Identity

by Nat Burns

  Forcing herself to look ahead and not study the surrounding landscape for any sign of intrusion, Shay unlocked the heavy glass doors and the iron cage just outside. She stepped into midday heat bearing the heavy, sultry smells of greenery and nearby water. A blue-black grackle called to her from a tree at the edge of the forested area and she peered into the branches, enjoying the beauty of his dark, iridescent show.

  She realized her mind was made up. No longer would she allow Pepper to invade her life. That time was through. She had become a person she no longer recognized: jumpy, irritable, paranoid. She longed for the fun-loving person she’d once been. She knew she could get there again if she grew brave and powerful.

  Yet even as this thought passed through her mind, movement to one side caused her heart to lurch and begin racing. She quickly realized it was only the elderly woman who lived next door. The woman stood on her veranda looking out over the landscape. Her white hair was piled high and a dark blue apron covered her housedress. Her features were blurred from this distance, but Shay knew when the woman turned to look her way. Shay could almost pick out her smile as the woman lifted one arm and waved enthusiastically. This was the first time they’d communicated in any way, and Shay’s heart thrilled a little at the new connection. She lifted her own arm and waved back.

  Brave and powerful. It would take baby steps but she would get there.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Liza was down at the far end of the garden when her cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID and was thrilled to see Mindy’s name.

  “Mindy! Are you okay?” she asked immediately.

  “Hey, I’m good. Ro said you were looking for me. Why didn’t you just call me?”

  “Fear. I was worried it would be bad news about you and Woodpecker. Is everything okay?” Liza braced herself.

  Mindy laughed and Liza’s heart grew wings. “Much better. I guess I should have called. I’m sorry. We’ve just been so busy. After Arlie met with you, she came home and we talked all that night and some of the next day. I had no idea she was having the feelings that she was.”

  “Right, like not being good enough?”

  “Umhmm. So now she’s seeing a therapist every week over at the clinic to deal with her self-esteem issues. On top of that, we go together for couples counseling over at the MCC in Mobile. It’s really helping us deal with some things we didn’t even realize were a problem.”

  Liza breathed a big sigh of relief. “I am so glad.”

  “So have you seen that little redhead lately?”

  “You mean Shay?”

  “How many redheads are you seeing?” Mindy laughed.

  “Smart-ass. Yes, we’re doing better than fine, by the way.” She couldn’t help the happy note of smugness that crept into her tone.

  “Oh, ho! Well, I’m glad Liza. You’ve been alone way too long as far as I’m concerned.”

  “I know but that’s all changed now. She is special…and wonderful. She was a professional dog trainer. Did you know that?”

  “I didn’t. How many dogs does she have? I love dogs too.”

  “Well, that’s a long story, best saved for another day. She doesn’t have any right now, but I’m going to try and remedy that,” Liza stated.

  Mindy laughed. “Uh, oh, keep me in the loop on this one.”

  “No problem. Listen, I want you to let me know if you see any strangers in town. Will you do that?”

  Mindy sounded curious. “Sure, will do. Am I looking for anyone in particular?”

  “Yep, a woman, probably small. I think all DC people are small.”

  “Huh?” Mindy really sounded perplexed and Liza laughed.

  “Overlook me. I’m delirious in love. Anyway, the woman has blue eyes and short blond hair, probably bleached.”

  “Okay, I’ll be on the lookout, and I’ll tell Arlie too.”

  Liza realized what good friends she had—ones who would take her request at face value without prying. “Thanks, hon, you’re okay in my book. Are you coming for Thanksgiving at my house?”

  “Nope, can’t this year, sweetie. Mom has a new boyfriend and she wants to prove to him what a good cook and homebody she is.”

  “That should be interesting,” Liza said with a short laugh. Mindy’s mother was a career real estate tycoon and not known to be warm and fuzzy in any fashion. “Let me know how it goes.”

  “Will do.Gotta go clean the house before I go to work. Listen, thanks for your help. You really put my baby back on the right path. I can’t thank you enough. I’m sorry I didn’t call you after.”

  “Y’all just love and take care of one another, you know? That’s all we really have.”

