Life in Bits: A Lesbian Christmas Romance

by Harper Bliss

  “How about you go to sleep and I’ll call Eileen.” She got up and touched her palm softly to his upper arm.

  Tyson nodded and, even as she was still walking out of his room, Naomi was already reaching for her phone.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The bell on the diner door announced Eileen’s entrance and three heads slowly pivoted to scrutinize the new arrival. However, one lone person at the counter didn’t take note.

  Eileen recognized Jane’s spiky hair. She held her phone in her hand, clearly absorbed in whatever was on the screen. When the waitress placed Jane’s order of Eggs Benedict, not right in front of Jane’s hunched body, but within reach, Jane didn’t acknowledge the young woman in the slightest. The waitress didn’t seem to mind Jane’s aloofness, leading Eileen to believe this was how Jane usually acted in the establishment. Or possibly everywhere in town.

  Two hunched white-haired ladies, the ones who walked the town park together every morning, whispered back and forth not bothering to hide the fact that Eileen was the subject of their conversation. That narrowed down Eileen’s choice on where to sit to the four-seater that was tucked away in the corner by the bathroom entrance and completely out of view of the nattering nabobs of Derby.

  Her eyes scanned the interior of The Early Bird Café. Every wall, booth table, and countertop were a retina-scorching yellow as if the sun had exploded. Blinking several times, Eileen fiddled with the paper placement, covered in ads for local business. If she needed a lube job, she now knew Al of Al’s Garage was a no-BS businessman. If he had to shout that he wasn’t a swindler did that actually imply the opposite? Did cars still need lube? Or was Al being cheeky or talking in code?

  A young woman, barely old enough to be out of high school, in black jeans and a T-shirt approached. “What can I get you?”

  Eileen hadn’t bothered to peruse the menu knowing every American diner would have her go-to meal. “Toast, scrambled eggs, and a double order of bacon.”

  The woman jotted down the items on her pad. “What kind of bread?”

  With a wisp of guilt, Eileen opted for white instead of a healthier option. What was the point of whole wheat, really, when requesting a double order of bacon?

  “Anything to drink?” The woman tapped her pen against the pad.

  “Coffee. Black.”

  “From the looks of it, several cups.” The woman’s sincere smile, showing her youth, blunted the comment.

  Eileen smiled back, knowing the true source of her exhaustion. Naomi had spent the night at her place and there hadn’t been much time allotted for actual shuteye. “Stayed up late binge-watching the final season of The Americans,” Eileen said to the woman, wondering why she felt the need to clarify anything. The lying didn’t surprise her considering she was skillful in that particular field when need be.

  Given this was a small town, though, maybe it wasn’t all that surprising that Eileen’s instincts kicked in. Everyone knew everyone’s business. Hence the reason Naomi had fled Eileen’s place well before the church bells this morning. True, people had seen them together at Jane’s exhibition, but appearing together at a public event and leaving an apartment early in the morning—that would light up the Derby grapevine faster than Chuck Yeager’s plane breaking the sound barrier.

  The waitress returned with a coffee pot and flipped over the cup already on the table. “How long are you home for?”

  Eileen didn’t recognize the woman, probably due to the fact that Eileen had been gone for years before the waitress was born, but that didn’t matter. “Oh, I’m here for the holidays. Then it’s back to… work.”

  The woman’s eyes fell to Eileen’s right hand, which Eileen had forced into a flat position on the table top. “Work ruins everything,” she said with an enigmatic expression in her eyes. She turned on her heel and cheerily greeted an elderly man and woman who shuffled through the door.

  The only people younger than fifty, aside from the server, were Jane and Eileen and it didn’t escape Eileen’s recollection that she only had months until she ticked over to the big five-oh.

  Eileen focused her attention on her right hand. She pivoted the hand upward, so it was perpendicular to the table with the side of her pinky still touching the table top. She flattened it again. And repeated the physical therapy exercise as she usually did whenever she had time to kill.

  The days kept ticking by, bringing Eileen closer and closer to the brink of her self-imposed deadline for being back on the job.

