“You are an exceptional kisser,” Erin said, her eyes still closed, a dreamy expression on her face.”
Wendy stroked her cheek. “Thanks. So are you.”
“Whew!” Erin exclaimed. “Thank you for saying that. The last woman I kissed did not agree with you. Kind of gave me a complex.”
“Inconceivable!” Wendy said, channeling The Princess Bride.
“What?” Erin asked.
“I do not think you know what that word means,” Wendy continued the movie dialogue. “The Princess Bride?”
“I never saw that.”
Wendy leaned over and kissed Erin soundly. She kissed her until they were both breathless, and then she whispered, “Well, I definitely know what inconceivable means. I cannot see anyone not being moved by a kiss like that.”
“Make sure to tell Kat what she’s missing.” Erin waggled her eyebrows playfully.
“Wait. You kissed Kat?” Wendy stepped back.
“Just once. My stupid brother and Ember had me convinced that she had a thing for me. Hell, even her husband fanned that flame. Probably just because he wanted to watch.” She shrugged. “I always liked Kat, but she so did not like me that way.”
“Huh,” Wendy said. “But you kissed her?”
“She and I had flirted for years. Turns out she never saw it going past that. I on the other hand like to do a lot more than flirt with a hot lady.”
If she hadn’t mentioned kissing Kat, Erin’s next kiss might have extinguished the notion of taking things slowly. This time, when they parted, it was Wendy who kept her eyes closed. She’d be a fool not to give this woman a chance.
“We could have a lot of fun tonight.” Erin stroked Wendy’s lower lip with her thumb.
Bodily, Wendy agreed. But mentally she needed more time. “You make me feel like I’m in my twenties, but I do have an early morning tomorrow.”
“Even on a Sunday morning?”
“We cater all sorts of events, weekends especially. Sunday afternoons, Mondays and Tuesdays are my usual days off, when I can get them.”
“Your work ethic is a huge turn-on. I’d like to see you again. Do you ride?”
“Ride?”
“Horses. We could go riding. Tomorrow afternoon when you’re finished with your morning gig?”
“That sounds…painful,” Wendy said.
“Serves you right for ending our night here in a dark parking lot.”
Wendy leaned over to kiss Erin one more time. “You really are good at that. If I were twenty, I’d be following you home.”
“Are you kidding? If we were twenty, we’d be naked in the back seat of my Mercedes, sweaty and satisfied right now.”
“Good night, Erin.”
“I’m glad I’ve met you, Wendy.”
She walked over to her sleek red car, waving to Erin as she navigated back to the street. Wendy took out her phone. She scrolled through the flirty texts Erin had sent from the bar and was happy that she’d said yes to meeting for drinks. She sent a thank-you to Erin and reminded her to send her address for their afternoon ride. She hovered over Kat’s name debating on whether to send a text to her as well. She leaned against her car. What was she thinking? Erin had said she told Kat. Why did she have the urge to apologize for not making it back to Aura? It wasn’t like they were that close. She hadn’t even told her that she’d kissed Erin once. Here she thought they were developing a friendship, but perhaps she had misread their conversation in the cottage.
Chapter Eight
Miranda wasn’t supposed to leave. The thought invaded her brain like a worm. She was supposed to stay. They’d been friends for such a long time that she assumed they’d still be friends after she came home from her honeymoon.
First, she had been confused. Why wasn’t her friend returning her calls? Kat gave her time, imagining that she was busy.
Then she’d been angry. Who did Miranda think she was? It was just rude not to return calls. She didn’t need to be friends with rude anyway. Sour grapes, for sure. But a position from which she could justify not calling anymore.
But as the months extended to years, the sadness came. Miranda had abandoned her. Kat had never considered the possibility of a life without Miranda, and then she was living it. Until she’d seen Wendy at the reunion, Kat had successfully boxed all the messy Miranda emotions away. Wendy had forced that box open.
