by B J Phillips
Chapter Seventeen
THE NEXT MORNING, ANDI’S bags were by the door as she and Elise sat in the kitchen nook. Andi picked at the cinnamon roll in front of her and sipped on her coffee. Elise sat with her elbows on the table, holding her mug with both hands as she sipped on it. She looked at Andi over her coffee mug.
“Are you sure you need to leave now? I thought you and Kelly…”
“Kelly and I are friends, Aunt Elise. That’s it.” Andi’s voice was so soft, Elise barely heard her.
“Are you sure? I mean, I’ve seen the looks passing between the two of you. It might not be very easy to work out with her here and you there in New York, I guess. But I thought it looked like there was a connection between you.”
Andi reached across the table and stroked her aunt’s hand gently. “Even if there is something between us, it would never work out, as you say. Besides, I have a business to attend to.”
“I’m sure you do. Not to be nosey, but you did tell Kelly you were leaving, didn’t you?”
Andi picked off another bite of cinnamon roll, but only looked at the sticky icing on her fingers. “No, I didn’t.” She looked over at Elise and took a deep breath. She finally popped the piece of roll in her mouth and ate it. “We didn’t have anything else planned to do together.”
“So, did you enjoy your dinner last night? You said you were going to have supper with her friends.”
“I had a wonderful time. Her friends were very nice.” Andi licked the icing off her fingers. “Guess what, one of them writes as S.K. Richardson, my favorite author.”
“What a coincidence. I know who she is, but I don’t know her. That made the evening quite special for you, I’m sure.”
“It was very special and I couldn’t believe it at first. When I mentioned that I had a copy of her latest book at home, she even gave me an autographed copy. I’d already read it, so I’ll pass on my copy back in New York but I’ll treasure this one. I’ll leave it here for now, with some of my things, since I’ll be back shortly.”
“Oh good. Do you think you’ll be back in time for the big reveal? Kelly should be finished with the bookcases soon.”
“I won’t be gone long. Maybe two or three weeks.”
Elise thought for a few seconds. “You can’t go back to the loft, so where do you plan to stay? If you’d like or need to, you know you can stay at my place.”
“I’ve already checked with my friend Sarah. She says I can stay in her spare room for now. It’ll be fun, like when we were in college together. Plus, it’ll be closer to the gallery.”
I’m not really lying to Aunt Elise but I’m not telling her the whole truth, either. Thank goodness Sarah didn’t ask a whole lot of questions and was happy to have me stay for a bit. I can’t tell Aunt Elise that the big reason for going back is an appointment with my attorney. I want things settled once and for all with Jo. I know now that I want to be free.
***
On the plane a few hours later, Andi leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes, remembering that kiss in the moonlight with Kelly. She could almost feel the touch of Kelly’s lips softly on hers. She sighed as a smile slowly stole across her whole face. She was sure Kelly felt more from that kiss than she was letting on. It felt perfect. It felt right. Andi was toast and she knew it.
But it would never work. Kelly won’t leave Florida, and I don’t blame her. I don’t know if I could leave New York City for good, either. What can I do? I can’t work one of SoHo’s up and coming galleries from Florida. Or could I?
Or maybe I could start over in Florida. I have my name in the art community. Yes, it’s possible. It could be done…a gallery there in Fort Myers or perhaps Naples? Naples isn’t that far away. Anyway, it’s a thought.
Could I be kidding myself that Kelly’s genuinely interested in me? I can’t press finding out until I am actually able to do something about it if she is. I do know one thing. I’d love to live in that house Kelly is renovating, even if it’s as a vacation place. It feels like home. For the first time in my adult life, someplace other than Aunt Elise’s feels like home. She dozed off on the plane, a trace of a smile still on her lips.
Chapter Eighteen
TWO DAYS AFTER ANDI left, Kelly called Elise to ask her a minor question about something on the bookcase wall. She hadn’t heard from Andi and didn’t want to push anything, but she decided to ask about her anyway.
