Baumgartners Empty Nest (The Baumgartners)

by Selena Kitt

  “You’re on vacation, right?” Zach asked.

  “Well, yes.” Jody blinked at him, looking a little surprised at the idea. “I guess I am.”

  “Then I’d say—be bad.”

  “Naughty boy.” Jody shook a finger at him and Zach blushed and laughed. “All right, I’ll be good and have the lemon-pepper grilled rainbow trout. But I’ll be bad and order the fried okra and turnip greens. And a nice, big sweet tea.”

  “I’ll be right back with your drinks,” Zach said, taking their menus and tucking his pad into his back pocket.

  “I’m so hungry,” Carrie said, after Zach had dropped off their drinks and a basket of corn bread. She dove into the bread basket, taking a bite of bread with a soft groan. Her stomach was growling. “We were going to stop for lunch in Atlanta, but then you called...”

  “I think I forgot to eat today.” Jody wrinkled her nose, her hand brushing Doc’s as they both reached for bread. Carrie saw their eyes meet and felt that electricity again, except this time, it wasn’t between her and Jody. It thrilled her, but she didn’t say anything. “I’m so hungry I could eat the north end of a south-bound goat.”

  “Well, that’s colorful. Never heard that one before.” Doc laughed, half-choking on his lemonade.

  “You’re in the south, sugar.”

  “Florida’s south,” Doc said. “But I’ve never heard that phrase before.”

  “In Florida, you’ve gotta drive north to go south.” Jody winked. “After you pass Tallahassee, you’re heading north again.”

  “Speaking of colorful...” Doc buttered his cornbread, taking a bite and talking through a mouthful. “What you said before, about Cracker Barrel?”

  “Mm hmm.” Jody sipped her sweet tea.

  “You said something about change being hard? It just struck me. You sounded like you were talking from experience?” Doc asked. Carrie froze, her breath caught in her throat. “Like, maybe a friend or someone in your family had gone through some changes, and wasn’t swimming in the mainstream?”

  “Yeah, you could say that.” Jody nodded slowly, glancing briefly at Carrie, who tried her best to give her a warning look without Doc knowing. “Someone close to me did go through some major life changes.”

  “Really?” Doc leaned his elbows on the table, interested. Carrie searched her brain, looking for something she could say that would change the subject. She didn’t want this coming out, not here, not now.

  “But you two must know something about that.” Jody unwrapped a straw, sliding it into her tea and taking a sip. Carrie looked at Doc, trying to figure out if he was reading the subtext, but she couldn’t tell. Under the table, she felt Jody’s knee brush up against hers. “Not swimming in the mainstream, I mean.”

  “Doc, I—” Carrie didn’t even know what she was going to follow that up with. She had nothing. But thankfully, their waiter was approaching with their food.

  “Oh look, there’s young Zachary with my rainbow trout.” Jody leaned back as the young waiter approached. “How fitting.”

  “Yeah, we’re part of the rainbow trout crowd, that’s for sure.” Doc chuckled.

  All three dug into the food, and there was little conversation until their stomachs had stopped growling. Jody made Carrie try a bite of fried okra, which was surprisingly good, and another bite of turnip greens, which were godawful. That made Jody chuckle, her eyes bright.

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Jody remarked, sitting back and looking between the two of them. “I can’t even seem to get it right with one person, let alone more.”

  “You just have to find the right one.” Carrie slid a hand across the table to touch Doc’s. He’d made quick work of his chicken and dumplings and was on his second lemonade. “After that, adding a third is just like icing on the cake.”

  “So to speak.” Jody’s eyebrow raised and Doc laughed. She leaned forward, chin in hand, her silver bangles clinking down her wrist. “So how many lovers have you had in your marriage?”

  “We’ve had mostly long-term relationships with people,” Doc explained. “Only a couple one-nighters or short-term situations. It’s not just about the sex.”

  “I mean, the sex is good, don’t get me wrong,” Carrie countered. “But that’s not all it is. Hardly ever.”

  “Granted, there were a few times we considered it because one of us wanted someone.” Doc smirked at his wife and she flushed, knowing instantly who he was talking about. That had been a mutual desire on their part. A fantasy, really, that had turned into a surreal reality one Christmas in Key West.

