Nods and more murmurs went around the circle. “Well, I don’t think I could do what you do,” the same woman said. “Here’s to you, because somebody’s got to do it and most of us aren’t strong enough.” She lifted her red Solo cup and the rest of the group followed suit.
Lisa felt herself blush. “Thanks,” she said, her voice quiet. It was weird, all this praise. It felt…unnecessary. Unwarranted. To Lisa, this was her job. She did her job. She liked to think she did it well, but she rarely stopped to think about how difficult it might be for some people to see and know the things she saw and knew. There were far too many instances in which mankind should be ashamed of itself.
As if reading her mind, Jamie leaned close to her, her dark eyes intense, and whispered, “They’re right. Just accept it and smile.”
Lisa did as asked.
The balmy afternoon slid into a satisfyingly cool evening while the partygoers were paying little attention, and Lisa was surprised to look out at the lake and see lights twinkling along the shore. The temperature was perfect for a fire, and more people had gathered around it as time had passed. Lisa had been sitting around the fire with Jamie and her crew, listening to them, laughing with them, for longer than she’d realized and her perfectly pleasant buzz was almost worn off—though not quite.
Excusing herself, she stood to make a trek to the ladies’ room. Plus, she wanted to see if Aunt Joyce was still around…or, more importantly, not passed out somewhere. The woman liked her wine a little too much, and as she’d said to Lisa the one time she ventured to bring up the subject, “I am an old woman and if I want to drink too much wine, I will drink too much wine, damn it. It’s nobody’s goddamn business.” Lisa had turned a deep shade of crimson, mortified that her aunt had scolded her like a child—something she’d never done when Lisa actually was a child. Learning her lesson, she hadn’t mentioned it since. Instead, she simply did her best to keep an eye on her aunt and make sure she was safe.
Surprisingly few people were inside the beach house, and Lisa found the bathroom blissfully empty. She locked herself in, sat down, dropped her head into her hands, and blew out a large breath. These gatherings took their toll on her. She enjoyed them, yes, and she’d had a great time chatting and joking with Jamie’s crew around the fire. But she also found group situations generally exhausting, and she wanted nothing more than to get back home to her animals, her puzzle, and some quiet. She felt drained.
After folding the hand towels neatly (they’d been in a damp heap on the vanity) and hanging them up, Lisa exited the bathroom and was about to head downstairs when a shadow from the hall caught her eye. The house was exceptionally large and modern compared to most on the beach and the upstairs was in a bit of a horseshoe pattern, the view from the “bend” open to the living room below. On either side, the hall wrapped around a corner. Lisa followed the shadow, expecting to find some person she didn’t know snooping around her aunt’s place. This was exactly why Lisa didn’t like the idea of letting strangers into the home of her relative.
Puffing up and ready to do battle, she rounded the corner and stopped short.
Ashley jumped, obviously startled by Lisa’s sudden appearance. She pressed a hand to her chest and her expression of shock softened into something…different. “Lisa. Hi.”
“Hey,” Lisa said, surprise stealing any other words she may have been ready to say. She apparently had no control over her own eyes as they raked over Ashley’s body, from her head down to her toes and back up again. Slowly. Ashley watched it happen, and Lisa saw her throat move with a hard swallow, saw her eyes darken.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to snoop.” Ashley seemed to have a hard time pulling her gaze from Lisa’s, but she did it and gestured to the wall of framed photographs in front of her. “I was just…looking at the pictures.” She cleared her throat and glanced down at her feet. Lowering her voice to just above a whisper, she added, “And hiding.”
“Hiding?”
Ashley nodded with a grimace.
“From?”
“Mr. Breckenridge?”
Lisa nodded, not trusting herself to speak over the onslaught of unexpected emotions that simple name conjured up inside her.
“Um…” Ashley turned toward the wall and pointed. “Is this you?” She was obviously uncomfortable and wanted to change the subject. Lisa let her—momentarily. She stepped forward to look at the picture. It was front and center in a wall collage of eight framed photographs, and showed Aunt Joyce at maybe forty holding a toddler on her lap. Neither faced the camera. Rather, they sat face-to-face and both were in the obvious throes of full-on laughter, their smiles huge, their eyes crinkled in similar fashion. This shot never failed to bring a smile to Lisa’s face.