“How’s Andi today? I haven’t heard from her since the other night.”
“Andi went back to New York early yesterday morning. Didn’t she tell you?”
“Well, no, she didn’t mention leaving at all. Was there some kind of emergency?”
“Not that I know of. She said there were some things she needed to take care of at the gallery, but that’s it. She’s staying with a friend there. I’m sure you can reach her by phone if you’d like to talk to her.”
“No, there’s nothing to talk about I guess. Did she say anything about the other night?”
“She said you two had dinner with a couple of your friends. She did mention that one of them turned out to be her favorite author. Other than that, though, she didn’t say a whole lot. She sounded like she enjoyed the evening, though.”
“My friends said they really liked her and she seemed like she had a good time, but I haven’t heard from her and I wondered if she was all right. It’s no big deal but I thought since I was talking to you anyway that I’d check to see how she was.” Kelly felt herself rambling.
“Why don’t you just call her? You two have been chatting like crazy for a while now. It’s no big deal. Call her.”
“I will. Kind of busy right now, but I’ll call her in a bit. Thanks for the info, Elise. I’ll let you know as soon as the bookcases are finished.”
“Call her. Soon.” This sounded almost more like a command from someone’s mom.
“Yes, ma’am. I will.” Kelly smiled. Yep, that sounded like a mom voice for sure. She punched in Andi’s number but her phone went straight to voicemail.
“Hi, this is Andrea Wainwright. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you right away.”
“Hi Andi, this is Kelly. Well, you can tell it’s me from the number on your voicemail, but anyway…I hadn’t heard from you in a couple of days and wondered how you’re doing. Elise says you’re back in New York for a while. I guess you didn’t have a chance to say goodbye or whatever. Hope everything’s all right. Call me when you get a chance?”
After several hours went by without a return call, Kelly started thinking. Maybe she’s busy, but she could at least text me.
As another day went by, her brain went into overdrive. Maybe Andi really has been playing me along because she was lonely. Maybe that kiss the other night didn’t mean anything other than she felt like being kissed. Or, well, maybe I’m reading more into that kiss than it was meant to be and I need to back off. That’s it. Just back off. The project is nearly done and I could get it finished and installed and never have a reason to see Andi again. Maybe that’s what I need to do, if I can.
***
Kelly worked hard to get the bookcases finished. Three weeks later and the last day she was working on them at Elise’s house, she looked up to find Andi standing there.
“Hi, Kelly. Nice job.” Andi stood there for a minute longer looking everywhere but at Kelly.
“Thanks. It’ll be finished in a few minutes.” Kelly only glanced up again at Andi, but she was already gone. Well, that settles that. Andi is back to business-like mode. Kelly felt a little tug in her stomach but she pushed it back down and went back to work. A few seconds later, Kelly looked over at Elise, who’d been standing there watching Kelly do the final bits to the installation.
“I didn’t know Andi was here,” Kelly said.
“She came in very early this morning and I thought she was still sleeping when you got here. I assumed you’d be done before she got up, so I didn’t say anything. I’m sorry. I guess I did a lot of assuming.”
Kelly stood up, stepped back to look at the finished wall of bookcases and smiled. “That’s all right, Elise. So, how do you like them?”
“They’re beautiful. They’re exactly as I envisioned them.” She folded her arms, tilted her head, and looked at them off-kilter. “They almost look like a work of art. I love them.”
“I’m happy if you’re happy. I tried to make them fit in with the rest of your office furniture. I’m rather proud of how they turned out, too.”
Elise walked around her desk and opened the desk drawer. She took out a check and handed it to Kelly. “How’s that? I hope it’s enough to tell you how much I love them.”
Kelly looked at the check and she thought she’d need a shovel to scrape her jaw from the floor. The check was made out for an extra five hundred dollars more than they had settled on. “Wow, Elise. This is much more than we agreed to. I can’t take this.” She reached out to hand the check back, but Elise held her hand up in a stop motion.
