Rules of the Road

by K. Aten

  Isabel Ramirez, the matriarch of the Ramirez clan, nodded her head with understanding. “Si, you do not know how to hold the liquor. No?”

  Kaitlyn returned just in time to hear the old woman’s question. “Nay, Mama. Twas all the kids last night, they were acting the maggot. Poor Jamie was already locked, unused to that foul tequila they all liked. Veronica was actin’ the floozie per usual and gave her one more shot. I’m afraid that’s what has Jamie feelin’ like she’s got a bad dose.”

  Isabel scowled, adding even more wrinkles to her already well-mapped and sun burnished face. “Ai yai yai! Of all my grandchildren, that girl will be the death of me.”

  Kaitlyn snorted and tossed her mane of red hair like a wild horse. At least that was the way it looked to Jamie’s eyes. “Then you ought to be talkin’ with Jose then. That’s her papa after all. You’d think with him being the eldest that his kids would be most settled. But no. Antonio and Veronica, hmm.” She made a noise of disdain. “Delinquents both!” The old woman didn’t respond to a truth she was already aware of. She just worried her hands together.

  Manny walked up a few minutes later and sat a cup with a lid and straw down in front of his mother. “Here you are, Mama. I put some lemonade in your cup.”

  The old woman squinted up at her son. “Did you put some vodka in it?”

  He shook his head. “No, Mama, the doctor says no alcohol, remember?”

  She scowled. “I suppose I shall have to drink it like a sick person then, like mi nueva nieta.”

  Jamie shook her head in denial. “Abuela, I have no problems treating you like my own grandmother out of respect but I don’t want you to be confused. Surely they told you by now that Kelsey and I are just friends.”

  The old woman chuckled. “Ah, that is what their lips say but not what my eyes see.” She tapped her cheek, just below the right eye. “Abuela knows everything, querida. My granddaughter is very taken with you.” Jamie’s heart stuttered in her chest and she only wished the old woman’s words were true.

  Manny could see that his daughter’s friend was suffering on a few different levels. His wife had explained the situation earlier in the day and not for the first time he regretted that their only child had inherited his stubbornness. He turned to his wife and gestured toward Jamie. “Did your remedy not work for her?”

  Kaitlyn looked up at him in surprise. “I did not give it to the lass.”

  “Why not?”

  She shrugged. “Truthfully, I did not think of it.”

  He threw his hands in the air. “Jaysis, you!” Even hung over, Jamie couldn’t help smiling at the exclamation that Manny had clearly picked up from his Irish wife.

  “Manuel Diego Jose Ramirez! Language!”

  Manny’s eyes widened at the way his mother had just reprimanded him. He, a fifty-seven year old man, got scolded by his elderly mother. He pointed at his wife. “What, Mama? She says it all the time and you don’t have a problem with her talk.”

  “Mi hijo, you are not her. She has her own custom and language, no? So she is allowed. But you are my bebé, and you will respect my customs. Bueno?”

  Jamie snickered as Kelsey’s papa rolled his eyes and he answered her in the only way that was allowed. “Si, Mama.”

  Kaitlyn also smirked at the familiar reprimand from her mother-in-law. She stood and turned to Jamie. “If you trust me, I will make something that will calm your stomach and sooth your head. Okay?”

  The blonde groaned. “Yes, please! Anything!”

  Manny mumbled under his breath. “You may regret that.”

  As Kaitlyn started for the French doors, Jamie called out to her. “Wait, what’s in it?”

  “Oh, ’tis a secret. Just a few things from the press that I put together. I’ll be back in a jiff!” She returned less than five minutes later and placed a mug in front of Jamie. The blonde noticed that Kelsey’s mother had left the French doors open but didn’t want to be rude and call her on it. She stared hard into the cup. Whatever glob was inside looked dark and sludgy. The three older people at the table unconsciously leaned forward and watched her study it.

  Jamie sat back and pointed at the colorful mug with the unknown remedy inside. “Are you sure this is safe?”

  Kaitlyn nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, absolutely! Now remember, just drink it straight down and don’t be stoppin’!”

