Mistaken Identity

by Jay, Donna

  It was a modest brick structure, built in the sixties, but it was home, always had been, always would be.

  For a while after their dad died, Jo, along with Kelly, had worried their mum would put the house on the market; the memories, the absence of their father, too painful to bear. If she had, they would’ve understood, but all these years later, the topic was moot.

  Taking time to appreciate the aroma wafting off the rosebushes her mother painstakingly tended to, Kelly paused at the foot of the driveway.

  It was then that her mother’s words slammed into her. “I’m rather busy these days, love. It might be best if you text from now on before you visit.” Her mum had smiled as if to soften the words.

  Well, Kelly was here now, so sending a text would be pointless. Besides, her mum’s car in the driveway was a pretty good indication she was home.

  “Hi, Ma, it’s just me.”

  Kelly stepped inside and froze.

  Her mother jumped. Mr Edwards, their neighbour, shook his hands as if they were on fire.

  One second they were on her mother’s hips, the next they were gone. It happened so fast, it was easy to pretend it hadn’t happened at all.

  “Hey, sweetheart. I wasn’t expecting you today.”

  No kidding.

  Placating her mother and feeling sorry for Mr Edwards, who looked like he wanted to bolt, Kelly smiled.

  “Sorry, I should’ve texted first.” Enjoying watching her mother squirm, Kelly asked, “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

  Tripping over their words, Mr Edwards and her mother replied at the same time.

  “Of course not. ”

  “Don’t be silly, love.” Her mother’s flushed cheeks said otherwise.

  “You remember Jack, don’t you?”

  Amused, Kelly nodded. “I do.” She gave him a finger wave.

  “Well, I better get going. Give me a call if your pipes get blocked again.”

  Seriously, did he just say that?

  Kelly cut her eyes from her mother’s confused expression just in time to see Mr Edwards give her mum an exaggerated wink.

  Ignoring the not so subtle exchange, Kelly slid her backpack down her arms and retrieved the plastic container.

  By the time she looked up, the lightbulb had gone off in her mother’s eyes. Figuratively and damn near literally. They were radiant, positively glowing.

  “Bye, Mr Edwards.” Kelly picked up the kettle, trying not to grin when she turned on the tap. “Thanks for looking out for Mum.”

  He tipped his head. “Any time, kiddo. That’s what neighbours are for. ”

  Clearing out blocked pipes?

  Apparently, Kelly and Mr Edwards had something in common. A warped sense of humour. But the question was, did his words have the underlying meaning Kelly’s had had when she’d teased Lucy, or were they innocent?

  Either way, Kelly intended to have the answer before she left her childhood home.

  Once they were alone, her mum kissed her on the cheek.

  “It’s good to see you, sweetie.” She reached for two mugs and tossed a teabag in each.

  Kelly quirked an eyebrow. “Tea?”

  “You’ll like it. Trust me.”

  In response to Kelly’s frown, she added, “It’s berry nice.”

  Overcome with love for the woman standing before her, looking delighted to see Kelly, yet jittery at the same time, Kelly kissed her on the cheek.

  “Okay, I’ll try it.” Hopefully the berry flavour would complement her baking. “I made some cookies. Chocolate chip. ”

  “Colour me purple, what’s gotten into you?” Grinning, her mother put a hand on Kelly’s forehead. “You’re not sick, are you?”

  Lovesick maybe, but not physically ill, unless an endless supply of butterflies whenever she thought of Lucy counted.

  Batting her mother’s hand away, Kelly pulled the lid off the container. “They look like crap, but taste delicious.”

  “I’m sure they do. Besides, it’s the thought that counts.” Her mother placed two steaming mugs on the dining room table, pulled out a chair, and sat opposite Kelly.

  The setting made Kelly long for days gone by. It took her back to many family meals shared around the table, her father at the head, her baby sister, Jo, at the foot.

  God, she missed her dad. Sure, time had eased the pain, but the ache, the sense of loss, never went away.

