Aftershock

by K. G. MacGregor

  “Aw, how sweet,” Sandy said.

  Suzanne shuddered visibly. “Rugrats.”

  Lily smacked Suzanne’s forearm. “It is sweet. They’re excited.”

  “I bet,” Sandy said, ignoring her partner’s petulance. “Suzanne won’t even let me have a cat.”

  “The coolest part is that Vicki’s the one having the baby, but they did in vitro using Carolyn’s eggs.”

  “Wonder how a court in Virginia would sort that out?” Suzanne grumbled.

  It was Sandy’s turn to deliver a smack. “Quit being so mean.” She turned back to Lily. “So did that give you and Anna any ideas?”

  Lily almost choked on her wine. “Hardly. I think Anna’s given up on the idea. She used to say she thought she wanted a baby, but now . . . I don’t know, maybe it’s different because she isn’t married anymore.” It was disappointing that Anna had dismissed the idea of having a child now, especially after having been so keen on it with Scott.

  “You could always have one,” Sandy said.

  “Oh, no. I don’t think I even have a biological clock.”

  Suzanne dug into the dish and served herself an extra portion. “Kids are a huge commitment. I bet half the lesbian couples that jump through all the hoops to get kids don’t even stay together to raise them.”

  Sandy wrinkled her nose at the grim assessment. “Yeah, but just because they don’t stay committed to each other doesn’t mean they aren’t committed to their kids. Lily and I work with lots of kids who’d be better off if their parents never saw each other again.”

  “Suzanne’s right.” Lily sighed and pushed her half-empty plate away, her appetite gone. “If people aren’t sure they’re going to stay together, they shouldn’t have kids. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why Anna’s changed her mind.”

  Sandy set down her fork and gave Lily a serious look. “Is something wrong, Lily?”

  “No . . . it’s nothing. I just . . .” She realized she wanted to talk, but she didn’t want to make Anna look bad to her friends.

  “Everything’s fine, but sometimes I feel like we’re doomed all

  because Anna screwed up when she got married.”

  “You don’t think you’ll stay together?”

  “I don’t know what to think. It’s not like there’s anything wrong. It’s just that we live day to day.”

  “That’s all any of us do,” Suzanne said.

  “No, it isn’t,” she said, her voice harsh. It bugged her that Suzanne always tried to be contrary. “You guys go to sleep every night knowing you’re going to be together tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. I go to sleep wondering how long Anna’s going to live like this before she decides she wants something else.”

  Suzanne gave her an annoying, dismissive shrug and got up to clear the table.

  “Oh, that’s great, Suzanne. Just be smug and superior.” Lily tossed her napkin on the table and pushed away from the table. Immediately, she felt embarrassed by the childish display. Too much wine sometimes soured her mood.

  “Whoa!” Sandy said. “Calm down, Lily. Nobody’s trying to be smug.”

  Suzanne sat back down and gave her an apologetic look. “All I was saying was that none of us know what’s around the corner. Some of us kid ourselves, but anything can happen.”

  Sandy sighed. “Please forgive my girlfriend, the fatalist. She isn’t always this depressing. I think I get what you’re saying, Lily.”

  “People want what they think is going to make them happy,” Suzanne added. “For me, that’s Sandy. And for you, it’s Anna.”

  “But I don’t know what it is for Anna.”

  “Have you talked with her about this?” Sandy asked gently.

  “You mean like I did with Beverly just before she showed me the door?” Lily shuddered at the memory of how her ex-girlfriend had freaked out about the idea of making a commitment together. Their relationship went from comfortable to tenuous to hostile in a matter of only weeks.

  “Beverly was a psycho bitch. Anna isn’t,” Suzanne said.

  “She’s right. Beverly had control issues. She wasn’t going to let herself be held accountable for anything. Anna isn’t like that at all.”

  For Lily, the possibilities were even worse. “No, Anna wouldn’t turn into a bitch. She’d probably bend over backward to let me down easy and make sure I was okay. Then she’d go off and marry some guy.”

