Lexi shook her head. "I can't believe you fixed it so fast."
Zoe blew on her knuckles and rubbed them on her shirt. "That's why I make the big bucks."
Lexi just had to laugh at the look on the mechanic's face.
Zoe leaned over to look in the window. "Who's your friend?"
Lexi let Cricket crawl up on her lap to stick his nose outside. "This is Cricket."
"Is he okay to pet?"
Lexi liked that Zoe asked first. Most people didn't. "Sure."
Letting him sniff her fingers first, Zoe scratched around his ears. "Hello, Cricket. You're pretty cute, aren't you?"
His little tail was vibrating like mad. Lexi rubbed his belly to make sure she was ready to grab him if he decided to make a break for it. "So, what do I owe you for coming out to rescue me?"
"Nothing," Zoe said firmly. "I was putting off coming to the store anyway, so you kind of did me a favor. I'll look around and see if I can find a rebuilt solenoid to replace yours. It only takes a few minutes to change one out. If this is the first time this has happened, yours isn't in bad shape, but it's annoying when it does happen."
"Well, I really appreciate you running out to help me like this."
"It's really not a problem, Lexi. You take care and I'll be in touch about a replacement. See you later, Cricket."
Lexi watched her walk away. Zoe was not at all the way she had assumed from her masculine appearance. She was...nice. Putting Cricket back in the passenger seat, she put on her seat belt and headed home.
~***~
Miriam showed up unexpectedly at her shop the next day. Lexi felt a moments irritation about it. She would not dream of bothering Miriam at work and was pretty sure that Miriam would not put up with it if she did. Was it that Miriam did not consider their jobs to be equally important? Whatever it was, she was here now and Lexi resolved to be polite about it.
"You look very nice."
"Thank you." Miriam brushed at the seat of the chair next to the coffee tray and sat down. "You look busy."
Lexi had two dogs in the dryer that she still had to comb out and she was almost done trimming a sweet little peek-a-poo bitch. She could not have her lunch until she got done with them. At best, she was looking at about fifteen minutes clear to eat. "It's been one of those days. How have you been?"
"Not bad. I had a problem with one of my people yesterday."
Lexi focused on her work, inserting appropriate noises in likely spots. Miriam carried on as if she had Lexi's undivided attention. Finished with the trim, Lexi quickly combed out the last two dogs and cut their nails while Miriam entertained herself with her story. She did pause twice as owners came to pick up their dogs, but then carried right on.
With twelve minutes to spare, Lexi took a container of yogurt from the shop fridge and began eating it. She had a mouthful when the front door opened and Zoe stepped in.
"Hi."
Silence descended and Lexi struggled not to choke. Swallowing, she smiled nervously. "Hi, Zoe. I didn't expect to see you so soon."
Zoe held up a small metal part with short wires hanging from it. "I got the part. I know you're too busy to talk, but I just wanted you to know it wasn't some hooligan out there messing with your car. I'll just switch the parts out and head back to work."
Lexi caught a glimpse of Miriam's face and did not like the disapproving stare she saw there. "Um, Zoe, this is Miriam Wilson. Miriam, this is Zoe Hansen. She's a friend of mine," she added in defiance of Miriam's attitude.
"My pleasure," Zoe said with a respectful nod of her head.
"Likewise," Miriam said coolly.
This was too weird. Lexi glanced between the two women and made her choice. She stepped towards Zoe. "How much do I owe you for the part?"
"Nothing. See, one this was going in the trash, so I rebuilt it. I'll take yours and rebuild it, too. Then if someone needs it, I'll trade it for theirs."
It made an elegant sort of sense. "But, what about your time?"
Zoe shook her head and gave her a smile. "I don't charge my friends for little stuff like this. If it makes you more comfortable, call it a professional courtesy."
Lexi smiled back. "You're the best, Zoe. Thanks."
Zoe gave her a playful half-bow. "You're very welcome. Nice to meet you, Miriam." She turned to leave, then stopped at the door. "By the way, there's a birthday party on Friday night at Mama's Pizzeria. It's for Janet Ellstrom. You know her, right?"
