Christmas All Around Us ; The Perfect Time for Love ; Playing for Keeps

by Carla Kincaid

  "Yeah," Dana said with a look that indicated her desire to get out of the room as quickly as possible.

  Mr. Warner scooped Dana up into one last hug. "Have fun, Sport," he said as he gave his granddaughter a squeeze.

  "I will. Come on, Dad. Let's go," she said tugging at her father's tuxedo sleeve.

  Sam took one more look at Joy and then turned to Kate. "I guess you're going out for the night," he said. It was more of an accusation than a question. "Well, I hope everyone has a good evening." He cut his eyes toward Joy one last time and then walked out the door.

  The atmosphere in the Warner living room felt like the aftermath of some strange natural disaster. Nothing was damaged but those present didn't quite know what to do next.

  "Well," Mr. Warner finally said. "All this excitement has made me hungry."

  "Do you want me to warm up a plate for you, Daddy?" Kate blurted out still feeling nervous about the encounter with Sam as well as her own dinner plans.

  "Don't be silly, Darling. I know how to work the microwave," he said with a dismissive wave. "You two get going and have some fun. I'm going to enjoy some peace and quiet with everyone out of the house." He crossed his arms and smiled at his daughter as if he couldn't wait for her to leave.

  "Okay then. Suit yourself," Kate said realizing that there was nothing left to do to delay her evening from starting. "I'll see you later, Daddy."

  Kate kissed her father's stubbly cheek but before she stepped away he pressed his lips to her ear. "Have fun!" he whispered.

  Kate could still feel her father's breath in her ear as she slipped into the passenger seat of Joy's car. The top was up this time but even without the wind blowing through her hair, the speed of the fancy sports car made the ride much more exciting than a road trip in old Betsy.

  "So, you're not going to tell me where we're going?" Kate asked as they sped along Hwy 40.

  They had already been driving for about twenty minutes and Kate's curiosity was beginning to get the best of her.

  "Well, you said there wasn't any place exciting to eat in Hersh Falls so I had to broaden my search a bit." Joy glanced over at Kate with a smile.

  The mystery of their destination added to the excitement Kate was already feeling just being out with Joy. If only she could completely let go of her mother-worry about Dana.

  "I'm sure she'd want you to have a good time," Joy said as if she'd read Kate's thoughts.

  Kate let out a long sigh. "Yeah, I know. It's just that I can't quite turn off being a mother even if I deserve to relax a little. My mind always floats back to thoughts about her."

  "So, just surrender," Joy said as if it was the only logical solution. "It's like when I'm in a game and I'm worried about how I'm playing. The worst thing I can do is try to put my mind on something else. It just never works. What I do instead is allow myself to focus on exactly what I'm worried about. I look right at it. Flip it around in every direction until I get to the root of what's bothering me."

  "Hmmm." Kate wondered if a sports exercise would work in her situation.

  "What has you so worried?" Joy asked obviously willing to give Kate some coaching assistance in the matter.

  Kate twisted her lip, took a deep breath and then let out a long stream of air. Just giving herself permission to think about Dana did help her relax a little.

  "I guess it was seeing her in that dress tonight and realizing how fast time is passing. Before I know it she'll be ready to graduate and I know she won't stay in Hersh Falls after that."

  "Are you worried about her being okay out in the world?"

  Kate shrugged. "I guess that's part of it. I know Dana has a good head on her shoulders and I think she'll be able to handle life okay. Probably better than I do," Kate confessed softly. "I just don't ever want her to think she has to handle it all alone."

  "Like you did?" Joy asked.

  Kate let out an even deeper breath but something about Joy's question brought the fear she'd been wrestling with to the surface. Kate didn't want Dana to make the same kind of mistakes that she had because she didn't have a mother she could talk to.

  "Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if my mom had been around," Kate confessed.

  She turned her head and stared out the car window. Kate knew she hadn't shared any specific details about her mother's death with Joy. It wasn't something she talked about much. Her mother hadn't died slowly giving young Kate time to prepare for the grief she was about to endure. No, for Kate one day her mother was there and the next day she was gone.

  "My mom was killed by a drunk driver," Kate said softly. Her warm breath fogged the passenger window.

  "Oh, Kate. I'm so sorry." Joy reached over and rested her free hand on Kate's leg.

  "I always think the pain has gotten better and then something happens and..." Kate took a deep breath and blinked her eyes to keep the tears back. She gazed off into the distance. "I guess it's not something you ever really get over."

  The car fell silent for a moment.

  "I'm sorry, Joy. "I didn't mean to be such a Debbie Downer," Kate apologized.

  "No. It's okay," Joy said quickly. "You don't have to put on a cheerful face for me. It's good to let the hard stuff come to the surface so you can deal with it."