  “Lily, why are you torturing yourself with these awful scenarios? Is something going on?”

  “No!” So why was she consumed with morbid thoughts? “I just love her so much. I couldn’t stand it if she ever left me.”

  Sandy patted her arm. “You guys have been together for what? A year?”

  “Yeah, a little longer.”

  “And it’s all been great, hasn’t it?”

  Lily nodded.

  “Then it looks to me like you’re on a perfectly normal course. These things don’t happen overnight, and that’s a good thing. The ones that do are usually the ones that fall apart.”

  Sandy’s arguments made logical sense, but that did little to quell the anxiety Lily had been feeding on for the past couple of weeks. Carolyn and Vicki had shown Anna the kind of committed love two women could have, but it hadn’t impressed her at all. If anything, she seemed to be moving in the other direction, distancing herself from a desire to have children and mocking the very idea of having another wedding.

  And if that wasn’t enough, she worked too much.

  Anna pulled into the driveway, readying her apology for working so late. Despite her promise to be home by nine, it was almost eleven. The main thing she wanted Lily to know was that she expected things to be back to normal soon, and if people stepped up into their jobs, it would allow her to take more weekends off.

  She was surprised to find an empty garage, though it assuaged her guilt to realize Lily was still with her friends. At least she hadn’t been waiting at home all this time.

  The briefcase beside her, packed ambitiously to get a jump on tomorrow, held printouts from Hal on Premier’s finances. Anna left it on the seat and climbed out of her sports car, suddenly overwhelmed by both mental and physical fatigue. All she wanted was a long soak in a swirling tub. Her usual choice was the hot tub out by the pool, but with Lily gone, she would use the smaller one in the master suite.

  She passed through the kitchen, staring for a moment at the contents of the refrigerator before settling on her usual. This was her third late-night peanut butter sandwich this week. Since Lily wasn’t around to keep her company in the kitchen, she dragged herself up the stairs to draw a bath.

  A ringing phone stopped her just as she was about to step into the tub.

  “Hello.”

  “Anna, we missed you tonight.”

  “Hi, Sandy. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. Did you guys have a good time?”

  “We did. But I’m afraid we’re not all having a good time now.”

  “What?” Her stomach dropped. It hadn’t even occurred to her to worry about why Lily wasn’t home. “Is everything all right?”

  “It’s fine, but Lily’s not in any shape to drive home. Do you want to come get her, or should we tuck her in?”

  Anna remembered the fun they’d had last weekend when they returned from the dinner at Empyre’s, and was momentarily tempted by the possibility of a repeat performance. “What does Lily have to say about it?”

  “She can’t talk right now. She’s in the bathroom losing an excellent tartiflette.”

  “She’s sick?”

  “It’s nothing to worry about. Just one glass too many. We were talking all through dinner and I think it snuck up on her.”

  That was how Lily had described it last time, losing count of her drinks at dinner before realizing she was tipsy. This sounded more than tipsy. “Maybe she ought to stay with you guys. What do you think?”

  “I think that’s probably best, but I wanted you to make the call.”

  Lily w
ould probably prefer to come home tonight and sleep it off, but selfishly, Anna wanted to collapse in the tub. Besides, if she drove out to Sherman Oaks tonight to pick her up, she would have to make another trip tomorrow for the X3, and by then her whole morning would be shot. Having her stay the night with Sandy and Suzanne definitely made more practical sense. “No, you should keep her for the night. I’m beat. I was just about to get in the tub. Would that be all right?”

  “Of course. I’ll have her call you in the morning.”

  “Maybe she’ll sleep late.”

  “She isn’t going to wake up happy. I can promise you that.”

  Though initially irritated to find Anna’s car gone yet again, Lily calmed down and admitted to herself she was actually relieved. Suzanne had busted her chops this morning for losing her dinner, and Lily didn’t want to hear more of the same from Anna. Besides, she needed a shower to steam out the remnants of a headache.

