Osmosis

by Susan X Meagher

  Jamie bent and kissed her father, then her mother. “See you in the morning, Mom. And I’ll see you the next time you’re in town, Dad.”

  Jim stood and shook Ryan’s hand. “I had a very nice time talking with you tonight, Ryan. I can see why Jamie says she’s never bored.”

  “Well,” Ryan said, smiling at her partner, “we don’t really talk about the stock market very often—”

  Jamie put her hand over Ryan’s mouth. “Too much information,” she giggled. “Let’s go before you say something I’ll regret.”

  Jim watched the young women walk upstairs. “They’re a pair, aren’t they?”

  “They are.”

  “How could I have never seen that kind of spark with Jack and still thought Jamie was happy?”

  “I was fairly sure she wasn’t happy,” Catherine said, “but I didn’t step in. I still feel criminally negligent about that.” She stood up and started for the door.

  Jim followed her and leaned against the wall, putting his hands in his pockets. “It’s a good thing she knows herself better than we did.”

  “And it’s a good thing she didn’t let us … especially you,” she added, smiling impishly, “stop her from doing what she felt was right.”

  “Let’s not revisit that, shall we? Being an idiot was bad; thinking about it is worse.” He smiled at her, looking very relaxed and comfortable. “Are you really thinking of following Ryan’s advice?”

  “I am. And not just because of her theory. I’ve been skittish for a while now, and my brokers get more aggressive every time I try to back off. I don’t like that.”

  “Mmm … I see what you mean, but I don’t think we’re at the peak. I’d hate to lose ten or fifteen percent on the basis of Ryan’s school project.”

  “It sounds silly when you say it like that,” Catherine admitted, “but she’s worked awfully hard on this and her advisors agree that it’s very well done.”

  “I hate to undersell Ryan, but I’ve gotta go with the economists in Washington.” He grinned. “It’s a close call, I know, but I’ve gotta believe the guys whose entire careers are riding on these things—not just an incomplete.”

  “I won’t tell her,” Catherine said, tilting her head and gazing at him through half-closed eyes. “If you make millions in the next few months, I might have to ask for alimony, though.”

  “I’d give you everything I have, Cat,” he said, gazing into her eyes so deeply that she felt her heart start to race.

  She reached out and opened the door, the fresh air that flowed in helping her get back on track. “I’m sure you would. It’s been nice seeing you, Jim. Next time you’re in town, we’ll have to make it over to the city to see my new place.”

  “Right. I forgot all about it. I got involved with a few things and the time flew by.”

  “Next time,” she said. She hugged him quickly, pulling away before he was ready to. “Good night.”

  Part Twelve

  Jamie opened her eyes on Sunday morning, slowly smiling at her lover, who was sitting on the window seat looking at a large photo album. “Is your cute little bare ass on my mother’s imported silk fabric?”

  “Morning,” Ryan said, returning her smile. She stood up and flung the T-shirt she’d been sitting on at Jamie. “I’m not a wild animal!” She jumped onto the bed, acting exactly like the beast she claimed she was not.

  “Stop it! My mother’s gonna come in here and you’re gonna be embarrassed!” Jamie was giggling so hard she could hardly form the words.

  “She wouldn’t dare! She knows I’m wild and untamed!” She attached herself to Jamie’s neck, sucking and licking and nibbling in a frenzy.

  Her flanks were exposed, so Jamie gave her a wallop right on the butt.

  “Yow!” Ryan yelped, covering her ass with her hands. “You’re vicious!”

  Batting her eyes, Jamie said, “Was that too hard, honey?”

  “Yeah. But I liked it. You know I love stimulation of any kind.” She slid off the bed and did some jumping jacks, making Jamie ogle her bouncing body parts. “Let’s do something!”

  “I was dreaming about going to Pebble Beach. Don’t know why.” She shrugged. “You have today off and we could both take a couple of days off from school…”

  Ryan sat down on the window seat, then jumped up, grabbed the T-shirt and placed it carefully on the fabric before sitting again. “Damn, why do you have such great ideas when we can’t act on ’em?”

  “We can’t?”