  Kate was grateful for Joy's understanding and by the time city lights appeared in the distance she was feeling a lot better. Maybe Joy was right. Holding it in wasn't the best way to deal with her pain. She felt a genuine smile stretch across her face. It was nice to have someone to talk to, she thought. Someone, she could be honest with.

  "Okay, from here I need a little GPS help," Joy said as she tapped her cell phone.

  The screen lit up and a map appeared. Joy must have already had the address programmed in because a moment later a poor imitation of Ellen Degeneres's voice began spitting out directions.

  "In one mile, turn right at Dawson Lane."

  Kate giggled as she looked around trying to get her bearings. She knew they'd driven into Morrisville -- a town about twice the size of Hersh Falls but still not large enough to really qualify as a city -- but she wasn't familiar enough with the area to know exactly where they were.

  "Is it too soon for you to tell me where we're going?" she asked.

  "Nope. As a matter of fact, your timing is perfect." Joy pointed at a building coming up on their right.

  Kate read the bright sign on the roof. "Yearlings? Wow, I've heard of this place," Kate said. "The food is supposed to be really good." And expensive, Kate thought to herself. The restaurant catered to a wealthy resort area close by.

  "I looked it up on Yelp. It's got really good reviews," Joy said with a smile. "And since this was my invitation, dinner is on me."

  Kate relaxed a little knowing she wasn't going to have to pick up her share the bill, but she still wasn't sure what kind of date this was. By the time they were seated at their table, she'd decided not to worry about it anymore. Just have fun, she thought, repeating her father's words in her head. Just have fun.

  ***

  "Well, the Yelp review was right," Joy said as she finished the last bit of the steak she'd ordered.

  "Yeah," Kate agreed. "My salmon was great!"

  Kate was full from her meal, giddy about the luxurious surroundings and totally enamored with the woman sitting across the table from her.

  "Would you two ladies care for dessert?" the attentive waiter asked as he appeared at their table scooping up plates and glasses in one effortless motion.

  Kate was curious about the restaurant's dessert menu but Joy wasn't even looking at hers.

  "I've still got an unopened carton of Rocky Road in my freezer," Joy said with a slight smile.

  Kate's heart fluttered. There was no need to look at the dessert menu now. Nothing on it could top an invitation to have ice cream back at Joy's place.

  Chapter 12

  "I hope you don't mind eating from the carton," Joy said as she pulled the pint of Rocky Road ice cream from
the freezer. "My host only provided me with one bowl and it still has cereal in it from breakfast this morning." Joy waved a spoon in the air.

  "I think you should talk to the owner about that," Kate said with a laugh. "Tell her she should at least give you two sets of dishes."

  Joy carried the ice cream over to where Kate was sitting on the bed and plopped down beside her. She scooped out a big spoonful of ice cream and stuck it in her mouth.

  "Ah! My favorite," she said enthusiastically.

  Joy let the cold dessert swirl across her tongue and then crunched the pieces of almond with her teeth. The gooey bits of marshmallow burst with expected sweetness in every bite.

  "The thing I like about Rocky Road is that you get so many different textures and flavors in each bite. It's like an adventure in your mouth!" Joy closed her eyes and focused on the taste.

  She really did love Rocky Road ice cream but that wasn't the reason she closed her eyes. In truth, she was suddenly having a difficult time dealing with Kate being in her room. The whole way home from the restaurant Kate's story about how her mother died kept tormenting Joy. When Joy first arrived in Hersh Falls there was no reason for her to tell Kate about her own DUI accident and almost killing her nephew. But now. Now that the two of them had become so close. Now that all Joy wanted to do was scoop Kate into her arms and indulge in a sweetness that she knew would be better than her favorite ice cream. Now it seemed wrong not to tell her.

  "Are you going to share or what?" Kate's voice interrupted

  Joy's internal wrestling. Joy opened her eyes and saw Kate smiling at her. Her eyes were filled with an unmistakable desire that made Kate all the more attractive. Still unsure about what to do, Joy robotically scooped out a spoonful of ice cream and then just sat there with the spoon hanging in mid-air. Kate teasingly leaned forward, parting her lips but never breaking eye contact with Joy. She wrapped her tongue around the spoon coaxing the cool, creamy dessert into her mouth.

  "Mmmm," Kate said with a long, low moan.

  The sound sent a surge of heat through Joy's body. It pushed all of the hesitating thoughts out of Joy's mind and caused her to hone her focus on only one thing -- how much she wanted Kate. The chill of the ice cream was no match for the heat that Joy felt emanating from her. She was sure even her hands were heating up and melting the ice cream in the carton she was still holding.

  "There's something I want much more than ice cream, though," Kate said with a boldness that made her even sexier to Joy.