“Yeah, that’s me. I think I was two or three?” she said uncertainly.
“And that’s your aunt? The one who owns this house?”
Lisa nodded. “My Aunt Joyce. Yes.”
“Look at how adorable you were.” Ashley smiled, her eyes seeming to take in every detail of the photo. “That big smile. And look at those chubby little thighs,” she added, pursing her lips and talking through her teeth.
Lisa laughed. “Yeah, some things never change.”
Ashley paired her scoff perfectly with a roll of her big blue eyes. “Please. Um, no.”
Their gazes held for a moment longer than was comfortable and Lisa broke away first, needing to put space between them, even the miniscule bit she settled for as she leaned her back against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Ashley let her eyes roam over the other pictures, but she seemed to find them less interesting than the one of Lisa.
“How come you’re avoiding Clark Breckenridge? Has he been given you problems?”
“Oh.” Ashley straightened a bit, spared a glance at Lisa standing a mere six inches away, then shifted her eyes back to the photos. Her cheeks flushed a sexy pink. “No. No, of course not. I mean, don’t get me wrong. He does seem to…find me wherever I go.” She gave an adorable little snort, but looked back at Lisa with a grimace. “I know he gives the shelter lots of money, so I don’t want to rock any boats or anything. You know? It’s fine.” She rubbed at her eye and it occurred to Lisa then that Ashley might be just a little bit tipsy. “He’s super nice to me and says really nice things. He’s asked me out twice now. It’s just that he’s…” Her voice trailed off and she swallowed audibly.
“Not your type?” Lisa supplied, remembering what Tammy had said.
A relieved bark of a laugh popped out of Ashley’s mouth and she quickly covered it with her hand. “Wow, that was loud.” She smiled and nodded. “But, yes. Exactly.” She shook her head, eyebrows rising toward her hairline as she said, “So not my type. Not even close.”
Lisa studied her, watched her shift her weight from foot to foot in what seemed to be nervousness, even as she pretended not to be, watched her eyes skim over the photographs, her small hand lift to a frame, trace a fingertip over an unknown face forever frozen in black and white. She had a softness about her, a general relaxed demeanor and that, combined with the embarrassment over her laughter, told Lisa that Ashley had definitely had a bit to drink. Ashley was usually pretty relaxed, but now? She was more so; she seemed more at ease than her normal self, her cheeks still flushed a pretty pink, a small grin pulling up one corner of her full mouth. Lisa liked the whole package and continued to watch her as she perused the photos. It was when she caught her bottom lip between her teeth that Lisa felt that long-dormant flutter in her stomach and she knew she was going to ask the question only a split second before it came out of her mouth, barely a whisper. “What is your type, Ashley?”
Ashley stopped what she was doing, her hand in midair, as if they were playing that old outdoor game of Statues, she’d been spun and then ordered to freeze!
A beat passed. Two. A quiet buzzing sounded and it took a moment for Lisa to realize it was Ashley’s phone, which was
tucked in her back pocket. Ashley ignored it, seemed to be taking stock, but Lisa wasn’t sure of what. She watched as something washed over Ashley’s beautiful face, her porcelain skin, saw her throat shift as she swallowed. When she finally moved her hand again, it wasn’t to let it drop back down to her side. Instead, she pulled it back from the wall, took one step sideways, putting herself directly in front of Lisa, and used that hand, those fingertips, to stroke Lisa’s cheek with a touch so featherlight, it caused goose bumps to erupt along Lisa’s bare arms. She inched closer until they were breathing the exact same air, their lips only millimeters apart. Lisa was sure Ashley could hear the pounding of her heart, but she couldn’t formulate a sentence of any kind. She could only stare at Ashley’s mouth, so close to her own. Neither of them said a thing as Ashley pushed up slightly on her toes and pressed her lips softly to Lisa’s.
Time seemed to stop and the air stilled.
