Pelican's Landing

by Gerri Hill

  “Pelican’s Landing?”

  “The house on the bay. Where I live,” she said. “Surely you saw the sign when you came over for dinner.”

  “Who names their house?”

  Annie smiled. “Jordan said her grandmother named it before the house was even built. The pier apparently attracted pelicans. It still does.”

  “And Loraine? Mrs. Sims?”

  “Yes. She’s offered to help. In fact, she gave me some money for new clothes,” she said.

  “Are you already running low on money? The baby’s not even born yet, Annie. What will you do when—”

  “Stop,” she said, holding up her hand. “I’m not low on money. She offered to help, is all. She’s very nice.”

  “Well, considering it was her son that got you into this mess, I would hope so.”

  “Mess? I suppose you could look at it like that.” Annie shrugged. “I’m actually getting kinda excited. I don’t see it as a mess.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Annie was thankful their lunch arrived, saving her from commenting. Really, her mother was too much for her to deal with.

  “This looks good.”

  Annie nodded and shoved a forkful into her mouth. The sour cream and cheese melted in her mouth and she moaned with pleasure. Yes, she could eat this every day.

  “Annie, will you at least consider moving back with us? Please?”

  “Why, Mom? I love where I am. It feels like home to me now.”

  “You are living with a…lesbian,” her mother spat. “Do you not care what people are going to say about you?”

  “Oh, God…are we back to that again? First of all, who is going to say anything about me? People from your church? How would they even know about Jordan?”

  “Rockport is not a big town, Annie. Of course people know. Her parents are as well known as anyone in town. You think people don’t know about their daughter?” Her mother leaned closer. “I heard that was the reason she never comes back here. Because her parents don’t want her around. They’re afraid it’ll affect their business.”

  “Gossiping, are you?”

  Her mother had the grace to blush. “I simply overheard someone talking.”

  “Right.” The enchiladas were so good. Too bad she’d lost her appetite. She put her fork down. “Listen, I don’t care what people say about me. They don’t know me. They don’t know Jordan. I’m happy there, Mom. I’m almost thirty years old. I have no business living at your house.”

  “You have no business living with that woman.”

  Annie met her gaze. “What are you afraid of, Mom?”

  “I just think it would be best for all concerned if you moved back home.”

  “You mean, best for you,” Annie said. “Look, I want you in my life, Mom. I want you there when this baby is born. I want you involved in that. But I will not put up with your constant badgering over it. Jordan is…she’s there for me, Mom. No matter what, she’s there. I trust her with my life. And her parents are going to be there for me too,” she said. “So I really, really wish you’d get over this already. Because I want you there for me too.”

  Her mother stared at her. “It’s like you’re throwing your life away. Why, when Derrick came to see you—”

  “I was wondering how long it would be before you brought Derrick’s name up.” Annie pointed her finger at her mother. “It’s none of your business, Mom. Derrick and I talked. He knows we’re not ever getting back together. I’d hoped he had passed that on to you.”

  “He’s a good man, Annie. You need—”

  “I don’t love him,” she said. “Don’t you know that by now? Why would I go back to a man I don’t love?”

  “Security, for one.”

  “I’m sorry, but my happiness means more to me than that.” She held a hand up and waved at Emily. “A to-go box, please.”

  Her mother looked at her plate. “You’re not eating?”

  “I’ve lost my appetite.”

  “And I suppose you blame that on me.”

  Annie laughed. “You’re too much.”

  “No, you’re too much,” her mother said. “You won’t even try.”

  “Try what? What are we talking about now? Try with Derrick? Try moving back with you? Try getting along with you? What?”

  Her mother reached across the table and took her hand. “Annie, where did we go wrong?”

  Annie rolled her eyes. “Really? That’s your next move?” She pulled her hand away. All of this drama because she was pregnant? She cringed, imagining what her mother’s reaction would be if she knew she and Jordan were sleeping together.

  “It’s like you don’t care, Annie. You don’t care about us.”