  “I know I’m going to regret this.” Jamie mumbled the words under her breath and picked up the mug with some trepidation. Her stomach gave another roll and she knew she had to do something. Quickly tipping it up, she drank down the half mug of unknown substance then set it back on the table and stared straight ahead. She wobbled a little in her seat and her eyes glazed over. It was foul and her tongue felt like it was going to fall out of her mouth. Then the mystery glop hit her stomach and she found herself up and out of the chair, making a beeline for the nearest bathroom, through the conveniently open French doors. Kaitlyn smiled at her departing back and Manny winked at his wife.

  “Hey, where did she go?” Kelsey walked up just in time to see her friend bolt through the open doors into the house. She looked back at Jamie’s empty seat and spied the mug on the table. That only prompted her to sigh and rub the worry line between her eyes. “Oh, Mama, you didn’t!”

  Kaitlyn snickered at the way her only child looked just like her papa when she worried at something. “Alannah, she was miserable! I had te do something. Besides, it was your papa’s idea.”

  “Oh no, do not bring me into this, mi amor!” Kelsey’s parents decided to play it safe and not be there when Jamie returned. They wandered off into the backyard farther to join in the next game. Kelsey sat down at the table to talk with her abuela while she waited for her friend to come back.

  “Mi nieta.” When she had Kelsey’s attention, the old woman began to speak in a quiet and serious tone. “Do you remember when you were still adolescente and I came to live with you up north?”

  “Si, Abuela.”

  “Do you remember the day I taught you to make tamales?”

  Kelsey nodded her head. “Si.”

  Isabel spoke gently to her granddaughter. “I told you that many people thought the secret to good cooking was in using the best ingredients. I also told you that they were wrong. No ingredient will ever be perfect. Sometimes the tomatoes are bruised, sometimes the peppers are not as sweet. The real secret is in finding the ingredients that work best together.”

  Kelsey looked at her seriously, not really sure why the old woman was repeating advice from long ago. “Si, Abuela. I remember.”

  Isabel nodded, pleased. “What I did not tell you that day, because you were too young still, was that you should use the same philosophy when it comes to love.”

  The younger woman cocked her head in confusion. “Qué?”

  The old woman leaned across the table and gently took Kelsey’s hands into her old and frail ones. “Granddaughter, you have been searching for the perfect ingredient but you yourself are flawed.” Seeing her granddaughter’s half-Irish temper start to flare she gave a little shake to her hand. “No, we are all flawed. What I am trying to tell you is that you have already found your best match. You should not discount her so easily because she is not perfect.”

  Kelsey sighed. “Abuela, there is a lot you don’t know about both of us. As much as I don’t want to admit it, she has a past and I’m—”

  “You fear. Si, we all have a past but we don’t live there. You do both of you a disservice by not giving her a chance to offer her future.” She smiled and patted Kelsey’s hand. “Your ingredients would mix well, I think.”

  There was a part of Kelsey, deep within her heart, that agreed with her grandmother and that made her scowl. “You know I hate cooking.” Her face lightened again when Jamie reappeared through the door.

  There was a twinkle in Isabel’s eyes when she saw Kelsey’s smile. “Ah, but with the right person it can be fun, no?”

  Jamie came around the table and threw herself
into the chair she had previously occupied. She looked directly at Kelsey. “Your mama is the devil incarnate.”

  Kelsey laughed rich and full. “But do you feel better?”

  The blonde sighed and straightened the collar of her short sleeved shirt. Her reply was begrudging at best. “Yes.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  KELSEY AND JAMIE ended up staying four nights total with Kelsey’s parents in San Antonio. The last two days Kelsey took her best friend around the city to see the sights. They walked along the river downtown, took a sightseeing boat, visited the Alamo, and even the San Antonio Zoo. Jamie was enamored most by the way the river meandered its way through the buildings and streets of the downtown area, shaded by tall hanging trees. There were footbridges that crossed every so often throughout the city. Though she’d never been to Venice, San Antonio seemed to be the Americanized version of the way she’d always pictured the ancient Italian city in her head. It was incredibly romantic yet there was still no acknowledged romance between them. She knew that it wasn’t a very good time to talk while they were staying at Kelsey’s parents. They had been good for the remaining nights, though it was a more than a little torturous. It was for that very same reason she dreaded going home.

