“Hey,” Paxton whispered. “Chris.”
Chris opened her eyes, immediately noticing that she’d fallen asleep on the couch. Paxton was sitting on the side of it, running her hand softly through Chris’s messy hair while smiling down at her.
“I fell asleep, didn’t I?” she asked.
“Yes, and not in bed with me.” Paxton winked at her. “Are you okay? Should I have stayed at my place last night?”
“What? No.” Chris sat up. “I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to wake you. I didn’t intend to fall asleep out here.”
“I’m going to head over to the hotel to meet with the contractor. Why don’t you stay home with Wes today, since he’s not going to school? I can swing by here at lunch and bring you both something. I can work from here for the rest of the day. We can order in for dinner or something.”
“You don’t have to do all that, Pax.” Chris kissed Paxton on the lips. “We’ll be okay. You basically have two jobs already. You don’t need the third one, taking care of us.”
“I wouldn’t mind it, though. I like taking care of you guys,” Paxton said with a soft smile.
“Go to work, Champ.” Chris gave her shoulder a light shove. “Come for lunch if you want. It’s up to you.” She stood as Paxton stood. “And if you want to work from here, that’s fine, too. I wouldn’t mind getting some work done today myself. We could go through the plans for the restaurant if you want.”
“See? They think I’m the boss. But really, you’re the one in charge.”
“I’m glad you realize that, too.” Chris wrapped her arms around Paxton’s neck and smiled through the kiss she gave her.
“Have you given any thought to you know what?” Paxton asked.
“That would be the reason I couldn’t sleep.” Chris pulled away from Paxton and headed into the kitchen. “Do you want coffee before you go?”
“No, I’ll get some on the way.”
“Can we talk about the you know what you mentioned later?” Chris asked on a sigh.
“I guess so,” Paxton agreed, clearly reluctantly. “I’ll see you later?” she asked, losing the smile on her face.
“Lunch?”
“I’ll be by around one,” Paxton replied; although it was said without her usual enthusiasm, which was one of Chris’s favorite things about her girlfriend.
“I’ll see you later.”
“Later, yeah.” Paxton kissed her cheek, turned away, and headed out of the house.
Chris stood in her kitchen, knowing the cause of Paxton’s unprecedented withdrawal. Her girlfriend had a big heart. That big heart was one of the reasons Chris had fallen for her in the first place. Paxton wanted her to talk to Cheyanne, and Chris knew that she hoped for some kind of reconciliation between the relatives. Chris had stared at the TV for a long time, trying to come to grips with the fact that the woman who had raised her mother in a cult was suddenly in her life, trying to get to know her and her younger brother.
“Hey, can I get you some breakfast?” Chris asked Wes, leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom.
“Maybe just one of the protein bars; it’s in my gym bag. I’m not really all that hungry.” He rolled onto his side to face her, clinching his cast.
“Are you in pain? Do you want one of the pills the doctor gave you?”
“I took one right before you came in. It just needs a few minutes to kick in. It’ll make me sleepy, too, so if it’s okay, I think I’ll stay home from school today.”
“Wes, of course, you’re staying home,” she replied, walking into the room. “If you feel up to it, you can go in tomorrow. But don’t push it, okay? I’ve already called the school and your coach to let them know what happened.”
“Thanks,” he said and rolled onto his back. “Can I ask how she is? I mean, do you know?”
“I know what Paxton told us last night,” Chris replied.
“That she’s getting out of the hospital today?”
“If her tests came back okay, yes. I don’t know if that’s the case, though.”
“Can we call the hospital? I can do it myself.” Wes reached for the phone on his bedside table with his uninjured hand.
Chris let out a deep sigh and said, “I’ll call them. I’ll check on her.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’ll take care of it. Get some rest.” She moved to his gym bag on the floor, unzipped the side pocket, pulled out the protein bar, and tossed it onto his bed. “Eat this now. Pax is going to bring us lunch later, but let me know if you get hungry for something else.”