  “Do you hear what you’re saying? Because I’ll say it back to you. It’s like you don’t care, Mom. You don’t care about me.”

  “Nonsense.”

  Annie held her hand up. “This is getting us nowhere.” She gave a relieved sigh when Emily brought over Jordan’s lunch bag and her to-go box. “Thanks,” she said, quickly scraping her mostly uneaten meal into the container.

  “So you’re leaving?”

  “I can’t possibly take another minute of this very enjoyable lunch,” she said sarcastically. “Thank you so much. It’s always a pleasure when we have these talks.”

  “So you’re going to walk away? We haven’t solved anything.”

  Annie stood and tossed the money Jordan had given her onto the table. “I wasn’t aware there was anything to solve. I’m happy. You said so yourself. You said I looked happy, I looked radiant.” She bent down, looking her mother in the eye. “So let me be happy. Please.”

  She turned and left her mother sitting there, not realizing she was shaking until she was outside. She headed across the street to the store, wishing now that she’d not blurted out her feelings to Jordan. Because right now, she really, really needed a hug from her. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk.

  She nodded at Staci as she walked to the back and pushed the door open. She glanced toward the office, seeing Jordan sitting behind the desk. Jordan met her gaze as she entered.

  Annie put the food on the desk, then turned around and closed the door. When she turned back around, Jordan was watching her.

  “About what I said earlier,” she said. “Can we forget about that for now?”

  Jordan stood and came closer. “What did she say to you?”

  Annie felt tears in her eyes. “What didn’t she say?”

  Jordan pulled her close and Annie sank into her embrace, burying her face against Jordan’s neck.

  “It’ll be okay,” Jordan said.

  “Yes. You always make it okay, don’t you?”

  “I try.”

  Annie squeezed her eyes shut, her mother’s words fading from her mind. She was in Jordan’s arms, feeling safe and secure. Feeling…loved.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “I thought you should know I’m falling in love with you.”

  The words reverberated over and over in Jordan’s mind. She didn’t know why she was shocked that Annie had uttered them. Throughout this whole…affair of theirs, Annie had not shied away from one single part of it. In fact, she seemed even more confident than Jordan did.

  Jordan walked down the steps of the deck and out to the pier. It was wider than the old one and much sturdier. She made her way down to the end and sat on the bench. It was a hot afternoon, the sun blazing down, but the breeze on the bay brought some relief. There were no pelicans out, no gulls. Low tide and the water lapped lazily against the pylons. If not for the breeze, it would be quiet and still, something she would never associate with the constant movement of the bay.

  She stared out over the water, absently watching the shimmering ripples as the sun splashed off it. Annie was falling in love with her. She leaned her head against the post and looked skyward. At least Annie recognized it. At least it wouldn’t be a total shock to her when Jordan told her the same thing.

 
Because as each day passed, each night, she fell a little more…fell a little harder, fell a little deeper. She was falling in love and she could do nothing to stop it. She didn’t want to stop it. It felt too good. But then what?

  She was leaving in two weeks. What would happen then? Would they talk on the phone each day? Would she come back a couple of times a month? Would that be enough?

  No, she didn’t think so. Their relationship was new, it was still fragile. How could they possibly maintain it…nourish it when they would be living apart?

  “I don’t want to leave,” she whispered, the breeze carrying her words away.

  No, she didn’t want to leave Annie. Hell, she’d known that when Peter had called and whisked her back to Chicago…and she and Annie weren’t even lovers then. She shook her head. How had this happened? How could her life turn upside down so quickly? She loved her job. She loved her freedom and independence. She even loved Chicago.

  Right, she thought dryly. Concrete and steel. Brutally long, cold winters. Yeah, she couldn’t wait to get back to that.

  She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned, finding Annie walking toward her. She couldn’t stop the smile that touched her face. No matter the turmoil in her mind, Annie’s presence chased it all away.

  “You mind company?”

  “No. Come sit.”

  Annie sat down on the bench beside her and stretched her legs out. “It’s hot.”