  “Oh, hey, it’s you.”

  Eileen looked up into Jane’s pinched face. “Hello.”

  Jane eased onto the bench opposite Eileen.

  Please, Jane, take a seat.

  “I was just thinking of calling you, but I don’t know your number. Or email for that matter. But here you are.” Jane whipped out her phone from her back pocket.

  “About?” There was no way Eileen would provide any contact details. If anyone really needed to get ahold of her, they could reach her through work. But that took initiative and Jane seemed more like the type to rely on others for practical things.

  “About my show.” Jane quickly added, “How much you liked it.”

  The waitress set Eileen’s plate down and Jane swiped a slice of bacon off the stack of extra crispy pieces. Just the way Eileen liked them.

  Eileen, who had been living abroad and didn’t have many opportunities to enjoy American bacon, controlled her urge to plunge her fork into Jane’s hand.

  Seeming not to notice Eileen’s death stare or silence, Jane pressed on around bites of bacon. “What do you say?” A piece of bacon fell from her mouth and landed on a placemat, grease spreading out.

  I’d like you to keep your grubby paws off my bacon. Still not understanding Jane’s request, Eileen repeated her earlier question, “About?” There was no point in expending too much energy into the conversation.

  “Giving me a line or two about how much you liked Life in Bits. It’d look great coming from you.”

  Eileen uncrossed her legs. “You want me to give you an endorsement”

  “Yeah. An endorsement.” Jane appeared as if it was the first time she had heard the word or truly understood its meaning.

  Not a chance in hell. Eileen re-crossed her legs again, angling her left flank to Jane. “Are you going to the Christmas tree lighting in the town square tonight?”

  Jane palm-slapped her forehead. “Is that tonight?”

  Taken aback by her palm-slapping, Eileen said, “I’m pretty sure today is the first of December.” Eileen nodded when the waitress raised the coffee pot as a way of asking if she wanted a top up. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it.” The waitress buzzed over to the other patrons, topping everyone up.

  “Shoot. I just made plans for tonight, but I’m supposed to take photos for The Derby Gazette.” Jane rapped her fingertips on the table. “Can you manage it, you think?”

  Eileen sputtered, “W-what?” Surely, she didn’t mean the photos for the Gazette? Or was she still fixated on the endorsement?

  Jane motioned to Eileen’s hand. “What are you doing? Is that a photographer’s exercise or something?”

  Eileen hadn’t even realized she’d continued her PT exercises while she waited for Jane to leave so she could attempt to butter her toast with one arm. “Something like that.”

  Jane copied Eileen’s exercise with her right hand. “So, can you manage tonight?”

  Eileen forked in a mouthful of eggs. Chewing slowly, she finally swallowed. “What?” Honestly, how did Naomi ever carry on a conversation with Jane?

  “Can you take some photos of the ceremony tonight? I’d be indebted to you.” She placed her hand over her heart. “Truly.”

  Eileen’s gut response was to tell Jane to fuck off. But she thought better of it. “I suppose I can manage some photos. Maybe I can enlist Naomi’s help.” Part of her felt a twinge of guilt for tossing out Naomi’s name, especially since Naomi had gone to the effort of sneaking
out of her apartment this morning. But Jane needled Eileen more than Eileen cared to admit.

  Jane bolted upright in her seat. “Great. I’ll let the paper know. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

  Eileen stifled a laugh, knowing the publisher, who was an old family friend, wouldn’t have any objections. If she used her iPhone, tripod, and Bluetooth Remote Shutter, taking photos for the Gazette wouldn’t be too difficult. This would never fly for her real job, but this was for a paper in a town with less than fifteen thousand residents.

  “Are you and Naomi close?” Jane’s expression was remarkably blank and Eileen couldn’t decipher if she was attempting to disguise all traces of jealousy or if this was the amount of interest Jane took in anyone’s life, including her ex.

  “We attended your exhibition together, as you know.” Eileen wasn’t the type to provide many private details, although she had let Naomi’s name slip from her lips.