  “Why the sad look?” Her mother, who had always been too perceptive, eyed Kelly over the rim of her mug .

  Shaking off the memory, because the last thing Kelly wanted to do was guilt trip her mother if she’d started dating again, Kelly forced a smile.

  “Better?”

  “Much.” Her mother chuckled.

  Taking a gamble, Kelly went with the direct approach. “So, you and Mr Edwards?”

  “Me and Mr Edwards what?”

  The innocent act didn’t fool Kelly.

  Bristling, she held up a hand. “Don’t, Mum. I’m not a child.”

  The air went out of her mother. “No, you’re not. Yes, me and Jack.”

  “How long?” Kelly asked, feeling detached.

  “Six, almost seven months.”

  A snapshot of images flashed through Kelly’s mind. Mr Edwards popping in for a drink last Christmas. Mr Edwards mowing her mum’s lawns. Mr Edwards smiling for the first time in months. And further back, the perpetual dark cloud that had hung around him when he moved in five years ago.

  Kelly had left home by then so on the odd occasion she’d seen him looking miserable, she’d just assumed he was a grumpy neighbour.

  It wasn’t until much later her mother had revealed Mr Edwards was a widower.

  “That long, and you’re only just telling me now?” As hard as she tried to keep the conversation light, Kelly’s question came out as an accusation.

  “Oh, Kelly.” Her mum put her hands on the table, palm up.

  With her mind in turmoil, Kelly placed her hands in her mothers. The gentle stroke of her thumbs comforted Kelly, the same as it had when she was a child.

  “For the first few months, I struggled with being disloyal to your father. I prayed for his forgiveness, that he’d understand.”

  “That had to be tough.”

  “Yes, sweetie, it was—still is—but I’m getting there.”

  “And that’s why you didn’t tell me, because of your own feelings of guilt?” Kelly asked, trying to process what she was hearing without coming across as judgemental .

  “No.” With a sad smile, her mum shook her head. “Because I was terrified of what you’d think of me.”

  “Me?” Kelly asked, unable to keep the incredulity out of her voice.

  All she’d ever wanted was for her mother to be happy. God knew, she’d grieved long enough. Why she was worried what Kelly thought was beyond her.

  A wistful look glimmered in her mother’s eyes, her gaze focused on something Kelly couldn’t see. A memory?

  “You were so fiercely loyal to your dad.” Her mother smiled warmly. “You followed him everywhere.”

  “I did,” Kelly said, her chest tight.

  She’d been his little shadow, and even though her parents would never admit to having favourites, Kelly was her father’s girl, and Jo her mothers. Sweet, sweet Jo, who loved to play dress-ups, go shopping, and help her mother bake. While Kelly preferred to be outside, pushing her toy mower alongside her dad, and tinkering in the garage any chance she got.

  “Dad wouldn’t want you to be old and lonely, Mum.”

  “Hey.” Her mother playfully slapped Kelly’s shoulder. “Watch who you’re calling old. Forty-nine’s the new twenty-nine, I’ll have you know.”

  “Same age as Lucy,” Kelly mused out loud.

  For several seconds, her mum held Kelly’s gaze.

  Kelly didn’t bother filling the silence, her mother was able to read her like a fortune teller.

  “Girlfriend?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Serious?”
>
  “I’d like to think so, she’s pretty great.”

  “That look suits you.”

  “You too, Mum. Give love a second chance.”

  “I am.”

  Simultaneously, chair legs screeched as Kelly and her mother rose to their feet. Kelly rounded the table first, falling into her mother’s embrace.

  “I’m happy for you, Mum.” A lump formed in Kelly’s throat. “Dad would understand.”

  “I know, honey. I know.” A tear ran down her mum’s cheek .

  Fighting to hold her own emotions in check, Kelly hugged her mother tighter.

  “Jack has been honourable, taking his time…”

  Deciding it was time to lighten the mood, Kelly stepped out of her mother’s arms.

  “Honourable!” She feigned outrage. “He cleaned your pipes out.”