  “Yeah, a little.” She met her gaze. “You feeling better?”

  Annie nodded. “Yeah. Thanks. Remind me to decline any future invitations from my mother.”

  “I still say we should have them over with my parents. It might help if she sees how my mother treats you.”

  Annie shrugged. “We’ll see. I might pass it by your mom.”

  “Oh?”

  Annie nodded. “She’s going with me to my doctor’s appointment tomorrow, remember.”

  “That’s right. A trip to the mall is in your future.”

  Annie leaned closer, letting their shoulders touch. “So…you ready to talk about it?”

  Jordan smiled. No, Annie didn’t shy away from anything. She met it all head-on. Jordan took her hand, letting their fingers entwine.

  “There’s nothing to talk about, Annie.” Jordan waited until Annie looked at her questioningly. “I’m falling in love with you too,” she said simply.

  Annie held her gaze, and Jordan felt as if Annie were reaching inside her very soul to touch her. Annie, very slowly, leaned closer. Their kiss was light, gentle, brief. But it was enough to convey what they both were feeling.

  “Let’s go inside,” Annie suggested. “Where it’s cool.” She paused, meeting Jordan’s eyes again. “I want to make love.”

  * * *

  Annie moved down Jordan’s body, her lips kissing every inch of her. Would she ever tire of loving her this way? She loved the unique smell and taste of Jordan, loved the quiet sounds Jordan made as she nibbled against her skin. Loved the power she had as she made love to Jordan with her mouth.

  She spread Jordan’s thighs, inhaling deeply, the musky scent of Jordan’s arousal stirring her own senses, causing her to push Jordan’s legs apart even further. She moaned with pleasure as she found Jordan’s clit with her tongue, her hands trying to hold Jordan still on the bed. It was to no avail as Jordan’s hips rocked against her face and her fingers threaded their way into her hair.

  Her mouth covered Jordan’s clit entirely, sucking it hard inside her mouth. Jordan jerked up, her fingers tightening in Annie’s hair.

  “God…Annie…so good,” Jordan breathed.

  Yes. So good. Annie lost herself in giving pleasure to Jordan. Her eyes closed as she continued to flick her tongue back and forth against Jordan’s clit. Time ceased to exist. She had no idea if mere seconds or minutes had passed when she felt Jordan’s thighs clamp around her face, her hips arching one last time before she cried out. The fingers in her hair clutched her almost painfully as Jordan climaxed. Annie felt Jordan tremble against her mouth and very nearly had her own orgasm. Then Jordan stilled, fingers slipping away, her hands resting limply on the bed. Annie finally pulled her mouth from Jordan, crawling up her body, her lips kissing damp skin, pausing at her breasts.

  No, she would never tire of this.

  “Have I told you what a quick learner you are?”

  Annie smiled as her tongue raked across Jordan’s nipple. “I believe you might have mentioned that once or twice.”

  “Come here.”

  Annie let Jordan pull her up, into her arms. She snuggled against her, her lips now nibbling aimlessly across Jordan’s neck.

  “Have I told you how much I love being with you like this?”

  She heard Jordan’s quiet laugh. “I believe you might have mentioned that once or twice.”

  Annie raised her head, kissing Jordan on the mouth. “I want to do it again,” she whispered.

  But Jordan rolled them over. “No. My turn.”

  Annie had no time to protest as Jordan moved down her body. She spread her legs willingly, gasping as Jordan’s tongue snaked through her wetness. Her eyes slipped closed, and time once again ceased to exist as Jordan made love to her.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Annie yawned, then glanced over at Loraine apologetically. “Sorry.”

  “Are you not sleeping well?”

  Annie felt herself blush, and she turned to look out the window, hoping Loraine didn’t notice. “I’m sleeping fine,” she said.

  When they took time to sleep, that is. God, what an awesome night it had been. She had been positively insatiable, her hands and mouth going to Jordan time and again. She lost count how many times they’d loved each other. Sleep was intermittent at best.