  “No,” Ryan grumbled. “We’ve gotta go home. Mia’s leaving today and I wanna take her to the airport.”

  Jamie gritted her teeth. “How could I forget that? My mind’s not working right.” She slid out of bed and took Ryan’s hand. “Let’s have breakfast with Mom and then hit the road. Maybe we can go to Pebble Beach next month.”

  “If not, we can go in June. If you want to celebrate our anniversary there, that is. I sure do.”

  “I do, too,” Jamie said, taking Ryan’s hand and leading her into the shower.

  Later that morning, Jim Evans stood at the first tee of Olympic Country Club, feeling content and at home. His old friends and golfing partners, John Chase and Gary Swibel had been playing with Adam Christopher and Jim for nearly ten years, and the men quickly fell into their usual routine of teasing and taunting each other. Jim was pleased and relieved that none of the men treated him any differently than they had when they were all local lawyers.

  After the round they had lunch in the grill, and when Gary left the table to take a phone call, John commented, “It’s nice to see that you’re doing so well, Jim. Your divorce had to have been a blow, but you’ve both got to get on with your lives. Are you seeing anyone yet?”

  “Yes,” Jim answered honestly. “I am seeing someone. I don’t think it will last, but it’s fun for a while.”

  “That’s great,” John said. “It was nice to see Catherine at the big fundraiser for the opera a couple of weeks ago. She looked great.”

  “Ahh…that’s one of her favorite events,” Jim mused fondly. Then he made a face and said, “I hope she doesn’t find it too awkward to go to things like that alone.”

  His friend looked at him with surprise, but immediately bit his tongue to avoid saying another word.

  “What?” Jim asked immediately. “Did she take one of her stunningly gay friends with her?” Jim found it amusing that Catherine had always been such a magnet for gay men, and he assumed she’d recruit some of them to escort her until she was ready to start dating.

  “I uhm … I suppose the guy she was with might have been gay, but if he was, he sure wasn’t obvious. He looked like he could have been an actor or a model though,” he said thoughtfully. “He was in great shape, I’ll give him that.”

  Jim’s gaze sharpened and he demanded, “Describe him to me.”

  “Uhm … I …” John said, “I didn’t spend a lot of time looking at him, but Marcy kept staring at him, wondering who he was.”

  “Should I call Marcy?” Jim asked, tired of waiting for his friend to get to the point.

  “No, I think I remember. He was big … very big … dark hair … very good looking … a real rugged kinda guy … looked like he spends most of his day in the gym.”

  “Black hair? Blue eyes?”

  “Yeah. As a matter of fact, Marcy made a big deal about how beautiful his eyes were. Hey …” He gave Jim a thoughtful look. “He looked like your daughter’s … uhm …”

  “Partner,” Jim said tersely. “He’s her brother. And he doesn’t look like it, but that guy is the queerest of the queer. A real flamer.”

  “Really? He seemed so macho.”

  The senator gave his friend an evil smile and assured him, “All an act. I had dinner with him just last night and he had to leave to go to a gay dance club.” He smiled at his friend. “I think the whole family’s gay. Must be genetics.”

  Mia got up on Sunday afternoon and wandered into the kitchen, finding Ryan making lunch for Jami
e. “Any coffee?” she asked, dropping into a chair. Her eyes were barely open and her hair was going in every direction at once.

  “Tough night?” Ryan asked.

  “A little. I was over-served.”

  “Where’d you go?” Jamie asked.

  “Everywhere.” Mia laughed.

  “Did the boys stay with you?”

  “They left about 1:00 I think. I’m not sure, but I think I saw a girl with them. I’m not sure who she was with.”

  “I’m glad at least one of them went home happy,” Ryan said.

  “They had fun. We all did. After they left we went to some righteous drag bar full of fantastic-looking black men … or women.” She waved her hand. “I assume they were all men, but it was sure easy to be confused.”

  Ryan had started the coffee maker as soon as she heard Mia using the upstairs bathroom, and she poured her a cup. “Hungry?”

  “Not much. We went out for a snack after the bar closed, then we found an after-hours club, then we had another snack.” She made a face. “Biscuits and gravy at 5:00 a.m. Yum.”

