by Jay, Donna
Fighting back the insane desire to jump up, fist pump the air, and do a happy dance, Kelly stayed seated.
Besides she wasn’t entirely happy with how the conversation had gone. She scrunched her face up. “I’ll have to think about it.”
Wondering if she’d gone insane to even be considering the offer, Kelly soldiered on. “You questioned my friend’s integrity, whether or not we’d discussed your business, which felt like a slur on my character.”
A broad smile split her boss’s face in two. “I knew I’d made the right choice in offering you the position. I admire your spunk, Kelly.” She underlined something on her notepad then dropped the pen. “I wasn’t questioning Lucy’s integrity. However, most couples chat about work, and keep confidences, so I wouldn’t have been surprised, or angry.”
“Whoa, wait a minute.” Kelly held up a hand. “Who said anything about being a couple? Like I said, I’ve known her for a while. We’re friends.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie.
Jennifer clucked her tongue. “I might be getting old, but I’m not stupid. You’ve been walking around here on cloud nine. I haven’t seen you smile so much since you broke up with that other woman.”
The way Jennifer referred to Paula as the other woman made Kelly cringe.
Jennifer’s gaze flicked to Kelly’s legs and Kelly became acutely aware that she was perched on the edge of the seat, the lip biting into her backside. She had no memory of shuffling forward.
“Look at you. You’re champing at the bit to get out of here. I’m not going to push for more, but don’t lie to me about your relationship.”
“She lives with my ex,” Kelly said, a simple explanation of why she couldn’t shout out that they were dating.
“Oh.” Jennifer nodded her understanding. “That complicates matters.”
A humourless snort burst out of Kelly. “You think?”
Jennifer stood and crossed the office. “You’re off the clock, go make the most of your weekend.” She shut the window and pulled the curtains, blocking out the late afternoon sun.
“What’s said in this room stays in here. Your secret’s safe with me, Kelly.”
“Thanks.” Kelly headed for the door, doing an awkward walk-run. She didn’t want to seem too anxious to flee. Her boss had just offered her a promotion, for goodness sake.
Crap.
Kelly stopped in the doorway. “By the way, boss.”
“Yes.” Jennifer closed the lid on her briefcase.
“I accept your offer.”
They smiled, a silent acknowledgement of mutual respect passing between them.
With nothing more to be said, Kelly bolted down the stairs, jumped on her bike, and gunned it for home. She grinned the entire way.
The minute she got inside, she sent out a group text to Steve, Nicole, Ashleigh, Jo, and her mum to inform them of her job promotion.
She couldn’t wait to share the news with Lucy, in person.
Chapter 23
Sunday morning, Kelly awoke to the sun streaming through a gap in her curtains, the back of a soft body moulded to her front. Relaxed and content, she breathed in Lucy’s scent and kissed the back of her head.
Lucy stirred, mumbled something incoherent, and burrowed into her pillow.
Reluctant to move, but also excited about the day ahead, Kelly flipped the covers back. The sight of Lucy’s baby doll negligee bunched around her waist made Kelly’s breath hitch. The tantalizing image was almost enough to make her reconsider their plans.
“What time is it?” Lucy grumbled, pulling the sheet back up.
“Time to hit the road.” Kelly rolled out of bed and yanked the blankets off.
“Oh shoot, yeah.” Lucy shot up in bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “I almost forgot. You short-circuited my brain last night.” She flashed Kelly a wicked grin.
The memory of making love into the wee hours of the morning sparked a flame in Kelly’s belly.
Shower, she needed a cool shower.
Stark naked, happy for the first time in a long time that Nicole had abandoned her on a Saturday night, Kelly gathered up some clean clothes and tossed Lucy her overnight bag.
“You can join me in the bathroom or take a few minutes to wake up properly and have second dibs. Come to think of it,” Kelly said, “That might be a better idea, or we’ll never get out of here.”
A knowing smile lit up Lucy’s features.
On impulse, Kelly bounded across the room, cupped the back of her head, and planted a chaste kiss on Lucy’s lips.
“See you in the kitchen after you’ve showered. I’ll have coffee and toast waiting.”
