Turn for Home

by Lara Zielinsky

  Turn for Home

  by Lara Zielinsky

  Prologue

  Brenna Lanigan pulled up to the curb just outside the entrance to Pacific Heights High School. At just after seven in the morning, she was not the only parent delivering her sons to the new semester.

  "What time tonight?" she asked as she stretched her right arm over the space between the front two seats and looked squarely at Thomas, next to her in the front passenger seat. At age seventeen, his body was beginning to chisel and thicken in the chest. James, a little rounder and softer at fifteen, was pulling his book bag together in the back seat. Both were turning away from her already, their doors open.

  She grabbed Thomas' shoulder before he could get out of reach. He didn't look back as he answered, "No need. I've got orientation with FIRE. I'll catch the city bus when it's over."

  She released his shoulder. "James?" she directed to where he stood outside the vehicle.

  "I've got stuff planned with friends," he answered.

  "Will I see either of you for dinner?" she asked. Thomas paused, and without turning back to look at her, he shook his head. She glanced at James and saw that he was looking at her, though she couldn't interpret his dour expression.

  "I'm making Chicago deep dish," she offered. "All the toppings you like."

  James shrugged. "Sorry, Mom. I won't be in 'til curfew."

  "Thomas?"

  "That's a big meal. We having company?" Thomas hazarded a glance toward her. His eyebrows drew together briefly, betraying his anxiety, before he assumed a bland expression.

  Brenna had been thinking of inviting her new lover, Cassidy Hyland, and her son Ryan. She missed the blonde woman terribly. The last time they had all been together, Cassidy had come over for New Year's Eve. Thomas and James had gone off to the Palisades neighborhood park, reluctantly taking Ryan with them. At the time, it had been wonderful, giving Cassidy and Brenna time alone together. But any ground she thought had been gained in her sons' adjustment to her new relationship was short lived. Up before dawn most days, both boys stayed away all day for the remainder of their school break.

  Any time Cassidy's name came up, Thomas and James acted as if they didn't hear a word Brenna said, and the last time she'd tried to talk to them about it, she'd ending up getting upset. The school driveway was no place for a scene, so Brenna reluctantly said, "It'll be just the three of us."

  After a moment Thomas said, "I should be home by six."

  "Thank you. James?"

  Something near the building caught his eye, and his response was hurried. "I'll reheat. Catch you later."

  He slammed the back door, and she watched as he ran to catch up with someone. She decided his objective was a girl, despite the black leather jacket that hid most of her upper body. The jeans were just a little too snug on shapely legs to belong to a young adult male.

  She turned to see Thomas walking away more sedately, but no less intent than James on some point in the flow of students entering the front entrance of the school building.

  A horn honked behind her, and Brenna reluctantly turned her attention to guiding the SUV away from the curb and into the flow of traffic exiting the school grounds. Safely in the flow of vehicles on her way back to her Pacific Palisades neighborhood, she turned her thoughts to the continuing problem of what to do with her sons' clearly expressed discontent with her new relationship.

  Stopping at the grocer's with a short list of items, she wandered aimlessly, the dawdling giving her time to think. It had been a week since New Year's. It would be another week before she returned to work on the Pinnacle Pictures lot where she portrayed Commander Susan Jakes on the science fiction series Time Trails. She had already cleaned her home top to bottom — refreshing drawer liners and shelf paper, cleaning out the refrigerator, and running the self-cleaning cycle on the oven which had been used heavily during the holiday season just past.

  Unless she went against their not so subtly expressed wishes, this cold shoulder from Thomas and James would mean another week without seeing Cassidy.

  Brenna hadn't given a second thought to going weeks without seeing either her first husband, Tom, or her second, Kevin. She had attributed that to their mutual understanding of conflicting schedules, or knowing their responsibilities had been as busy and demanding as hers.

  She knew now that didn't actually account for her diffidence to being apart from her spouses. Her new relationship made her feel so different, and not just because of the obvious difference that her lover was a woman. She called Cassidy nearly every night, just to hear the sound of her voice, to share a thought or two, or find out about her day.