Speaking of women not supposed to leave…
Kat slammed the heavy door of her SUV as if she could trap her musings inside. The quiet church campus was nestled in a residential cul-de-sac at the base of one of the small hills that at least gave partial validity to the city being called Woodland Hills. Now that the hill was covered in homes, she couldn’t help feeling as if she was being observed as she strode across the parking lot. Rosebushes lined a patio that separated the steepled sanctuary with stained glass windows where church services were held and the narrow flat-roofed utilitarian building that housed the kitchen, rehearsal space and her office. She did her best not to think about Erin’s smile when she’d received Wendy’s text last night. Or the text she had sent later saying thank you for the introduction. She’d spent a lot of time staring at the time stamp wondering whether she was in her sexy I’m-not-a-mom car about to follow Wendy home. Home where nightcaps were had, where clothes came off, where hands were allowed to roam more freely.
The office door bounced off the wall. She caught it before it smacked her in the face, remembering that she was at church. Regardless of where she was she had no right to be thinking of Erin and Wendy naked in bed, but she acknowledged how it was especially inappropriate on the campus of the conservative church and her place of employ. She glanced toward the priest’s office, angry again. Had he not been so narrow minded, she would not be spending so much time with Wendy. Had she not been spending so much time with Wendy, she wouldn’t be thinking so much about Miranda.
She settled herself calmly into her office chair, centering herself for the essential tasks before the Sunday morning service. While she waited for the computer to boot, she quickly pushed aside the stack of things others had left piled on her desk that she didn’t have time to sort. She knew Reverend Thorn frowned on what he considered clutter, but the family pictures, awards, and wide assortment of tchotchkes on her desk, mostly glass angels gifted to her by members of the congregation, made the space feel comfortable. Too soon, she discovered that she would find no respite in her work. As quickly as she could, she put out email fires, including her least favorite, the “Sorry, I can’t make it,” from one of her bell girls meaning she’d either have to find a last-minute replacement or play the peal in the church foyer herself.
She took the easy route and just did it, annoyed with herself for not enforcing the rule that players find their own replacements. As she expected, more people than ever stopped, their memories jogged about some project or another that they wanted to talk to her about.
“I’ll find you on the patio!” they mouthed.
Please don’t, she thought, smile still plastered to her face. Remember how I said the last fifteen times you approached me about garden club that it’s better to ask me to schedule the planting workshop or seed selection or pruning party or whatever it was you need when I’m IN MY OFFICE and actually HAVE MY CALENDAR in front of me?
She needed to get a grip, reduced to yelling at herself because she could not yell at the clueless. The Stechers wanted to order a rosebud for an altar dedication. Not her job. The health care committee needed to schedule a day for the fair. The director of the spring play wanted to book the auditorium for rehearsals and performances. It seemed there was no end to the questions, not one of which she could answer on the patio. And would anyone actually follow her to her office? Of course not. “I need to catch…” “I just found…” “I’ve got to…”
Absolutely finished with the whole lot of them, Kat skirted the main patio where the congregation had their coffee fellowship and marched past the rose garden and small playgro
und toward her office to jot down as many of the things she had Post-it noted in her mind onto the actual calendar. She almost made it, had almost reclaimed her peace when a voice slipped through the tiny crack in the door.
“Kat!”
She could pretend that she didn’t hear him, couldn’t she?
“Kat! Just a moment!”
She heard Evan’s dress shoes clicking on the sidewalk and pushed the door open.
Evan held his hand on his chest as he caught his breath. “I had a fabulous idea, but Jeremy said we had to get your approval before I proceed.” When Kat said nothing, he paused. “You seem spent. Are you having a bad day?”
“Nothing. Everything. It’s been busy.” Kat felt badly for trying to escape to her office. She took a deep breath catching the faint smell of pipe smoke on his coat. She squeezed his shoulder in apology and then flicked her hands outward as if she was shoving all the irritations out of her way. “There. Better. What’s your idea?”