  “Like Ronnie?” Carrie nudged her husband under the table.

  “Come on,” he said with a pained groan. “How long was I supposed to resist the nineteen-year-old babysitter?”

  “Well, at least you waited until she was legal.” Jody laughed.

  “Barely.” Carrie snorted. “But even then, it wasn’t just about the sex. She was already part of the family, in a way.”

  “Gretchen, too,” Doc said.

  “That was the other nanny, right?” Jody asked. “The one that moved to New York?”

  “I think her biological clock started ticking...” Doc told her.

  “Well, that, and I think she just wanted a man of her own.” Carrie looked at her husband, feeling so grateful for him in that moment. He’d chosen her, and he’d never wavered from that, not in their entire marriage. Even when there were three of them, he was always committed to her, always put her first.

  “That happens.” Doc shrugged. Then, he grinned. “Dani found two.”

  “Dani?” Jody blinked in surprised. “You were with a man?”

  “Short for Danielle,” Carrie explained. She had forgotten about Dani. Well, not forgotten, exactly, but she hadn’t come up in the conversations she’d had with Jody over the past few months.

  “Ah.” Jody gave a nod. Then her nose wrinkled. “Did you say—two men?”

  “Yes. Mason and Nico. Two very strapping young men,” Carrie replied, like it was the most normal thing in the world for a woman to decide to commit herself to not just one but two gorgeous men. “Living in Venice, last we heard.”

  “What about jealousy?” Jody asked, glancing at the way Doc laughed and rolled his eyes at his wife’s choice of words. “Don’t you get jealous?”

  “Sometimes.” Carrie shrugged. “In the beginning, I think the jealousy bug bit harder than it does now.”

  “I admit,” Doc said, reaching over and putting a hand over his wife’s on the red checked tablecloth. “I don’t like the idea of Carrie being with another man.”

  And that was the issue, wasn’t it? Carrie thought, meeting Jody’s knowing eyes. Because, while Jody was a woman—everything about her was feminine, from her voice to her gestures to the softness of her skin—she hadn’t completely transitioned. What in the hell was Doc going to do, when he found out that Carrie wanted to bring another cock into their relationship? Even if it was attached to someone who happened to be, otherwise, all woman…

  “And what’s the rule about you being with women?” Jody inquired. “I mean, with women that you’re both sleeping with?”

  “It’s not so much about rules. I mean, I guess we have them, but they’re more just... an understanding.” Carrie smiled at her husband, feeling her brand new rock of a wedding ring being pressed by the palm of his hand over hers. “The fact is, I’ve never found a man I want to be with more than Doc. He’s more than enough for me.”

  “Well, I can already understand why.” Jody dropped her a little wink. Then she looked at Doc. “But you’ve had sex with these other women, without Carrie? Right?”

  “Yeah.” Doc nodded.

  “And you’re okay with that?” Jody sounded incredulous.

  “Yes,” Carrie agreed.

  “Jackie would send me out to cut a switch and tan my hide if he thought I was seeing someone else.” Jody sat back in her chair with a sigh, crossing one leg over the other, revealing more of her tawny thighs. Carrie
couldn’t help looking, and, she noticed, neither could Doc.

  “It was hard enough to keep you a secret, babygirl,” Jody told her with a little shake of her head.

  “That’s the best part of an open relationship, I think,” Doc said, his fingers caressing Carrie’s, softly stroking. “There’s no need to lie. We don’t have to deceive each other or keep things secret.”

  Carrie didn’t say a word. She didn’t even look at Jody. She couldn’t.

  It was like divine intervention when the waiter came by asking if anyone wanted dessert.

  “I’ve got a hankerin’ for a peach cobbler,” Jody told Zach. “And if you’d put a scoop of ice cream on it, well that would just dill my pickle.”

  Carrie was used to Jody’s southern-isms, but Doc hadn’t heard them, and he chuckled. Jody was clearly charming him, although she wasn’t sure she was doing it on purpose. Jody was just being Jody.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Zach said, writing it down. “Anyone else?”

