by M. Ullrich
Genevieve rolled her eyes dramatically. “Ha ha, very funny. Now spill.”
“Fine.” Harper bit her lower lip, making Genevieve wonder if she was nervous. “I didn’t know my mother very well, and she didn’t know my father at all. She was into some heavy-duty drugs by the time I was a toddler. Her brother, my uncle Will, tried to stage a few interventions, but they never worked. At least that’s how he told the story.” Genevieve picked up on the use of the past tense, and she prepared herself for a sad tale.
“Can I get you something else?” Their waiter stopped next to the table and started clearing their empty plates.
Harper was the first to answer. “No, thank—”
“Do you have pie?” Genevieve said abruptly. She might have been full, but she wasn’t ready for her time with Harper to be over, not before she learned more about her. Harper looked at her with an amused smirk, and Genevieve shrugged. “I like pie.”
“We have apple, coconut custard, and shoo fly pie.”
Genevieve smiled brightly. “Apple, please.”
“I guess I’ll take another coffee, then.”
“I’ll be right back with that.” The waiter nodded politely and left them.
Genevieve looked to Harper expectantly. “Please continue.”
“After a while and countless visits from child services, my uncle gained full custody of me. It was for the best, not just because my mother was clearly unfit to be a parent, but because Uncle Will was gay. Growing up in this area and having him as an example, I never really saw the negative stigma that homosexuality had.” Harper paused when the waiter brought two coffees and a slice of pie.
“Then why the boyfriend?”
“I knew what being gay was, but I didn’t know what it felt like.”
“And what does it feel like? For you, I mean,” Genevieve said, genuinely curious. She needed to know where those feelings came from and how someone just knew they fit. Genevieve waited patiently for the answer as she took her first bite of pie.
“It feels normal, comfortable. Like I’m not trying to be me, I just am me. Does that make sense?”
Genevieve tilted her head. She thought of all the ways she had changed since moving to New Jersey, how every day she went about her life the way she wanted to and did very little to try to fit the mold of what was expected of her. Crafty lies aside, she was more herself now than she had ever been in Pennsylvania.
Genevieve nodded enthusiastically. “It makes complete sense. That’s how I’ve felt since I’ve moved here.”
Harper flashed her a radiant smile. “I’m very happy to hear that.”
“How did you find yourself in the boss’s chair at Out Shore?”
“Will started the magazine when I was in my early twenties. He kept begging me to join the team, to help him get everything up and running, but I was fresh out of college and…” Harper paused as a blush crept along her cheeks. “I only managed minimal hours with Will because I was busy enjoying life.”
“Enjoying life or enjoying women?”
Harper lowered her face and groaned. “I was enjoying my life because of the women.” She looked up. “You have to remember, I was much younger, so I was in better shape then.”
“Oh, I saw the pictures in your office.” Genevieve finished off her pie and instantly regretted the overindulgence. If she were to take a deep breath, her dress would pop at the seams.
“So you agree?” Harper crossed her arms over her chest and sat back.
“If you’re asking for my opinion, I’d say you’ve gotten better with age.” Genevieve couldn’t find one detail of Harper’s appearance she’d deem as unattractive—not the hint of a silvery sparkle the sporadic grays leant to her dark hair or the way her few wrinkles framed her light eyes.
“Thank you,” Harper said in a hushed whisper.
Their waiter appeared again, much to the surprise of both women. “Anything else?”
“Oh dear God, no!” Genevieve held her stomach.
“Just the check, thank you.” Harper laughed and chastised her gently. “You had to have pie.”
“I regret nothing.” Genevieve said, exhaling heavily. “When did your uncle put you in charge?”
“He died when I was twenty eight.”
“I’m sorry.” Genevieve reached out and took Harper’s hand. She traced her thumb over the surprisingly soft skin, feeling the sensation throughout her entire body.
“Thank you.” Harper gripped Genevieve’s hand tightly for a moment before releasing it. Genevieve missed the contact immediately but pushed her disappointment aside.