Lexi pictured the perky young woman. They were friendly at best. "Yeah."
"It's her big three-oh and it's an open party. Don't bring a present. You both are welcome to come. It should be fun."
Lexi looked to Miriam and saw that she was interested. It looked like they had another date. "Sure. What time does it start?"
"Right about seven. The cake will be at eight or so. I'll see you both there?"
Lexi nodded. She watched through the glass door as Zoe went over to her car, popped the hood and began to work.
"How long have you been friends?"
Miriam had come to stand beside her, but Lexi's gaze was fixed on Zoe's forearms. "Not very long."
"You never mentioned her."
Lexi shrugged. The tall woman's forearms rippled with muscle. Even the smallest movement in her hands produced a piston-like movement under her skin. "You and I haven't known each other all that long either."
"True."
"And I did mention her once. But you prefer male mechanics." Thinking of Janet's crowd, Lexi added, "There will be some very nice women at the party on Friday. You'll like them."
"Great. Should I pick you up at 6:45?"
Lexi considered insisting that she drive, but when it came right down to it, she just didn't care that much. "Sounds good."
Zoe was done. Pulling a blue rag from her back pocket, she wiped her hands, wiped off the car where she'd touched it and threw a mock salute in Lexi's direction. Lexi waved back and watched her leave. She would have to think of something nice to do for Zoe. The woman was beyond generous and a simple Thank You wasn't enough. Lexi decided to give it some thought.
"Well, I should be going," Miriam said with a soft smile. "It was really nice to see you again."
"You, too."
"I'll see you on Friday."
"I'll be waiting." Lexi could see that Miriam was waiting for something. She suspected it was a kiss, but she wasn't inclined to give her one. Lexi took another bite of yogurt and waved goodbye with her spoon.
Lexi had a total of two minutes to herself and then it was back to work.
Chapter Four
"You can't go, Cricket." Lexi smiled at his alert expression, but felt bad that he had to stay home. "I know you don't understand, but it's not personal. It's just too long for you to wait in the car." Zipping up her black slacks she added, "Especially Miriam's car." Cricket's ears perked up at the word 'car' and she felt like a jerk.
Turning, Lexi opened her closet. "What do you think?" She tossed over her shoulder. "Sweater, blouse or T-shirt?" Cricket's head cocked to one side. "Blouse? Good choice." Lexi flipped through her clothes discounting this one due to color, that one because it was too heavy, another because she didn't want to risk dripping pizza sauce on it, and settled on a sleeveless blue that she knew set off her eyes. Zoe flashed through her mind and she grimaced.
"I'm in enough trouble with women as it is," she growled at herself. "The last thing I need is a hard case butch in the mix." Cricket barked and she had to laugh. "Thank you, sir, for your kind support."
Summer sandals and some casual jewelry completed her outfit just as her doorbell rang. Cricket raced to the living room and scratched at the door. Pushing Cricket gently to the side with her foot, Lexi opened the door to Miriam's smile. "You look great!" Miriam had on a tooled brown leather vest that caught her eye.
"So do you," Miriam grinned. "I'm a little early. I hope that's okay."
"Sure. Make yourself at home. I only need a minute and I'll be ready." Lexi touched up her
hair and face then stopped to study her reflection in the mirror. "It'll have to do," she said skeptically. Zoe's lanky form dashed through her mind's eye again and she shook her head to clear it. "Focus, girl. Focus."
Miriam was sitting on the edge of the couch trying to entice Cricket onto her lap when she returned to the living room. "I don't think he likes me," Miriam said with a sigh.
"He's just upset that he can't come with us." Lexi wondered though. Cricket was usually hungry for affection. She wondered if it was his own opinion he was expressing or if he was just picking up on her own uncertainty. "I'm ready."
Miriam stood with her keys in hand, while Lexi picked up the remote and turned the TV on to Animal Planet. She had forgotten the last time they went out and still felt bad about it.
"You be a good boy," she said to Cricket.
"You're leaving the TV on for the dog?" Miriam asked with surprise.
