by Chris Zett
Ella’s enthusiastic gurgling was most likely a response to the enthusiasm in Lena’s voice and her twisting movements, but Lena appeared to take it as confirmation. She squatted and submerged her hands in the water, then softly touched Ella’s nose with the tip of her finger.
Jess couldn’t help but laugh as Ella wrinkled her nose. Would it be like this as Ella grew up and they got to share more and more first times? That was what she’d always wanted, to show a child all the great things life had to offer. Recently, she’d been more occupied with recuperating and taking care of the basic necessities of life than with the beautiful discoveries they could make together.
Lena fished a shell out of the water and dried it on her shirt. She held it out to Ella, helping her little hand to glide over the smooth inside and rough outside.
The sight of Lena sharing her first moment at the ocean with Ella warmed Jess more than the rays of the sun could. Instead of considering the baby a disturbance or at best a necessary evil, Lena actively involved Ella in her own exploration and shared her joy freely.
Jess’s eyes started to burn. The reflection of the light must be even worse so close to the water. She pulled her sunglasses down from her head. There, much better.
She chanced another glance at Lena, who shielded her eyes and studied the horizon, laughing as a flock of seagulls swooped down to fish. She had obviously forgotten to bring her own sunglasses.
“Here,” Jess removed hers and held them out. “Take mine.”
“No, you’ll see less.”
“But you have Ella, and I would prefer if you didn’t stumble over a rock and fall face down in the water or something.”
“If you put it that way…” Lena took the glasses and put them on. They slid down to the tip of her nose, and she had to adjust the fit a bit. “I always thought your head was too big… Now I have proof.”
Jess laughed. “I would make you pay for that comment, but you’re hiding behind a tiny human shield. Not fair.”
“Let’s walk along the shore for a bit. I promise not to drown Ella.”
Jess looked down at Lena, who was still squatting, digging with one hand in the wet sand. “Do you need help getting up?” Jess gestured to Ella. “Is she too heavy?”
“No, she’s fine.” Lena stood without assistance even though the muscles in her legs quivered slightly.
Her long, well-formed legs Jess couldn’t look away from. She’d noticed them before, of course, as Lena often wore shorts in the garden or one of her asymmetrical knee-length skirts, like today. But now she knew how soft that skin was even covered in goosebumps like yesterday. Lena’s naked feet dug into the wet sand, and she was wearing the sexy dark-purple nail polish again.
Jess’s feet were sensibly clad in trainers, with long jeans covering her ankles. They hadn’t been swollen for a couple of weeks, but she hadn’t lost the habit of hiding them. Well, cold water was supposed to be good for circulation. She toed off her shoes and bent down to remove her socks and cuff her jeans.
“I can’t remember when I last took the time to actually walk on the beach. I mostly saw the ocean from afar.” Jess kept her gaze on the ground as they walked. Just so she wouldn’t tread on anything sharp. Not because she didn’t trust her eyes to stay away from Lena’s legs or Ella’s head resting contently on Lena’s cleavage or Lena’s smile as she took in everything the ocean had to offer.
“That’s sad.” They had reached a stonier part, and Lena slowed to pick her way. “And now?”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Jess held her breath and stepped into the surf. The first contact with the cold water stabbed her toes with a thousand icy needles, but after a few seconds, a not-so-uncomfortable tingling replaced the pain.
This was real. Like Lena.
The blackberry bushes were hidden at the western end of the lot and as loaded as Diana had promised. In a wind-sheltered area, the hedge grew higher than Lena could reach, and many long branches were pulled down to the ground by the weight of the berries.
Jess stared open-mouthed. “That’s more than enough to feed an army.”
“Even if we only pick the ones that are easy to reach, we should get plenty.” Lena grinned and lightly elbowed Jess. “Don’t worry. We don’t need to pick all of them.”
“Whew.” Jess exaggeratedly wiped her brow. “I thought we’d spend the next couple of weeks here.”
“Nah, I don’t want to get on the wrong side of Maggie by kidnapping her family.”