“And here you are—Harper Davies, woman in charge.”
Harper laughed. “Yes, after much trial and error, here I am.”
“You’re doing great, Harper. Will would be very proud of you.”
Harper stared at Genevieve for quiet moments. Her throat flexed a few times and she chewed at the inside of her cheek. If Genevieve had to guess, Harper was fighting a swell of emotion.
Instead of focusing on Harper’s vulnerability, Genevieve changed the subject. “I think it’s time to get me out of here before I explode.” She reached for her purse, but Harper waved her off immediately.
“I got it.” Harper took out a personal credit card, a detail Genevieve noticed right away. “I’m the one keeping you from an old friend.”
“Sometimes our new friends are more important.” They looked at one another, an unexpected tension crackling between them.
Harper cleared her throat roughly. “Let’s get you back to Jeremy.”
“Yeah.” During their meal she had completely forgotten about her boyfriend who was sitting, clueless, back at her apartment. “Jeremy.”
*
Jeremy was off the couch the moment Genevieve stepped through the door. “What the hell was that all about?”
She stared at him quizzically. “Were you just sitting there this whole time?”
“No. I went to the bathroom and ate the leftover pizza that was in the fridge.”
Genevieve grimaced. That pizza was a week old.
“But whatever, that doesn’t matter. You need to tell me what’s going on.”
Genevieve sighed and dropped onto the couch. “That was my boss.”
“I got that much.”
“She runs Out Shore Magazine.” Genevieve ran her fingers through her straight hair roughly.
“Yes, bosses run things. You’re supposed to be telling me things I don’t know, Gen.”
“And maybe if you didn’t have a smart-ass comment for everything I said, I’d get to my point more quickly.” Genevieve had always hated the way Jeremy employed sarcasm to escalate an argument that wasn’t even started.
“Fine.” He sat beside her and crossed his arms.
“Out Shore Magazine is one of the top LGBT publications on the East Coast. Having any writing experience with them will look amazing on a resume…” Genevieve let her statement trail off, hoping Jeremy would be quick enough to put two and two together. The way he was just staring at her killed those hopes. “LGBT—you know how you always say I go into things with blinders on and end up in crazy situations?”
“Yeah, all the time.” He looked at her in confusion at first, but his eyes went wide. “Gen, no.”
“Gen, yes.”
“So they think you’re gay?”
“They think I’m gay and single. That’s sort of what my column is about—being a new lesbian in town, trying to make a life for myself.” She wiped her face and looked at him. His face was blank.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Jeremy’s voice was too loud for Genevieve’s small apartment. “How does that even work? Do you not talk about life before New Jersey?”
Genevieve pressed her fingertips to her temples. “I’m careful about what I say and make sure to modify some of the details.”
“Modify some details? Gen, do you hear yourself?”
“Well, so far I’ve been pretty successful. My column is one of the mos
t popular, and I’ve been making some friends at work—”
“By lying to them!” Jeremy started laughing. “This has to be the most idiotic thing you’ve ever done. And that’s saying something.”
“Excuse me?” Genevieve sat back from Jeremy enough to see the amused look on his face. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Jeremy froze mid-laugh, and his smile faltered. “Don’t take it like that.”
“Like what? Like my boyfriend just called me an idiot?” Genevieve stormed off to her bedroom, changing out of her dress and into pajamas. The day was still early, but she was ready for it to be done.
“Gen, come on.” Jeremy leaned against the doorway, and Genevieve cursed the fact that she didn’t shut the door.
“You really should’ve called,” Genevieve said as she put her hair up haphazardly.
“That wouldn’t have been much of a surprise then.”
“Your surprise isn’t working out very well anyway.” Genevieve walked past him, not stopping until she had an ice-cold beer in her hand. After one large sip, Genevieve said, “If you leave now, it won’t be dark for much of the drive.”
