“Couldn’t, needed to just…get…it done,” she replied between whacks. Her hands were red from the cold, but she gripped the mallet and with one last whack, it moved into place.
Alex wiped her hands down her trousers and then winced. Inspecting her palm, she felt it again. “Bloody splinter.”
“Let me see,” Freya said, reaching for her hand.
Alex snatched it back quickly, ignoring the jolt of arousal at her friend’s touch. “It’s fine. Come on, let’s get back before this storm really takes hold.”
Chapter 13
Running side by side, both of them laughed as the rain lashed down harder. Freya suddenly stopped. Grabbing Alex by the arm, she pulled her to the left. “This way. Quick.”
She was dragged sideways and towards one of the unfinished caravans. Freya yanked the door open and it almost swung off its hinges. One by one they clambered up the rusted metal steps and inside into the dryness.
“Bloody hell,” Freya laughed. “I know they said it was going to rain, but…” She looked around and found an old blanket. Picking it up, she sniffed it, made an ‘it’s okay’ face, and threw it towards Alex. “Better dry off before we catch our death.”
Alex caught the blanket and opened it up, rubbing the scratchy cloth against her soaked hair before wrapping it around her shoulders. She watched as Freya did something similar with another blanket, one that didn’t look quite so clean.
“Here, you have this one.” Alex said, offering the blanket.
“No, I’m fine. It will stop soon and then we can make a run for it back to the house.”
Alex nodded. “Yeah.” She ran a hand through her hair and then winced. “Ow,” she moaned, looking at her finger intently.
Freya moved quickly and was reaching out again. “Let me see that.”
“It’s fine.” Alex said, trying to pull her finger away, but Freya was too fast.
“Let me look,” she insisted, inspecting Alex’s finger with more scrutiny. Her eyes narrowed as she peered closer. “A splinter.”
“Ow!” Alex cried. Pulling her finger away properly this time, she inspected the area herself.
But Freya reached for it again. “Oh don’t be such a baby, Alex.” She grinned before lifting Alex’s hand towards her mouth.
Motion slowed, sound evaporated, and the entire world became this singular image in front of her. Alex felt her heart rate spike. Her breath stuck in her lungs, unable to expel as she contemplated how close they were and her mind raced at the possibilities.
“What are you…” The question ended instantly, as Freya’s lips puckered and pressed against her finger, over the tender spot where the splinter had embedded itself, and then she sucked gently, encouraging the small sliver to free itself.
“There,” she soothed, using her thumb and forefinger to gently pull at the tiny bit of wood. Her eyes lifted from the wound and settled on Alex’s face. “All better,” she managed to get out before the inevitable happened and Alex finally did what she should have done by the campfire.
It was all so involuntary. Her hands were moving with a mind of their own that took them higher, until palms cupped cheeks and her body was propelled forward to follow them, lips parted and ready. She didn’t think; she just did it.
She kissed Freya.
The blanket fell from her shoulders and the shiver that spread down her spine might have been caused by the fact that she was soaked through and cold, but more likely by the fact that she was kissing Freya. With gusto!
She was bold and took her chance while she still had it. The palms that had held wet cheeks one minute were now moving, sliding down Freya’s neck. One stopped, slid behind, and pulled Freya closer. The other continued onwards, drawn to the slender jean-clad hip.
Freya was just as courageous, reaching her hands around Alex’s waist and hooking her fingers through belt hoops.
The rush of excitement that had first pulsed through Alex suddenly came to a firm halt as the image of Chris flashed through her mind. She pulled away, only to be chased by Freya’s heat-seeking lips. “Wait, hold on,” Alex said, her palm pressed against Freya’s shoulder. “What about Chris?”
“Chris?” Freya looked perplexed.
“You and Chris,” Alex said, stepping back and away from temptation.
Freya’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her. “I don’t know what to say. Chris is…well, he is useful. But he knows the score. I told you that.”
“What does that mean?”
Freya smiled. “It means, he knows that I’m into you. He knows he is just filling in.”
“Filling in? You’re marrying him, Freya,” Alex answered back.