  “Be careful. I heard you’re back in town because of a health thing or something.” Jane waved a hand in the air. “Naomi has a bad habit of taking on charity cases.” She laughed. “One time, when we were driving on Route 13 with five cars behind me, she screamed for me to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a turtle that’d wandered onto the road. Then she wanted me to pull over and get it to safety. A turtle I ask you!”

  “Did you run over it?”

  “Are you going to eat your toast?” Jane pointed at the four untouched slices. “I’m a bottomless pit today.”

  In so many ways. “Go ahead.”

  Jane buttered one, topping it off with a glob of strawberry jam.

  “So, did you run over the turtle?”

  “What?” Jane shoved toast into her mouth.

  Eileen waited for her to finish.

  Jane swallowed. “Oh, the turtle. No, I didn’t. But I wasn’t going to risk my life to save it from getting squashed. It shouldn’t have gotten onto the road in the first place. Naomi’s soft. Always wanting to save everyone.” Jane leaned over the table. “You and I both know, since we’re behind the camera, how cruel this world can be. We see things others don’t.”

  “Yes, your doll, Bitsy, has truly seen the dark side of this world.”

  Jane tapped the tip of her nose with an index finger and then jabbed it in Eileen’s direction. “Exactly. You get it.”

  Eileen said a silent prayer that her Bitsy jibe wouldn’t spark Jane’s memory to ask again about the endorsement.

  Jane finished the slice of toast. “I should shove off. Thanks again for covering for me. If you ever need me to pinch-hit for you, just give me a shout.”

  Yeah, sure. Eileen sincerely doubted Jane had so much as a valid passport.

  The bell on the door chimed as Jane stepped out into the foggy morning, heading to God knows where. Good riddance.

  The two older women shuffled by Eileen’s table on their way out, both giving Eileen the once over as they passed.

  Did they think Eileen was involved with Jane?

  Eileen blew out a breath. “Whatever.”

  Let them think that as long as they stayed off the Naomi trail. Jane invited local gossip with her antics. During one of their late-night chats, Naomi had disclosed Jane’s affair. Eileen had only interacted with Jane on two occasions, but both instances left a sour taste in her mouth.

  What in the world had Naomi seen in Jane?

  The thought of Naomi wanting to rescue a lost turtle made her smile.

  That was so like Naomi.

  Another less pleasant thought struck Eileen.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Naomi was just heading out to lunch with Kelly in the hospital coffee shop, when her phone started ringing. Her lips curved into an involuntary smile when she saw Eileen’s name appear on the screen.

  She picked up, her smile spreading.

  “Am I a turtle?” Eileen’s voice came over the phone—crisp and harsh.

  “What?” Whatever happened to hello? Or was Eileen playing some sort of prank on her?

  “Am I another turtle that needs saving?” Eileen’s voice was starting to soften a little.

  “Eileen,” Naomi said. “This is Eileen Makenna, right? Have you started working for a very special kind of pet shop now? Making the most bizarre cold calls?”

  A pause on the other end of the line, followed by a sigh. “I ran into Jane,” Eileen said. “She told me about that turtle you wanted to save from getting run over on the road.”

  Naomi shook her head. What else could Jane have told Eileen about her? She shook off the thought. “And she made it sound as if wanting to save an animal is a bad thing?”

  “It’s not so much about the turtle,” Eileen admitted. “It’s more about me knowing if I’m just another creature for you to save.”

  “You didn’t much look like someone who needed saving in bed this morning.” Memories of the nights they’d been spending together flooded Naomi’s mind.

  Eileen chuckled, but then her voice sounded serious again. “Jane somehow knows exactly how to get under my skin.”

  “She has a knack for that.” Naomi walked back to her chair and sat down. “If I ask you not to pay too much attention to her, do you think you can do that? Jane’s really not that bad. She’s still getting over the break-up whereas I… Well, I’ve kind of moved on already.”

  “She actually got me a job,” Eileen said. “Taking pictures at the Christmas tree lighting in the town square tonight. For the local paper.”

