Melt My Heart

by Anna Cove

  Dylan resumed her hands-on-hips pose. "I've got a little area set up for the two of you with a chair and a blanket, and some other supplies you might find useful. Let's go get you settled so I can be back for the race in time."

  Dylan turned to the launch and waved to a group of women standing there. "I'll be right back," she shouted.

  A petite woman with dreads that Laura recognized from The Snuggery called back. "You've got three minutes! Don't dilly dally."

  Dylan rolled her eyes and gestured for Laura to follow. Laura was grateful Dylan didn't introduce her to the group. Though she was glad to be out, she still felt fragile and exposed. She found herself hugging Aaron, aware of every person and car around her as they walked past the Maritime Museum and along the banks of the Hudson. Dylan stopped at a patch of green grass and turned. "Here's the spot. The race is a sprint and the finish is over there. It shouldn't take long... just a few minutes."

  Dylan had undersold herself. Half in the shade of a tree and half in the sunlight, a queen-sized quilt covered the grass. A folding chair sat at the back-right corner, with a real old-school picnic basket at its feet.

  Dylan knelt by the basket and opened one of the outer storage areas. "I've got a pair of binoculars in case you want to view the finish more closely—our boat will be on the far side—and some snacks in here as well as an extra blanket in case you get cold, sunscreen, an extra baseball hat, and oh, here are the heat sheets. I marked who won the earlier races and who is racing in this next race." Dylan straightened. "If you want them."

  Laura blinked, flabbergasted by the thought and care that went into putting together the basket. She fumbled with what to say. Thank you seemed inadequate. Gushing didn't seem quite right, not in the face of this even-keeled woman. She hadn't been taken care of so well in... well...

  Ever.

  "This is—"

  "Are you Laura Munro?" A woman interrupted her. She wasn't one of the racers, or at least wasn't dressed for racing. She wore simple jeans and a T-shirt ensemble. Laura's stomach clenched as it did whenever someone asked her that question. But this time, she wasn't going to embarrass herself by losing her temper. Not in front of Dylan.

  "Yes, I am."

  "I'm such a huge fan." The woman beamed. She seemed unable to take her eyes off Laura as she dug in her purse. "Can I have your autograph?"

  Dylan edged in front of Laura, blocking Aaron from the stranger. "Ms. Munro is enjoying a day off," Dylan said in that oddly formal way she had. "We would appreciate it if you would leave her alone."

  The woman stopped rummaging. "Oh."

  "It's okay, Dyl," Laura said. "I'll sign one thing."

  She said it because she wanted to seem cool and chill. She said it because she wanted to seem nice. She said it, not because she wanted this woman to like her, but because she wanted Dylan to like her. She certainly didn't want Dylan to think her a snob.

  "Thank you!" The woman found her pen and handed it and a grocery receipt to Laura for signing. Dylan turned around and offered her back as a hard surface. "I love you in The Beautiful Ones," the woman said. "I love everything you do, actually, including your documentary shorts. The one on overdoses was really eye-opening."

  "You've seen them?" Laura asked, tracing over her name again, trying to get the pen to work. She'd made those videos as pitches and hadn't realized regular people had watched them.

  "Of course. I've seen everything you do. In fact, after watching the short on overdoses, I started carrying Narcan with me all the time. My brother is alive because of that... because of you."

  Laura stopped writing to take in the woman again. She had huge eyes and wore fire engine red lipstick; she was maybe in her early twenties. She seemed indomitable, a fiery spitball of energy. Laura suddenly felt a gush of pride in her work. She handed the autographed receipt back to the woman. "I should be asking for your autograph, then. You did an amazing thing."

  "Thanks." The woman blushed. "Thank you for speaking with me, and for taking the time to do the things you do. They make a difference." With that, she rejoined her friend, who had lingered back during the whole exchange.

  "Well, that was different," Laura said.

  Dylan frowned. "I'm sorry about that. I thought you'd be protected here."

  "It's fine. Really. I'm glad it happened."

  "Dylan!" A sharp voice sliced through the quiet moment. "Get over here or I'm going to whoop your ass! We're going to be late!"

