by Jet MacLeod
“Sorry, I should have told you about the appointment the night before. Maybe then, you wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to make a perfect day. Grace, listen, I want that perfect day with you. It is just something that I have to schedule. I know that you do, too. You always have so much that you want to do on your days off, but I own my company. I can’t just take off and blow off appointments whenever I want to. If I did, then I wouldn’t have a business,” Reagan said.
“Yes, I know. I was upset and I let it rule my weekend. I am sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was nothing. I just don’t want you to be mad at me. I understand that you may have to leave whenever for wherever, so you have to understand that I appointments and other obligations to attend. So, do you want to have a perfect day, soon?”
“Yes, that would be lovely,” Grace said.
Reagan stood. She pulled Gracie out of the chair. She pulled Gracie into her. Reagan stared up into the cerulean gaze. Grace smiled down at Reagan.
She was happy that Reagan had come back to her. She was going crazy without her. There was just something about Reagan that made Grace tear down the walls that she spent so long building. There was just something about Reagan that made Grace want to be with Reagan all the time. There was just something about Reagan. There was nothing else that could be said. She didn’t know what she would do if she didn’t have Reagan. She didn’t want to think about it.
“What is it?” Reagan asked her.
“I love you. Don’t leave me. Stay with me, tonight. Or, I’ll stay with you. I own you that much. Please, let me stay with you,” Grace begged.
“I am not going to pass that up for anything. Are you crazy? I love the way that you keep me warm at night. I love the way you hold me. I am not going to give that up.”
“Good, because I might have found a way to keep you here with me if you’d refused. Have you eaten yet? I could make something for dinner?” Grace asked.
“No, I haven’t eaten. That would be lovely. You haven’t cooked dinner for me before. This ought to be interesting. Come on, darling, let’s go inside,” Reagan suggested.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Grace said, arching her eyebrow teasingly.
“Oh, Grace,” Reagan said, teasingly, “Take me away.”
Grace woke in her own bed and Reagan was next to her. She couldn’t have been happier. She loved the way Reagan felt against her. She knew that Reagan cared for her and she cared for Reagan a lot. But, she couldn’t help the fact that her libido was on overdrive when it came to Reagan, especially when they were so close, in bed, together, at night. It was everything that Grace could do, not to take her. She wanted Reagan so bad, but she made a promise to herself and to Reagan that Reagan was running the show. She gave Reagan the power to control their relationship. Now, she was beginning to wonder if that had been such a good idea.
She sat up in bed and just wanted Reagan sleep. She was so beautiful with her blond hair sprawled across Grace’s pillow. Grace couldn’t resist the urge to run her long fingertip across the soft lips that she wanted more that anything at the moment. Reagan stirred. Grace jerked her hand away like a child caught in the cookie jar. Reagan didn’t awaken; she just snuggled closer to Grace. Grace smiled.
She thought about the grin that covered her face. She smiled more now that she was with Reagan, in a sense, then she thought that she even had in her life. She kind of like it. Grace was starting to believe that Reagan was her other half. She thought that Reagan was her soul mate, she was the one that Grace had been searching for so long, and that Grace almost let it pass her by because of pride. She smiled at the realization that Reagan made her see that they had a possibility together. And, now, Grace couldn’t think of a future without Reagan. Grace shook her head. A year ago, that thought would have sent Grace packing, but now, it was all she wanted with Reagan, but she wasn’t going to push anything.
She lay back down next to Reagan pulling Reagan up to rest on her shoulder. She smiled into Reagan’s hair, knowing that the most beautiful green eyes that were hidden behind closed lids weren’t going to open for at least two more hours unless Grace had anything to do with it. She knew that she wouldn’t wake Reagan. Grace didn’t know what kept Reagan awake at night or what caused her nightmares, but she knew that she helped Reagan sleep. She wasn’t about to stop doing that. If she could help Reagan sleep, then she would be happy to do it, holding her in her own bed, with Reagan curled up next to her. Grace snuggled in and went back to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Reagan awoke and rolled over to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. She didn’t recognize it. She looked around the room. She didn’t recognize it. She sat up in bed, but she couldn’t remember how she got there. She couldn’t remember where she was. She touched her head looking for bumps. She found one. She was starting to freak out.