What she didn’t expect was for Freya to start smiling, and then laughing. “Marrying Chris?”
“Yes, why are you laughing?”
Freya plopped down on the tatty sofa that she would be recovering at some point and looked up at Alex, before she asked seriously, “Why do you think I am marrying Chris?”
Alex threw up her hands in frustration. “Because everybody was talking about it; you’ve booked the venue and…”
“The venue?”
“Yes,” Alex answered with a little less surety now. “First weekend after the summer season ends.”
Freya smiled and then teased, “So, why did you kiss me then?”
“What?” Alex blushed, suddenly aware of what she had done: kissed a woman who was already taken.
Standing up, Freya asked again, “I said, why did you just kiss me? If you think I am marrying Chris, why did you kiss me?”
“Why do you think?” Alex said in barely a whisper.
Freya moved closer. “I don’t want to make assumptions, Alex.”
“I don’t understand.”
She took another step until she was right in front of Alex. “Yes, you do.”
Alex swallowed quickly, her face flushing instantly as Freya closed the space between them. “I uh…”
“You uh?”
They were nose to nose. She could feel the heat of Freya’s breath against her mouth. “I uh, I love…I’m in love…with you,” she finally said just before Freya smiled and pressed her lips to her own.
Pulling back, Freya smiled once more. “I’m not marrying Chris. I only slept with him once. The other times he stayed over? He slept on the floor. The venue is for a charity gig I am organising.”
“So, you’re not… I mean, you are available?”
“Available? That makes me sound like a commodity, but yes, I am single and free to date…are you asking?”
Alex grinned. “Yeah,”
“Well, go on then.”
“Oh, you want me to actually ask…alright,” Alex chuckled. “Freya, would you like to go out for dinner with me?”
“And for the record, you love me?” Freya continued to tease.
“Freya!” Alex pleaded, her cheeks now burning.
Freya just stood there, waiting. One brow raised and a smirk appeared on her face.
“Yes, I do. Okay?” Alex sighed, and then to clarify she added, “I love you.”
“Good. Because I was starting to wonder, and it would have been really horrible having to ignore you for the rest of summer,” Freya said, moving in again.
As her head tilted and moved forward, Alex pushed a palm against her shoulder. “Hold on, you haven’t answered.”
“I am about to.” Freya grinned, pressing their lips together once again.
This time when their lips met, it was slow and tentative, exploring each other with a tenderness that had been lacking in the earlier erratic and needy kiss.
This was a kiss of promise.
With the rain coming to a stop, the sun forced its way out from behind the clouds and lit up the small caravan, bathing them both in warmth and brightness. When Alex pulled back this time, Freya was lit up in glow of something ethereal.
“So, this summer is looking like it’s going to be a success.”
Freya smiled. “I think it’s been wor
th all the blisters.”
“Yeah,” Alex agreed, looking out of the window. “Wanna go get a beer?”
Freya laughed. “You really are bad at this, aren’t you? No, I don’t want a beer…take me to bed, Alex.”
About Claire Highton-Stevenson
Claire Highton-Stevenson is an award-winning British writer, best known for her contemporary romance stories involving women loving woman. Whether its the end of the world, a murder, amnesia, or a past wanting to be forgotten, Claire brings to life characters you will fall in love with, and books you won’t be able to put down.
In 2019, Claire’s book, The Promise, won a prestigious Goldie at the GCLS awards ceremony in Pittsburgh.
http://www.itsclastevofficial.co.uk
Beach House
KC Luck
Chapter 1
“You promise, right?” Abby said working to keep the tremble out of her voice. Her heart raced, and suddenly she wasn't sure if she could breathe. At thirteen, Abby believed Toni's answer would be the most important words of her life. Then, with the easy smile Abby had come to adore over the last three summers, Toni put her at ease.
“I promise,” she said, complete sincerity in her voice. “We will be best friends forever and ever.” She took Abby’s hand. “We swore it.” Abby let out a long sigh of relief. She was right, they had sworn it. She only had to look past Toni’s shoulder to see their initials carved into the sandstone wall of the shallow cave where they hid. Still, she worried a little. Toni was older, and at fifteen, remembering Abby was sure to fade.