  Dylan craned her neck toward the yelling woman, the same woman from The Snuggery as before. She let out a little chuckle and rolled her eyes.

  "Are you two close?" Laura asked.

  "Unfortunately, yes," Dylan said.

  "She seems like a good friend."

  "She is, but a total pain in my ass." Dylan didn't move. Her eyes, bluer today rather than stormy or steely, burned a path over Laura, touching her shoulders, over the brim of her wide hat... and over her lips.

  Laura licked them, feeling suddenly dry. Her brain was trying to figure out what was going on. None of it, not where Dylan was concerned, made sense.

  "Dylan, seriously!"

  "You better go," Laura whispered.

  "Do you have everything you need?" Dylan asked.

  "Yes, we're all set. Go! And good luck!"

  "Thanks." Dylan turned and jogged back to her team. Laura watched as her powerful legs tensed when her feet hit the ground. Why she was looking at her legs, she didn't know, especially if she was aiming for friendship with this woman. But maybe it had something to do with the compression shorts she wore, or the fact that she had an easy gait. Maybe it went deeper, because ever since she'd first laid eyes on Dylan Wilson, the woman had intrigued her. Who was she and where did she come from and why had Laura met her now, at this point in her life?

  Laura wasn't a big believer in fate, but it felt like this relationship, whatever it turned out to be, was meant to happen. It felt real. More real than anything in her life since college.

  Laura dragged the folding chair to the front of the blanket and settled in. Aaron's little squeaks had started to sound more like hungry cries. She managed to maneuver him to the correct position in the wrap so that she could subtly feed him. By the time she had him all set, the crew teams still weren't rowing.

  The autograph woman had set off a series of thoughts in her mind. No one had ever commented on her documentaries before. But had she let them? She'd been so closed off in the past, unwilling to indulge random people on the street. Had more of them seen her shorts? Could she use that in some way? Laura took out her phone and tapped on the YouTube app. She navigated to her videos and saw that the one on drugs had thousands of views. 12,321. It wasn't nothing. The video on lead in public water sources had 20,091. She scrolled through the comments, ignoring the obvious trolls, and mined them for what people were saying. She had copy-and-pasted twenty comments before she realized that the race had already started.

  Shit.

  She rummaged in the picnic basket for the binoculars. Holding Aaron tightly to her, Laura shot out of her seat, and made her way as quickly as she could down to the dock.

  Laura had never been to a regatta before, but it seemed simple enough. There were eight women in each boat, rowing at the same time. As they approached her spot, she brought the binoculars to her eyes.

  They rowed in perfect synchronization, their whole bodies dedicated to moving their single oars. It was the most fluid and beautiful display of strength Laura had seen in a long time. She located Dylan's boat and then focused on her. Dylan was sitting near the front, and like the rest of the crew was settling into a rhythmic row.

  Laura hadn't expected this quiet power of hers. Just like she hadn't expected her to be a 9-1-1 operator or to come visit her in the hospital. Just like she hadn't expected her to sustain a conversation through dinner earlier in the week. She thought herself a good judge of character, but she kept making judgments about Dylan that were totally wrong. For once, being wrong was pleasant.


  Dylan's boat was in third but edging up to catch the two boats in front. They were over halfway through.

  "Go Dylan go! Go ladies! Go Love Falls!" Laura found herself screaming.

  Aaron let out a little cry. Laura quieted and rocked him back and forth, but her eyes never left the boat, never left Dylan. Love Falls Crew finished first, a half boat ahead of the second-place finisher. Laura wanted to run over to Dylan and jump into her arms, but the crowd at the finish line was too big for that, not to mention it would be an embarrassing thing to do to a relative stranger, so she calmed herself and returned to her patch of grass. She pulled Aaron out of his sling and watched the crowd as they cheered and chattered and did totally normal things. Without her.

  But she didn't have to wait long. Dylan soon broke free and jogged over to her.

  Laura could feel her excitement rising again, the quickening pace of her heartbeat. She resisted again the urge to get up and hug Dylan, which wasn't too hard as she held her baby in her arms. Still, the warmth she was feeling oozed from her in her words. "That was amazing! Thank you so much for inviting me."

