“Rita this feels so weird—but at the same time it does have a bit of excitement to it, I have to admit” replied Helen with a grin as she thanked the waitress for her tea. “I haven't put a picture or any major details about my past just my birth date, how old I am kind of thing, just basic info. I was wondering if you could come by on Sunday for lunch, and help me to spruce it up a bit that is if you are not too done-in from your big date Saturday night.” “I would love to come over on Sunday and tell you all about my hot date—and get your profile spruced up, so you too can find yourself a hot fella. I am going over to Sara's boutique shop after lunch to get myself a sexy outfit for Saturday night, a new dress, some sexy lingerie, and maybe a new pair of shoes too” replied Rita as she took a sip of her coffee.
“God Rita the last thing you need is a new pair of shoes, you have a whole closet full of them, in every color and shade known to humans!” “I know I do Helen, but you know I love to shop, especially for a new outfit for a date—I am feeling like a young school girl—I am so pumped up about Saturday.” “Where are you meeting your date—what was his name again?” “His name is Stan Barton, and I am meeting him at Claiborne’s Steakhouse in Rutland at seven. I have booked a hotel room at the Stanton Hotel for Saturday, because I plan on having some late night fun—so I won't be driving back that night” Rita replied with a catlike grin towards Helen.
“Did Val seem okay to you the other day—she seemed a little on the quiet side I thought—is everything alright with her and Brian?” replied Helen quietly over the table to Rita. The waitress placed their lunches on the table, the women thanked her, and she went on her way. “Well Helen now that you mention it she was not her usually happy and yappy self” replied Rita as she took a bite of her Turkey sandwich. But, keep in mind Helen that Val is not one to talk about her troubles. It is like pulling teeth trying to find out what is going on with Val. I just hope that Brian is not out screwing around on her again—she should have left that useless man a long time ago. I would have kicked his sorry butt to the curb” replied Rita with a look of disgust on her face, as she took a sip of her coffee.
“Val forgave him and he promised to smarten up, but I just wonder if maybe he is back to his old tricks” I hope not for Val's sake. It would break her heart, she is such a sensitive soul. I'll give her a call and see if she wants to come over too, on Sunday for lunch. I'll invite Lily as well and make it a girl's luncheon” Helen replied just before taking a mouthful of her omelette. “It looks like Lily was the smartest of the bunch of us—not getting married or having kids. Her life has been built around running her bed and breakfast, she seems happy enough” replied Rita as she took a bite of a pickle. “But not all of us are meant to be living a life of solitude” replied Helen. “Lily always has people around her at the bed and breakfast, she enjoys her moments that she can spend alone. But I know I want to find a lover, friend, companion all wrapped into one hot sexy body!” Rita laughed.
Helen headed back to her flower shop after lunch with Rita, finding herself wondering if she could indeed find that special companion—maybe her soulmate is waiting to meet her on Golden Date. Miracles do happen, so she figured the only way to find out if there is someone out there waiting for her is to get off the sideline and into the game—beginning with setting up her profile on Sunday. There was this little bit of warm excitement in the pit of her stomach as she began to look forward to trying her luck on Golden Date—after-all it found someone for Rita—she certainly seems to have an extra spring in her step! This was not Rita's first date, but she had dated numerous men since she joined the site three years earlier. She was enjoying meeting new and different men. Rita was just looking to have some fun and excitement in her life. She was happy that the site had opened a whole new social scene for her. Helen wondered if she would fare as well with the dating site as Rita has.
“Hi Miss Patton, how are things going today? So, you have four deliveries for me to do today?” asked Kyle, who was Helen's delivery man for her flower shop. He was a long-haired, happy go lucky seventeen year old that was working doing deliveries for Helen part-time after school, usually. But now Kyle was off school for the summer break, so he was available to come into the shop earlier to pick up the deliveries. “I can't complain, my day so far is going pretty good. Here are the addresses for the four deliveries, and I have them all ready to go in the back storage room.” Kyle picked up the note with the addresses, and headed into the back. “Is Forest going to be coming home to help you with the flower shop this summer?” he replied as he strolled into the back storage room.