Jess spread a blanket in the shade of a pine and placed Ella’s carrier on it. “She’s asleep again. Lazy girl doesn’t want to help us.” She bent down to drape a white cotton cloth over the opening to shield Ella from the sun. Her faded jeans looked as soft as the cloth. A loose navy T-shirt hid the rest of her figure, but Lena remembered the feel of her body all too well.
Her fingertips itched with the desire to go over and explore again. Instead, she drank deeply from the water bottle she’d brought. It was still cool but didn’t help to douse the heat that had simmered inside since their kiss. Stop it.
Unlike her own mother, she knew better than to follow every impulse, no matter how pleasurable it was. Ever since Jess had admitted to being attracted to her, Lena had been playing the what-ifs in her mind. If Lena messed this up, she would jeopardize her living situation and the job with Jess’s mom. Or worse, if Lena gave in to her attraction and fell for Jess, she would surely break Lena’s heart. Jess had said it herself—she wasn’t ready for a relationship. But what if they managed to have amazing sex and stay friends?
Before her libido could win the argument, she forced herself to look away. Concentrate on the blackberries. That’s why you’re here, not for a romantic weekend at the sea.
Jess joined her a minute later and picked up her own bucket. She either sensed Lena’s need to work uninterrupted or was busy with her own thoughts. Wordlessly, they picked side by side and had soon filled all but two containers.
“Wait.” Jess put her hand on Lena’s arm to stop her from placing a berry in her empty bucket. “What do you think about a competition?”
“Competition?”
“Let’s race. Whoever finishes her bucket first gets a prize.”
“Oh, what would that be?”
Jess plucked the berry Lena still held between her fingers and popped it in her mouth. “Mmmh. What would you want?” A tiny drop of purple juice stained her lip.
The urge to wipe it away was strong, and Lena clutched her bucket with both hands to stop them from reaching out. What did she want? Another kiss. No! That was not an appropriate price. Something innocent, like food? “Dinner?”
Jess pushed her sunglasses up into her hair and studied Lena for a moment. “Like a date?”
Whoa, that wasn’t innocent at all. Lena wanted to say yes and no at the same time, so she made a joke instead. “Just a dinner. Two friends, maybe the loser’s daughter…”
Jess laughed, and her eyes twinkled with mischief. “You mean the winner’s daughter.” She pushed her sunglasses down as if to ready herself for the race. “On the count of three. One, two…” She lightly pushed Lena out of the way and reached for the branch full of ripe berries she had been working on. “Three!”
Lena reached around Jess and stole the berry she had just picked, then fled a few feet away to another good spot.
She worked methodically along the hedge until the bucket was nearly full. Once she had picked everything within easy reach, she was still a few berries short. A branch arched above her, taunting her with ripe berries. But even on her toes, it was too high. Lena placed her bucket on the ground and jumped up to grab a few leaves and pull the branch down. Perfect.
One by one, she plucked the berries and let them fall into the bucket. To get the last few, she needed to change hands. The branch strained to snap back into its natural form, and when she tried to f
ind a grip with her other hand, it did just that. Instinctively, she moved to hold it in place, not looking where she placed her fingers.
With all her might, she grasped the branch in her fist. And poked a couple of thorns right into her palm and thumb.
She let go, and the branch tore upward, raining ripe berries everywhere.
“Ouch! Shit.” Lena balled her hand into a fist to stave off the pain. How could she have been so stupid? Hadn’t she learned anything from the apple-picking incident last week?
Jess ran over to her. “Lena? What happened?”
“Nothing. I scratched my hand.” Lena spoke through gritted teeth.
“Let me see.” Jess’s voice was calm and strangely compelling.
Before she could think about it, Lena opened her hand and held it out. A thin red line followed the lifeline like an evil twin, and the inside of her thumb bled profusely. A drop fell on the ground. “Uh, sorry.” Lena pulled her hand back.
Jess stopped her with a gentle grip around her wrist. With her other hand, she pulled a package of tissues from her pocket. “Hold this.”
