New Beginnings

by KC Richardson

  “I appreciate your willingness to step back, but let her make this decision. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with her.”

  Jordan opened her mouth to speak then shut it. After thinking for a moment, she exhaled deeply. “You’re right.”

  “Just take it one day at a time,” Alex said. “You’ll figure it all out.”

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Jordan drove to the beach after her breakfast with Alex. She took off her shoes and socks and walked across the warm sand toward the ocean. The smell of salt water and cocoa butter assaulted her senses. It was a beautiful, sunny day and there were a lot of beach-goers sprawled across the sand and frolicking in the water. The sea was calm today, with the waves only reaching two to three feet. With shoes in hand, Jordan walked along the shore and began to gather her thoughts.

  What she knew for a fact was that Kirsten Murphy was the kindest, most beautiful woman she had ever met. She had a fantastic sense of humor and was sexy as hell. And, boy, can she kiss. If we had been on land instead of in the pool, my knees might have actually buckled.

  From the moment Jordan had seen Kirsten that first day in the coffeehouse, she’d felt drawn to her. And when Kirsten had arrived for her first therapy appointment, she’d felt like they had known each other forever. There was undoubtedly something between the two of them.

  She dropped heavily onto the sand and wrapped her arms around her knees as she stared out across the ocean. She closed her eyes and saw Kirsten’s smiling face. She could almost feel the pressure of Kirsten’s hand in her own, and as she imagined their fingers intertwined, she experienced a surge of electricity that was more than sexual, more than chemistry.

  She had always believed in soul mates. She believed they came in different forms—lovers, friends, parents. One might not immediately recognize another as a soul mate, but it would become apparent over time.

  She opened her eyes and grasped a handful of sand, slowly letting it slide between her fingers as the wind caught it and blew it behind her. The breeze blew her hair into her eyes. Hell, after Kelly, she’d stopped believing there was a soul mate for her.

  But now there’s Kirsten. She tossed another handful of sand into the air and watched it catch and dance. And I can’t imagine my life without her. Is it possible she feels it, too? Jordan pushed herself up from the sand and dusted the small, damp clumps from the back of her shorts.

  She turned back in the direction of her car and plodded across the beach. As she brushed the sand off her feet, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the now-familiar number. Her heart raced, and her mouth went dry as she contemplated hanging up. There were so many reasons why getting involved with Kirsten would be a bad idea, but she found herself ignoring the warning bells going off in her head. The phone rang a few times before it was answered by a harried voice.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi,” Jordan said. “Can I come over?”

  “I’d like that. I need to talk to you.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  Jordan started her car and took several deep breaths, trying to calm the butterflies that were fluttering in her gut. Because of Murphy’s Law, she managed to hit every single red light on the way to her destination. Her anticipation had her tied up in knots, and when she finally pulled into the driveway, she practically ran to the front door.

  As she was about to knock, the door opened. Standing before her was the woman who was undoubtedly taking over her heart. All she could think of was pulling her into her arms and never letting her go. But first, they needed to talk.

  Kirsten stepped to the side to allow her to enter. Once she’d closed the door, Jordan decided she could wait no longer. She wrapped her arms around Kirsten’s lithe body and was relieved when Kirsten threw her own arms around her neck.

  They stood there for what seemed to be an eternity, letting their bodies meld together, taking in each other’s essence. Jordan ducked her face into the side of Kirsten’s neck and breathed in her scent. Kirsten was shaking, and she felt wetness start to soak her shirt. She pulled back and saw tears streaming from Kirsten’s cloudy blue eyes. She cupped each side of Kirsten’s face with her hands and carefully wiped away the tears with the pads of her thumbs.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  Kirsten just shook her head as tears continued to fall. Jordan pulled her back into a strong, comforting hug and gently rocked her from side to side.

  After a few minutes, Kirsten was finally able to find her voice. “I’m so sorry, Jordan. I’m so sorry.” The tears began again, and Jordan continued to hold her and comfort her.

  “Why are you sorry, Kirsten?”

  Kirsten pulled back just enough to look at her. Her bottom lip trembled, and tears started to well in her eyes again. She grabbed Jordan’s hand and led her to the living room to sit on the couch, since she felt her legs could no longer hold her upright.

  Once they were seated next to each other, Jordan’s arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her close. Kirsten wrapped her arms around Jordan’s waist and collected her thoughts. She was relieved that Jordan had called and wanted to talk, but now the ball was in her court. What was she supposed to say? She’d thought about it all—the kisses in the pool, Jordan’s reaction, Brenda’s advice—but she’d never thought about what she would say to Jordan when the time came.

  “I’m sorry I scared you last night. We were having such a great time, and I had to go and ruin everything by kissing you.”

  Jordan’s fingers started making trails through her hair, soothing her frayed nerves as they did. “Hey, you didn’t ruin anything. I admit I was caught off guard, though. How did you know I was scared?”

  “I don’t know. I just knew. The look in your eyes when you realized what we had done, I knew I blew it.”