“She is going camping with a group of girlfriends at a beach in California for a week, then she is going to stay with her dad and Dana. They are taking her to Hawaii for a week, she can't wait to go there. She has booked her flight home for August 2nd. It will be so nice to have Forest home again” replied Helen. “Wow—lucky Forest, I would love to go to Hawaii and check out surfing—but no worries Miss Patton she will be back before you know it. I had better get these deliveries out—bye Miss Patton” shouted Kyle as he stepped out the backdoor of the shop to load up his blue, rust-coated, Jeep Cherokee, with the deliveries. Helen began to think of how nice it would be to see her daughter again in person, and be able to hold her and make her favorite meals for her, and just enjoy their time together. Forest loves going to stay in Manhattan, she finds the big city so exciting and exhilarating, on a much faster pace compared to here, in Woodstock, Vermont. This year she was going to have to wait a little longer before she will have Forest back home with her. Helen was glad that Forest got along well with Dana, Helen too did for that matter—she had no ill feelings where John and Dana were concerned. Strange as it may sound they all got along quite well.
John and Dana live in Manhattan, New York, not far from central park. John still works as a copywriter and Dana as a yoga instructor. They have shared custody of Dana's ten year old daughter Verity. Most school holidays Verity would spend with her father Nick, who lives in New Hampshire with his second wife Anne, and their six year old twin boys, Brandon, and Mark.
Helen watched Kyle's truck drive off down the back alley, as she shut the backdoor, the front doorbell rang alerting her that someone had entered the shop. She shouted out letting them know she would be right with them, as she finished locking up the backdoor. She walked into the front of the shop to find Toni, she owned and operated, the “Green Living Health Food Store” over on Church St. It was where Helen bought her herbal teas as well as other natural health related products. They saw each other at least once a week, as Toni would come in and purchase some daisies and sunflowers, to display in her shop.
But today she was not here for daisies for her shop, but she was picking up some flowers that she was getting for her blind date that a friend had set her up on. Toni asked Helen what her favorite flowers were, what would she choose out of the flowers in the shop? Helen said she would go for an assortment of the lilacs, in white, purple, and pink—she was crazy for the smell of them! So Toni in turn said “well can you give me a dozen of those please?” After some more pleasantries, Toni headed out the door with the bouquet of lilacs for her mysterious friend that she didn't give Helen any details about. Helen was not a nosy type and would not think of prying into someone else's affairs. But she knew that Toni was a single lesbian woman, she too was in her golden years—she wondered if Toni was a member of Golden Date too, Helen grinned at the thought.
Chapter 2. Lilacs on the Porch
Walking home from her flower shop, as Helen approached her house, a light summer rain started to come down, cooling her warm skin. Turning into her drive she saw sitting across a chair on her front porch a big bouquet of beautiful mixed lilacs—with a look of surprise and confusion she walked up onto her porch, leaning over and picking the flowers up. Underneath the bouquet was a small card that read: Date cancelled didn't want to waste the flowers, had an inside tip these are your favorite pick of the bunch—enjoy! Signed Toni:) Helen walked into h
er house, pulling out a big blue glass vase to hold the lilacs, she breathed-in the intoxicating scent that they gave off—enjoying this bit of aromatherapy, she placed the big vase in the middle of the island in her kitchen. Helen thought back trying to remember the last time anyone had given her flowers—when you own a flower shop flowers are the last things people think you would want—but actually if the truth be told she always loved getting flowers. She always thought Toni had the most amazing green eyes, Helen was very much an eye person—if a person had nice eyes Helen was drawn to them—after all they are the windows to the soul! Helen decided she would take a pop around to Toni's Health food store tomorrow at lunch and invite her over for her girl’s luncheon on Sunday, as a thank you for the flowers.
