The Roundabout

by Gerri Hill

  Megan gave her a fake smile. “It must be my glowing personality that keeps them around.”

  “Well, you are kinda growing on me,” Leah said truthfully.

  “That’s good to know.”

  Leah motioned between them. “This is where you’re supposed to say I’m growing on you too.”

  Megan’s smile was genuine this time. “Well, we haven’t argued yet this evening. I guess we’re making progress.” Megan leaned her elbows on the table. “So? Aunt Ruby?”

  Leah shrugged. “Not a whole lot to tell. She was my dad’s aunt…the old spinster woman in the family, as my grandmother liked to call her. But she wasn’t really a spinster,” she said.

  Megan nodded. “Closeted lesbian?”

  “Yes. So closeted, in fact, no one had a clue. She came out to me years ago though. I was still in college,” she said. “Anyway, it was a shock to me and everyone else to learn after she died that she was quite wealthy. While I knew she dabbled in real estate, I had no idea she was as proficient as she was.” Leah sipped from her wine. “And…like everyone else, I was shocked to find out I was the only beneficiary to her estate.”

  “Wow,” Megan said. “Who all did that piss off?”

  Leah laughed. “My cousins, mostly. My brothers are both younger than me and didn’t know her at all,” she said. “My parents are retired and they’re very comfortable so there was no animosity there. I did offer to share with my father since she was his aunt, but he said if she wanted him to have her money, she’d have left him some.”

  “So you took the money and ran?”

  Leah nodded. “After I was assured that the lawsuit my cousins filed was going nowhere, I quit my job.”

  “Computers, you said?”

  Leah nodded. “Software engineer. I think I learned to write code before I learned my alphabet,” she said with a smile. “My parents were both in the business,” she explained. “They moved to San Jose when the tech industry exploded there.”

  Megan nodded. “I see. And will our relationship suffer when you discover that I’m about as far from a computer whiz as they come?”

  Leah smiled. “I lived and breathed computers for most of my life. Would it shock you to know that I rarely even use one now? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have two laptops and an iPad, but I don’t do much more than Internet browsing.”

  “I can relate, I guess,” Megan said. “Since we’ve had the grill, our kitchen at home gets very little use. Occasionally, I’ll have the urge to cook breakfast, but usually not.”

  “I don’t suppose you’re home for meals anyway.”

  “No. The grill is closed Mondays and Tuesdays during January and February, so if we do cook, those are the only days.”

  “I guess I didn’t realize you and Nancy lived together,” she said.

  Megan nodded. “We have a house up above town. It’s perfect for us. We each have a master bedroom and bath and only share the kitchen and living room,” she said.

  “Nancy is older than you, obviously,” Leah said. “How much?”

  “She’s forty-seven, so eight years,” Megan said. “Closer to your age than mine.”

  “Are you trying to set us up?” Leah asked in a quiet voice.

  Megan shrugged. “I feel bad. I mean, I told you she wanted to ask you out.”

  Leah held up her hand. “I know. But…I’m not interested in that. I don’t want to hurt her feelings any more than you do, but regardless if they think you and I are dating or not, I’m not going to go out with her.”

  “I know. I only wish—”

  But she stopped when Craig came over, two waiters trailing behind him with trays loaded with food.

  “The prime rib is exceptional,” Craig said as he motioned for the waiters to serve them. He eyed the bottle of wine, then proceeded to add to their glasses. “It was to your liking, yes?”

  “For a French wine, it’s very good,” Leah said with a nod. “Thank you.”

  Craig scooped up the empty platter where the mushrooms had been and bowed slightly at the waist. “Enjoy your meal, ladies. If you have room for dessert, I have an apple pie that I’ve just pulled from the oven.”

  “Thank you, Craig. Everything looks delicious,” Megan said.

  Craig winked at her. “I’m simply pleased that you came here tonight for your special date, Megan. I hope you’ll make it a regular occurrence.”

  “I guess that depends on Leah,” Megan said with a smile.