Evan frowned. “Something’s bothering you.”
“I told you. I’ve had a busy morning, but it’s already better. You know weddings are my favorite thing. Tell me what is going to make yours the best.”
He hesitated, but only for a moment. Then he lit up, twinkling brighter than a Christmas tree. He clapped his hands together. “You know how we want to do the unity candle.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Reverend Munson said that it’s important after we light the middle candle that we leave our individual candles burning because they represent the fire that burns only inside of us. We liked that idea a lot, that we’re both still individuals as well as unified by the middle flame. But there are so many people who support us. We’d like to represent that, too.”
“How do you plan on doing that?” Kat asked.
“Everyone gets a candle.”
“Sounds nice.”
“Oh, and there may be more guests than we originally planned.” He fussed with his tie.
“How many?
He took a small notebook from the inner pocket of his suit jacket with pages of names listed. “We may have fifty now.”
Kat pointed to the pad. “What’s with the list?”
“Jeremy calls it reverse invitation: all the people who have heard about Reverend Thorn’s position and would like to celebrate with us. In protest, as well as in support.”
“And you have to feed them?”
“We don’t have to, but it will be our joy to have them for the full celebration.”
“You’ve told Wendy?”
“Of course.”
“So fifty candles. That’s a lot of fire!”
“That’s where the pool comes in! We could have floating candles. I found some shaped like flowers. So many colors. They’re beautiful! After the ceremony, each guest lights a candle from our unity candle and floats it in the pool.”
Kat could picture it vividly. “That sounds…” Her voice cracked.
“What? Dumb? Dangerous?”
“Beautiful. It sounds beautiful.”
Evan hugged her tightly.
“Why did you think you needed approval for that?”
“I haven’t gotten to that part yet.”
“Oh.”
“Remember how it looks in your mind, how beautiful all those flames will be.”
“I’ve got it,” Kat said.
“I want our photographer to capture that with me and Jeremy in the middle.”
“How are you going to be in the middle of the pool?”
“On a bridge! Jeremy said he could design one. I want the picture to show how our friends and family help to hold us.” His arms extended to illustrate the idea.
“But it’s the bridge that will be holding you, not the fire.”
“It’s the symbol,” Evan insisted, “You’re helping my romantic dream come to light. See what I did there? Come to light?” He nudged her with his elbow.
He had to mention romance, reminding her of Erin’s text about how well she and Wendy had hit it off. The image of them entwined in bed flashed through her mind again, and she pushed it aside angrily. She was unsuccessful in masking her feelings when she answered. “Sure. Do it.”
Evan didn’t look convinced. “I thought you’d be excited. Or concerned. Or hesitant. Or ‘absolutely not.’ Instead you’re…I can’t put my finger on it. Is everything okay? What’s bothering you?”
What was bothering her? That Wendy had blown her off after talking to Erin for five minutes. She couldn’t say that to Evan, yet he waited for a response. She rummaged around in her mind for an appropriate answer. “It just feels like there is so much to do before the wedding, but I want you to have everything you want, so tell me what I can do to help.”
“Really? But you’ve already done so much for us! Wendy said that the lights are finished, and wonderful,” he added, his twinkles brightening again.
“Super.” Kat said her voice notably cooler.
Evan furrowed his brow. “Are you mad at Wendy? Is that what this mood is all about?”
“I’m not mad.”
“Could’ve fooled me. What happened?”
“Nothing. Nothing happened.”
He waited.
“I thought…I just got confused about something I invited her to last night.” Evan still said nothing. She would not think about Wendy and Erin having drinks at Wendy’s restaurant. She absolutely would not think about whether that was all they’d done. Her silence betrayed her mood.
“Okay. Out with it.” Evan pointed to one of the visitor’s chairs and sat in the other.
“What?” Kat sat next to him.
“Whatever is spinning around in your head right now. It’s like you’re watching a movie in there, one that you’re not particularly enjoying. Tell me what it is.”