  “Oh, I think we can share,” Doc told him, and the three of them all got the subtext, even if the young waiter was oblivious.

  “I’ll bring three spoons, then, ma’am, if that’s all right with you?” he asked Jody.

  “I doubt I’ll need a spoon.”

  Zach gave her a puzzled look and Carrie laughed.

  “Go on, Zach, bring three spoons,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He grabbed their stacked plates and headed to the kitchen.

  “You know you’re old when they start calling you ma’am.” Carrie made a face at his back.

  “Sometimes it’s good to be called ma’am.” Jody winked at Carrie, watching him walk away. “He’s a cutie—but he’s just a baby.”

  “Well, since you girls like him so much,” Doc said, finishing the last of his lemonade. “I’ll be sure to leave him a big tip.”

  “Yeah.” Jody met Carrie’s eyes, dead-pan, and said, “That boy deserves a nice… big… tip.”

  Carrie nudged her under the table, barely suppressing her laughter.

  “I need to visit the little girls’ room.” Jody slung her purse over her shoulder, standing.

  “I’ll come with you.” Carrie followed her, glancing back to see Doc watching them both walk away.

  There was no one in the bathroom, and the instant the door closed behind them, Jody had Carrie pressed up against it, mouth slanting across hers. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other, now that they didn’t have an audience. Carrie’s arms went around Jody’s neck, tilting her head to the side as Jody’s mouth trailed over her cheek and down her throat. Her breath was hot against her ear.

  “I want you.” Jody’s knee slid between her own, making Carrie moan and rock her hips. They were about the same height, but Jody was taller in heels.

  “I want you, too,” Carrie gasped as Jody’s hands moved over her sundress, exploring every soft curve and crevice she could get her hands on. Her whole body felt like it was on fire.

  “Oh babygirl, you feel so good.” Jody let out a soft moan when Carrie rocked her hips faster, sundress caught between her legs, riding the other woman’s thigh.

  Jody’s hands moved over the front of Carrie’s sundress, cupping her breasts through the material. Her nipples were so hard they almost hurt and she shuddered when Jody’s fingertips brushed them. She swore she could have come, right then, just from that.

  “Oh God, I can feel you,” Carrie whispered, the unmistakable press of a hard cock against her belly. “So hard.”

  “You do that to me.” Jody kissed her way down Carrie’s throat, heading for her cleavage. “The amount of hormones I’m on, I shouldn’t be able to get hard like that. But I can’t help it with you.”

  Carrie moaned when Jody’s lips brushed the tops of her breasts, her breath coming in sharp, hot gasps. She couldn’t help reaching down to feel Jody’s cock—the hot swell of it under her dress was incredible. Jody let out a little moan when Carrie gave it a squeeze.

  Suddenly, the door moved, and they both startled, looking at each other with wide eyes. Someone had just tried to open the swinging door, but couldn’t, because their weight was against it.

  “Hello?” a confused voice called from the other side.

  Carrie covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh. Jody did the same, grabbing Carrie’s hand and pulling her quickly around the corner, ducking into a stall. Jody locked it behind them and they both stood there, trying not to giggle as the door creaked open.

  “Hello?” a voice called out again.

  Jody shook her head, pressing a finger to Carrie’s lips.

  Carrie opened her mouth and took that finger between them, sucking gently. Jody bit her lip, watching as Carrie licked and sucked the tip, just like it was a little cock, while a stranger relieved herself a few stalls down. Jody traced that wet finger over Carrie’s lips, then she took her face in her hands, and leaned in to kiss her.

  Carrie tilted her head up a little, her tongue finding its way between Jody’s soft lips, stroking the roof of the other woman’s mouth, feeling her shudder and sigh. Carrie’s hands moved over the black velvet of her dress. Her breasts were soft, full, her nipples hardening under her touch.

  She wanted Jody so much she was trembling with it. She didn’t care if there was someone listening. She didn’t care if they were in the bathroom at a Cracker Barrel. Or that Doc was waiting for them to return to the table. She’d wanted her so much, for so long, she could barely contain it.