  “Oh dear.” Chuckling, her mother turned crimson. “Even old people need loving.”

  “La-la-la-la.” Kelly plugged her ears and screwed her eyes shut.

  Despite being happy for her mother, she didn’t want to think about her doing the dirty.

  Elbowing her playfully, her mum picked up their mugs and put them in the sink.

  “Enough about me. When do I get to meet…Lucy, is it? The woman you’ve mentioned on and off for the past few weeks. Or are you going to continue to keep her all to yourself?”

  Suddenly feeling nervous, Kelly bit her lip. “Mum, I need a favour.”

  Her mother narrowed her eyes. “Go on. ”

  “Lucy and I are moving in together, we need somewhere to store her furniture. I wondered if it’d be okay to put it in the garage.” Kelly knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t stop. “There’s plenty of room, and hopefully it’ll only be for a few months. Until Lucy buys a house.”

  An oppressive silence hung in the air. Kelly squirmed like a child about to be reprimanded.

  Way to go, Kel. Perhaps you should’ve started at the beginning.

  Looking Kelly dead in the eye, her mother calmly, too calmly, replied, “Let me see if I’ve got this right. You’ve met a woman who’s so wonderful, you’re shacking up with her like a pair of lovebirds, yet you haven’t found the time to introduce her to your own mother?”

  “Yes. No. Dammit, I’m making a mess of things.”

  Kelly smacked her forehead, an attempt to align her head with her heart.

  The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her mother’s feelings.

  “Relax, honey.” She gave Kelly a meaningful smile, “ Everyone has their secrets, and reasons for them.”

  Wasn’t that the truth.

  ***

  An hour later, after giving her mother the censored version of her whirlwind romance, Kelly strolled down the driveway feeling lighter than she had in days.

  With her mother’s blessing and Mr Edwards’ help, offered via her mother, they would move Lucy’s furniture after work that night.

  Sheltering under a tree, out of the wind, Kelly pulled out her phone and tapped out a quick message to Lucy. “We can store your stuff at Mums. She’s invited us for dinner too, if you’re free?”

  Kelly didn’t want to assume Lucy hadn’t made other plans. Perhaps she went to the gym on Monday nights. Although, Kelly doubted it. Lucy kept in shape, but she didn’t have the ripped body of someone who pumped weights. She had a body Kelly couldn’t wait to fall asleep next to every night.

  The ping of her phone snapped Kelly out of her musings. “Thanks, that’s a load off my mind. Can’t wait to meet your mum. Cheers to new beginnings.” She ended the message with an icon of glasses clinking and a smiley face.

  Grinning like an idiot, Kelly practically floated home. For the first time in longer than she could remember, if ever, she looked forward to spending her days, her nights, her hopes, her fears, her passions, her life, with the woman who’d stolen her heart.

  Epilogue

  Nine months later…

  Kelly awoke to a crisp spring morning, alone in bed. Cracking an eye open, she squinted against the glare of the bedside clock 6:00am. Ugh, far too early to be awake on a Sunday.

  The sound of Lucy’s sweet laughter coming from the kitchen, made Kelly break out in a jaw busting grin.

  Hell, for the last six months she’d woken with a smile on her face. At times, she pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, because being a proud home owner felt surreal.

  The bank owned a big chunk of the two-bedroom villa, but Lucy and Kelly had paid the deposit and their names were on the title.

  Considering Lucy contributed significantly more than Kelly, Kelly had insisted on writing up something like a prenup, but Lucy wouldn’t hear of it.

  When Kelly had asked, “Aren’t you worried I’ll take you for a ride if, God forbid, we break up?” Lucy had kissed her on the lips and replied, “Nope”

  Kelly’s heart had soared knowing the trust Lucy had in her extended beyond the bedroom.

  Yawning, Kelly climbed out of bed and slipped her robe on. Until meeting Lucy, Kelly had rarely slept naked, now though, she couldn’t get enough of the feel of Lucy’s body nuzzled against hers. The skin on skin contact, knowing Lucy was by her side, never failed to lull Kelly into a peaceful sleep.