Unable to help herself, Abby needed more reassurance. “You’ll write? Mail me letters, please?”
“Abby, you know I will,” Toni answered pushing a loose wisp of brown hair from Abby’s ponytail out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. “Do you trust me?”
Abby nodded. She hated how her anxiety was making her act. The lingering fear of anything uncertain, always with her, wanted to choke her at that moment. Usually, being with Toni kept those feelings at bay. The teenager's confidence, coupled with compassion, meant Abby could have a summer vacation filled with fun and adventure. Days of swimming and sunbathing, searching the tide pools, or sneaking away to that exact hidden spot. Their spot. Of course, Abby's parents would have had a fit if they knew where she was, so close to the tideline. Half the day, the cave was submerged when the tide was high. For Toni, that only added to the special secretness of the place, and Abby, amazingly, pushed past her fear to agree.
The tide was coming in though, and the time to go back to the real world was rapidly approaching. She knew her parents were probably already antsy to go. A long car ride from Pacific City back to Sacramento with her stupid little brother loomed. If she was going to act, the time was now or never. If she was ever going to tell Toni how she really felt, she needed to hurry or wait another year. “Toni,” she started, but when her eyes met her best friend's blue ones, she faltered. Taking risks was not her nature. Quite the opposite. If she said what was in her heart, there was the possibility it could ruin everything, and she’d lose Toni forever.
Still, Toni didn't break eye contact. The cocky smile disappeared, replaced by a seriousness in her eyes, which made Abby nearly gasp. When Toni started to lean in, Abby thought she might faint. They were going to kiss, and Abby worried she might die on the spot. Every confusing dream over the last summer was about Toni and a moment just like it. Closing her eyes, she waited.
“We need to get going,” Toni said interrupting the moment. Looking at her with surprise, Abby was sure she saw a blush creeping up her best friend's cheeks. Something she never saw the self-assured teenager do before. “The tide is rising.”
Blinking with disbelief at the sudden change in Toni, Abby hurried to keep up as they left the cave. Only at the last second did she have time to glance back at the best friend’s forever heart carved in the wall with their initials inside it. Her opportunity had passed. But it was okay. They would write, and next summer, when she was older, Abby wouldn't hesitate. She would tell Toni how much she loved her.
The scent on the wind was what made it all come back. More than a glimpse of the ocean as she passed through the nearest small town. More than the sound of gulls crying as they circled for a tourist’s left behind morsel. Even seeing the old beach house for the first time in over three decades didn’t do it entirely. But the smells, the sea, and the sand warm from the sun, those brought her home to a place she remembered fondly from her childhood. A place she felt safe and loved, and as Abby Lewis drove up in the rental car, tears filled her eyes. Memories washed over her, and for the first time in a long time, she felt as if she was home.
Shutting off the engine, Abby let her brown eyes wander over the structure. The gray-blue painted wood looked like it had a fresh coat, as did the bright white trim and shutters. A golden hue cast over the home as the sun dropped in the June sky and sunset approached. Quaint and just as she remembered it, although perhaps smaller, but that made sense. The last time she was there, she was thirteen, and everything was grand and full of potential. As her fiftieth birthday rapidly approached, and gray mixed in with the brown of her hair, that was not the case. Maybe even the opposite. Yet, being back here was already helping lift her spirits. Abby turned to the little black and white mutt harnessed into the passenger seat beside her. “Well, Sally, we made it. Ready to go see our first sunset?” The dog seemed to grin at her. If she could talk, Abby knew Sally would be rooting her on.
Sally was a new addition—a rescue from less than two weeks ago and part of Abby's ‘rebuilding her life’ plan. Some sort of Shiatzu and Maltese mix, the little girl had a lot of spunk wrapped up in her twelve pounds. Abby fell in love the minute they met, and the emotion appeared to be mutual, because Sally stuck to Abby like glue. Right at the moment though, Sally looked anxious to go see the sunset her master spoke of, and when Abby didn't get out of the car immediately, she gave a little bark. “Right!” Abby said, and suddenly feeling more excited than she had in a long time, she unhooked her partner, and together they hurried out of the car to run around the house and watch the sunset. Just as she knew there would be, a pair of Adirondack chairs were waiting.