How is it possible for one woman’s lips to be this soft?
Lisa couldn’t get the thought out of her head as Ashley pulled back a little bit and looked into Lisa’s eyes. Lisa wondered if hers had gone as dark as Ashley’s, if her own desire was as obvious. She didn’t wait for an answer; she grabbed Ashley’s face in her hands and kissed her again. Less gentle this time. Less tentative.
And Ashley kissed her back.
Hard.
And Lisa never wanted to stop. It was a thought that zipped absently through her mind, and it should have shocked her silly, but it didn’t. She grabbed Ashley’s shirt and held on for dear life, pulling her closer, pushing into her, letting Ashley push back. Senses blurred for Lisa until there was nothing but red-hot eroticism. Good God, this woman could kiss…
They made out like teenagers on prom night, Lisa trapped between the wall and Ashley’s warm, soft body, tongues battling, breathing ragged, the tastes of beer and each other mingling into a sensual potion Lisa couldn’t get enough of. Only when hands started to wander was she yanked cruelly back to her senses and remembered where exactly they were, remembered they were surrounded by work colleagues, any of whom could stumble upon them at any moment, which would make for a very large pile of awkward. It wasn’t easy, but she caught Ashley’s wrist as her hand closed over Lisa’s breast and she wrenched her mouth from Ashley’s. They stood for a moment, forehead to forehead, each woman trying to catch her breath. Before Lisa could say anything, Ashley took a small step back from her and planted her palm against Lisa’s sternum. While her fingertips gently stroked Lisa’s visible collarbone, Ashley looked up at her, those blue eyes light and sparkling.
One corner of Ashley’s mouth quirked up in a half-grin as she whispered, “Does that answer your question?” With a quick stroke of her thumb across Lisa’s lips, she grinned and then was gone.
Lisa stood against the wall for long moments, breathing like she’d just sprinted up the stairs, flushed as if she’d been sitting in a sauna, and more turned on than she’d been in…as long as she could remember. Slowly, she lifted her hand and touched her fingers to her own lips, still sizzling from Ashley’s. Her legs felt weak and rubbery and she didn’t trust herself to stay upright on them, even as she rolled her eyes at how ridiculous that was. Still, she didn’t move until the sound of footsteps approaching had her both excited about and dreading the possibility of Ashley returning to her.
“There you are,” Aunt Joyce said, her words only slightly slurred despite the amount of wine currently coursing through her system. Lisa was continually amazed by the fact that a woman as small and birdlike as her Aunt Joyce could put away so much alcohol and not simply fall over incapacitated. And besides that, she was perfectly coherent as she squinted her eyes at Lisa like she was reading something right off her face. “What’s going on? Why do you look like you just did something bad, but you really, really want to do it again?”
Lisa’s eyes flew open wide.
***
“Oh, my God, you have to get me out of here.” Ashley grabbed Tammy by the elbow, her eyes darting around in a panic.
“All right, all right,” Tammy said and excused herself from the conversation she was having with another volunteer. “I said we’d go whenever you were ready and…” She ran her eyes over Ashley’s form. “You’re obviously ready. Why are your cheeks so red?”
“Never mind that,” Ashley said as she grabbed her bag from the coat closet by the door and spun in a circle to make sure she had everything she’d come with. “I should not be allowed to drink. Like, ever. I do stupid things when I drink.”
Tammy gave her best look of befuddlement and parked her hands on her hips.
“I’ll tell you in the car,” Ashley said, just this side of exasperation. The image of Carly’s face suddenly ripped through her mind.
Oh, God. Carly…
It was too much to deal with right now, and she shook her head, shoved the thought away. “Please, Tammy. You have to get me out of here.”
Holding up her hands in surrender, Tammy said simply, “Okay. Let’s go.” She waited until they were in the car and had driven nearly a mile in total silence before finally saying, “All right. What the hell happened? What is going on with you? You look like you just robbed a bank and I’m your getaway driver.”
Ashley inhaled a deep breath and blew it out very slowly. She closed her eyes, covered her face with her hands, and said quietly, “I kissed her.”