  The innocent act of tying the belt on her robe had her mind racing back to the first time they were intimate. It wasn’t an experience Kelly ever wanted to repeat, nor would she change it. Thankfully, her horror story had a happy ending.

  The past year hadn’t been all smooth sailing. Buying a house was stressful shit, throw-in rambunctious twins and life couldn’t be more chaotic, or rewarding.

  After a quick pitstop, Kelly padded from the bathroom to the kitchen. The hardwood floor was cool beneath her feet.

  “Hey,” she said softly. “What are you doing up so early?”

  “Look at them.” Lucy’s face lit up like a proud parent. “They’re so cute. I just wanna snuggle them all day.”

  She slid down the wall and patted her thigh. A drop of kitten milk dripped off Tabitha’s tabby grey chin as she climbed into Lucy’s lap, and plonked her furry backside down.

  Possum, who had the bushiest tail Kelly had ever seen, took a playful swipe at his sister.

  “Hey, play nice.” Kelly scooped him up and kissed his cute little nose. He responded with a high-pitched meow.

  Kelly chuckled. “Don’t sass your mamma. You should be looking after your sister, not tormenting her.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Kelly saw Lucy grinning. It was hard not to; her smile was so big it almost split her face in two.

  Unsure why she was being laughed at, Kelly harrumphed. “What’s so funny? ”

  “Do you realize what you just said?”

  “What?” Kelly asked, unsure what part of her sentence Lucy found amusing.

  After putting Tabitha in the basket beside her, Lucy stood. Her sheer nighty clung to her curves, making Kelly want to drag her down the hall, toss her on the bed, and ravish her like a woman possessed.

  “Up here.” Lucy pointed to her eyes drawing Kelly’s gaze from her voluptuous breasts to her smiling face. Eyes twinkling, she slipped her hands inside Kelly’s robe.

  “You’re playing with fire.” Kelly growled, a deep rumble rising in her chest.

  Two pudgy kittens eyed her curiously, heads tilted to the side.

  “So, Miss-I-don’t-get-it-when-pet-owners-call-themselves-mum-or-dad. What changed?”

  Kelly was finding it hard to concentrate on anything other than Lucy’s soft, warm hands resting innocently on her hips. “Huh?”

  “You referred to yourself as mamma.”

  “Oh shit, I did, didn’t I? It just felt right.” Kelly shrugged. “Like your hands on me.” She pushed a thigh between Lucy’s legs.

  Looking the picture of innocence, Lucy bit her lip and batted her beautiful green eyes. “Am I in trouble, Miss?”

  In the corner of the kitchen, Possum and Tabitha had fallen asleep, a tangle of grey and white forming one big fur ball.<
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  Love for the woman before her, their home, and, yes, their fur-babies, bloomed in Kelly’s chest. Overcome with emotion, she put a lid on her libido.

  “I love you, Lucy-Lou.” Kelly swallowed the lump in her throat, and thumped her chest. “So much, that at times it hurts, like my heart is so full it’s going to burst.”

  “I love you too, Kel. You’re my world, my life, my anchor.” Lucy swiped a tear, her lip kicking up. “My mistress.”

  “Forever and for always,” Kelly said.

  Intending to show Lucy exactly how much she loved her, every inch of her, Kelly led the way back to bed.

  Also by Donna Jay

  Finding Love Down Under - https://tinyurl.com/y8cfke7b

  When Claire discovers her fiancée has abused her trust in the most heinous way possible, she severs all ties.

  A year down the track, she couldn’t be happier living a life of solitude on a vineyard. That is, until a quick trip into town changes everything.

  Suddenly on her own in New Zealand, and on the edge of despair, Zoe never expected to find her salvation in the form of a beautiful and complex woman.

  The following months are fraught with highs and lows as Claire and Zoe learn to navigate their way around each other. Both women need to overcom e huge trust issues if they have any hope of forging a relationship.