"Of course." Lexi glanced at Miriam in time to see the tail end of a supercilious look. "Dogs are pack animals. They need the pack. If he can't come with us, the least thing I can do is make him feel not so alone."
Miriam held up her hands. "That makes sense. I was just surprised."
"Haven't you ever had a dog?" Lexi reached for her purse and coat.
"We always had a dog when I was growing up." Miriam opened the front door and stepped outside. "But they were rarely ever let in the house."
"What's the point of having a dog if it's not part of the family?" Lexi locked the door behind them. "I feel sorry for dogs that never get to go inside, especially if they're the only dog. It must be a horribly lonely existence."
"Some dogs belong outside."
Lexi opened the passenger door and looked over the roof at Miriam. "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree."
"You're definitely a dog person," Miriam laughed as she got into the car. "How do you feel about cats?"
Lexi closed her door and pulled on her seat belt. "I'm not fond of cats. I don't know if it's that I'm mildly allergic to them or that they're so antisocial."
"Antisocial?"
"Well, that's how they are around me."
"I like cats." Miriam started up the motor and put the car in gear. "I like that they take care of themselves and aren't constantly begging for your attention. Cats appreciate space."
Lexi took a calming breath. "Do you have any cats?"
"Four. How allergic to them are you?"
"As long as I don't pet them or hug them it's not too bad, but it's like having hay fever all the time."
"Oh."
Lexi relaxed into her seat and let Miriam take care of the driving.
~***~
Mama's Pizzeria was warm and smelled divine. There looked to be about forty lesbians scattered about and Lexi smiled to see that she knew so many of them, even if only in passing. This might be fun, she thought. Janet, the birthday girl, was standing by the jukebox and Lexi made her way over with Miriam in tow.
"Happy Birthday!" She said with a hug.
"Thanks!" Janet returned the hug and looked Miriam over. "Introduce me to your date."
"This is Miriam Wilson," she stepped to the side to allow Miriam room. "Miriam, this is Janet Ellstrom."
"Happy Birthday," Miriam said as she extended her hand.
"You must be new. I've never seen you before."
Miriam shrugged. "I've only been in Edgewater for three months. Zoe invited us to your party."
Lexi slowly backed away as Janet began grilling Miriam for personal information and made her way to the table where the cake was displayed. The giant 30 painted on the cake in icing made her smile. A wicker basket sat next to it with a sign requesting donations to pay for dinner and Lexi dropped twenty-five dollars into it.
Her next stop was the counter where she bought herself a beer. She considered buying one for Miriam, but felt that she had already paid for her dinner and enough was enough. Women were playing pool and pinball and the Trapshoot screen was going, though she couldn't identify straight away who was playing.
Lexi wandered over to the pool table with her beer and was greeted by Alyson and Toni. With half her mind on the conversation she looked around, but she couldn't see Zoe. Miriam was in the middle of a small group and gave a small wave when she saw Lexi looking.
Feeling obligated, Lexi made her way back to Miriam just in time for the pizzas and they found a table to sit at.
"I'm having a great time," Miriam grinned. "Everyone seems so nice."
Lexi looked around the room before answering. "They are all nice. This is a good group."
"I don't see Zoe though. Why would she invite us if she wasn't going to come?" Miriam held up a hand. "Not that I mind."
Lexi blinked in surprise. "You don't like her?"
"It's not that I don't like her," Miriam said thoughtfully. "But she's awfully butch and I've heard some things."
Lexi felt a tickle of anger at Miriam's words and chagrin that she had once felt the same way about someone she barely knew and who had been nothing but helpful and polite to her. "What have you heard?"
"Something about a restraining order. And someone else said they heard she was stone."
"Stone?"
"Stone butch." Miriam waved her pizza as if conjuring something out of the air.
"I don't know what that means."
Miriam's voice lowered. "She does everything in bed. She doesn't allow her lovers to make love to her."
Lexi tried to put that image together with the image of Zoe. "I can't believe someone would say that about her."
"I'm just saying what I've heard," Miriam said defensively. "Maybe it's true and maybe it's not. I'm new here."