  “Someone must have been smoking pot,” Jamie said. “Sounds like munchie time to me.”

  “Yeah, I had a little.”

  Ryan opened her mouth and Mia held up a hand. “I can smoke once in a while. I just have to stay away from Ecstasy and acid and things like that.”

  “I was gonna ask if you wanted some orange juice. I don’t care if you smoke a kilo of pot.” She shook her head. “I do care, but I certainly wouldn’t give you a hard time about it.”

  “Sorry,” Mia said, looking up contritely. “But I know you don’t like it and you don’t want Jamie to do it.”

  “Jamie can do it if she wants to,” Ryan said. “But I don’t have to like it.”

  “I’m the one who decided I didn’t want to smoke pot anymore,” Jamie said. “It’s not fun unless I’m doing it with other people, and Ryan’s never gonna do it.”

  “Got that right,” she said, smiling. “I have enough addictions.”

  “You don’t have addictions,” Mia said, puzzled.

  Jamie looked at her. “She does. Trust me. They’re just not the usual ones. She’s addicted to thrills and risk and danger, and she’s obsessive about finishing something she’s started and—”

  “Mia’s heard enough,” Ryan said, clamping a hand over Jamie’s mouth.

  “I’ve got all day.” She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands.

  “No you don’t,” Ryan said. “When’s your flight?”

  “Oh, fuck!” She dropped her head to the table. “I forgot!”

  “Don’t you wanna get home to Jordan?”

  “No,” she pouted. “I want Jordan to come here.” She stuck her tongue out at Jamie. “She could, too, if Jamie would build a new Olympic Training Center.”

  Ryan looked from one woman to the other. “Huh?”

  “Never mind, honey,” Jamie said. “Mia had an idea that seemed logical from her slightly unique perspective.”

  “Well, if you’re gonna build one, let me know. I’d try out for a dozen sports if I could train near home.”

  “Super,” Jamie said, rolling her eyes.

  Mia was just finishing her oatmeal when someone knocked on the front door. “I’ll get it,” Jamie said. “If it’s someone trying to convert us, Ryan always invites them in and listens to their whole spiel.”

  “I admire people who spend their time trying to promote something that’s important to them,” Ryan said. “Even though they’re never very good at answering my questions.” She looked thoughtful. “Why would you believe in a faith that you hadn’t investigated thoroughly?”

  “You talking to me?” Mia asked, blinking when she looked up.

  Laughing, Ryan said, “You’re the only one here.”

  “Oh. Sometimes it sounds like you’re talking to yourself, kinda like you’re wondering out loud.”

  “No, no, I’m talking to you.”

  “Huh. Then why do you talk about things I’m not interested in?”

  Ryan bent over and kissed her on the head. “There’s only so much to say about sex, hip hop, and drinking.”

  A voice from the doorway said, “Who’s kissing my woman?”

  “Jordan!” Mia jumped up so quickly that she almost knocked Ryan over.

  Ryan was right behind her, grabbing the small portion of Jordan’s body that Mia wasn’t attached to. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

  “Our coaches gave us three days off. Three whole days! I could have gone home and slept, but I miss you guys. I thought this would be an ideal time to visit.”

  Mia was kissing every bit of her face, but she let Jordan use her mouth to talk. “I missed you,” she said, coming up for air.

  Jordan looked down at her, her face creasing into a love-filled smile. “I missed you, too.” She dipped her head and they started to kiss. Ryan squeezed Jordan’s shoulder and went into the living room with Jamie, giving the couple time to say hello.

  It took quite a while for Mia to finish welcoming Jordan home. When they finally emerged from the kitchen, their lips were deep pink and Jordan’s hair was almost as disordered as Mia’s. “It’s good to be home,” Jordan said, grinning serenely. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in months.”

  “Sit down,” Ryan said, “unless Mia’s dragging you to bed.”

  Jordan took a seat and Mia climbed onto her lap. “I think we’ll stay up,” Jordan said. “If I’d wanted to just stay in bed, I would have gone back to Colorado. I needed some buddy time.”