“Thanks, Chris.”
Chris closed the door behind her, went to the kitchen, picked her phone up off the table, and looked up the number to the hospital.
“Hello. I was wondering if you could tell me if a patient has been discharged. She’s my grandmother,” Chris said as she closed her eyes.
◆◆◆
“You’re all set,” the nurse told Cheyanne after pushing the older woman’s wheelchair through the outer doors of the hospital. “We’ve called you a taxi. I’ll wait here and help you in when it arrives.”
“Thank you,” Cheyanne said.
“She doesn’t need a cab,” Chris said, witnessing the exchange from where she’d been waiting for the past ten minutes. She’d arrived at the hospital, parked her car, sat inside it for about five minutes before she’d walked to the hospital’s door, and then, she’d just stood there. “I’ll drive her home,” she added, moving toward Cheyanne’s chair. “I’m parked over there. I’ll pull up.”
She made her way back to the parking lot where she started the car and drove it to the door. Cheyanne hadn’t said anything to Chris when she’d seen her, but she had smiled. Chris got out of the car and helped the nurse get Cheyanne into the passenger seat. Then, without a word, she drove off to the address Wes had stored on his phone. She’d borrowed it after he’d fallen asleep, found Cheyanne’s apartment address, and left Wes a note that she’d be right back if he woke up before she returned.
“If you give me your key, I’ll go inside and pack a few things for you,” Chris offered. “It’ll be easier if you just wait here. Is there anything you need specifically, outside of clothing and the basics?”
“Pack for what?” Cheyanne asked, turning to her.
“You can stay with us while you heal. When I called the hospital earlier, they said you have a bruised knee that you need to stay off of, along with everything else. You can stay with us until the swelling goes down, and then you can be on your own,” Chris said.
“You’d let me stay with you?”
“Just until you’re better. And this doesn’t mean I want to have a long talk with you or anything, okay?”
“I would be an imposition.” Cheyanne shook her head from side to side.
“Grandmother or not, you’re all alone. Wes cares about you, and my girlfriend… It’s just easier this way. Can I borrow your key? Do you have any medication or anything up there?”
“No, I haven’t been to a doctor or hospital since before…” The woman reached inside the small coin purse she had as her only possession and passed Chris the key. “There’s a suitcase by the front door. It has everything in it that I’ll need.”
“Why–” Chris stopped herself, shaking her head. “I’ll be right back.”
She made her way up to Cheyanne’s apartment, let herself inside with the key, and closed the door behind her. She looked around the incredibly small space and felt even worse about her action recently. It was a studio apartment, with a mattress on the floor. Cheyanne had a small table in a wide-open space that was to be a living area. The kitchen didn’t look well stocked. Chris turned back to see a large roller suitcase a few feet away from the front door. She pulled it out the door, loaded it into the trunk, and climbed back into her car.
“You lied to us, didn’t you?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Cheyanne asked back.
“Before, you told us you didn’t nee
d money.” Chris pulled the car out onto the street.
“I didn’t want you to think I wanted to be in your life after all these years merely because I needed money. I can apply for benefits. I haven’t yet, but I could. Your cousins, the ones I mentioned before, have helped some. I may not be rich, but I’m okay,” Cheyanne told her.
“You’re sleeping on a mattress on the floor.”
“For now; it’s only for now,” Cheyanne said and then appeared to be completely exhausted from the conversation as she rested her head against the seat behind it.
CHAPTER 29
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Paxton asked when she saw Chris walk through the door of the hotel. “I thought I was bringing lunch to you.”
“I thought I’d bring you lunch instead. I kind of have something I wanted to talk to you about, and I can’t do it at my place,” Chris said.
“Is everything okay with Wes? Did something happen?” Paxton closed her laptop immediately and stood up from behind the desk she’d haphazardly set up in the back office.
“Wes is fine. He’s been asleep on and off all morning. I dropped his lunch off first and checked on him. There’s just someone else at my house.”