Grace came into her bedroom from the master suite’s bathroom. She saw that look on Reagan’s face. She knew that Reagan was scared, but she could understand why she was. She looked at Reagan and watched the fear subside.
“This is your room?” Reagan asked.
“Yes.”
“Why aren’t we in the guest room?”
“I thought that you deserved more than the guest room,” Grace answered.
Reagan smiled. Her eyes lit up in love. Grace smiled, softly.
“Thank you,” Reagan stated.
Grace crossed the room to the bed. She sat down next to Reagan. She pulled Reagan to her. Reagan eagerly went into her arms.
“Thank you. That means so much to me, Grace. You have no idea,” Reagan told her.
“I just want you to know that you aren’t a guest anymore. You can stay in my bedroom, with me, if you’d like, whenever you’d like. I will never turn you anyway.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you sleep well?” Grace asked.
“Yes, like a rock.”
“Well, if a rock could snore, you would have them beat.”
“What are you trying to say?” Reagan asked.
“Honey, you’ve got chainsaws beat.”
“I do not. I don’t snore. I don’t.”
“Right, you don’t snore, not at all. And, that is why it sounded like a lumberjack was taking down the redwoods in California in my bed room last night?” Grace teased.
“Stop it, Gracie Lynn, before I have to tickle you.”
“You wouldn’t dare?”
“Try me!”
“I don’t think that you would like it very much if you tried,” Grace suggested.
Reagan was never one to back down from a dare, and she wasn’t going to back down from Grace, no matter how much Grace had on her. She turned swiftly and had Grace on her back. She started to tickle Grace. Grace began to laugh and let Reagan play for a while. She was going to see how long Reagan thought that she could get away with it, until the tickling didn’t stop and Grace started to get annoyed. It took about two minutes.
Grace flipped Reagan onto her back. She loomed over Reagan with a purely carnal grin. Grace had every intention of punishing Reagan, with her mouth and hands. She was going to punish the smaller woman with pleasure. Well she did, until she saw the look on panic in Reagan’s eyes. The woman looked petrified. Grace immediately sat back on her haunches, knees around Reagan’s hips, with all her weight on her own legs.
“I told you that you didn’t want to do that,” Grace said.
It wasn’t an apology. It was a statement of fact. Reagan knew that Grace was not going to hurt her, but she was surprised at the quickness that Grace possessed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It had been two days since Reagan tickled Grace. It had been two days since Grace saw the look of a frightened child in Reagan’s eyes. It had been two days since they’d talked. They were both missing the other desperately but their pride wouldn’t let them break down and call.
Reagan remembered what her Grandmother told her. She knew that it would be
their pride now that kept them apart if they let it. Reagan could admit that she was falling in love with Grace but she wasn’t sure how Gracie felt about her. Reagan was prepared to go out on a limb for Gracie but she didn’t want to lose her heart. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if Gracie hurt her. Reagan did the only thing that she could. She decided that she would bide her time and wait for something that would make her call Gracie, something that would make her breakdown.
Grace did what she did best. She brooded. She couldn’t believe the stunt that she’d pulled when Reagan had been tickling her. She hadn’t meant to frighten her to that degree and she kept telling herself that she had warned Reagan not to do it. It didn’t help Gracie’s thoughts when she saw the pain and fear in Reagan’s eyes after Gracie had pinned her to the bed. Grace shook her head trying to dispel the thoughts from her mind.
She didn’t want to hurt Reagan but she was afraid that she had. She didn’t know what to do to make it up to Reagan. She wanted to go talk to Alex at the store but she knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. Gracie didn’t want to disturb Alex at work. It was wrong, but she knew that she would do it, eventually. She couldn’t help it.