“But…” Lena could do this herself.
“Do me a favor and let me.” Jess grinned. “I’m a highly trained professional after all. And I need the practice as a mom. If Ella takes after me, even a little bit, I’ll have to take care of a lot of scratches in the future.” She let go of Lena’s wrist.
“Okay, Doctor Riley.” Lena smiled and took the package of tissues with her free hand.
Jess cringed. “Um…about that…” She looked everywhere but at Lena’s face. With a sigh, she took a tissue and soaked up the blood on the palm and the thumb, then inspected the scratches. She took Lena’s bottle from the ground and poured some water over her hand, then blotted it dry. Her fingers were warm where she cradled Lena’s hand in her own. “I think everything came out,” she mumbled, probably more to herself.
“Feels like it.” Lena couldn’t see Jess’s expression since she kept her head down, but a slight blush was visible on the tips of her ears. Or was it sunburn?
Jess pulled out another a tissue, opened it, folded it again into a narrower but thicker bandage, and wrapped it around the bleeding thumb. She pressed her hand around it. “Let’s wait a couple of minutes, and that should do the trick. When was your last tetanus shot?”
About the time she’d last had a job that came with health insurance. But she wasn’t about to say that out loud. “Maybe four years ago? Five?”
“That’s fine.” Jess shifted on her feet and sighed again. Then she squared her shoulders and raised her head, gaze steady and open. “I apologize for my arrogant behavior when we first met. I could say I was cranky because of my recent diagnosis and hormonal imbalance, but there is no justification for treating you that way.”
Lena searched her expression for her intentions but found only honesty and regret. “Are you saying this because we’re friends, and now that you know me you’re sorry you behaved like that? Or are you genuinely sorry you treated another human being like shit?”
“Oh.” Jess’s brow wrinkled. “I’ve never thought about that. Maybe both? If I’d never seen you again, I don’t know if I’d have reevaluated my behavior, but if I had thought about it, I would’ve regretted it. I was full of anger and frustration and poured it out over everyone who crossed my path. That’s not who I want to be.” As she talked, the grip on Lena’s thumb tightened until it was almost painful. “What I do know is I’m genuinely sorry.”
“Okay. Apology accepted.” Lena smiled and softly squeezed the hand that held hers. Maybe she lingered longer than was strictly necessary to convey the message, but the warm flesh under her fingers felt right.
Relief softened Jess’s features as the tension receded. A tentative smile bloomed on her lips.
Her very attractive lips. Considerate and charming Jess was a serious distraction.
Lena wiggled her thumb in Jess’s grasp. “Do you think it’s stopped bleeding?”
“Impatient?” Grinning, Jess unwrapped the thumb and inspected it for a second. When no blood welled up, she blew over it. “There. All better now.”
The warm air tingled on her skin, but Lena chose to ignore it. “You’re going to be a great mom. But what’s your professional opinion, Doctor? Will I live?”
Jess groaned. “I guess I’ve earned the teasing. Yes, you’ll live, at least until you’ve sampled my cooking skills.” She pointed at the bucket she’d dropped when she’d raced over to Lena. Blackberries had spilled everywhere. “And if you keep on teasing me, you’ll get the same as I cook every evening, a bottle of lukewarm formula.”
Chapter Seventeen
A car honked twice, and the motor roared as it overtook Jess’s BMW on the highway. She checked her speedometer. Yeah, okay, she was driving just under limit, but that was no reason to behave like an idiot. She opened her mouth to let everyone know in explicit terms what she thought about guys like that when Lena chuckled next to her.
“I hope the five minutes he gains will be worth the anger eating at him.”
Jess snapped her mouth shut. Right. If she cursed now, she wouldn’t be any better. And hadn’t she decided to let go of her anger? She glanced back at Ella. Still sleeping. That girl really liked to be moved around, whether in a car or a stroller.
At the sight of her daughter peacefully enjoying the ride, Jess’s anger evaporated as fast as it had risen. Lena was right; it wasn’t worth it. She drove on until they reached the café, not caring how slow she was.