  If Kelsey didn’t bring up the growing thing between them, then she was going to have to. There were a lot of hugs and tears when they left early Saturday morning. It felt nice to be accepted by Kelsey’s family, something Jamie had never really experienced for herself. She liked them all, save for Veronica. She even liked Kelsey’s abuela, though the old woman was just a little crazy. When they were leaving, Isabel Ramirez whispered something into her ear and she still had no idea what it meant. Jamie just assumed it was cooking advice since she admitted to the old woman that she loved to cook.

  Their plane touched down at the Detroit airport just before noon and Kelsey was nothing but nerves. Despite the previous two days of sightseeing and all the fun they’d had, she knew that a conversation was coming. It was necessary, it was essential, and Kelsey was afraid. Jamie pulled into one of her two allotted spots and shut down the engine. The other was taken up by Kelsey’s little silver car. She looked at her best friend and gave her a little smile. “Would you like to come up?”

  Kelsey nodded. “Sure. When I texted Jenn at the airport she said that the cats were taken care of this morning so I don’t have to rush home or anything.”

  “If there’s no rush why don’t you bring your bag up and I can throw all our clothes into the washer together. That will save you a little laundry at least.” Kelsey gave her a grateful smile and they trudged into the building and up the stairs. Jamie sighed when they got to the top and Kelsey cocked her head at her. The blonde answered the unspoken question. “I think I ate too many of your tamales while we were in Texas.” Both women laughed as they made their way down the hall and into Jamie’s apartment. They worked efficiently together to unpack the bags and load the washer.

  “Hey, that’s the same detergent I use!”

  Jamie grinned. “Isn’t that convenient!”

  Eventually they found their way into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. Jamie started laughing out of the blue and Kelsey gave her a strange look. The blonde scrubbed her hand over her face tiredly. “Your mother.” She shook her head and chuckled again.

  Kelsey frowned. “What about my mama?”

  Jamie grinned back at her, meaning no disrespect at all. “It’s just that she’s so, so, Irish!” She burst out laughing again and Kelsey joined her.

  “Yes, she certainly is. And embarrassing, you totally forgot to mention embarrassing.” Kelsey grimaced.

  “Oh, Kels, she’s not that bad.” Her face softened wistfully. “You can tell she loves you a lot.”

  They got quiet for a little bit, exhaustion finally making itself known. The early start to the day and all the traveling caught up with them at once. They fell asleep leaning against each other with a soft fleece throw blanket over Kelsey. Jamie woke first about an hour later and found that Kelsey had slid down and was lying with her head in Jamie’s lap. Without waking the other woman, she gently ran her hand through Kelsey’s thick auburn hair. Her pulse raced as the silky strands slid between her fingertips. After only a few minutes her hand started to wander. She traced Kelsey’s temples and forehead, then the shell of her ear. She thought her beautiful friend was still asleep until her fingertips ran down Kelsey’s neck and the woman in her lap giggled. Kelsey’s voice was sleep-thick as she nuzzled Jamie’s hand. “That tickles.” When her green eyes opened the first thing she saw was Jamie’s mischievous gaze and she knew she was in trouble. “Don’t even think about it, James!”

  “Think about what? That you would complain about a single little finger tickling you?” She held her hand up menacingly. “What would you do if it was an entire hand, hmm?”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  Jamie’s hand came closer. “Or what?”

  Kelsey tried her best mean face but the cute little dimple made a serious mean face impossible. “I have my ways!” The hand came a little closer. “Don’t make me go all Krav Maga on your ass, Schultz!”

  The blonde pretended to consider her options but in all actuality, having Kelsey go “Krav Maga” on her sounded kind of hot. With one last smirk she looked straight into Kelsey’s eyes. “Bring it.” Jamie’s hand was in motion and Kelsey immediately started squirming.

  “James! Jaaaammeesss! Stop!” Kelsey wiggled around on the couch, trying to get up, but Jamie just followed her with those strong fingers of hers. “Oh my God, seriously, stop!” Both were panting hard and eventually Kelsey got the upper hand. Using her weight and martial arts training, she flipped Jamie onto her back on the couch, then quickly pinned her to the cushions below. She looked triumphantly down at her winded friend. “Do you surrender?”