“Yes, you can. Your work is worth every penny I’ve paid you, believe me. Now, put that check in your pocket and let’s call it even.” Elise grinned at her. “Besides, I’d like to be in your good graces in case I want something else done.”
“Well—”
“Look, I know you made an exception for me to take on this job. Besides, I’m hoping you might make another one for me occasionally. I promise I wouldn’t ask you to do anything boring, like a shelf over my washing machine.” Elise placed her hand over her heart. “I also promise not to give out your name and number to any of my neighbors unless you say it’s okay. Would it be all right if I called you directly to see if you’re available the next time I need some woodworking done? Now that we’re friends, it seems rather silly to go through the contractor again.”
“I guess that would be okay.” Kelly figured that she could always say no later and it wouldn’t be nice to say no now to Elise. Besides, she liked the woman.
Elise reached out her arms for a hug, and with her arms around Kelly, thanked her again for the beautiful job she had done.
“Oh, one more thing.” Elise released Kelly with a smile. “Do you think you might come for lunch with me occasionally? Just you and me as friends. I like you and enjoy your company. You’re my kind of woman…interesting and fun to be around. I’d like to stay friends with you, not only do business.”
“Sure, I’d love to. I like you, too.” Kelly hoped Andi wouldn’t be part of the deal if she came to lunch.
She was happy to get out the door without seeing Andi again. As she drove away, she told herself she didn’t care to see Andi ever again. Okay, at least not any time soon. I know I got a little too close to her and shouldn’t have kissed her. At least nothing else happened.
Chapter Nineteen
A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN New York City is magical. The shmoosh of the snow underfoot, the sounds of traffic and the bell ringers in front of the stores, and the aromas from the food carts all contribute to the enchantment that the City holds during the holidays. Andi loved looking at the beautifully decorated store windows as she walked or rode along the streets. The song ‘Silver Bells’ played on an endless loop in her head at this time of year. In all the Christmases since she first heard it as a child, she knew it must’ve been written with New York City in mind.
On her way to Elise’s, she knew it was time to confess to her aunt what was going on. She didn’t want to ruin dinner and vowed to wait until after they finished their Christmas meal. She didn’t want to tell her before then and upset her or mess up their dinner. She rode up in the elevator, shopping bags in both hands, trying to plan what she’d say. No matter which way she figured her mind kept coming up with a blank. She sighed, hoping that when the time came, she’d figure something out.
There were only two homes on Elise’s floor. Out the elevator doors and to the left was Mrs. Gandy. She’d been there for ages and stayed on after her husband died. She could afford to, since he left her comfortably taken care of. Andi placed a small gift bag on her doorstep and grinned. She’d been doing this since she was a little girl and Mrs. Gandy always got a kick out of it.
To the right was the door to Elise’s. Andi pushed the familiar doorbell with her elbow. The second Elise opened the door, the aromas of turkey and apple pie as well as the yeasty aroma of fresh baked rolls enveloped Andi and almost made her swoon. She took a deep breath and reached out to embrace her aunt with bags in hand. “Merry Christmas, Aunt Elise.”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m so glad you’re here. This is what I always come back for. Don’t you just love it?”
“That’s obviously a trick question. You know I love it.” Andi held her aunt close. “Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, especially Christmas with you.”
Elise took the bags from Andi’s hands and placed them on the marble-topped entry table. She wrapped her arm around Andi’s waist, holding her close as she led her to the living room. There, as Andi knew it would be, was a gorgeously decorated Christmas tree that reached well over halfway to the ceiling of the two-story living room, holding court in front of huge windows that overlooked Central Park. Presents wrapped in silver and gold nestled beneath it, waiting to be opened.
Andi took a deep breath and put her arms around her aunt again, nestling into her warmth. “I love you so much, Aunt Elise. You’re the one happy constant in my life. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, sweetie. I love you, too.” Elise took Andi’s hands in hers, feeling their chill. “Oh, you poor thing. Let’s get you out of that coat and into a nice warm drink.”