As Helen sat at her kitchen island eating her tuna casserole, and sipping on her glass of white wine she stared at the lilacs that triggered memories from her. Back to the time when she was a student at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, California—where she met Erin Varner, a fellow student. Helen had developed a very close relationship with Erin ... indeed. They had shared a small apartment together on the top story of a house in San Francisco, located a ten-minute bike ride from the College. Erin and Helen were much more than just roommates—they were secret lovers. Helen begins to drift further back in her memories, these memories she had not shared with anyone in her present life—except for her dear friend Lily, that was a lesbian, but was not one to shout it from the roof tops. About three years ago Helen had gone to Lily's bed and breakfast—the Early Bird Inn-to have dinner with Lily. They ended up having such a good night filled with lots of wine and laughter, Helen found herself revealing her past life to Lily, almost like a confession of sorts.
They exchanged stories, crying and laughing together that night. Helen had gotten pretty tipsy, she had not gotten that drunk in many years. She begged Lily to keep her confession of her true past life between the two of them. Lily assured Helen that her secret was safe with her, just before Helen passed out on Lily's couch. Where upon Lily tucked her in with a warm blanket, before she herself made her own way to bed with a wobbly step. The two of them never discussed what Helen had revealed to Lily that night again. Helen felt it was another time and another life that she wanted to keep in the past. If the truth be told she knew deep down in her heart that she had never felt love and passion like she had with Erin when they were together. They kept their relationship secret, being two women, they did not want to draw attention from unwanted sources. They were two young women out exploring the world beyond the home front, both spreading their wings and learning how to fly solo in the big world beyond the comforts of home. Their friendship had blossomed and they became lovers. Helen and Erin both had hopes of becoming artists that would make their mark in the world of art. With fanciful dreams of owning an art studio together some day, teaching art classes, selling their art, and living happily ever after together. But this was not meant to be, Erin moved back to Toronto, Canada, where she was from, once school had ended.
And the long distance relationship was not in the cards for them—they chose different paths down the road of life. Helen cherished the precious memories that she had of making love with Erin, wrapped up together in sheer bliss, feelings of harmony oozing from their limbs, it felt so right... at the time. It seemed like another lifetime ago, when she last heard Erin's bubbly laugh resonating through their apartment. It used to fill their home with a light warm feeling filling up all the rooms, making it a cozy home filled with love and joy. Hearing that laugh always filled Helen with comfort and a sense of bliss, she felt she was where she was meant to be—with Erin—nothing in her life ever felt that right again—until the birth of her daughter, Forest.
Helen began to try to convince herself that what she had with Erin, was nothing more than a young woman sexually experimenting, it was nothing more—or was it? Helen knew deep within her sole that she had buried her sexual feeling towards women a long time ago, trying to deny that they existed, tuning them out. She had chosen to live the life of a straight woman, getting married, have a child, and now here she sits alone with her thoughts and her lilacs. Suddenly the phone begins to ring—drawing Helen out of her walk down memory lane and back into the present.
“Hi Lily” replied Helen as she answered her phone. “I hope I am not calling at a bad time, Helen” replied Lily. “No you are not bothering me, I was just sitting here sipping on a glass of wine, finishing off my leftover tuna casserole, nothing exciting” Helen replied. “I got your message for the girl’s luncheon on Sunday, I am just calling to say I am in, and I was going to make my Caesar salad with the homemade dressing you like—what do you think?” asked Lily. “You know Lily I can't turn down your Caesar salad, that is something I will look forward to munching on.” “Okay now that I have bribed you with my salad offering, I was wondering if I could bring along a woman that is staying here, she is a photographer taking pictures of the area, for the travel magazine—Small Towns of America—have you heard of it? “Yes I have heard of the magazine and yes you are more than welcome to bring your photographer, as your date” replied Helen with a grin. “Thanks Helen, I think you will like her—Molly Garth, she is so sweet, we really connect with each other. We actually started chatting on guess where—Golden Dates—believe it or not. I would like to introduce her to my best buddies, you know—introduce her to a couple of my favorite women—that live in the small towns of America. Well it sounds like the sooner I get myself up and running on that Golden Dates the better.