Paxton gave her a confused look for a moment before she smiled at her and said, “You did the right thing, Chris.”
“It’s just until she can be on her own. The doctor said about a week or so, until her knee is healed. She doesn’t even have crutches.” Chris sat down in the folding chair opposite the desk.
Paxton moved her chair over to join her and replied, “I’m proud of you for doing this. I know it’s not easy.” She placed her hand on Chris’s thigh.
“No, it’s not. Part of me thinks my mom is watching me and hates me for this,” she said.
“Your mother could never hate you. No one could hate you, Chris.” Paxton squeezed Chris’s thigh with her hand. “I love you, remember?”
“I do, yes.” Chris chuckled. “The house is going to be a little crowded, though. It’s probably not a good place to work from today. I’ve loaned Cheyanne my bedroom. I can’t exactly kick Wes out of his. Besides, it pretty much always smells like gym socks and sweat.”
Paxton laughed and asked, “Where will you be sleeping?”
“On the couch.” Chris shrugged. “It’s a pull-out. I’ll be fine for a few nights. I’d stay at your place, but I can’t leave Wes on his own with basically one arm and an invalid in my room.”
“I understand. Why don’t I give you guys your space this week?”
“This week?” Chris lifted her eyebrows. “I was thinking I’d stay on the couch myself tonight, but that maybe you could sleep on it with me tomorrow. No funny business, of course. It’s not exactly private, but I don’t want to be without you for a whole week, Pax.”
“I was actually thinking about going back to Seattle to check in on the business for a few days. I was going to talk to you about it later, but maybe I could take care of that while you take care of your family. By the time I get back, Cheyanne should be back home.”
“Oh. Is everything okay in Seattle?”
“It’s fine. It’s just hard to do both, you know? My heart isn’t exactly in Seattle anymore.” Paxton smiled. “On top of that, my brain has been pretty busy lately. It’s not fair to the employees up there. I’m going to talk to my lawyer about planning for the future.”
“You’re thinking of closing up shop?”
“Not necessarily. I might sell… I don’t know.” Paxton shrugged. “It’s just not what I want to do anymore.”
“You want to be a hotel owner now.”
“And a good sister, friend, and girlfriend. I want to be a good boss to everyone that works with me, and I don’t think that’s what I’m being to the team up there.”
“When would you leave?” Chris asked softly, not wanting her to leave at all.
“I was thinking tomorrow if you’re okay with it,” Paxton replied. “And Chris?”
“Yeah?”
“This is a good thing,” Paxton reminded her. “My business is the only thing still tying me to Seattle. I have family there we can go visit, but outside of that, everything I have is here. You were worried about me going back before, but I’m moving every piece of me to Lake Tahoe, because I love you. I love this place. It’s my home now.” Paxton placed both hands on Chris’s face, cupping her cheeks. “Give me a few days, and I’ll come home to you.”
Chris smiled, leaned forward, and kissed her girlfriend. Paxton kissed her back. Chris felt Paxton shifting around in the chair, which caused her to laugh. She opened her eyes to witness Paxton’s foot kick the door to the office until it closed.
“Pax, I have to get home,” Chris said when Paxton stood, locked the door, and reached for Chris’s hand. “We can’t in here.”
“Why not?” Paxton asked, pulling Chris into herself and backing up against the door. “We’re in charge, and all the contractors are upstairs. I’m sleeping on my own for the next few nights, babe.”
“And what? You’re so hard up, you need it now? I didn’t take care of you last night?” Chris asked with a lifted eyebrow.
“Oh, you took good care of me last night. I could use some of the same right now, though,” Paxton said with a smirk.
“What’s gotten into you?” Chris laughed at her.
“My hot girlfriend,” Paxton replied, pulling Chris all the way against her.
“Your hot girlfriend is exhausted and has to get back home. But she promises she will take care of you the first chance she gets when you come home.”
Paxton smiled, kissed Chris’s lips, and said, “Fine. I guess I’ll just have to take care of myself later.”