  She felt a little guilty for her whining last night, complaining to her friends about Anna’s reluctance to commit. Their relationship was fine, moving along at a normal pace, just as Sandy had said. As long as both of them were happy, there wasn’t any reason to look ahead with dread.

  She parked and started into the house, struck by the sudden thought of how lucky she was. Two years ago, she would never have imagined herself living in such a beautiful home in a neighborhood like Brentwood, or even driving a luxury car like the X3. With Anna taking charge of their home finances, Lily now had plenty of money to buy the things she wanted, and to build a healthy retirement account. Her new lifestyle was a generous gift, and Anna never made her feel as though any of it was tenuous or given with expectations.

  But the fact remained, if anything happened to Anna, all of it would vanish. There was plenty of love and joy in her life, but not much in the way of security. And as quickly as her emotions had swung earlier to being relieved Anna wasn’t home, they shifted again. It wasn’t irritation this time, but anxiety.

  With one eye on the clock, she showered and dressed, purposely choosing the comfortable sweats she had worn last weekend when they lounged the whole afternoon on the couch. She and Anna deserved another day like that, especially after the horrendous work week Anna had put in.

  From the master bedroom window, she checked the driveway each time she heard a car on the street. Anna usually didn’t work on Sundays, so it was likely she would be home soon. In fact, Lily realized, she might not be working at all. This was the day George and Martine left for the trip, and Anna might have taken them to the airport.

  After more than an hour, Lily gave in to the temptation to call. After four rings, her cell phone went to voicemail and Lily hung up. If she wasn’t answering her cell phone, she was almost certainly at work, either on the lot, in the showroom or in the garage.

  With growing frustration, Lily paced from the family room to the kitchen and back, the phone still in her hand. For Anna to be at work yet again after a whole week of late nights—and on the only day they could enjoy being together—was beyond ridiculous. When she was sure her temper wouldn’t get the best of her, she dialed the number for the dealership. It didn’t help that she was placed on hold for almost three minutes before Anna finally came to the phone.

  “This is Anna Kaklis.”

  “Hello, stranger.”

  “Hey, baby. I was going to call you. How’s your head?”

  “It’s okay. It wasn’t that bad. I think I just ate something that didn’t sit right.”

  “So you’re feeling better? And you slept okay?”

  “I slept fine.” Except alone. “But I’d feel a lot better if you came home before I forgot what you looked like.”

  “God, I wish I could.”

  “Last I heard, you were the boss. You can walk out that door whenever you want.”

  “Not today, honey. I’ve been meeting all day with Hal and—”

  “You’re making your poor brother-in-law work on a Sunday?”

  “We have to, baby. This offer has to go to the attorneys by tomorrow morning if we’re going to get it out this week.”

  Lily bit her lip. It wasn’t as if Anna routinely worked all hours of the day and night. This was a special circumstance, one that deserved support and understanding. She almost hated to ask what sort of day Anna was looking at. “Do you think you’ll make it home for dinner?”

  “Oh, absolutely. I haven’t had a decent meal all week.”

  “Then I’ll roast a chicken . . . that Italian recipe you like.”

  “Sounds fantastic.”

  “And after that, I’m going to take you upstairs and massage your body from head to toe.”

  Anna moaned.

  “And then I’m going to have my way with you.”

  “. . . six o’clock. What else do they need?” Anna cradled the phone to her ear and jotted notes on her desk blotter. Another week had flown by. Premier’s attorney, Walter Kaplan, had gotten a reply from Sweeney Volkswagen and wanted to discuss the next step in their negotiations. “I want Hal there too . . . Right. See you then.”

  She hung up and walked the twenty feet to her brother-inlaw’s office. She was thrilled to have him on board. After only two weeks on the job, it was clear he was a natural fit in her plans for growing the dealership.

  “I just heard from Walter. Sweeney wants to set up the audit. We’re supposed to be over there at six.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Tonight. We need to meet after the sales staff leaves to keep this under wraps.”