“That’s what you always said every time I came home in the winter. I’m not that little girl any more, you know.” She smiled. “You’re one hundred percent correct. I could use something warm to drink.”
“I thought so. Sophie made us some of her famous hot chocolate. We can always perk it up with something if you’d like.”
“Sophie’s hot chocolate’s perfect the way it is. I wouldn’t presume to put anything else in it. Besides, she’d kill us.”
“Come to think of it, you’re probably right. We shouldn’t mess with perfection. Let’s go find some of that magic liquid and wrap your hands around a warm mug to chase the chill away.”
“Let me put those presents I brought under the tree first and I’ll be right there.” Andi went back to the entry and retrieved the bags. She carefully placed each beautifully wrapped package under the tree among the silver and gold wrapped items already there. She smiled. Aunt Elise traditionally wrapped everything in silver or gold. Andi always wrapped hers in red or green. No tags were needed unless they were for someone other than the two of them.
***
Several hours later, dinner completed and presents opened, they relaxed in front of the fireplace, each with a glass of wine. The only sound was the crackling of the logs as they burned.
“To many more happy Christmases,” Elise said as she saluted Andi with her glass.
“Yes, to many more.” Andi held her glass up in a return salute before taking a sip of the deep red merlot, and stared into the fire.
“Aunt Elise, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Elise’s brows furrowed and her head tilted as she gave Andi her full attention. “You look serious. What’s up?”
Andi took a deep breath and decided to blurt it out and get it over with. “I’m in the middle of getting a divorce from Jo.”
“You’re…what?” Elise set her wine on the smoked glass sofa table with a little clink. “When did you get married?”
Andi took another deep breath. “A couple of years ago. I guess I thought things would be better between us. She said she loved me and wanted to marry me.” She blinked back a couple of tears.
“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry. That’s a bit of a shock, for sure.” Elise shook her head. When she spoke again, it was almost a whisper. “I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I knew you didn’t like her. You only tolerated her fo
r my sake.”
“True, she wasn’t one of my favorite people in the world, still…I wish you’d told me.”
“Look, we didn’t make a big deal of the wedding and only a few of our friends knew. It was sort of an impulse thing while we were on vacation. Jo had a small showing at a gallery in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and we got married there.”
“I’m so sorry you’re going through this.” Elise reached for Andi’s hand. “I know you loved her a lot more than she cared about you. That was clear from the beginning to me. But saying I told you so would be silly at this point, so I won’t say it.”
“I appreciate that, believe me.” Andi managed a wan smile.
“Going through a relationship breakup was bad enough. Now you’re going through a legal divorce as well.”
“Yes, and believe me, it’s not fun. Bet you never thought lesbians would be going through the same stuff everyone else does with a divorce. She hasn’t talked to me at all herself since texting me that she wanted a divorce. That happened while I was visiting you.”
“That explains why you had to take off like you did. You’re right, I thought she took advantage of you and didn’t treat you well. That’s why I didn’t care much for her and I can’t say I was unhappy about your breakup. But I could tell things weren’t the same between you the last time both of you were here. It never occurred to me that you two had married. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I doubt it, although I appreciate the thought. My attorney says these things take time to run their course. I only have to wait for it all to happen now.” Andi leaned back against the sofa with a sigh.
“I don’t want you to think I’m butting in here, but I do know people who might be able to hurry this along or make it easier. Are you two in agreement about who gets what?”
“We’re not fighting about anything, if that’s what you mean. I think she’s anxious to get this over with, too. At least, so far, she doesn’t want half of my gallery. I hope not. I did that all on my own and started it before we were married. She probably wouldn’t have much of a case.” Andi sighed. “You never know about these things. If she knew I was interested in someone else, she could decide to drag this out by petitioning for half the gallery. It’s the only thing she could use to delay the divorce. I’m glad now that we always had separate bank accounts. I feel silly now that we didn’t have any kind of prenuptial agreement.”