“As long as no one else is doing the job, Champ, you and your hand can have all the fun you want.”
“Please, it’ll be me and my vibrator,” Paxton returned.
◆◆◆
“I thought Pax was coming for dinner tonight,” Wes said as he, Cheyanne, and Chris sat around the table.
“She’s packing and booking her flight for tomorrow. She’s going back to Seattle for a few days,” Chris explained. “She’ll be back by the weekend, though.”
“Seattle?” Cheyanne asked.
“Paxton’s from there,” Wes answered. “She moved here recently. Her sister lives here, too. She lives with one of Chris’s friends.”
“And that’s how you two met?” Cheyanne asked Chris.
“Me and Pax? I guess so. When Morgan and Adler moved in together, Pax came for a visit and ended up staying. I guess we’ve been together pretty much ever since then.”
“Morgan and Adler, those are both…”
“Women, yes. Morgan is a lesbian, and Adler loves Morgan.” Chris took a drink of her water.
“I see.”
“I’d imagine your old church has an issue with homosexuality?” Chris asked.
“Chris...”
“What?” Chris asked Wes.
“We don’t talk about it as a good or a bad thing,” Cheyanne said. “We just don’t talk about it.”
“I see.” Chris picked up her fork.
“I’m not naïve, Christina. I am aware that women love women, and men love men. Do I understand it, no. But I’m not sure it’s my place to try, either.”
“It’s not your place to try to understand how I could love Paxton in the same way that you could love your husband?” Chris asked.
“I only meant that I’m not sure it’s my place to judge you for it.”
“Oh, well, I guess that’s good enough,” Chris fired back. “Paxton is the reason you’re here right now, by the way. You should thank her if you see her again. She encouraged me to make sure you were okay. I don’t know if I would have picked you up today had she not.”
“God, Chris! Stop acting like such an asshole,” Wes said, dropping his fork abruptly on his plate. “You invited her here. If you’re not at least going to be civil, just don’t talk to her at all.”
“Wes, I–”
“I think I’m finished,” Cheyanne interrupted and lowered her head. “I’d help with the dishes, but…”
“I’ll help you to your room,” Wes offered and stood. “Chris can do the dishes tonight.”
Wes stood, helping Cheyanne to do the same. He ushered her back to Chris’s bedroom. Chris stood and began doing the dishes. A few minutes later, she heard the bedroom door close, and Wes came back into the kitchen.
“She okay?” Chris asked, drying a pan with a rag.
“She’s fine. You’re kind of an asshole, though.” He crossed his uninjured arm over his injured one. “Why’d you even let her stay if you were going to be so rude to her?”
“Because of you and Pax, Wes. I’m trying here.” Chris put the pan on the drying rack by the sink. “It’s the best I can do.”
“No, it’s not. It’s the best you’re choosing to do. I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Are you going to school tomorrow?” she asked.
“Someone should be here to help grandma. Are you staying home from work?” he asked.
“I can’t not work, Wes. You need to go back to school if you can handle it. I’ll go in a little later tomorrow, make her breakfast before I leave, and I’ll come back at lunch, okay? You’ll be home after school, since you don’t have practice. I’ll bring dinner home for us around six.”
“Fine,” he said.
“Wes, what do you want from me?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged, and for the first time, Chris noticed how similar his shrug was to her girlfriend’s. It would have made her laugh if they weren’t talking about something so serious. “You don’t have to be nice to her. But maybe don’t go out of your way to be mean to her. Is that too much to ask?”
“No, it’s not.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m the adult here. I should be doing better with this.”
“I know you had to hear more about what happened from Mom and Dad because I wasn’t around yet. Maybe just consider for a moment that she is our grandmother. She’s the only one we have, and the only one we can ever have. She’s here, and the only thing she’s asked us for is the chance to get to know us. We have cousins that left the cult too, Chris. They’d like to meet us. We could have a family.”
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