Dropping into the closest and letting Sally jump onto her lap, she leaned back and rested her head against the sun-warmed wood and tried to clear her mind. Even with her new friend to keep her company, the drive up from Sacramento to Pacific City was long and plagued by thoughts of what was wrong with her life. Only the last two miles from town to the remote beach house were the nagging voices quieted. Even at that moment, she could keep them at bay, as if there was an invisible wall around the house blocking them out. If only it would last. She sighed and refocused on the horizon. With school out and her seventh graders gone for the summer, the next two months were her own. The quieter they could be, the better.
Not that she didn't have plans for the time she was staying at the beach house. In the backseat of the car was her laptop and a bag full of sketchbooks. All her life, she wanted to write a book, ideally one with some of her sketches in it. In fact, it was because of sudden memories of that exact beach that one night the idea for a story surfaced. The idea was so strong, Abby got out of bed in the middle of the night and searched to find the beach house from her childhood. Amazingly, it was available, and disregarding the tax it would take on her finances, she booked it for the rest of the summer. A week later, there she was watching the sun dip into the blue water on the horizon. The view was even more breathtaking than she remembered. “Wow,” she whispered while the sky changed from pinks to oranges to a fiery red.
Holding her breath while the bright, yellow sphere disappeared as if swallowed by the ocean itself, Abby made a wish. She didn’t know if wishing on a setting sun held any power, but it felt right. Let this summer be magical, like those she remembered so fondly. Exhaling, she ran a hand down Sally’s back. “Shall we go find the key she promised she left for us?” After licking her hand in answer, the little dog hopped do
wn and headed up the short, sandy path. With Abby following suit, the two of them crossed the back porch, and Abby was happy to see the lockbox on the door handle, just as the emailed instructions said. Opening it on the first try, Abby let them inside into the main living space. A lamp was on to welcome them. Again, the space was smaller than she remembered but just as homey. More and more, Abby felt confident her spontaneous decision to book the house was the right one. She looked down at her companion. “Nice, right?”
Sally trotted in and hopped up on the fun, floral cushion of the nearest couch. Apparently, she approved, and Abby chuckled as she moved across the space to the kitchen island. Once again, she thanked whatever whim it was that made her go find Sally. The dog had already done so much to lift her spirits. The blessing of unconditional love from such a sweet companion reassured her. Having rescued her from the humane society was simply an added bonus. They needed each other, simple as that.
On the counter was a note, held in place by a bottle of a local Oregon Pinot Noir, and Abby smiled as she scanned it. A welcome from the caretaker with a few instructions on where to find things like coffee filters and beach towels. It included a cell phone number with a promise of being available if anything came up. It was signed “Toni,” and Abby paused as she read the signature. Toni. Could it be… Abby shook her head. The odds seemed unlikely, although she had known a Toni once. In fact, they had been close friends for a time and right here on the beach. For a few summers, Toni’s family rented the next nearest beach house. It was over a half-mile down the coastline, and if she remembered correctly, they were from Pittsburgh making the coincidence all the more impossible. Still, she hadn't thought of Toni in forever.
Being a couple years younger, Abby remembered thinking the older girl was amazing. She seemed to know everything from the kinds of sea life they found among the tidepools to what it would be like to ride a motorcycle, all of which she described with no hint of arrogance or boasting. Toni simply relayed what she knew, and Abby hung on every word. With no other kids around, they were inseparable. Looking back on it, Abby realized she had something of a crush on the girl. Of course, she knew nothing about attraction and certainly not about the fact she was a lesbian. Yet, the chemistry between them was too strong to write off. Abby shook her head. But there was no way this Toni was the same girl from Pittsburgh. It was just a strange coincidence.
Summer Loving Page 8