“Aye, aye, captain.” Lucy saluted.
As strong as the pull was to pin Lucy to the bed, Kelly walked away. “You’ll keep.”
** *
An hour later, the sign to Himatangi Beach came into view. Lucy pulled to a stop at the T intersection, checked for traffic and turned left.
“I love the beach,” Kelly said.
Keeping her eyes on the road, Lucy flicked down her sun-visor. “Oh, really? When was the last time you were there?”
“Shit, did I say that out loud?” Kelly hadn’t meant to, she’d rather talk about Lucy than herself, and in all honesty, she didn’t want to answer the question.
Hoping to dodge a bullet, Kelly returned fire. “What about you, do you like the sea? New Plymouth has some lovely beaches, right?”
One thing Kelly had discovered about Lucy was that six months ago, she’d relocated from New Plymouth to Palmerston North, for work.
“The beaches are gorgeous. I miss building sandcastles with my nieces and nephews.”
How many were there, four or five? “Remind me again how many you have?”
“Five.” A warm smile spread across Lucy’s face. “My eldest brother has two boys and a girl, and my younger brother, or should I say the middle child, has a boy and a girl. My parents spoil the kids rotten.”
“I’ll bet.” Kelly smiled, happy to hear about Lucy’s family, to see her eyes light up when she talked about them.
“Now it’s your turn to answer my question, Kelly.”
Shit.
So much for deflecting.
A knot formed in Kelly’s stomach as she searched for the right words, the right tone, light and breezy or regretful? On one hand she regretted what happened, but on the other, how could she when it led to where she was? Well on her way to falling head over heels in love.
“It was the day after Paula’s party.” She flipped down the sun visor.
“Which one?” Lucy asked nonchalantly. “I mean, which party.”
Kelly wiped her sweaty palms on her dress. She really didn’t want to spell it out. Shame washed over her every time she thought about her actions that night.
When Kelly took too long to reply, Lucy glanced in her direction.
Taking one look at Kelly’s unsmiling face, Lucy mouthed, “Oh, that party.”
Finding her voice, Kelly replied, “Yeah, that party. I was a wreck, I didn’t know what to do. I needed to think. The sea helps clear my mind, so I headed straight for the nearest beach, Himatangi.”
“You, Ms cool, calm, and collected, were distraught? Colour me surprised.”
Unsure how to respond, Kelly turned the tables. “What did you do the next day?”
“Masturbated.” Lucy shrugged like it was a no-brainer.
Unbidden, and totally against her will, a dull ache throbbed between Kelly’s legs. Knowing she hadn’t left someone scarred for life, quite the opposite according to Lucy’s declaration, made Kelly giddy with relief.
“I had nightmares about you, well I didn’t know it was you, trying to erase me from your mind, to scrub my scent off you.”
“Oh, Kel.” Lucy’s words were heartfelt. “I’m so sorry. If only I’d had the strength to stop you. But no, I just gave in to the moment…”
No, no, no, no no, no!
Kelly cupped her ears, shocked that Lucy was taking responsibili
ty for Kelly’s actions. “It wasn’t your fault, Lucy. I went down on you without your consent, and it fuckin’ kills me knowing that!”
Gravel kicked up and the car came to an abrupt stop when Lucy skidded to a halt on the side of the road. She pulled Kelly’s hands from the dashboard where she’d braced herself.
“Listen to me, what happened wasn’t premeditated. Yes, the outcome could’ve been ugly, but unless you call what we have together ugly, you need to build a bridge, cross it, and spank my arse.”
Getting off her pity-pot, Kelly cupped Lucy’s cheek and tried a different tact. “Did I ever tell you that night’s the best thing that ever happened to me?”
“Better.” Lucy shoved the car in gear, checked for traffic, and continued on her merry way, grinning from ear to ear.
Kelly marvelled at their contrasting personalities. When Kelly needed grounding, Lucy was her anchor. When Lucy needed guidance, Kelly took the lead.
A car whizzed by, overtaking them at some ungodly speed. Kelly’s heart jumped into her throat. “What a fucking idiot.”