  “His sales staff is gone by six?”

  “Yeah. Now you know why I see so much potential over there.”

  Hal sighed and looked at his phone. “Your sister is going to be pissed.”

  “I know.” Anna would have to cancel her plans to go with Lily to a bridal shower for the woman marrying her boss. “But the sooner we get this wrapped up, the sooner we get our lives back.” She returned to her office and closed the door. Lily wasn’t going to like the news either, but she would understand. She dialed the direct number to Lily’s desk.

  “Lilian Stewart.”

  “Hey, sweetheart. You having a good day?”

  “Not bad. We’re all trying to hurry so we can grab dinner before the shower. You want to meet me at the house at five thirty?”

  “Uh . . . that’s why I was calling. Something’s come up here. I need to be at Sweeney’s at six o’clock for a meeting. It’s probably going to last a couple of hours, so I don’t think I’ll make it to the shower.”

  “You’re meeting tonight? Can’t you do this during normal working hours?”

  Anna picked up on the irritation in Lily’s voice, and hoped she could lighten things up with a joke. “You know how you sneaky lawyer types are. It’s the only way we can meet without everyone

  finding out about it.”

  Lily didn’t answer at all.

  “Seriously, honey . . . this is a good thing. Once we get the audits going, it’s just a matter of agreeing on a price. Then Walter takes over with the paperwork.”

  Lily sighed. “And it has to be tonight?”

  “Sweeney’s ready now. I can’t give him too much time to think this over, or he’ll start making a list of conditions.”

  “Fine.”

  It didn’t sound fine. “Honey, please. I’m sorry, but I really need to do this.”

  “I know. I’m just whining. We haven’t been out together for a couple of weeks and I was looking forward to it.”

  “I will make it up to you in ways you can’t imagine.” Like Maui.

  “Okay, I’ll go with Lauren and Pauline. But I’m holding you to that making-it-up-to-me part. You’d better not plan on working tomorrow night.”

  A Friday night at home sounded great. “You’ve got a deal. Have a good time.”

  “I’ll see you at home.”

  “I love you.” She smiled at how nicely all of her plans were coming together. As soon as she hung up, she would call a travel agent to help
her shop around for a nice Hawaiian getaway.

  Lily walked out of her office and into the hallway. “Pauline, can you come to Lauren’s office for a minute?”

  The secretary joined her and they continued down the hall, where fellow attorney Lauren Miller was working on her computer. “What’s up, guys?”

  “I wondered if you two wanted to ride together to the bridal shower tonight. Anna just called and she’s tied up at work. You can leave your cars at my house and we won’t have to worry about parking.”

  They kept their voices low so that Tony wouldn’t overhear. In two days, their boss would cease being one of LA’s most eligible bachelors. Colleen Turner, a young widow with two small children, had applied for an internship at the firm last fall, hoping to get some hands-on experience with the social services system. She was fresh out of law school, but hadn’t yet taken the bar exam. In a matter of only a few months, she had swept Tony off his feet.

  Lauren and Pauline followed her home after work as planned, and they rode in Lauren’s car to Colleen’s sister’s home.

  “Are these people movie stars?” Pauline asked, obviously awed at the Brentwood mansion.

  “Not exactly,” Lauren said. She and Colleen had become friends, so she knew a bit about the family. “I think Colleen’s brother-in-law is a big shot at one of the major recording companies.”

  The house was only slightly larger than the “big house,” which is what Anna and her sister called their parents’ home in Beverly Hills. But George and Martine didn’t have uniformed servants, like the one who greeted them at the door.

  They were led to the main room of the house, where a lively party was already underway, complete with piano music and an open bar. No fewer than a hundred women filled the room, the chatter spilling over onto the patio. Lily spotted Colleen and they weaved their way through the room to say hello.

  Pauline ventured to the bar for their drinks, but came back empty-handed. “They don’t have any red wine. He said the caterer forgot to stock it. What’s your second choice?”