Tammy did a double take. “You what? Who? You kissed who?”
Ashley swallowed audibly. “Lisa.” When she spared a glance at Tammy, it was as if her entire face had drooped south. Her jaw fell open. Her eyes widened. She laid a hand on one cheek, inadvertently pulling it downward.
“Holy shit.”
“I know.”
A beat passed. “Holy shit,” Tammy said again.
“I know.”
“How…what…how…?”
“Sam Adams, that’s how. That bastard is a terrible influence.” Ashley shook her head as she gazed out the passenger side window. “I get way too brave when I drink. I have few inhibitions when beer is involved.”
“But…did you just walk up and kiss her? I mean, give me some background here. Did you plan it? Paint me a picture.”
“No, I didn’t plan it. I don’t plan things like that.” Ashley shook her head at such an idiotic idea. “I was hiding out from Clark Breckenridge. God, I wish he’d back off. I told him I had to use the ladies’ room, and I did. So I went upstairs and took care of things. But when I was done, I just couldn’t stand the thought of dealing with him again and I had a feeling he was hovering near the bottom of the stairs just waiting for me. So…I stayed upstairs. I was wandering a little bit, just looking at the pictures on the walls, minding my own damn business. And Lisa found me.”
“Okay. Then what?”
“I asked her about one of the pictures, one of her as a toddler with her aunt. She got this sort of dreamy, soft look on her face and…God, Tammy. She was beautiful. I’ve seen glimpses of it before, when she’s not aware of it. She can be so goddamn gorgeous.”
Tammy nodded. “She can. She is. I’ve seen it, too. The woman is stunning.”
“Right? I mean, it’s not the first time I’ve noticed. It’s hard not to. But…I know where the lines are. Usually.” She groaned in frustration. “It was an innocent conversation, I swear. She asked what I was doing and I told her I was avoiding Clark because he’s not my type. And then we talked about the photograph on the wall and then she asked me what my type was.”
Tammy’s eyebrows flew up into her hairline. “She did not!”
“Swear to God. And then…” Ashley dropped her face into her hands. “And then I got all brave and stupid and I kissed her, and when we were done I asked her if that answered her question. Oh, God, I can never show my face at the shelter again, can I? I have completely lost my mind. Completely.”
“Wow,” Tammy said, a grin on her face. “You will absolutely show your face at the shelter. And no, I don’t think you’ve lost your mind
at all. I think that was damn smooth of you.” She turned to look at Ashley’s stricken expression. “Did she kiss you back?”
Ashley’s vision went a little hazy as she brought her fingers to her lips, sure she could still taste Lisa on them. With a subtle nod, she said softly, “Oh, yeah.”
Tammy’s grin widened. “Fantastic. I think you need to stop worrying and let her make the next move, because you way outdid yourself. That was, like, romantic comedy good. Nicely done, my friend. Nicely done.” A moment passed as they drove in silence before Tammy said, “Although…can I ask you something?”
Ashley sighed. “Sure.”
“What about Carly?”
Ashley flinched at the realization that she hadn’t once thought about Carly the entire time she was alone with Lisa. What did that say about her? She turned to look out the window as her eyes welled. I am a horrible person.
“You’re going to have to do something there.” Tammy’s voice was gentle. “You know that, right?”
Ashley nodded, her focus still on the passing trees.
Tammy reached over with one hand and squeezed Ashley’s knee. “Hey, come on, kiddo. It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”
Ashley just shook her head, still in disbelief, confused about what had happened…more confused about why. Remembering suddenly that her phone had buzzed, she pulled it out, knowing full well who it was. A missed call. And six texts.
All from Carly.
Ashley dropped her head down, closed her eyes, and groaned.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Dad?”
Lisa entered the kitchen of her father’s house and set down the two heavy grocery bags with a relieved grunt. A cereal bowl, coffee mug, and lone spoon sat neatly in the dish drainer. The counter was shiny and clean.
“Dad?” she called again as she opened the refrigerator and deposited the milk, eggs, and lunchmeat she’d purchased.
Rescued Heart Page 8