  “Of course,” he said as he turned to her. “I look forward to seeing you again.”

  Leah gave him a subtle nod, and he bowed once again and left them in peace.

  “He’s a bit over the top,” Megan said. “I imagine the town is already buzzing with the news that we’re here.”

  “But that’s a good thing, right?”

  “As long as Mary Beth doesn’t crash the dinner, yes.”

  Leah touched her prime rib with her fork, amazed at the tenderness. “No need for a knife,” she said.

  Megan had beaten her to it and was already taking a bite. “God…this is good,” she murmured.

  Leah had to agree. In fact, everything was good, although she wasn’t crazy about the creamed spinach. Their conversation was replaced with quiet moans and the occasional meeting of glances across the table, the candlelight flickering between them in the subdued lighting. It was a romantic setting, as Megan had predicted. Music played in the background, barely loud enough to be heard. Conversations at the other tables were muted as nearly everyone seemed absorbed in their own meals.

  If she was indeed on a very first date and trying to make an impression, this would have been the spot she’d have chosen.

  “Mary Beth must have good taste if this is where she planned to bring you,” Leah said. “I’m quite impressed.”

  “Perhaps if you see her, you could thank her,” Megan said with a smirk.

  Leah took a sip of her wine, watching as Megan did the same. “She and Nancy are friends? I mean, if she got her to host your birthday party and all.”

  “I suppose they are.”

  “Yet they’ve never dated?”

  Megan shook her head. “When we first moved here, Nancy dated a little, but really, it’s limited. There’s a large gay population, but quite a few are already coupled up.”

  “So her reasons for not dating are different than yours,” she stated.

  “Nancy was a late bloomer,” Megan said with a smile. “She was married to a man for nearly ten years.”

  “Really? No kids?”

  “No. And I always suspected she was gay, but I never said anything and of course, she was always supportive of me,” Megan said. “But really, I wasn’t shocked when she told me she was leaving her husband. Our parents, however…well, it took them a little while to get used to having two lesbian daughters.”

  “No other siblings?”

  “No. But they’re fine with it now and we’re close. In fact, they come down quite often during the summer months, and twice a year they stay a week or more. They’re coming in June to stay and then they usually come in October for the fall colors,” Megan said.

  Leah grinned. “Well, I look forward to meeting them. That is, if we’re still dating in June.”

  Megan nodded. “What about you? You mentioned younger brothers.”

  “I have two. Pete and Lance.”

  Megan frowned. “Leah, Pete and Lance? Why didn’t Pete warrant an L name?”

  Leah smiled quickly. “Oh, he did. Lawrence. My dad’s name is Lawrence, although everyone calls him Larry. My brother’s name is Lawrence Peter. I think he was about eight when he refused to answer to Lawrence any longer and insisted we call him Pete.”

  “I see. And are they still in California?”

  “They are. Both in the LA area and both are dentists.”

  “Really? No wonder you have such perfect teeth.”

  Leah gave an exaggerated smile, showing off her teeth. “Thanks.”

  Chapter E
ighteen

  Megan strolled quietly beside Leah, admitting that it had been a good idea to walk to dinner. Leah’s excuse had been that they’d be seen by more people even though Megan suspected Leah thought it would be scandalous to drive three blocks instead of walk.

  “Good way to work off dinner,” Leah said, breaking the silence.

  “I’m not usually one to have dessert, but that pie was delicious.”

  Leah nudged her arm playfully. “The pie or the ice cream?”

  “Okay. Mostly the ice cream,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for dinner. When no one is watching, I’ll pay you for half.”

  “No, no. My treat,” Leah said. “You can pay next time.”

  “Great! How about Tex-Mex?”

  “Determined to get me into that place, aren’t you.”

  “Actually, I’m so full right now, I can’t even think about it,” she said. “But I suppose we do need a plan.” She turned to Leah. “Maybe breakfast one morning?”

  “You know, it doesn’t always have to involve a meal,” Leah said.