  "It wasn't too boring?" Dylan was still working on catching her breath, her chest expanding and contracting with the effort. Beads of sweat fell down the side of her face.

  Laura had never been able to resist a sporty woman, and this one was hot. Maybe that accounted for all these new feelings. "No way. I don't even know how you're standing right now."

  "I don't know either, but I wanted to see you, and now that I have... can we sit?"

  "Of course, of course." Laura slid off the canvas chair. "You can take this."

  "No, no, that's—"

  "Take it, now. Your legs are going stiffen to bricks and you won't be able to get up if you sit on the ground."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Laura slid over to the picnic basket. At the sass she heard in Dylan's voice she beamed. "I'm glad you're learning it's a good idea to listen to me."

  "Well, I've already prepped the picnic and there's no cooking involved, so what's the hurt? My life isn't in danger."

  Laura pulled out a foil-wrapped sandwich and held it out to Dylan. "But you did leave me alone with the food, so, you never know. I could have done something to it."

  "I'll take the risk. I'm starving." Dylan snatched the sandwich and unwrapped it. "I made egg salad. I hope that works for you."

  "Perfect." Laura settled Aaron on her outstretched legs and grabbed a sandwich for herself. Truthfully, she was starving as well. The two of them ate in silence for a few moments. Laura could barely keep from alternately smiling like a fool and staring at Dylan's legs.

  Dylan slid out of the chair and to the ground, cringing with the bend of her knees. "I'll take the risk of never getting up off the ground so I can see our little man."

  Our little man. With anyone else, Laura would have corrected Dylan. She'd worked too hard for him to share with anyone else. But Dylan had participated in bringing him into the world, so she didn't correct her. She still couldn't believe it had been Dylan who had talked her through that day. Ever since the moment she'd learned that, a sense of calm had come over Laura. Near Dylan she felt safe. And normal. Dylan never treated her like a celebrity. Maybe it was all that that accounted for her feelings.

  She placed the baby in Dylan's lap and watched as she gently stroked Aaron's hair. His eyes moved jerkily, but they investigated her face, unblinking. It was like he knew that he could trust her, and he wanted to study everything about her so he would remember.

  "He's getting cuter every day, Laura."

  "I think so," she said, smiling at them both. As she watched, her brain started playing a movie. She saw Dylan waking up with her in the middle of the night, bringing the baby to bed with them to feed. She saw Dylan with the baby strapped to her chest as they hiked through the woods behind the cabin. She saw Dylan cooking for Laura, a glass of wine in hand as Laura held Aaron and they spoke about politics and the world.

  An ache was opening in her chest, the edges crumbling like those of a sinkhole. These thoughts—were they hormone related?—were so stark, like images of things that had already happened. But they hadn't. Dylan wasn't hers like that. She barely even knew her.

  Right now, all she knew was that she wanted more, but she didn't know how to express that to Dylan without scaring her away. In the celebrity world, relationships burned hot and fast and often burned out quickly as well. Sometimes, they exploded. She didn't want that with Dylan. That much she knew, too.

  Laura's phone buzzed in her pocket, cutting her brain's antics mercifully short. She pulled it out and tapped on the screen. It was a message from Cal.

  Baby here yet? Any ideas for me?

  Her finger hovered over the keyboard. Maybe it was time to tell him about Aaron. The moment had never seemed quite right. Every time she went to tell him, something held her back. Maybe it was the thought of having to explain to Cal what had happened. Maybe she thought he would chastise her for waiting too long before asking for help. But now seemed a good a time as any. And maybe... Laura gasped, sucking in a little breath of fresh spring air.

  Yes, baby is here, and I think I do have an idea. Hold tight.

  OMG SEND ME PICS, Cal wrote back. WHAT'S HIS NAME WHY DIDN'T U TELL ME?

  Laura smiled to herself and found a picture she'd taken of Aaron as he slept in his bassinet that morning. It's a long story. I'll call you later to catch up.

  U better.