  “We’re really happy to see you,” Jamie said. “One of the best surprises we’ve had in ages.”

  “What have you been doing?” Jordan asked Mia. “Getting into trouble?”

  “Nope. I’ve been sucking up to all of the people who are taking notes for me. I took all of ’em except Hannan out to lunch or dinner, and I made good copies of some of the notes I couldn’t read very well.”

  “Why didn’t Hannan get a lunch?” Jordan asked.

  “’Cause she’s getting a salary. Only the volunteers get benefits.”

  “Tell us about Russia!” Jamie said. “Did you get to do anything fun?”

  Jordan shrugged. “I guess it would have been more fun if we hadn’t gotten beaten so bad. We did salvage a match with Russia, which was cool, but Japan beat us like a drum. It was awful.” She made a face. “We couldn’t do anything right. I haven’t felt that outclassed in a very long time.”

  “Would it have been better if I’d been there?” Mia placed a soft kiss on Jordan’s forehead.

  Looking at her for a minute, Jordan frowned and shook her head. “No. It was better to be able to focus … and bitch.”

  “Did you hang out with your teammates?”

  “Yeah. We talked volleyball every minute.” She gave Mia a robust hug. “I’d always rather be with you, but you would have had an awful time. I was able to put all of my energies into my game, and that’s the only smart thing for me to do.”

  “I know,” Mia said. She relaxed against Jordan and said, “We’ll have plenty of time to play once you’re finished competing.”

  “She might not be on another team,” Ryan said, “but she’ll always be competing.”

  Jordan met her eyes and nodded, smiling. “Don’t scare Mia off! She thinks I’m gonna be a normal person when this is over.”

  Mia and Jamie grew tired of volleyball talk, so they went upstairs to cancel Mia’s flight. Ryan assumed she wouldn’t get much alone time with her friend, so she stood up and said, “Let’s sit in the backyard. It’s a nice day.”

  “Okay.” Jordan got up and followed her outside. They sat on the bench, both of them sticking their long legs out in front of them. “How has Mia been?” Jordan asked.

  “Fine. Well, she missed you, but she seemed like her old self.” Ryan gazed at her friend for a minute, then said, “You don’t. Everything okay?”

  Jordan twitched her head, sending her long
hair flying over her shoulder. “Sure. Sure. Everything’s fine.”

  “Not buyin’ it,” Ryan said, “but you don’t have to talk if you don’t wanna.”

  “I’m cool with talking, I just don’t have much to say. I guess I could be kinda preoccupied about the team … but that’s it.”

  “It sucks when you aren’t jelling, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah. Especially when I know that we’d be doing better if we got rid of all of the extra players.”

  “’Cause … they take up too much playing time?”

  “Not really. It’s more of a psychological thing. We all know there’s a team in the group, but we’re not sure who’s on it. It makes us kinda tentative … know what I mean? A lot of people are trying not to screw up, rather than trying to be as good as they can be.”

  “Mmm … yeah, that makes sense.”

  “I’d rather they made the cuts now and got it over with, but they’re not gonna change the schedule now.”

  “I wish you could get some peace of mind. Must really suck. Good thing you have Mia around to talk things over with.”

  Jordan didn’t reply. She was staring at the fence, looking preoccupied.

  Ryan bumped her with her shoulder. “Hey. Don’t you like having Mia with you?”

  Jerking in surprise, Jordan said, “Oh, yeah, of course I do.”

  “But?” Ryan bumped her again. “Something’s not right.”

  Looking over her shoulder, Jordan’s eyes scanned the windows. “Can they hear us?”

  “No. Not unless you yell.”

  Chuckling, Jordan said, “I’m not that frustrated.”

  “But you are frustrated. I can see it on your face.”

  “Okay, okay. I am frustrated. And it pisses me off!”

  “What pisses you off? Mia?”

  “No, Mia doesn’t piss me off … most of the time. We’ve had a couple of tough days, but circumstances are getting to us more than anything.”

  “Like the team roster?”

  “No, that gets to me, not Mia. She knows I’ll make it.” She grinned and added, “She thinks I’m the best volleyball player in the world.”