  “I know. But I’m limited on when I can get away from the grill. Mondays and Tuesdays are really the only nights that are slow. Of course, once summer hits, even those aren’t really all that slow.”

  “What about Nancy? Does she get a night off sometimes?”

  Megan shook her head. “We don’t normally take nights off. That’s one reason we close for a couple of days during January and February.”

  “All work and no play?”

  “Well, to be honest, it’s not a necessity that we both be there every night. The people working for us have been with us for years and we trust them. It’s just that neither Nancy nor I have a personal life,” she said. “Our social life revolves around the grill.”

  “Okay. So maybe I’ll have to hang out at the grill every once in a while,” Leah said. “I heard a rumor that you have live bands some nights on the outdoor patio.”

  “Yes. Summer. We start in June. And don’t worry…it’s not every night,” she said with a laugh.

  “Think it’ll keep me up?”

  “You may be thankful you put your bedroom on the opposite side of your apartment,” she said. “Although we don’t go late. Normally, nine to eleven.” She paused when they reached the bookstore, intending to bid Leah goodnight, but Leah kept walking toward the grill.

  “Should I walk you inside?”

  “Dropping me off at the front door will be sufficient,” she said.

  They stopped and turned, facing each other, both with slight smiles on their faces. Leah surprised her by taking her hand and swinging it casually between them.

  “I enjoyed the evening,” Leah said. “And hopefully word has already spread around town that we were out.”

  “Me too,” she said truthfully. “And I have no doubt that it has. In fact, I imagine Nancy will have already had a call from Mary Beth.”

  Leah nodded, then leaned closer and touched her lips lightly to Megan’s cheek, barely brushing the corner of her mouth. Megan was too shocked to protest and when Leah dropped her hand, it fell uselessly to her side as she stared at Leah, unblinking.

  “Goodnight, Megan.”

  Megan nodded weakly as she watched Leah walk away. She finally blinked several times, then shook her head to clear it. No, no, no, no. Kissing was not a part of the deal. Jesus…what was Leah thinking?

  She sighed. What was she thinking when she agreed to this? Fake dating did not mean fake kissing. And as soon as she had her wits about her, she’d let Leah know that!

  Of course, her worries over Leah and her kissing vanished as soon as she walked into the grill and was met with wolf whistles and clapping. She plastered a smile on her face as she marched into the office, finding Nancy and Eileen giggling like schoolgirls as they stared at Nancy’s phone. They both looked up guiltily as Megan glared at them.

  She held her hand out. “Give me the phone.”

  Nancy couldn’t contain her laughter. “You’re going to kill her.”

  “No doubt.”

  And there she was, at the top of the Facebook newsfeed, sprawled out in Mary Beth’s bed. To her, it was obvious that the photo was staged. She was, after all, passed out. To Mary Beth’s credit, the sheet did cover all her important parts—mostly. However, the only thing covering her left breast was a shadow.

  “It’s…it’s a great shot,” Eileen said. “Have you considered modeling?”

  Megan glared at her. “Have you considered a new job?”

  Nancy laughed. “Oh, Megan, lighten up. It’s all in fun.”

  “Fun? There is nothing fun about it.”

  Nancy waved her protest away. “So? How was the date?”

  “It was nice,” she said. “We managed to make it through dinner without arguing.”

  Nancy smiled. “And the prime rib?”

  Megan raised an eyebrow. “How do you know what we ate?”

  “Oh, come on. Craig called Susie. He couldn’t wait to get the news out.”

  Megan had to hide her smile. Great! Their plan worked to perfection. Telling Susie was as good as taking out an ad in the newspaper. She did wonder, though, if that was what prompted Mary Beth to post the latest picture.

  “I should have known Craig couldn’t wait to broadcast it,” she said, feigning disdain.

  “Mary Beth called me too,” Nancy continued.

  “Oh, great. So she knows too?”

  “She’s very hurt,” Nancy said.

  Megan held up the phone. “And I’m not?” She narrowed her eyes threateningly. “We are a litigious society. Only my sense of community is keeping me from contacting an attorney,” she said.