  Brenna was forty-one, with anything but a sheltered history of lovemaking - from a series of affairs to two marriages - but for the first time she understood the physical craving that went with truly being in love, a craving beyond physical pleasure to emotional completion. She didn't understand how she could have ever settled for anything less, except perhaps because she had never known there was supposed to be anything more.

  In the aisle that held magazines in addition to groceries, she studied the industry periodicals and her attention was snared by a cover with two semi-nude women kissing in a lovers' clinch. Curiosity piqued, she studied others nearby and then picked up the first. Picking up a travel magazine showcasing the Oregon portion of the Rocky Mountains for weekend getaways, she wondered how Cassidy might react to another invitation to go camping. Or, Brenna thought, maybe we can do something a little more indulgent, a little more romantic, just the two of us. Her face flushed at the thought.

  In the checkout line, Brenna found herself looking at the other patrons. Did she ever respond to another woman with the same quickened heartbeat, the same catch in her breath, the same visceral, mind-stuttering desire that she did whenever she looked at or even thought about Cassidy Hyland?

  Watching the brunette ahead of her in line interacting with the cashier, how her hands moved from her wallet to her purse, Brenna listened to her voice — a quick patter...no easiness to it. The woman was close to her own age, laugh lines not quite defined at the corners of her eyes. Brenna assessed her emotions and found nothing beyond polite awareness, similar to when she had first met Rachelle Cheron when they were both reading for the Time Trails roles. Abruptly the woman turned to look at her and Brenna ducked her gaze to the tabloid rack.

  The man monitoring self-checkout came to bag her groceries as she stepped up to pay the cashier. Brenna let him help, taking some time to consider her reaction to him as well.

  He appeared older, probably having taken the job to supplement a retirement income. He chatted about the local news, his voice pleasant but unremarkable. When he offered to push her cart outside, she met his eyes and noted they were a vague brown. She smiled politely and declined. "Thank you, I can manage."

  The interaction apparently dazzled him, because he smiled wider. He reached for the cart again, but she shook her head. "I've got it."

  "Come see us again," he said after a moment, and she detected the hopefulness in his voice.

  After placing her groceries in her trunk, Brenna climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. She brushed the central console, surprised at the strength of her memory of Cassidy's hand caressing hers as it had rested there.

  Once home, she unpacked the few groceries and put them away. Standing at her desk, she glanced through the mail and saw a reminder that the Satellite Awards were in two weeks, and she sighed at the reminder that she had not yet bought a gown for the occasion. That made her wonder whether Cassidy would like to go shopping with her. Just the chance to see her lover again propelled Brenna back to her car and she sped north toward Cassidy's home in Altadena.

  Chapter One

  Ther
e was a click of her bedroom door and the rustle of feet crossing the floor, and the blonde under the covers rolled onto her back. She opened her eyes to the sight of Ryan, her five-year-old son, leaping onto her bed. His “Good morning, Mommy!” made her ears ring a little as his body fell into her open arms. Inhaling, she detected more than the scent of his hair. Startled, she looked toward the door. It smelled like...

  “Breakfast.” Her lover of only a few weeks used her elbow to push open the door on her way into the bedroom bearing a tray laden with filled glasses, mugs, and plates. “Well, brunch, maybe,” Brenna corrected, as she set the tray down on the bedside table. “It’s almost ten, Cass.”

  Cassidy could see toast with a pale jam, coffee, and glasses of a red fruit punch. She looked at Brenna again and smiled as the other woman stepped out of her shoes ― face partially obscured by a loose fall of auburn ― and sat on the queen-sized bed next to her. The bedsprings creaked under the additional weight.

  “Thank you,” Cassidy said as darkening blue eyes caressed her face, coming closer. She reached out with both hands and tugged on the open collar of Brenna’s light blue cambric shirt, encouraging her lover closer. “When did you get here?” Though they had spoken almost every night, discussing the impasse between Brenna and her sons, Cassidy hadn’t seen Brenna since New Year’s Day. She eagerly searched the beautiful features to see what, if anything, was changed, as well as to gain some insight into her present mood and the reason for the unannounced, but welcome, visit. “Is everything all right?”