  “Kirsten, that’s why I’m here. We need to talk about what happened.” Jordan released her and took a deep breath. Kirsten felt the loss of the security Jordan’s embrace represented. Jordan stood and started to pace in front of the coffee table that now separated them. “From the first moment I saw you in the coffeehouse, I was attracted to you”

  “Coffeehouse? What are you talking about?”

  “I was having coffee with Alex a few months ago, and you came into the coffeehouse we were in. You looked at me, and I felt a connection that I’ve never experienced before. I didn’t have the nerve to go talk to you, but I certainly saw you.”

  Recognition flashed in Kirsten’s mind. “Wait. That was you?”

  Jordan nodded. “Uh-huh.”

  “I thought the first time I had seen you was at the basketball game, but I had a feeling that I knew you from somewhere else. Now I remember seeing you in the coffeehouse.”

  “You were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Then you became my patient, and the more I got to know you, the more I liked you, but I had to keep a professional distance. Once you stopped being my patient, and we became friends, my feelings for you began to deepen. But Kirsten, you’re still married. You might be getting back together with your husband. I can’t get romantically involved with you.”

  Jordan returned to her place on the couch next to her and reached for her hands. “I care for you too much to place that kind of stress on you. I know John wants to work things out, and I’ll support you if that’s what you decide to do. I love our friendship, and you mean too much to me to not have you in my life.”

  Kirsten calmed a little, relieved that Jordan was being so understanding. “Oh, Jordan, you’re very special to me, too. I’m so confused right now—about my marriage, about my feelings for you. Since the moment we met, I’ve felt drawn to you. I’m very attracted to you—physically, you’re gorgeous—but I’m also drawn to your inner beauty. You’re funny, smart, and you have a heart of gold. You mean so much to me. Our friendship means so much to me. Can you be patient until I figure out the mess my life has become?”

  Jordan pulled her back into a hug and
whispered in her ear, “Of course. I’ll give you all the time you need.”

  They remained in that position for quite some time, and Kirsten quietly soaked up the affection Jordan was bestowing upon her. Jordan was the calm in her storm. In just this short time together, Kirsten felt better than she had in months. After a bit, Jordan released her and stood. Her first thought was that she wanted to pull Jordan back down to the couch and spend the rest of the day in her arms. Reluctantly, she stood, too.

  “I’m going to go home now. I just wanted to come by and talk about last night and check to see how you were doing.”

  Kirsten walked Jordan to the door and hugged her one last time before letting her go. “I’m so glad you did. I haven’t been able to think of anything else since last night. Thank you for understanding and being such a wonderful friend.”

  Jordan kissed her on the cheek, her lips lingering a little. “I’ll call you later this week, and we’ll talk some more. See ya.”

  With a decidedly lighter heart, Kirsten touched the place on her cheek where Jordan’s lips had just been pressed and watched as Jordan got into her car pulled out of the driveway to go home.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Jordan had a rare morning off on Tuesday and took advantage of the free time by going to the beach to get some surfing in before starting her shift that afternoon. While she waited for waves to form, she thought about the talk she and Kirsten had shared on Sunday morning and was relieved with how they’d left things. She was happy that they could talk openly and honestly with each other, and she was confident that they would continue with a respectable friendship, at the very least. Although the mere possibility of having something more with Kirsten made her heart ache with fear-laced hope.

  Jordan spent a couple of hours in the water before heading back to her beach chair. She pulled her cell phone out of her bag and noted that she had a missed call from Kirsten’s work line. She took off her wetsuit and toweled herself dry before returning the call.

  “This is Kirsten. How may I help you?”

  She chuckled at Kirsten’s professional demeanor. “You tell me. You’re the one who called me first.”

  “Hey, you. What are you doing?”

  “I just got done surfing and saw that I had a missed call from you. Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, I just missed you and wanted to say hi.”

  Jordan could picture in her mind the soft look in Kirsten’s eyes as she spoke and the dimples that puckered when she smiled. She missed me. How could those three little words mean so much to me? “I’m glad you called. I miss you, too.”

  “Why are you surfing and not working? Did you fix all of your patients?”

  “No, not yet, but I didn’t have any patients scheduled until this afternoon, so I decided to take some personal time and hit the waves.”

  “I’m so jealous that you’re at the beach, and I’m at work.”

  “Ha! And I’ll be jealous of you when you’re relaxing in your pool after work tonight, and I’m working until seven.”

  “Okay, I guess we’re even. How were the waves? Did you catch some good rides?”

  “Yep. They’re pretty big from the storm coming up from Mexico. I feel rejuvenated.”

  “I’m glad you had a good time this morning. I just wanted to check in and see how you were.”

  “I appreciate you calling. Hey, Kirsten?”

  “Yes?”

  Jordan took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. “I have an early game on Saturday evening. Would you like to grab a bite afterward?” Nothing wrong with two friends going out to dinner, right?

  “I’d love to. I’ll go to your game, then we can go out. Would that be okay?”

  Jordan pumped her fist then looked around to see if anyone else had seen the gesture. “Sure. Why don’t you come to my house first, and we can ride over together.”

  “That would be great. Text me your address and the time you want me there. I have another call on hold, so I need to get back to work. I’ll see you Saturday night.”