  “Oh, please. Is it her fault you had too much tequila and ended up in her bed?”

  Megan pointed her finger at Nancy. “No! It’s your fault I ended up in her bed!”

  “Well, I find the whole situation hilarious,” Eileen said as she headed to the door. “We haven’t had this much fun in town since the Coopers and the Byrds were having an affair with each other’s spouse. Now that was funny.”

  “Why do people always bring that up?” Megan asked. “I fail to see the humor in an affair.”

  “It happened before we got here. Maybe if we’d lived here then, we’d find it funny too.”

  Megan sighed and handed Nancy back her phone. “You and Mary Beth are friends,” she said. “Can’t you get her to stop this nonsense?”

  “Oh, I would imagine if you’re dating someone, she’ll stop,” Nancy said.

  “You think so?” she asked hopefully.

  “Of course, one dinner date is not exactly going steady,” Nancy reminded her. “Or do you have plans for another already?”

  Megan wanted to lie and say yes, they did in fact have plans for another date, but improvising wasn’t her strong suit. She and Leah did talk about a second date though, but hadn’t finalized a plan. Did that count?”

  “Well?”

  Megan nodded. “Yes…Leah mentioned getting together again,” she said as casually as she could.

  “Well, good for you,” Nancy said with forced cheerfulness. “Maybe it’ll work out this time.”

  “Like you said…it’s not like we’re going steady or anything.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Leah stared at the picture once again, and once again she had to make herself stop as she laid her iPad face down. When she’d first seen it, she had nearly spit out her coffee. She imagined Megan was livid, but damn…what a nice way to bring in the morning. It didn’t take much imagination to chase the shadow away from her left breast.

  She smiled and shook her head. Yeah, Megan would be livid. She wondered if she’d seen it already. She took one more peek at it, her gaze traveling up the exposed leg and thigh, to the smooth curve of hip, past the trim waist, following the line of the sheet as it covered one breast, leaving the other exposed…and shadowed.

  “Damn,” she murmured.

  Pounding on the outer door made her
slam the iPad down guiltily, and she hurried from her office into the main room, finding Megan peering inside, her face cupped against the glass. She unlocked the door and opened it, silently inviting Megan into the shop.

  “Have you seen it?” Megan demanded.

  Leah thought it best to lie. “Seen what?”

  Megan put her hands on her hips. “So you haven’t seen it?”

  Leah again feigned ignorance. “No. I don’t think so. What are you talking about?”

  Apparently—even though they didn’t really know each other that well—Megan could see through the deception. She arched an eyebrow, pinning Leah to the spot with just that simple gesture.

  And this time, Leah could no longer hide her smile. “Are you talking about Facebook?” she asked innocently.

  Megan slugged her in the arm. “I knew you’d seen it! Can you believe she did that?”

  “No! I’m shocked!”

  Megan glared at her. “You could at least pretend to have some sympathy for me. A real girlfriend would be very upset that my picture is out there.”

  “You’re right. Especially since I haven’t seen you naked yet,” Leah said with a smile. “And Mary Beth has.”

  “Oh…God,” Megan groaned. “I can’t believe this is happening to me.”

  “In all fairness…it’s a very nice picture.”

  Megan sighed. “I’m too angry at Mary Beth to even pretend to be mad at you.” She ran a hand through her hair. “We have a breakfast date tomorrow morning, by the way. There’s a café near Susie’s grocery store—Jay’s Nest.”

  “Jay’s Nest? Like…blue jay, the bird?”

  “Play on words. Jay Bannister owns it,” Megan explained. “But it’s the breakfast place for the locals. Mary Beth and Sarah have a standing breakfast date every Wednesday.” She paused. “You can go, right?”

  She nodded with a shrug. “Sure. Mary Beth will be there?” She smiled. “This ought to be fun.”

  “Thank you.” Megan turned to leave, then stopped. “And what was that…that kiss last night? Kissing was not a part of the plan.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call that a kiss,” Leah said.

  “Then what would you call it?”