  Jamie looked up into those green eyes then moved her gaze down to Kelsey’s lone dimple and knew she was totally and inescapably lost. Her voice was quiet when she answered. “Always. I will always surrender to you.” She paused then decided to throw it all into the wind. “I love you, Kels.”

  The woman on top released her hands and let out a sigh. “James.”

  Using Kelsey’s words back at her, Jamie reached up to cup her cheek. “Tell me you don’t want this and I’ll stop. I’ll stop and never bring it up again.”

  Kelsey’s eyes welled up with tears but she covered Jamie’s hand with her own and pushed both against her face. “I’m scared, Jamie.” Jamie’s face fell for a second, then Kelsey’s words continued into a declaration that was all-encompassing. “I want this with you. I know there is more between us than just sex and I want to discover it all. And I’m sorry I doubted you.”

  Jamie’s smile, her true smile, was like a long lost friend. “So, you want to uh, do this?”

  Kelsey snickered. “I think we’ve already done it a few times.”

  “No, I mean do you want to date?” Kelsey nodded at her. “Exclusively?” Kelsey smiled and nodded again and Jamie felt a lightness inside that she had never felt before. Yes, she had loved and been in love, but it had never been a love that was good. Before Kelsey it had not been based on truth or respect. And it was not returned with the openness that she witnessed looking back at her with those deep green eyes. She pulled Kelsey down into a kiss that nearly melted her into the couch. A tongue begged entrance between her lips and she was hard pressed to deny Kelsey anything. Minutes went by as the kisses got hotter. Hands wandered outside their clothes until eventually Kelsey’s slid beneath the soft cotton t-shirt that Jamie wore. That lone hand started a metaphorical fire and Jamie was about to suggest they go up to her bed when a knock sounded at her door. It took a second for the sound to register but eventually Kelsey pulled back and sat upright. Jamie scowled. “Who the hell could that be? No one even knows I’m back! And how did they get past the security guard?”

  Kelsey snorted and crawled off Jamie’s body and subsequently off the couch. “Really, Jame
s? Your security guard is two naps from a nursing home!” Another knock sounded and suddenly Kelsey remembered who it could be. She looked sheepish as she held her hand out to help Jamie up from the couch. “Um, actually, one person knows we’re back.”

  Jamie looked at her curiously then the answer dawned on her. “That’s right, you texted Jenn when we were waiting for our bags.” Jamie groaned. “Dammit, I don’t want to have company. I want to keep kissing you!”

  “I know you’re in there. I can hear you talking. Let me in, I think your security guard is after me and he’ll be catching up with me any week now!”

  Jamie ran a hand through her hair and straightened her clothes while Kelsey snickered and walked over to let their friend in. Jamie called out to Kelsey as she headed for the downstairs bathroom. “I’m just going to go switch the laundry real quick.”

  As soon as Kelsey opened the door Jenn stepped inside and pulled her into a big hug. “Hey, Kels! I’m so glad that your grand mama’s okay.” Jenn pulled back and looked around. “Where’s James? You did bring her back from the airport with you, right?”

  Kelsey cracked up laughing out of the blue and Jenn raised an eyebrow. Kelsey shook her head and finally got control of herself. “Sorry, I just had an image of James riding the luggage carousel around and around, riding someone’s suitcase like a bronco.”

  Jenn chuckled and shook her head too. “You are absolutely insane.”

  “You didn’t figure that out when she admitted to knitting for her cats?” Jamie came around the corner just in time to hear Jenn’s comment.

  Kelsey swatted her arm. “Shut up you, like you don’t have your own quirks and peculiarities.”

  Jamie’s face was one of shock. “What? What in the world are you talking about?”

  “Hello? Olivia? You named your car, and you talk to her like she’s a person!”

  Jenn’s manicured finger poked Jamie in the arm. “She’s got you there, James! So anyways, how was the trip? Besides the family drama, of which Jamie managed to survive, did you both have fun?”