  “I know, hon. Talk at you later. Next time you hesitate to call me, though, I’ll kick your ass. Got it?”

  Liza signed off, chuckling to herself. She half-believed Mindy could do it due to Liza’s current cotton-wool thoughts. Shay’s love was bewitching her. She’d never felt quite so infatuated before or so goofy. She was afraid to go out in public for fear everyone would see just how ridiculous she was acting.

  She tried to put thoughts of Shay aside and ponder a decision she needed to finalize. Continuing as business partners with Gina was working out just fine, but Liza worried that by doing so she was compromising her own independence. Financially, it was a very good arrangement as she received full partnership benefits from each quarter’s profits. Still, there was a subconscious feeling that she should break free and do something on her own. It was almost as if she was dependent on Gina, even though she certainly did her share of the decision-making.

  She paused and looked along the long rows of vegetables that would soon be overripe. She realized suddenly that this wasn’t a decision she had to make. At least not alone. Flipping open her cell phone, she pressed a speed dial key.

  “Shay, can you come out and play?” she asked as soon as the ringing stopped.

  “Play? Not again? Haven’t you had enough of me?” Amusement infused Shay’s husky voice.

  Liza laughed. “Never. So get used to it. Can you come over? I have something I want to show you, maybe get your advice on.”

  “Sure, be right there. Oh wait, I just realized...” She laughed in disbelief. “I’m not sure I know where you live.”

  Liza laughed for a long time—so long she could sense Shay fuming on the other end of the line. She stopped abruptly, gave Shay directions, signed off, then laughed some more, shaking her head in amazement. Talk about insanity. As intimate as they’d been, Shay had yet to meet her family or visit her home. She’d fix that oversight in a hurry.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  “So anyway, Dee is going to check into it and see if he can learn her whereabouts,” Shay said as they strolled around to the backyard at Liza’s house. “I still cannot believe that she was released.”

  “I can’t either. I told Mindy to keep an eye out for strangers too. She said she would.”

  “Good. We should probably....whoa!” She broke off abruptly as Liza’s garden came into view. “Oh, my gosh, El. What have you done?”

  Liza frowned and hastened to defend her work. “Well, I was alone then and had to do something with my time. Besides this is what I do, you know?”

  Shay turned bright eyes upon Liza. “I do know, and this is wonderful! So this is what you were talking about the other day.”

  Liza smiled tremulously. “You mean it’s okay? You like it?”

  “Oh, honey, this is so much more than okay. How do you get everything so green? And I don’t see a single weed. How do you do that? You have people working it, of course,” she told herself.

  Liza shook her head in the negative. “Nope, do it all myself. Or used to. I’ve been a little distracted lately.” She pulled Shay into her embrace and they shared a yielding kiss.

  “This is why I wanted you to come over. I have some major decisions to make and would like your input.” She reluctantly moved back. “I’m trying to decide whether to break my partnership w
ith Meadows, to maybe go out on my own.”

  “Ah.” Shay thought a long beat. “Have you made the pro and con list? That always helps me.”

  “The what?”

  “The list.The positives and negatives of making the change or staying the same.”

  “Hmm, hadn’t thought of that. I mean, I’ve thought a lot about the issue but haven’t put anything concrete on paper.”

  Shay studied Liza with her head tilted to one side. “Is there a problem staying with Meadows?”

  The other woman shrugged. “No, not really. I don’t usually have to deal with Gina, not that I have a real problem with her. And the money is great because the business is huge and does so well.”

  “And you can easily support your philanthropy jones,” Shay added.

  Liza looked at her and burst into laughter. “My philanthropy jones? Omigosh, you are so cute!”

  Shay grinned. “Well, it’s true. The resources there allow you to help a lot of people.”

  Liza realized she hadn’t thought of that aspect. “You know, you’re right. It would be much harder to do that on my own.”

  “These are all things you need to think about when making a decision like this. How would the change impact your life for good or for bad?” She leaned and touched a plump green bean. “Can I eat this?”

  “Help yourself, sweetheart,” Liza answered absently, her mind digesting Shay’s common sense observations.