When Gracie needed to talk to someone, it always was Alex Roman. Alex was the only one that knew Grace and understood the burden that money could be. Grace decided that she needed to get together with Alex, but she wasn’t sure where they could meet. Grace knew that RL’s Closet was out of the question, but she couldn’t think of anywhere else that she could meet Alex. She decided that she would leave it up to Alex to come up with the place to meet.
Grace dialed Alex’s number in her cell phone. Part of Gracie was relieved that Alex didn’t pick up. She left Alex a voicemail to call her back and that she wanted to talk. Gracie could only hope that it didn’t sound so…helpless, desperate, and needy, but now, she didn’t care.
Grace knew that she had to grow up and see what was in front of her. It was just that her pride wouldn’t allow her to give in to her personal wants and desires. It didn’t matter how much she wanted Reagan, her pride wouldn’t let her back down. She didn’t want Reagan to beg or come crawling to her, but she wasn’t going to apologize either.
Grace stared out the window and looked at the lake. All she would have to do is cross their yards and talk to Reagan. She could tell her what she was feeling, but that would make Grace look soft. And, soft was something that Grace refused to be.
Reagan looked out over the water and wondered what Gracie was doing. She wanted to go see her but Reagan couldn’t make herself cross the distance. She knew that Grace meant nothing by pinning her. She was frightened, but she wasn’t scared of Grace. She knew that Grace would never do anything to hurt her on purpose. Reagan knew that she needed to talk with Grace but she wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. She needed to talk to Grace about a lot of different things.
Reagan decided to call her friend, Ashlynn and talk. Reagan knew that Ashlynn lived across that lake and wouldn’t have any problem to cross it and pick up Reagan up to go back to her house to talk. Ashlynn was a good friend. But, Reagan was worried about her. Ashlynn hadn’t returned her calls. She didn’t seem to be at home and when Reagan called her work, they said that they hadn’t heard from her or seen her in four days. Reagan decided that she did need to get Grace. She wanted to get Grace to check up on Ashlynn. She needed to make sure that Ashlynn was okay.
Reagan drove from her house to Grace’s. She didn’t want to walk. She knew that if she’d walked to Gracie’s, she would have never made it. She would have managed to talk herself out of it. She didn’t want to need Grace but she did. She needed her in ways that scared her, but right now, she needed Gracie for Ashlynn’s sake.
Reagan stood on Gracie’s front stoop for a few minutes pondering what she was going to say. She stood there transfixed by her own fear, the fear that she would push Grace away. She mustered up everything that she had in her and rang the doorbell.
Grace crossed the foyer and opened the front door. She was happily surprised to find Reagan standing there. She smiled, but then frowned when she saw the look on Reagan’s face.
“Why am I beginning to think that this isn’t a social call?”
“Well, hi, to you, too,” Reagan stated.
“Hello, Reagan, what can I do for you?” Grace asked.
“I need a favor,” Reagan said.
“Like I said, this isn’t social call.”
“Listen, I don’t know what else to do,” Reagan said, the obviousness of her fear in her voice. The sound made Grace grab her by the hand and pull her into the house. It was the sadness in Reagan’s voice. It wasn’t lost on Grace like it might have been on anyone else.
“What is it? What happened? Are you hurt?” Grace stammered, sitting her on the couch.
“No, I am fine. Nothing happened to me, that I know of, but that isn’t the point. I need your help,” Reagan said.
“What is it?”
“My friend Ashlynn, she lives across the lake. No one had seen her or heard from her in days. Her voicemail is full on her cell and at the house. I just think something is wrong. It isn’t like her to disappear like this,” Reagan stated.
“You want to go take a look at the house?”
“Please,” it was a plea and they both knew it.
“Fine, I’ll go look at the house. Is that it? Is that what had you all worked up?”
“Mostly.”
“And, the rest of it? What is it? Do you want to tell me?” Grace asked.