  “Really?” This conversation was getting weirder by the minute. “Are you going to do it?”

  “Yes. I agreed to help her out.”

  “Eileen Makenna, Pulitzer Prize winner, taking snaps for The Derby Gazette.”

  “I’m here. I might as well make myself useful.” Eileen’s tone had brightened. Maybe she was happy to be useful. “Idle hands and all that.”

  “Do you need help?” Naomi asked. “I can carry your equipment.”

  Eileen went silent for a moment. “That would be nice, actually.”

  Warmth bloomed in Naomi’s chest.

  “I won’t be taking a lot of equipment. I’ll just use my phone and take a tripod.”

  “Switching on the Christmas tree lights isn’t exactly the social gathering of the year, but it does draw a bit of a crowd,” Naomi said. “Are you sure you want to go together?”

  “I am,” Eileen said, no hint of doubt in her voice. “I’ll be taking pictures so you’ll need to resist my charms until I finish.”

  Naomi burst into a smile again. “As long as I get to carry your equipment all the way home and have my way with you then.”

  “I guess I need to pay you for your work somehow.”

  “Do we, um, need to talk about this? If people see us together, there might be talk.”

  “People can befriend each other in this town, can’t they?” Eileen said—not a hint left of the harshness in her voice at the beginning of their phone call.

  “Sure,” Naomi said. “We’ll be discreet.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to think I don’t want to be seen with you.” Eileen snickered.

  “How about I come by your place after work, we can then go from there together?” Naomi could hardly wait.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Eileen paused. “I’d best let you get back to it.”

  They hung up and Naomi made her way to the coffee shop downstairs, ten minutes late for her lunch date with Kelly.

  Naomi wasn’t worried about anyone seeing her with Eileen, but she wasn’t sure if Eileen felt the same way about being seen with Naomi.

  She hurried down the stairs and put the people of Derby out of her mind. When she entered the coffee shop and caught sight of Kelly, one of her most favorite people in Derby, she figured that, at the very least, she should tell her best friend about Eileen.

  But Kelly wasn’t interested in the Derby Christmas tree lights—she and Frank were going to a concert in Boston tonight—and Naomi considered that, before she officially told anyone, she needed
to have another conversation with Eileen. After all, Eileen might be gone in a few weeks—and wouldn’t they both be better off not having told anyone then?

  Naomi could put her dalliance with Eileen down to a rebound fling—because, at the heart of it, wasn’t that what it was? Eileen had told her from the start that she was only in Derby for the holidays.

  Perhaps Naomi should start thinking of protecting herself, and this definitely included keeping Eileen a secret. She’d just gone through the unpleasant ordeal of sharing the news with all her friends and family that she and Jane had broken up—the information that Jane had cheated on her included. She didn’t want to go through any of that again.

  She sat opposite Kelly and gave her a big smile that she hoped would camouflage how she was feeling.

  When they approached the town square, Naomi carrying Eileen’s tripod, she feared they might look quite conspicuous. But, as it turned out, Naomi and Eileen blended in perfectly, because, these days, every single person had a smartphone to take pictures and considered themselves an amateur photographer. A handful even had tripods of their own.

  The whole thing was over in fifteen minutes, yet Naomi had witnessed another side of Eileen. She wasn’t playful, as she’d been with the kids at the hospital, even though her passion for the camera had shone through then as well. Tonight, she’d been focused and professional. Even though she was shooting with a phone, just like everyone else, she tried out a dozen different angles, and had Naomi move the tripod just as many times.

  Eileen had only nodded in recognition at a handful of people. A few decades away from Derby could, apparently, erase most people from your memory—at least from Eileen’s. And whenever Naomi had asked Eileen about her family, she’d shut the conversation down pretty quickly, claiming that, apart from her sister, she wasn’t close to them at all. Naomi hadn’t pressed Eileen for more information, sensing that the time for that had not yet come. They had plenty of other, much more pleasurable, activities to engage in when they were together.