  “Man, that’s good,” Shay said savoring the bite of raw green bean. “The soil here must be incredible.”

  “Well, I’ve prepared it, of course, but you’re right, the base is very good here. Close to the water table. Come with me, I want to show you something else.”

  “Omigosh, are those strawberries?” Shay asked, veering toward the papaya trees.

  Liza sighed and rolled her eyes in mock disgust. “Help yourself,” she said.

  Watching Shay forage gave Liza an intense feeling of pleasure.

  “I simply cannot believe you are growing all this back here,” Shay said, offering a berry to Liza.

  Liza popped the berry into her mouth, then took Shay’s hand and led her through the length of the garden and into the wilderness beyond. Shay was surprised to find herself surrounded by bright Christmas trees bearing large yellow ornaments. When a delicious citrus scent penetrated, she realized she was actually surrounded by a grove of heavily laden grapefruit trees, something she’d never seen before. With the trees planted in close rows, she could easily have become lost amidst the mass of them.

  “Did you plant these?” she asked, fluttering her fingers through the rough greenery.

  “Oh no, they’ve been here about thirty years. The people who owned this place, before my dad and mom bought it back in the late seventies, had a whole grove. Lots have died back because no one has taken care of them. Most, like these here, are doing well, though, feeding the birds and the possums—and me—each year.”

  Liza noticed Shay’s hungry look and quickly plucked a mottled green fruit from the tree and handed it to her. “Here, try one. This is a ruby, so it is way sweet. Do you like grapefruit?”

  Shay answered by fixing Liza’s eyes in a hungry gaze and biting into the peel of the fruit, pulling it from the pulp with her teeth. The action made Liza melt in all the right places. Her eyes darkened with desire.

  “My, my,” she whispered. “I guess you do.”

  Liza pulled Shay close and kissed her long and hard, the bitter tang of the grapefruit peel welcome on her lips. Shay returned the kiss, entwining her hands, one holding the grapefruit, behind Liza’s head. Her hips pressed ardently into the taller woman and Liza felt her knees weaken. It was about time she found a woman with the exact perfect chemistry and a desire that matched her own. Breaking the kiss, she hung her head, mentally thanking the universe for sending her such perfection.

  She lifted her gaze and noted how secluded they were, totally hidden by the trees. Luckily, the trees hadn’t been trimmed so the lower branches remained to shield the two women further. Her father never came down to this part of the yard and her brother was at work. Perfect.

  Giving in to her desire, she kissed Shay again, then lifted her shirt, delighted to find nothing beneath the soft cotton. She teased the hardening breast tips with her mouth until Shay’s heartbeat and breathing increased. Impatiently, Liza unsnapped Shay’s jeans and pulled open the zipper. She moved to one side and lowered their bodies gently to a cleared area below one of the trees. Holding Shay close with her left arm as a cushion beneath her, Liza allowed her free hand to tease, roaming Shay’s neck, body and breasts as she pressed kisses upon her. Sometime later, she pushed her hand down inside Shay’s jeans and found the sweetness there. Their lips met and held, tongues dancing sensuously as Liza’s hand rhythmically, yet slowly, taking her time, moved against the softness, pushing Shay over the edge. After some time, her uncontrolled wail sounded in Liza’s mouth, and Liza felt empathic sensations race along her thighs and belly. Pulling her hand free, she cradled Shay in her arms, the rabble-rouser grapefruit still held snugly between their bodies.

  “Lord, what you do to me,” Shay muttered sometime later, her gaze fuzzy. She stood with Liza’s help and waited, quietly obedient and nibbling the grapefruit, as Liza refastened the jeans she’d so recently opened, straightened Shay’s shirt and brushed debris from her clothing and hair. Shay’s cheeks were pink and her embarrassment further endeared her to Liza.

  “There, all better,” Liza said, patting Shay’s clothing. “No one’s the wiser.”

  Shay smiled mischievously. “I guess I’ll have to owe you one,” she teased.

  “Something to look forward to,” Liza added, her voice growing husky. “Let’s make it soon, okay?”

  Shay laughed at Liza’s drawn features. “Soon, baby,” she assured her.