"What do people say about me?" Lexi could feel her shoulders tensing up and tried to keep it out of her voice.
Miriam looked nervous. "Jay and Freddie think you're adorable and sweet." A tentative smile came forth. "I have to agree with them."
"I know what Jay and Freddie think. What else have you heard?"
Miriam put down her pizza and used a napkin to wipe her mouth. "Are we having a fight? Because I don't think this is a good place for it."
Lexi set her chin and waited.
Miriam finally sighed and leaned forward. "I heard someone say that you were hard to get to know. Kind of stuffy. And people wonder why you threw Brenda out. One day you looked like a lifetime couple and the next she was gone. If she hadn't given notice at her job they'd be wondering if she was buried in your backyard."
Lexi closed her eyes and took three careful breaths. Opening her eyes she admitted, "Maybe I am hard to get to know. I'm very selective about my friends. But I didn't throw Brenda out. She left."
Miriam opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
"Can I have everybody's attention?" Janet's best friend, Andrea, was standing on a chair with her arms in the air and Lexi turned gratefully from Miriam to watch her. "First of all, thanks to all of you for coming. And a special thanks to Mama's Pizzeria for letting us take over the place."
Lexi joined in the loud cheers and applause, laughing when the staff took a bow in unison.
"I'd also like to thank Ricci, Mary and Barb for decorating this afternoon." More cheers and some catcalls. "A huge thanks from me personally for your generosity in helping to pay for dinner. I was going to have to make up the difference if you all didn't come through." Lexi laughed at the look of relief on Andrea's face. "If there are no objections, the money left over will be donated in Janet's name to the local food bank."
All around the room women were nodding approval as they clapped.
"I didn't pay," Miriam hissed.
"I took care of it," Lexi whispered back.
"For those of you who are drinking tonight, we have some volunteers to drive you home. Will our designated drivers please stand up?"
Three women stood to a huge round of applause.
"I thought we had 4 drivers," Andrea said.
A woman Lexi didn't know spoke up. "Zoe's one of us."
"Oh, right." Andrea had a big smile. "I guess that brings us to our surprise entertainment." Anticipation filled the room and Lexi wondered what was going to happen. Andrea pointed to the jukebox and the woman who stood guard on it turned to push buttons. "We have a special treat tonight in honor of Janet's birthday. It is my great pleasure to introduce to you…The Superlatives!"
Six drag queens swished into the room. Each one wore a sequined floor length gown, all in a different color of the rainbow. White opera gloves and a bouffant wig straight out of the Fifties finished their costumes. They were so outrageously camp and so thoroughly enjoying themselves that Lexi burst out laughing with the rest of the room. Already in step, they smoothly went into a choreographed dance when 'It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To' came out of the speakers.
Lexi slid out of the booth and began clapping along with everyone else. She recognized Andrew and Lee in orange and blue and she thought the green might be Alan. Of them all, yellow was easily the most beautiful. Lexi glanced over at Janet and saw that she was laughing so hard that tears had come to her eyes.
When the song ended the applause was deafening. Lexi hooted her appreciation along with everyone else. Andrea had a camera and began taking pictures of the group of men with Janet and anyone else who wanted a turn. Still laughing, Lexi sat down and finished off her beer.
"Do you know them?" Miriam asked.
"Some of them." Lexi named the ones she knew. "I don't recognize the other ones. The yellow one sure is pretty, don't you think?"
"You don't recognize her, do you?"
"Her?" Lexi started to disagree, but the look on Miriam's face made her turn to take a second look. At first she couldn't see it, but then she saw her in profile and knew. "Oh my God! It's Zoe!"
She let her eyes travel over the long sequined dress, noting how well it showed off Zoe's figure. Looking back up to Zoe's face she breathed, "Wow!" Zoe was looking right at her and Lexi saw her blush before she turned away. "I don't believe it."
"Couldn't you tell?" Miriam did not look amused.
"I just assumed they were all men. I didn't look any closer than that." Lexi laughed at herself. "That'll teach me to make assumptions about people."
Pride and Groom Page 4