“Wait…what?” Jeremy’s mouth hung open.
Genevieve squared her shoulders. “I think you should go.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I guess I’m just a ridiculous idiot!” Genevieve slammed her beer down on her kitchen counter.
“Gen, listen to yourself.” Jeremy gripped Genevieve by her elbows. He looked at her earnestly as he continued. “I drove all the way here to see my girlfriend, to surprise my girlfriend, then she lays all this craziness on me, and now she’s going to kick me out because I didn’t react exactly as she hoped.”
Genevieve blinked at him. He wasn’t exactly wrong, and that annoyed her even more. “You called your girlfriend an idiot.”
“No I didn’t.” Jeremy shook his head. “That’s how you took it.”
Genevieve took a deep breath. She could continue this argumentative loop or surrender and go on with her day only somewhat agitated. If history had taught her anything, it was to just let this go or Jeremy would be unbearable.
Unsurprisingly, he smiled in victory. “That’s my girl.” He wrapped his bulky arms around Genevieve. She felt suffocated by the embrace and by his presence.
“You may have wanted to surprise me, but it really would’ve been best if you had called. I have some work to get done.” Genevieve stepped away and walked to take a seat at her desk.
“Forget about work!” Jeremy waved his hands. “I’m here! Let’s either go out or go to the bedroom.” His wide smile was infectious. Genevieve felt herself surrendering for the second time already.
“Let me write for an hour, and then we can do whatever you want.” Genevieve opened her laptop and hoped an hour would be enough time to muster up some excitement for Jeremy’s visit.
Step Ten
Be Prepared for When Things Don’t Go as Planned
The incessant ringing of her cell phone awoke Genevieve harshly the following Saturday morning. She had an uneventful week, free from Harper’s comforting and confusing presence thanks to Harper’s week-long business trip to the West Coast. Genevieve rolled over and opened one eye. The display of her phone was out of focus but she answered anyway.
“H’llo?” Genevieve maneuvered into a comfortable position and pulled the covers over her head.
“Genevieve?”
Genevieve shuffled through all the familiar voices in her memory, but this one was new. “Yeah?” Her voice crackled with sleep.
“It’s Harper. I’m sorry it’s so early.”
Genevieve sat straight up in bed. “What happened? What is it?” She was already standing and pulling pants from her dresser.
“Nothing happened,” Harper said. “I have a huge favor to ask of you.”
Genevieve fell back onto her bed and breathed deeply. The fog left her head as her heartbeat started to slow down. “Of course, anything you need.”
“My flight from California gets in at five o’clock your time, and my ride home just bailed on me. I tried a few other people, but no one could make it.”
“I’ll pick you up, don’t worry about it.”
“Great. That’s a relief. A cab fare from Newark would be brutal.”
“No worries, it’ll give me a good excuse to explore outside of Asbury.”
Harper chuckled. “You won’t see much on your drive to the airport, but I’ll try my best to keep you entertained on the way back.” Genevieve warmed at the idea. “Genevieve?”
“Yeah?”
“Did I wake you?”
Genevieve blushed. “You may have.”
“It’s after eleven there.”
“I like my sleep.”
“Beauty sleep, I get it.” Genevieve’s blush intensified. Silence stretched on before a muffled, robotic voice sounded in the background. “My flight is boarding. I’ll text you the details so you know where to get me.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll see you soon. Thanks again, Genevieve. You’re a lifesaver.” Harper hung up.
Genevieve’s face split into a wide grin. She hurried into the bathroom, needing a shower before spending time in a car with Harper. The ride to the airport would take a while, Genevieve was sure of that. She paused. She had no idea where the airport was. The shower would have to wait until she did a little research.
She spent the early afternoon finding the perfect directions to Newark airport, printing them out, making notes in the margins of the paper, and plugging the information into two separate map applications she had on her phone. She ate a small lunch and managed a quick shower.