“Not really,” Reagan said.
“Okay. That’s fine. Let me get my shirt and we’ll go check out Ashlynn’s house, okay?”
“Thank you,” Reagan said.
Reagan watched Grace walk out of the room. Reagan waited until she thought that Grace was out of earshot before she actually answered Grace’s questions. She wasn’t prepared to tell Grace to her face that the other thing bothering her was Grace herself.
“What’d you say?” Grace asked.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“Okay, you ready?” Gracie asked, holding out her hand for Reagan to take.
Reagan stared at the hand. It was the most romantic thing that Grace had done. She was offering herself subtly to Reagan and Reagan knew it. Reagan hesitantly held out her hand and took Grace’s. They both smiled at each other. Whatever had happened between them was the past and now this was the future. They would face it together. Their pride be damned they had apologized to each other in the gesture without words.
Grace walked her to the truck and helped her inside. She smiled as Reagan pushed open the driver’s side door for her. Grace climbed up into the cabin and started the truck. They looked at each other and smiled. Reagan held out her hand and Grace took it. She pulled Reagan across the bench seat and sat Reagan in the middle, right next to her.
“I’m sorry,” Grace and Reagan said in unison.
Reagan’s eyes began to tear up. She knew what it meant for Grace to tell her that she was sorry. She looked up into Grace’s face and saw a swirl of emotion. She was unsure of what Grace was feeling. She couldn’t see what Grace was thinking in her cerulean eyes.
She didn’t need to. Grace let her know. Grace bent down and kissed Reagan.
They pulled into Ashlynn’s drive. Her car was there but there didn’t seem to be any life in the house. It was dark for eight o’clock at night. The sun had been down for an hour and there was nothing going on inside that Grace could see.
“Do me a favor, Reagan, and stay in the truck,” Grace said.
She got out with little fanfare. She walked up the front walk to the front door. Something just didn’t feel right. She drew her weapon and pulled out her mini-MagLite. She knocked on the door and it opened slightly. She pushed it open further and listened. She couldn’t hear anything and her cop instincts took over.
“Hello, Sheriff’s department, Ashlynn, you okay?” Gracie called out in the eerily silently house.
She got no answer. She s
lowly walked into the house through the front door. She surveyed the walls, floor and everything. Nothing seemed to scream out at her. But, everything in her being told Gracie that something was desperately wrong.
She continued to search the house. She’d only been inside for a few minutes when she felt another presence in the house. She turned around, pointing her Glock and flashing right into the face of Reagan.
“I thought I told you to stay in the truck?”
“You did.”
“You know I could have just shot you?”
“You didn’t.”
“That isn’t the point, Reagan. I told you to stay there for you own safety. Please go back. I’ll be out in a minute,” Grace commanded. She didn’t want Reagan to see something she shouldn’t. She wanted to protect Reagan from everything that she could.
“Fine, but this is her bedroom,” Reagan said opening the door to her right.
Grace rushed to push Reagan out of the way. Grace had seen the body before Reagan had a chance to look inside the room. Grace didn’t want her to see it.
“What? What’d you do that for? Something is in there isn’t it?” Reagan asked.
“Yes,” Grace answered.
“It’s Ashlynn. She’s dead, isn’t she? That is what you don’t want me to see.”
“Yes,” Grace answered.
“Are you sure?” Reagan asked, in a whisper, scared to hear the answer.
“Yes,” Grace answered.
“Take me home. Take me home, Grace. Get me out of here,” Reagan begged.
Grace didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Reagan and ran out of the house. She carried Reagan back to the truck and put her inside. She ran around the front of the vehicle and got in. She grabbed her phone, which had been sitting in the cup holder and dialed Danica immediately.
“Cap…yeah, we got another one…Found her…Noble Pointe subdivision on the Lake…5104…Noble Pointe Circle…Female…Caucasian…DOA…yeah, I know…I’ll see what I can do…hold on, I’ll ask,” Grace said into the phone.