  The woman a few stalls down flushed and went to the sinks to wash her hands. Finally, she was gone, and both women let out a pent-up breath.

  “We better go,” Jody said reluctantly, kissing Carrie’s cheek. “I’m sure our ice cream is melting.”

  “So am I.” Carrie fanned herself with one hand and Jody laughed. “Thank God we rented a room.”

  “You think Doc’s ready for that?” Jody raised her eyebrows.

  “No.” Carrie shook her head, looking away, at the graffiti on the wall. The word SLUT in capital letters stood out to her. Under that, the word liar. An omen? She shivered. “He’ll be fine with me coming to your room. It’s okay.”

  “Is it.” Jody tilted her chin up, their eyes meeting. “You’re gonna have to tell him eventually.”

  “I know.” She nodded, swallowing. “I hate secrets. I hate lying to him.”

  It was true, but Jody’s eyes said something truer.

  Even if Carrie hated lying, she didn’t hate it enough to stop.

  Not yet.

  Chapter Six

  “What do you think of her?” Carrie lowered her voice as she sat on the bed next to Doc, looking at their adjoining door. It was closed now—Jody was taking a shower in her room—but unlocked. Very tempting. Her belly fluttered with excitement and anticipation.

  “I think she’s delicious,” Doc said, not looking away from the television where two lines of guys wearing shoulder pads were scuffling over a pigskin.

  “And?” Carrie prompted, nudging him.

  “She’s a character.” Doc turned his full attention to her, which is what she wanted. His hand moved to touch her bare thigh—she had showered too, and was now wearing just a pair of boy shorts and a camisole. “Sweet, funny. Surprising. She was in the army? I never would have guessed.”

  “Well, when you grow up in foster care, you don’t come out with a lot of options…” Carrie swung her legs up onto the bed, snuggling up beside him.

  “You did just fine,” Doc said, stroking her slightly damp hair. It hung loose over her shoulders like corn silk.

  “Thanks to you.” She kissed his bare chest—Doc had showered and changed, too, now wearing just a pair of shorts.

  “You were almost through with your bachelor’s degree when I met you, sweetheart,” he reminded her. “I didn’t have anything to do with that. You’re brilliant.”

  “So is she.” Carrie sighed.

  The Jody she’d known a million years ago had been smart as a whip, even if
he hadn’t done well in school. Their teachers all said he was smart, but unmotivated. The reality was that he’d been bored out of his mind. Carrie had always done well in school, mostly because she saw it as the fastest way out of poverty. Jody had other things to worry about, things that Carrie had sensed but not really understood, not back then.

  “The guy she was with is bad news.” Doc’s jaw tightened with his word. “I just hope...”

  “I know.” Carrie’s fingers played over his chest hair. “I know what you’re thinking.”

  “Well, she left him.” He gave a little nod. “That’s a good sign.”

  “But it’s no guarantee.” She had a feeling they hadn’t heard the last of Jody’s ex. “I know what you’re worried about.”

  “Women who choose guys like him,” Doc went on. “They tend to go back to guys like him.”

  “I know.” The thought of Jody going back there, where she’d been so scared and felt so small, made Carrie sick with worry. It wasn’t just the thought of losing her, it was the thought of her being so unhappy that broke her heart.

  “We won’t let her.” Doc kissed the top of her head.

  “I don’t know if we can stop her.” That was the worst part.

  “Well, tell you what,” he said, his arms tightening around her. “Let’s show her what real love is like. Me and you. Lead by example. It’s the best way to show someone what they’re missing.”

  “I am a very, very lucky woman.” She smiled, leaning in to kiss him.

  “And I’m a lucky man,” he murmured against her lips. She breathed him in, eyes closed, and for a moment, she could picture Jody beside them in the bed, curled up against Doc’s other side, just like she was, and her heart swelled to bursting.

  Carrie broke their kiss when she heard the blow dryer next door. Jody was out of the shower.

  “Would you mind…?” Carrie let her voice trail off, knowing he would understand what she was asking, even if she didn’t say the words.

  “Go.” He grabbed a handful of her ass, squeezing.

  “Are you sure?” she asked, even if it was just a formality at this point.