Genevieve’s 1997 Toyota had treated her well through the years and it had cost her very little to maintain. The car was so well kept, no one would suspect it was as old as it actually was. Maybe after my first year with the magazine I’ll treat myself to something newer, Genevieve mused as she settled behind the wheel. She turned the key and checked to make sure the heat was on. The last thing she wanted was for Harper to arrive from sunny California and climb into a freezer on wheels. She was so desperate for Harper to enjoy the ride, she even created a special playlist of classic driving music and modern hits.
“Shit!” Genevieve slapped the steering wheel. She had forgotten her iPod in her apartment. She still had time to run back.
Genevieve grabbed her purse, got out of her car, and ran to her apartment, taking the stairs two at time. When she got to her door, she dug through her purse for her key. Her head fell back when she realized she had left her keys in the ignition. Genevieve grumbled to herself as she ran back to the car. The door wouldn’t budge. She tried again, pulling at the handle desperately.
“No, no, no…” Genevieve peered into the window and saw her Care Bear keychain dangling from the steering column. Genevieve stomped at the ground and cursed under breath.
Jeremy had her spare set of keys, and she didn’t want to break the window. All she could think of was to call Maxine or Matthew and ask if she could borrow their car. Thankfully, her phone was still in her purse as were her printed directions to the airport.
Matthew didn’t answer the phone, but Maxine picked up on the second ring. “Maxine!”
“Gen?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Listen I need a big favor. Are you home?”
“I am…” Genevieve could hear the skepticism in Maxine’s voice.
“I locked my keys in my car, and I promised Harper I’d pick her up at the airport in an hour and nine minutes. Would you be able to come by, let me borrow your car, and wait for roadside assistance to get here?” Genevieve grimaced at the list of favors. “Lunch will be on me all week,” she offered.
“Gen, as much as I’d like to help you, Connie has the car right now.”
“Shit.” Time was ticking away. How was Genevieve going to explain this to Harper? “Okay, thanks anyway.”
“Wait, I think I have another idea. My neighbor
is an older guy who barely goes anywhere, and I’ve been mowing his lawn for years. The guy owes me. Give me your address and fifteen minutes. I’ll be there.”
Genevieve relayed all the necessary information and promised not just lunch for the week, but drinks as well.
Twenty-two minutes later, Maxine showed up in a nondescript minivan from the eighties. Genevieve fired off a text to Harper letting her know she was running a little late, but she was on her way. The hypnotic sway of the fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror did not calm her anxiety. She stuck to the slow lane all the way up the Garden State Parkway, afraid the van wouldn’t handle more than sixty-five miles per hour.
She pulled into the pickup line at Newark airport forty minutes later than planned, and she spotted Harper sitting on her suitcase not too far from the doors. Genevieve honked, and Harper looked up from her phone for a moment before spotting her. Harper smiled brightly, and she tilted her head when she took in the rest of her ride.
Harper stowed her suitcase away in the back and took her place in the passenger seat. “Hi, thanks again for the ride.”
“This isn’t mine,” Genevieve said before Harper had the chance to ask. “Mine isn’t much better, but it’s not a minivan.” Harper smiled at her softly. Genevieve wondered how someone could manage to look so good after over five hours on an airplane. Harper’s hair was perfectly styled, her gray eyes bright and clear, and her khakis and navy blue sweatshirt were barely creased.
A car horn blared behind Genevieve, and she hastily stepped on the gas. The van bucked into motion. She looked at Harper sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. If you don’t mind me asking, if this isn’t yours…”
“I could tell you the whole long story, or you could take my word for it that today is just another day in the life of Genevieve Applegate.” Genevieve shot Harper her most charming smile.
“Long stories and long car rides go hand in hand.”
Genevieve told Harper about her detailed preparations for the drive to northern Jersey and how she was supposed to arrive with nearly twenty minutes to spare. Harper fell into a fit of laughter and tears when Genevieve finally told her that it all fell apart and how she owed Maxine, big time.