  “I slept fitfully during my pregnancy with Jordan,” Loraine said. “Completely different with Matt. If I got two hours with Jordan, I was happy. With Matt, I could sleep nine or ten hours,” she said with a laugh. “Maybe I was making up for lost sleep with Jordan.”

  Annie glanced over at her. “I normally sleep very well,” she said.

  Loraine nodded, then turned her attention back to the road. She had offered to drive and Annie had been thankful. She doubted she’d had more than three hours sleep. Jordan had already been gone when her alarm woke her. She didn’t remember setting it on her phone and thought Jordan must have done it for her. She had to force herself to get up and shower when all she wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep. By the time Loraine had shown up, she’d barely made it through her first cup of coffee.

  “Jordan mentioned that you had lunch with your mother.”

  Annie nodded. “And did she mention how it went?”

  “I’m sorry, Annie. I don’t know what your mother is thinking.”

  “For one, she’s embarrassed by my pregnancy,” she said. “I mean, that I’m not married. She’s very traditional that way.”

  “That still doesn’t excuse how she treats you.”

  “I know. I keep thinking she’ll come around. Her big thing right now is that she wants me to move back home with them.”

  Loraine nodded. “Because of Jordan.”

  Annie turned in her seat, facing Loraine. “She’s afraid people are going to start…talking about us,” she said, making quotation marks with her fingers. “People in her church.”

  “You and Jordan?”

  “Yes.”

  Loraine shook her head. “You would think that people would have more important things to worry about than that.” She glanced at her. “Or is that what your mother is really worried about? That you and Jordan are…more than friends?”

  Annie met her gaze, wondering if Loraine suspected how far their relationship had evolved. She nodded.

  “Yes. I think the fact that Jordan is gay is the root of her problem. When I first moved in with Jordan, that was her main objection.”

  Loraine smiled. “Well, as far as I know, gay isn’t contagious. You either are or you’re not.�
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  Annie nodded again, then turned her gaze out the window, afraid to look at Loraine. You either are or you’re not. Yes, it should be that simple. But was it? Annie thought back over the years, back to high school. Before that, even. She had innocent crushes on boys, just like her friends did. She was in the ninth grade when Derrick started paying her attention. They hung out after school, they went to the movies together, they went to football games on Friday nights. And they went parking and made out. It was what everyone else was doing. Her world was small, and she never wondered what it would be like with someone other than Derrick. Not until she was older and already married did she question it. Even then, she never once considered she might be gay. She just assumed she hadn’t met the right guy yet. Little did she know, she was waiting to meet the right woman.

  A hand on her arm startled her and she turned, finding Loraine watching her.

  “If you need to talk, I’m a good listener,” Loraine offered.

  Annie met her eyes, seeing a gentleness there that reminded her of Jordan. She realized that Jordan must get her compassion from her mother. Annie smiled quickly.

  “You know, don’t you?”

  Loraine squeezed her arm, then put her hand back on the steering wheel. “They say women have a radiance about them when they’re pregnant. But I say it’s because they’re in love.” She looked at Annie. “Why else would both you and Jordan be glowing?”

  “Oh, God…you do know.”

  Loraine smiled. “I suspected, yes.” She held her hand up. “And it’s absolutely none of my business. You’re both adults.”

  Annie clutched her hands together nervously. “I think maybe it is your business,” she said. “Because I’m pregnant with Matt’s baby.” She turned toward her. “I should explain. Truthfully. I should tell you exactly what happened.”

  “Annie, I’m not judging you.”

  “Thank you. But you deserve to know.” She smiled. “You did say you were a good listener,” she reminded her.

  “So I did.”

  Annie swallowed. “Jordan and I…well, we have this connection between us. Ever since the day we first met, we’ve had it. And it’s come to this. All summer, we got closer and closer and now…now we’re lovers.” She met Loraine’s gaze. “And it feels so good to say that out loud.” She tilted her head, watching her drive. “Please don’t think poorly of me…or more importantly, Jordan.”