  When Laura looked up from her phone, Dylan's gaze met her eyes. She wasn't sure yet, but it was possible she'd come up with a way to spend more time with Dylan and work on a new, fulfilling project.

  CHAPTER TEN

  "DID YOU HEAR ANYTHING I just said?"

  Dylan looked up and glanced around her. She had been so wrapped up in what she'd been doing that it was as if she had been draped in a soundproof blanket, completely unaware of her surroundings.

  She put down her phone and grounded herself. She was in The Snuggery on a Friday in early May. The weather was balmy and the sky clear and bright, and the cozy Snuggery was in a lull. The teal-painted walls and the army of framed artwork and photographs seemed brighter than usual. Was it because it was less busy?

  "Did you clean the walls?" she asked.

  "What?" Skylar wrinkled her nose, but even that failed to mar her attractive face. She wore a white sleeveless bohemian dress today with her hair down, looking like an earth goddess.

  "Are you high?" she asked, sounding nothing like that imaginary goddess.

  "No." Dylan couldn't help but smile as her phone buzzed. She picked it up again. She knew the rules, and her phone was right next to the sign forbidding mobile devices, but she couldn't help it.

  "Give that to me. You know you're not supposed to have that in here." Skylar snatched it from her grasp just as Dylan unlocked it.

  Dylan lunged across the table. "Give that back. It's—"

  "Laura Munro." Skylar raised her eyebrows, dragging her finger up the screen.

  Dylan recreated in her mind what Skylar was seeing on the screen. It was all innocent, of course. Jokes and memes and pictures of wildlife at the cabin and pictures of Aaron, as well as a few 9-1-1 stories Dylan had told Laura after her shifts.

  "Holy shit," Skylar said. She looked up, wide-eyed. "I suspected, but I never really thought you would have the guts."

  "Suspected what?" Suddenly, Dylan felt uncomfortably exposed on her velour-padded stool. She even looked down to make sure she was fully dressed.

  "You and Laura. You have a thing going."

  "There's no thing."

  "There's a thing. It's all right here."

  "Now who's the bad example? Look, a customer."

  Skylar didn't fall for Dylan's ruse, keeping her eyes on the phone screen. "Have you had sex with Laura Munro without telling me? I thought I was your best friend."

  "It's not like that." Dylan slid across the table and plucked the phone out of Skylar's hands, smooth as a snake attacking a mouse. She
secured the phone in the front pocket of her men's jeans, where she was instantly aware of its warmth. Aware of how it vibrated against her hip. Aware of the fact that it was Laura who vibrated—no. Dylan squeezed her eyes shut. "We're just friends."

  "You don't text like that with your friends."

  "How do you know?"

  "Because I'm one of them!" Skylar rolled her eyes in an exaggerated motion. "Gosh, you're pretty dumb when you're falling for someone."

  "I'm not falling for her... I can't... she's not..."

  Katie. She almost said her name. She almost told Sky about dinner with Laura in the cabin Katie had picked out, and how she hadn't thought of her wife once. She almost told her how she'd gone to sleep the other night—actually slept—without tears or numbing herself with wine or an audiobook first. If she could talk to anyone about it, it would be Sky, and she wanted to... if only to help process what was happening. But when her mouth opened, she couldn't form the words.

  "Have you two seen each other since the regatta?" Sky asked.

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  Dylan squirmed. "You know, I've been busy. I've worked every day for the last ten. We're short at the center because of the move and I've been picking up overtime."

  "Because you need the money, since your rental property is the most expensive in the area and you spend almost nothing on rent in a shitty apartment and never go out and save all your earnings and barely eat out."

  Dylan shrugged. "They need me there."

  Skylar folded her arms, a smug smile on her face. "You're avoiding Laura."

  How did she always know these things? Maybe she was psychic. She'd always said she had a little of the sight, which is why she had such a high success rate in matchmaking. Maybe it was just a shot in the dark, a shot she launched because she hadn't been responsible for the two of them and she wanted some credit now. Not that anything was going on. "That's ridiculous. You can see by my texts I'm not avoiding her."

  "I saw her ask you over a few times. And you always had to work or spend time with the Better Together kids."