  “See you then. Have a great day. Bye.”

  Jordan disconnected the call and tossed her phone back into her bag. Then she turned back to face the ocean, and a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

  She missed me.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Late Saturday afternoon, Kirsten was rummaging through her clothes, trying to find an appropriate yet sexy outfit to wear to her night out with Jordan. She was unsure where they would be having dinner, and even though they had agreed to be friends, she couldn’t help feeling like this was a date, and she wanted Jordan to feel the same.

  After a thorough search, she decided on a new pair of black jeans, a sleeveless, light blue button-down blouse, and black boots with two-inch heels. She returned to the bathroom to apply a small amount of makeup and brush out her hair. Her excitement was building in anticipation of spending the evening with Jordan. As she was putting the finishing touches on her outfit, the phone rang. She answered on the third ring, thinking it was Jordan.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, baby. I haven’t heard from you in a while, so I thought I’d call and see how you were. Have you given any thought to me coming home?”

  Kirsten was taken off guard at hearing John’s voice. “Honestly, John, I haven’t. I’m sorry, but I’ve had a lot going on recently.”

  “Are you all right? Is it anything I can help with?”

  She was surprised by his question. “Uh, no, nothing for you to do. I’m busy with, uh, work.”

  She felt awful lying to him, but she wasn’t sure what else she should say. She couldn’t exactly tell him that she was attracted to her new friend, who just happened to be a woman. No, she was sure he wouldn’t understand. Thinking back, she realized that she’d felt more excited at the prospect of seeing Jordan that evening than she had at seeing John at any point during the few years they had been married.

  “Listen, John, I’m late meeting a friend, so I need to go.”

  “Oh, really? Who are you meeting? Anyone I know?”

  “No, you’ve never met her. It’s my friend, Jordan. She was my physical therapist when I injured my knee. We’re having dinner tonight.”

  “Huh. I didn’t realize you’d become friends. How about I call you tomorrow?”

  “That sounds good. Thanks for calling.”

  Kirsten hung up the phone. She felt bad for cutting the conversation short, but the thought of seeing Jordan soon banished any guilt she might have been experiencing. She didn’t want to think of anything other than watching Jordan play basketball, then spending some quiet time with her alone over a delicious meal. Kirsten checked herself in the mirror once more. Satisfied with her appearance, she headed over to Jordan’s house.

  Kirsten pulled her car into the driveway next to Jordan’s Traverse and turned off the ignition. She checked her face once more in the rearview mirror, then walked to the front door of Jordan’s condo.

  Jordan answered the door looking spectacularly athletic, and Kirsten took a few moments to observe her. Jordan had her hair in a French braid and was wearing an oversized, worn gray T-shirt, baggy basketball shorts, and sandals. Kirsten had never seen anyone look so sexy wearing loose-fitting, threadbare clothes. She had also never seen anyone smile so brightly. To her appreciative eyes, Jordan was simply stunning.

  “Hi.”

  Jordan opened her arms, and she willingly stepped into them, wrapping her arms around Jordan’s waist. At that moment, all the stress she’d felt following her conversation with John dissipated, and nothing else mattered except being in Jordan’s arms.

  Jordan stepped back, took a long look at her, and shook her head. “You look great. Welcome to my home. We have a few minutes before we have to leave, so let me give you the nickel tour.”

  Jordan led her through the foyer and into the living room. There was a beige microfiber couch with a cherrywood coffee table placed in front. Across the room was an enterta
inment center that held a forty-inch flat screen television, a cable box, a DVD player, and a Wii video game console.

  Just to the right of the couch was a well-used brown leather recliner next to a TV tray. Kirsten had a strong suspicion this was where Jordan spent her evenings after a long day at work. She could easily imagine Jordan sitting there eating her dinner and watching a game on television, trying to unwind.

  Jordan shrugged. “It’s not much, but it bears the creature comforts. This recliner used to be my grandfather’s. I remember sitting in his lap when I was young, in this very chair, and he would read the sports page to me from the local newspaper. He would always tell me that no matter what, I should always start my newspaper reading with the sports page.”

  The wistful look on Jordan’s face made her heart swell. She grabbed Jordan’s hand and squeezed gently.

  Jordan retained her hold on Kirsten’s hand and led her into the kitchen. It was a small galley type that didn’t have much counter space, but it had the necessary stove, oven, microwave, and refrigerator. There wasn’t room for more than two people to be in this tiny space at a time, but Kirsten figured that when Jordan had friends over, they likely congregated around the small dining table in the area next to the kitchen. There was a sliding glass door behind the table that led to a small patio and yard area. The patio had a wrought-iron bistro table with two chairs and a small barbecue grill.

  Jordan took her down the hallway, which displayed numerous family photos in collage frames hanging on the walls. She made a mental note to ask Jordan about the pictures when they had more time.

  The left side of the hallway had two doors, the first of which, Jordan explained, led to a guest bath with a shower stall. Just past that was the guest bedroom furnished with a queen-sized bed, a desk, and a small chair. A laptop computer was sitting closed on the desk. Next to the desk was a small, two-drawer filing cabinet with a stack of mail piled neatly on top.