, and confining my art to one piece of paper didn’t seem right. But it did give me the basic skills I needed when I decided I wanted to pursue watercolor.”