“If you go down this alley, you can park at the back entrance. No one will be here today.” Lena pointed to a narrow road.
Jess maneuvered her BMW right, hoping her mirrors survived the walls on both sides. A few seconds later, they arrived at the parking space for the café that seemed big enough for a couple of vans. She reversed the car into it to give them better access to the trunk.
“I’ll unlock the door. If you want, you can wait inside with Ella while I unload everything.” Lena jumped out of the car and went to the large metal door. The blue paint was sun-bleached and flaky, but the area was clean, and the little patch of green next to the concrete was free of weeds.
Since Ella was still sleeping, Jess decided to help with the boxes before moving her. They had bought small preserving jars and an obscenely large bag of sugar. The buckets of fruit and berries rested in the back of the trunk, and the scent enveloped Jess as she opened the lid. It conjured up a picture of Lena, with adorably stained blue lips, fingers, and even a colored strand of hair. Her own lips prickled at the memory of the taste of the berries, and her mind involuntarily leapt to the tart taste of the wine and the kiss.
The creak of the door pulled her out of her thoughts. She stacked three of the boxes on top of each other and carried them inside, which may have been a bit ambitious.
“Where do you want me to put them?” Jess fought to keep the strain from her voice. No need to embarrass herself even more in front of Lena, who had seen enough of her weakness in recent weeks.
“Next to the dishwasher, over there.”
Good thing she pointed it out. It didn’t look like any dishwasher she’d seen before. Jess set the boxes on the counter and took a shaky breath. Under the pretense of looking more closely at the stainless steel contraption, she stretched her back. “Why do you want to clean them? They’re brand new.”
“I always run them through a special cleaning and sterilizing cycle. You never know how they’ve been stored.”
“Good idea.” Jess hadn’t expected that kind of effort for homemade preserves, but Lena seemed to take her business seriously.
They emptied the trunk in no time, and soon the kitchen was stacked with everything Lena needed. On the last trip, Jess carted the still-sleeping Ella inside, and Lena brought a coarse linen bag.
When Jess placed the carrier on a small wooden table at
one end of the room, Ella opened her eyes with an unfocused gaze. Jess leaned closer into Ella’s field of vision and whispered, “Sleep on. I’m here.”
Ella yawned, blinked twice, then fell back asleep.
“Will it be okay if I use the dishwasher?” Lena tied her hair into a bun and put on an apron.
“Probably.” Jess walked over to join her. “I haven’t found out what wakes her. Most of the time she sleeps through the most terrible noise, like last week when Mom’s neighbor used a chainsaw in the garden. Sometimes a whisper on the wind seems to wake her. We’ll give it a try. What can I do to help?”
Lena lifted the biggest bowl Jess had ever seen from a rack and put it in the sink, poured the blackberries into it, and covered them with water. “You don’t need to help. This is how I earn my living, after all. You don’t even need to stay. This will take a while.” She gestured to the buckets of apples and pears on the counter.
“Haven’t we had this discussion before?” Jess rolled her eyes but grinned. She held up her hand to tick off the points she wanted to make with her fingers. “I offered to help; you didn’t ask me to. I have nothing else to do but watch my daughter sleep. I’m going crazy inside the house. And I need to practice working more than an hour at a time. You can view it as helping me rehabilitate.”
Laughing, Lena handed her another apron. “Okay, okay. Thank you. Do you want to wash the blackberries or peel the apples and pears? Or stack the jars into the dishwasher?”
Jess groaned as she put the apron on. “We need to peel them all ourselves? Isn’t there a fancy machine we can use?”
“No, that’s why it’ll take all day. Still willing to help?” Lena’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
Jess had never enjoyed cooking or the preparations that came with it, but she actually looked forward to spending an afternoon in this kitchen in Lena’s company. “Let me start the dishwasher. Maybe you’ll have finished most of the apples by the time I’m done.”
“You wish.” Lena walked over to her. “Let me show you how this works.”