Lucy slowed and moved to the side, letting the guy sneak back into their lane before he had a head-on collision with a truck heading in their direction. The truck driver blasted his horn and shook his fist.
“Someone’s in a hurry to arrive dead on time. You okay?” Lucy squeezed Kelly’s thigh.
“Yay, I trust your driving. It’s the other tossers that worry me.”
Ironically, for one of the straightest stretches of road in the lower North Island, the Himatangi-Foxton straight had seen more than its fair share of fatalities.
Shortly after eleven, Kelly texted Jo. “Hey, Sis. We’ve just driven past the Ferry terminal. See you soon.”
Jo’s reply was instantaneous. “Cool, we’re already here, will meet you in the foyer.”
Warmth spread through Kelly’s chest. She couldn’t wait to see her sister, to meet her boyfriend, Tim, and to introduce them to Lucy.
“Look at you, all smiley blue eyes over there,” Lucy said as she indicated left and exited the motorway.
Kelly rubbed her hands together. “I know, I feel like a teenager on her first trip to the big city. Have you been to Te Papa before?”
“Nope, I normally avoid Wellington like the plague. I hate the rat race, and I dodge politics at all costs.”
“Hey, just because Parliament’s here doesn’t mean everyone talks…”
Noticing the huge smirk on Lucy’s face, Kelly stopped midsentence. In the next heartbeat, the rest of what Lucy said registered. Lucy had offered to drive to Wellington, despite her dislike of navigating the city.
She reached across the car and trailed a finger down Lucy’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Pulling to a stop at a red light, Lucy glanced at Kelly. “You’re welcome. Being with you is no hardship, Kel. I’d drive through Auckland if I had you by my side.”
“I promise never to do that to you. When I take you on a romantic getaway to the Sky Tower, I’ll whisk you away in my private jet.”
Even though Kelly laughed it off as a joke, an idea took root and blossomed. She didn’t have access to a jet, but she had savings and could pay for airfares.
Chapter 24
After finding a park, which was no easy feat due to many parking buildings being condemned after the 2016 earthquakes that rocked Wellington city, Kelly and Lucy strolled hand and hand to Te Papa Museum.
Although it wasn’t Kelly’s first visit to the centre, the stunning architecture still robbed her of breath: six levels of high ceilings, gleaming glass, bronze walls, suspended skeletons of extinct mammals, and exhibits for as far as the eye could see.
“Wow,” Lucy said.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Scary.” Lucy stared straight ahead.
Following her line of sight, Kelly took in the imposing 3.6-metre-tall trolls. William, Tom, and Bert. Infamous for greeting guests on the red carpet at the World Premiere of The Hobbit.
“They won’t hurt you, promise. They’re made of fibreglass.”
“Not them, silly.” Lucy turned to Kelly, concerned etched across her face. “I wouldn’t want to be in here if an earthquake hits.”
“Don’t worry.” Kelly was quick to put Lucy’s mind at ease. “I did my homework. Te Papa’s built on one hundred and fifty-two isolators to protect it from movement.” Kelly tapped Lucy on the nose. “And, I’ll have you know, this massive building was constructed with enough steel to stretch from Wellington to Sydney?”
“Is that right, little Miss Encyclopaedia?”
Before Kelly could reply, she was almost knocked off her feet when Jo slammed into her and wrapped her in a bear hug. “About time you got here.”
Peering over Jo’s shoulder, Kelly locked eyes with a young man sporting an enigmatic smile and hair the colour of oranges.
“Don’t say it,” Jo whispered in Kelly’s ear.
“He’s handsome.” Kelly squeezed Jo tighter, ecstatic her sister, who liked to joke about carrot-tops, had matured enough to see beyond appearances.
“He treats me like a princess.” The smile in Jo’s voice was contagious.
It would seem Jo was as smitten with her beau as Kelly was with Lucy.
“Your girlfriend’s got sexy eyes.”
“Your boyfriend’s looking at us funny.”
“He probably thinks we’re talking about him.”
“We are.” Jo snorted.
Aware they had an audience, and there were introductions to be made, Kelly stepped back.