Kat adopted the most offhanded tone that she could and explained the setup, Wendy and Erin having drinks together, and how Wendy hadn’t even bothered to text her.
“Wait. I missed something. You like these women. You liked them enough to set them up, but now you’re mad that they might have connected? Shouldn’t you happy for them?”
“The way lesbians commit, they’re probably planning their wedding, right?”
“It’s a bit soon for that, but young people today do seem to move rather quickly.”
“They’re not so young.”
“Still, there is a good chance one of them is moving in with the other today. Who has the better house?”
Kat’s jaw dropped.
Evan slapped her shoulder playfully. “I was just kidding. Mostly. Why would that bother you so much?”
“No reason. Like you said, it’s great they hit it off so well.” But Evan was right about her not liking what she had been imagining. Ridiculous, she scolded herself. If I don’t want to sleep with either one of them, why shouldn’t they sleep with each other? “Enough about that,” she said both to herself and to Evan. “You said Jeremy is designing this bridge. Who is going to build it?”
“Yes. Well. That does get a bit more complicated. Some of our reverse-invitation guests have asked if there is anything they can do,” he said.
Kat’s mind spun back to another time a bridge had spanned the pool. She remembered her father building a rope bridge one Halloween, and her breathing went shallow. Her palms started to tingle. Could she take an Ativan like she did when Travis wanted to swim?
“Kat? Are you okay?”
“I won’t…” Kat started to say she wouldn’t be home. She was already inventing errands that would keep her away from the house because she couldn’t tell him no. Not without explaining. The conversation she’d had with Wendy about how white lying was a bad habit of hers rang in her ears. Her voice faltered and she offered vague honesty instead. “I don’t know if I can help.”
“Dave has offered his skills. He’s young and strong. But he might need someone to help. Hey! Maybe Wendy would.”
Kat breathed more easily when he didn’t question her furt
her. “Wendy?”
“She mentioned that she has Mondays off and to say the word if we needed help with anything else since we’re squeezing in a year’s worth of planning into a month. I’m sure power tools are involved. You know how lesbians love their power tools!”
“She’s your caterer, and you’re going to ask her to build a bridge?” Kat asked skeptically.
“Why not? She is such a kindred spirit. You know when you meet someone, and you just know you’re going to be friends instantly? That’s how it was with her. She’s the kind who would do absolutely anything for a friend, like hanging the lights. She went on and on about how pleased she was to be able to do that with you.”
“She did?”
“Of course!” he said. “She has all sorts of stories about how great you’ve been to her.”
Kat wasn’t expecting this. Sure, she had sent business Wendy’s way, but that was something worthy of a sentence of thanks, not what Kat considered stories. She thought about her envy of Erin’s ability to simply text Wendy without an excuse. She enjoyed supporting Wendy’s business because it afforded her the opportunity to talk to and see her occasionally. Jeremy’s bridge gave her another such excuse, and she seized it. “I could call her to see if she’s willing to help.”
“You sure? You seem upset with her, like you’re uncomfortable that she hit it off with your friend.”
“I’m the one who introduced them.”
“I know, so why the grumps? Are you freaked out that they might have hooked up? Girl sex puts you off?” He was laughing, but he stopped abruptly at the look on Kat’s face. “That’s it? Girl sex puts you off?” He sat back, looking dumbfounded.
Kat looked away. His question had propelled her back to Miranda, and she could hear her voice as if she was sitting there with them. Go ahead. Tell me that you don’t want to sleep with me. Tell me that you are not burning with desire from that kiss, and I won’t say another word about it.
She couldn’t imagine it. That was the thing, wasn’t it? She had thought she wouldn’t know what to do. The idea had terrified her. She could not find any words to explain it. She hadn’t been able to answer Miranda, could not tell her why she was so afraid, and she’d taken it as a no. Now she had no words for Evan, and he took that as a yes.
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