  Kate locked eyes with Joy and everything seemed to move in slow motion as she moved closer and closer to Joy. Kate's face blurred in Joy's vision but loosing sight of the woman didn't matter. A new sense was awakened as Joy felt the soft touch of Kate's lips meeting her own. Joy could still taste the chocolate in Kate's mouth as their tongues began to dance. Joy felt her heart rate increase and suddenly the distance between their bodies became unbearable. Somehow Joy managed to place the ice cream carton on the nightstand beside the bed freeing her hands to do what they longed to do.

  "I've been wanting to do this from the moment I saw you," she whispered in Kate's ear.

  Joy pressed forward in the kiss, easing Kate back until she was laying on the bed. Joy lowered her body on top of Kate's and once again their lips met and their tongues danced together in perfect syncopation. They laid like that tasting each other until Joy couldn't resist letting her fingers roam Kate's body. Her hand inched up Kate's thigh -- grateful that the woman was wearing a skirt tonight. She kneaded her hand over Kate's soft, supple flesh allowing all of the fantasies she'd been suppressing for the past few days to come to life.

  When Kate let out a soft moan Joy took it as a signal to move further. She pushed the fabric of Kate's dress up until her fingers found what she was really searching for -- the silky thong that barely covered the sweetness Joy desired.

  Kate arched her back as she felt the light touch of Joy's fingers probing the edges of her panties. Joy let her fingers continue to wander slipping under the thin fabric and letting them dance in Kate's curls.

  "Oh, yes!" Joy groaned with approval. "All natural."

  Kate smiled into their kiss as Joy's fingers continued their search. The wetness she felt was driving Joy crazy but as much as she wanted to taste Kate's sweet nectar, she was so excited by Kate's reaction to her finger play that she didn't want to stop giving her pleasure.

  Slowly, Joy eased one, then two fingers into Kate's center. Using her thumb she gently massaged Kate's clit bringing her closer and closer to ecstasy.

  "Don't stop," Kate said breathlessly. "Please, don't stop!"

  But Kate had nothing to worry about. Joy had no intention of stopping until Kate reached climax.

  "I want you to come for me," she whispered and then dipped her tongue in Kate's ear matching the pulse of her fingers.

  When Joy felt Kate's body begin to tremble she increased the speed and depth of her exploration. Kate moved her hips along with each stroke until finally she couldn't hold back any longer. Joy smiled as Kate's body convulsed, gripping her fingers between her legs as the orgasm rocked her body.

  After they'd caught their breath Kate said, "That was so much better than anything on the menu at Yearlings," she giggled. "But I wouldn't be a good hostess if I didn't make sure my guest was satisfied too."

  With one smooth motion, Kate rolled over and straddled Joy. "Time for your dessert, Miss Sizemore," she said with a sexy grin and then pressed her body into Joy's"

  Joy surrendered to Kate fully intent on enjoying her share of the night's dessert.

  ❤️❤️❤️

  The sun had been peeking through the apartment curtains for at least an hour before Kate finally surrendered to the new day and opened her eyes. Feeling the warmth of Joy's body lying beside her made her want to stay in bed all day. Was this real? Had she really spent the night making love to the woman she met on the side of the road only a week ago?

  "I guess we'd better get up," Joy said as she rolled over and looked up at Kate. Kate inched her body even closer to Joy's and snuggled her head under Joy's chin.

  "We're not going anywhere if you keep that up," Joy said with a laugh.

  The two women were still nuzzled in each other's arms when the sound of car tires on the outside gravel intruded on their morning utopia.

  "Who could that be at this hour?" Kate asked as she sat up immediately missing the warmth of Joy's body. "I heard Dad drive the lawn mower up the hill hours ago."

  Kate scrambled out of the bed, momentarily playing tug-of-war with Joy over the blanket that they'd both been snuggled under. She pulled the curtain back and peered out the window.

  "Oh no!" Kate exclaimed as she let the curtains fall back into place. "It's Dana -- and Sam." Kate felt her face go pale.

  "I thought Dana was going to go straight to the softball game from her father's house," Joy said puzzled.

  "She must have forgotten something." Kate hurried across the room picking up garments that had been hastily discarded the night before. She stepped one foot into her dress and was about to stick her arms into the sleeves when Joy stopped her.

  "Uh, maybe you should put something else on?" Joy suggested gently. She stifled a giggle. "Unless you want your daughter to see you take the walk of shame out of my apartment in the same dress she saw you wearing last night."

  Kate looked down at the dress and then dropped the garment to the floor as if it had grown suddenly hot to the touch.

  "Don't worry," Joy said as she got out of bed and stepped over to the dresser. Kate peeked out the window as Joy scrounged around in a drawer. Finally, she pulled out a fresh t-shirt and a pair of shorts and handed them to Kate.