They both shared a little laugh. “Have you spoken to Val yet?” “No I haven't, but thanks for reminding me. I will give her a call tonight. I am happy to hear that you have found a companion Lily, I look forward to meeting Miss Molly on Sunday. I am also going to invite Toni—the woman that owns Green Living Health Food store. She came into the shop today and bought a bouquet of lilacs for her date, but that apparently got cancelled. When I got home I found the bouquet on a chair on my front porch—she didn't want them to go to waste, so she left them for me. So, I am going to go over to her shop tomorrow and invite her over on Sunday as a thank you for the flowers” replied Helen. “Well it sounds like I am not the only one that is going to have a date on Sunday” replied Lily with a chuckle. “Ha-ha you are too funny” remarked Helen. “All right I am going to let you go now, I have to go and make sure my cook (Ted) isn't burning the dinner for the guests, I will see you on Sunday, bye for now.” Helen exchanged good-byes with Lily and hung up her phone.
Chapter 3. The Girl's Luncheon
“So Molly how long have you been working as a photographer for the magazine?” asked Rita as she took a sip of her glass of red wine. “My business partner and I have been publishing the magazine for five years now, James Deckler, is his name, he is a journalist by trade, we run out of Barre city, Vermont” replied Molly with a smile across the large patio table towards Rita. “You are the owner of the magazine and paper? I am sorry Molly I didn't know” replied Rita with a smile. “Yes, my business partner and I have been good friends for many years, James and I when we were both young, worked at the Chicago Tribune together. I remained at the Chicago Tribune, as a photographer, while James moved out to Barre years ago with his new bride at the time. Barre is the hometown of Ruth, Jame's wife. They met in Chicago when he was doing a piece on the Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, where Ruth worked as a tour guide part-time while she was attending college. He found more than his story at the museum that day. So looking for a partner to start the magazine and paper with, he contacted me with his proposal, and the next thing I knew I was leaving Chicago and heading to a new city, Barre, Vermont, to begin a new life.
I first went there for a weekend visit, staying with James and his family while he gave me the tour of the building he was interested in buying with a partner to start the travel magazine—Small American towns, and a small local paper—The Barre City Herald. I fell in love with the state of Vermont, on that visit, especially Barre
city. So, I went back to Chicago and called James a day later to say I was in. And well that's how I ended up in this neck of the woods” replied Molly as she smiled around the table at all the faces looking her way. “I for one am certainly glad that you took James up on his offer—I say cheers to that business deal” replied Lily as she rose her glass in a toast, clanging glasses began chiming around the table. “Molly with a slight blush on her cheeks thanked the other women for making her feel welcome at this wonderful girl's luncheon.
Lily announced that Molly had invited her to join her at a cottage “Wapanachee cottage” on Lake Morey for a week this summer. She talked about the lovely pics of it that Molly showed her on her laptop. The setting was lovely and the cottage was huge, with four bedrooms, there was also a little guest cottage, and even a hot tub on the back deck facing onto the lake! Lily explained how Molly got such a good deal on it through a friend in Barre, who is a real estate agent—they had made a trade. In return for getting the cottage for a week, Molly is doing a photo shoot of real estate properties in and around Barre, for her friend, including the Wapanachee cottage, as Eve is going to be selling it as well. Lily was looking forward to getting a break from the Inn and having a change of scenery and spending some quality time with Molly. I think it would be a fun idea to do a girl's weekend at Lake Morey, there is certainly plenty of room for everyone. I will send the details of where and when and directions to Lily once I get it all set up. My friend Eve said it will probably be in late August when we will get use of the cottage. I would love for all of you to come and spend the weekend with us. Just bring yourselves—that includes you too Toni—take a couple of days away from your shop” replied Molly smiling over at Toni. “Thanks so much for the invite, I really appreciate it” answered Toni softly as she took a sip of her Corona. It turned out that Molly and Toni were friends, when Toni used to work at “Gavin's Health Food Store” in Barre city, before she moved to Woodstock and opened her own store. They both spent a good amount of time laughing and sharing stories of their past—enjoying reminiscing with one another.
Passion For the Bear (Series 1, 2, 3 Compilation): White Spirit Bear Romance: Shifter, Erotic Romance, Suspense, Paranormal, New Adult Romance (Shifters Book 5) Page 204