  Brenna’s eyes shone as she quirked a smile and leaned in. “It is now.” The edge to Brenna’s voice was husky and warm against Cassidy’s ear. “I arrived just a little while ago.”

  When Cassidy tasted Brenna’s lips, she discovered the jam on the toast was orange marmalade as she devoured her first morning kiss in over a week.

  Brenna’s lips were soft, supple, and little moans issued from the duo as their connection deepened. Ryan squirmed against Cassidy and dampened her rising arousal. She pulled back. “I missed you.”

  Brenna’s gaze never shifted as she caressed Cassidy’s cheek. “God, I missed you, too.”

  Ryan interrupted impatiently, “Are you hungry, Mommy? Miss Lanigan made you breakfast for bed.”

  Watching Ryan’s expectant smile grow, Cassidy blinked. She was ravenous, but not for food. Gazing at her lover, Cassidy knew Brenna was feeling the same swirl of emotion.

  “I already fed Ryan,” Brenna explained.

  “She made me scrambled eggs in a sandwich,” Ryan supplied.

  “So you let her in this morning?” Cassidy asked. “You know you’re not supposed to let people in when I’m not awake.”

  “But Miss Lanigan’s not a stranger.”

  Brenna’s smile faltered. “It’s my fault. I should have called first. I’m sorry.”

  Cassidy reached out and caressed Brenna’s cheek. Her son’s opinion of Brenna was important to their continuing relationship. Ryan was right; Brenna was not a stranger. Finally, she said, “It’s all right.” Ryan flung his arms around her neck, hugging tightly. Cassidy spoke to Brenna over her son’s head. “I’ll give you my spare key.”

  Brenna grasped her hand and leaned forward, pressing her lips to Cassidy’s temple. “Thanks.”

  Disengaging Ryan, Cassidy then watched as he got down from the bed and, in the way only her son could, crept to the door, leaning over his legs and thumping away like an elephant. He shut the door with a loud thud behind him. Brenna, who had watched the whole thing, laughed out loud, rolling back onto the pillows beside her. “What a charmer he’s going to be, Cass.”

  “I bet he planned that whole entry with you,” she replied, having learned a little about what could happen when the two people she loved most put their heads together.

  Brenna snagged a piece of toast and passed it to Cassidy with a glass of juice. “He really wanted to go along with the surprise. I’m sorry that his letting me in was against the rules.”

  Cassidy sipped the cranberry-apple juice and took a small bite of the toast, truly moved by the gesture. “This is wonderful, Bren,” she said with real appreciation.

  “I hope it’s not too inconvenient. After I...well, I got Thomas and James off to school then I decided to come see you.”

  Cassidy held out the toast and Brenna took a bite. Watching Brenna chew, that delicious mouth twitching slightly, the muscles moving in her throat as she swallowed, Cassidy had to tamp down a flash of lust. Quickly she took another bite of the marmalade and toast, her taste buds tingling with the sensory satisfaction. Clearing her mouth with a sip of juice, she arranged the pillows so she and Brenna could lean back, legs stretched out side by side. “I can’t recall the last time I had breakfast in bed.”

  “I’d like to do it more often,” Brenna said, taking up a mug of coffee from the tray.

  Cassidy lifted her own mug while she considered how to answer. She inhaled the scent of the deep rich roast, laced with cream the way she liked. She could do this more often as well, but there were considerations. “We’ll be back to work next week,” she said.

  “I know,” Brenna leaned against Cassidy’s shoulder and picked up another piece of toast from the tray, “but our situation won’t have changed. You’ll still have your place, and I’ll still have mine, and we’ll still go our separate ways most nights.”

  Cassidy’s nose nuzzled against the fine hair that smelled of fresh peaches. “You switched shampoos,” she murmured.

  “I did. Do you like it?”

  “Marvelous.” Cassidy kissed the crown and the fine silky strands tickled her lips. “We’re together now,” she said by way of answer to the last question hanging in the air.

  “But Ryan’s outside.”

  “So snuggle with me while we finish your wonderful breakfast in bed.”