“Hi, Tim. I’m the good-looking sister.” Kelly winked at Jo who mouthed dream on .
“Nice to meet you.” Tim took her proffered hand and rather than shake it, brought it to his lips. His kiss was soft and brief, the gesture fucking adorable.
“The pleasure’s all mine. Jo’s told me so much about you.”
“All good, I hope.” She glared playfully at Jo.
Ignoring the sisterly banter, and clearly comfortable around new people, Tim extended a hand to Lucy. “And you must be Lucy?”
“Indeed.” Lucy waggled her fingers, her expression saying I expect the same treatment.
With a slow bow, Tim kissed her hand then straightened and draped an arm around Jo’s shoulders.
“Is he always this charming?” Kelly asked.
“Always,” Jo replied, admiration shining in her eyes.
After dragging her gaze off Tim, Jo smiled at Lucy. “Nice to meet you. Kelly wasn’t lying, you’re a knockout. I’d do you if I swung that way.”
“Jo!” Kelly shot daggers at her sister with her eyes.
“Just yanking your chain, Sis. You’re so easy to wind up.”
Unfazed, Lucy grinned. “Okay, kids. Now that we’ve got the niceties out of the way, how about we relax?”
There wasn’t an ounce of tension between them, but Kelly appreciated the sentiment.
“Where to first?” Jo asked. “Should we start at the top and work our way down, or at the bottom and slowly work our way up?”
“What are we talking about?” Kelly winked.
Tim smirked.
Jo’s mouth fell-opened. “Perv. ”
“What?” Kelly held her arms out, in a ‘what’d I say gesture.’
Lucy pinched her butt. “Behave.”
Tim offered a third option. “How about we go directly to the café on level four and go from there. I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m starving.”
***
Three hours later, after a lot of fun, and exhausted from wandering from exhibit to exhibit and absorbing all the information, the foursome found themselves back on level one.
“Anyone want to take a look in the souvenir shop?” Kelly asked.
Jo stepped aside when two young boys barrelled past, waving black and white New Zealand flags high in the air.
“Isn’t that kind of lame, buying souvenirs from your own country?” Jo asked.
“I don’t know about that,” Lucy said.
“I used to collect every kind of cow I could get my hands on. Soft toys, figurines, hats, you name it. ”
“Now.” Jo smirked. “You have a heifer with long brown hair, big blue eyes, not much of an udder and a nice beefy rump.”
Too happy to be pissed off with Jo for inferring Kelly was a cow, much less her colourful and somewhat fitting rendition, Kelly burst out laughing. “Nice description, Sis.”
Lucy squeezed Kelly’s hand and without missing a beat, returned Jo’s cheek. “You and Kelly could be twins, the similarities are startling, don’t you think, Tim?”
Tim rubbed the ginger stubble on his chin, looked heavenward and then replied in the safest way possible for a guy with three women staring him down. “I need to use the bathroom, back soon.”
As he walked away, the bottom fell out of Kelly’s world. One look at the woman storming their way and her happy mood vanished.
Chapter 25
Like a deranged woman on a mission, Paula barrelled her way into the middle of their circle.
“Oh, now it all makes sense.” She looked at Kelly and Lucy’s joined hands. “How long has it been going on? Under my bloody roof! You have until noon tomorrow to get out,” she practically screamed at Lucy. “If I get home and your stuff is still there, polluting my house, I’ll have it removed and donated to the Salvation Army.”
Anger radiated off Jo in thick waves. “You can’t do that.”
Ignoring the curious glances shot their way, Kelly put a reassuring hand on her little sister’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Paula’s full of hot air.”
Paula pressed her lips together in a thin, angry line. “Really? Try me.”
“Been there, done that, didn’t like it,” Kelly deadpanned, delighted when Paula’s mouth fell open.
“How dare you. How dare both of you. I treated you with nothing but kindness, and you…” Paula turned her angry glare on Lucy. “You, Lucy. I gave you a roof over your head and you repay me by lying and stealing my girlfriend?”
“I didn’t lie to you,” Lucy said softly. “And I didn’t steal your girlfriend. We didn’t start dating until you broke up.”