  “You know, this is really good,” Shay said as they slowly walked along the trees. “Have you thought about growing these, as a business?”

  “Actually,” Liza mused thoughtfully. “I could. Growing them could be a side industry, especially if I opened my own business. I see your point though. Giving up Meadows would be silly at this point in my life. I can’t imagine anything making me more money than I make there, and you’re right about the charity work—my philanthropy jones, as you call it.” Her lips curved with amusement as she said the term. “Besides, competing with Meadows might not be in my best interest.”

  Shay handed Liza a section of fruit as they walked back toward the garden. “You know...” Shay mused. “What if you had a Meadows South? As a part of the original Meadows. Like a new branch, a new division.”

  Liza stopped walking and stilled. She hadn’t thought of that. “That’s a great idea. I could even use the Meadows resources, giving the part-time workers something to do when they’re idle up there. We’re warmer than they are. You’re a genius, Shay!”

  Shay grinned proudly, clearly pleased that she had helped Liza with a major decision. She lifted her face for one more kiss.

  Inside the house, Shay took in the worn, comfortable surroundings of the large farmhouse and realized they fit Liza exactly. She wasn’t one to put on airs and, as long as items remained functional, Shay knew Liza, with her reduce/reuse/recycle mentality, would utilize them as long as possible.

  A man strongly resembling Liza, to whom Shay was soon introduced, eyed her with friendly curiosity as he took her hand.

  “So you’re the young lady my Liza’s been hanging out with,” Tom Hughes said jovially. “It’s good to finally meet you.”

  “My dad’s a nurse over at Fairhope General,” Liza said.

  Shay’s eyes widened. “Oh, no way! My father was a nurse like forever until he finally took an administrative position.”

  Tom tilted his head to one side. “Really. Which hospital? I may have met him at a seminar.”

  “GWU. He also worked in administration in the medical school. He was a lot older than you. His name was Thaddeus Raynor.”


  “Hmm, tall thin man? Balding?”

  Shay’s smile broadened. “Yes! How weird is that?”

  Liza looked at Shay, then at her father. “You don’t mean to tell me you knew Shay’s dad?”

  Her father nodded. “Yep, not well but I met him on several occasions. I remember a great presentation he gave at a session in Florida several years ago. It was on decreasing staff load by increasing volunteer possibilities in communities.”

  “That was a topic dear to his heart,” Shay said, eyes growing fond. “So what is your specialty?”

  “I get to work in neonatal. With the babies. I’m afraid that I’ll be following in your father’s footsteps, however. If the powers that be have their way, I’ll be driving a desk for a while.”

  “Dad’s been fighting skin cancer,” Liza explained, “and the treatments have left him a little weak. They’re just taking him off the floor temporarily until he gets all his strength back. Shouldn’t be long but he’ll be going back to a desk job after the holidays.”

  Shay eyed him closely. “Well, you look well for a man who’s been sick. I hope your recovery is swift.”

  Liza took Shay’s hand and pulled her toward the kitchen. “Gotta go, Pop. We’re making the menu for tomorrow.”

  Shay shrugged helplessly as she was tugged away. “Nice meeting you, Mr. Hughes.”

  “Tom, call me Tom,” he called after them, “and make sure y’all make some of that sweet potato casserole, with the marshmallows on top.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Later, at the large, fluorescently lit grocery store in Fairhope, Shay playfully climbed onto the front rail of Liza’s metal grocery cart and chattered nonstop as she and Liza searched for Thanksgiving fixings. The basket already held a huge turkey, a ham, a large bag of fresh cranberries, salted butter and assorted miscellaneous items, and the two of them were arguing about whether to use prepackaged stuffing or make their own from fresh bread crumbs as they traveled at a good clip down the milk aisle. As they rounded a corner, their cart was broadsided by another, creating a huge clang. Shay went tumbling off the cart, sprawling onto the vinyl floor. Terrified, Liza stood frozen, mouth agape. To add to her astonishment, she saw that Kim was pushing the other cart with Rosemary trailing behind. They seemed to be as much in shock as she was, but all three women quickly came to their senses and converged on Shay to help her regain her feet.