  Brenna settled against Cassidy’s shoulder as she lifted her coffee mug to her lips again. “I can definitely do that.”

  Deciding they couldn’t leave Ryan to his own devices for too long, as soon as Cassidy finished eating, Brenna led the way from the bedroom carrying the breakfast tray. Cassidy, pulling the belt of her robe secure, was a step behind her. “Ryan!” Cassidy called out.

  The sliding glass door to the back porch was open. While Brenna went to the sink to deposit the tray, Cassidy went to the open door and called, “Ryan! Time to come inside!”

  The blond boy suddenly raced into view, a barking Ranger leaping and running at his side. The taxidermy animal they had acquired several months earlier was once again their toy. Cassidy sighed. “Come inside, please.”

  “Why don’t we take Ryan and Ranger for a walk?” Brenna asked.

  “Where?”

  “You’ve got a neighborhood park.”

  “Yeah, but―”

  “I don’t want to go home yet,” Brenna admitted.

  Cassidy looked back over her shoulder, her nervousness manifested by the teeth worrying at her bottom lip. “All right.”

  “Are you tired?”

  “No. I...it’s...we don’t really want to be caught by cameras.”

  Brenna shook her head. “Neighborhood park, not the local mall. Furthermore, it’s your neighborhood, not mine.”

  “There’s always a chance.”

  “Is it your parents? Cass, your parents are in Missouri. What can they do?”

  Brenna was right; the chances were slim. And, while her parents might disapprove, they were more than a thousand miles away. But Cassidy had a distinctly unsettled feeling. She made her decision looking down into Ryan’s expectant face as he slammed into her legs coming through the doorway. “All right. Let’s go to the park.” Wrapping his arms around her legs, he kissed her left thigh.

  Brenna gently peeled Ryan off and sent Cassidy to her room with a kiss. “Dress casual. We’ll be waiting.”

  Cassidy returned wearing jeans and a long-sleeved, aquamarine flannel pullover, her hair brushed and pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck
. Brenna grasped her right hand and Ryan’s left, and led the way to the street.

  Halfway to the corner, Cassidy spotted Lou Talbot in his driveway, poking under the open hood of the family car. She gave a friendly wave as his gaze rose to them. “Good morning.”

  “Hmph.”

  “Friendly sort,” Brenna commented as they walked on.

  “That’s Gwen’s husband, Lou Talbot. You met Gwen.”

  “She’s married to him?” Brenna shook her head.

  After walking two blocks, Brenna and Cassidy entered the park through a high arched gateway. A path encircled the park’s central feature ― a duck and fish pond, large enough that there was a small dock out over the water on the far side. A walking path, a biking path, and an exercise path all circled the pond separately.

  “It’s about two and a half miles, three including the walk back to my house,” Cassidy revealed. “So here you have my morning gym.” She pointed at the equipment along the exercise path. “You remember; I told you about it during Ryan’s birthday party back in October.”

  Joggers flashed by them, and a man in tight shorts with a bare chest was hoisting his meaty frame up to the chin-up bar. Brenna smiled. “Clearly it’s a popular place.”

  “When Gwen showed me through the neighborhood, I knew I wanted to be right here.”

  “You said that you stayed with her and Lou when you came out from St. Louis to do small parts.”

  “It was a strain. At first I thought it was all me, traveling so much, not sitting still, always just getting on or off a plane. But Lou...well, I made a good bit of money from the vampire role, so I thought about renting something. Gwen liked having me around, so she showed me a few rentals in the neighborhood. When I was finalizing my divorce and knew I would stay, I talked the rental agent into letting me buy the house I’m in now.”

  Ryan ran for a children’s jungle gym, and they watched for a while as he threw himself over and under the various posts and poles.

  People milled about, but it wasn’t crowded. On the weekends, Brenna imagined this was a popular place for the neighborhood families. She could see the vendors Cassidy had mentioned, and picnic tables in the grass by the dock. A grandfather and grandson ― their apparent age difference making her assume the relationship ― were seated, feet dangling over the water, straight poles with lines dropped, in search of a fish’s nibble. “This is wonderful,” she concluded.