The Butterfly Whisperer

by Lisa Moreau

  “Don’t you dare!” Sophie darted toward Jordan and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “I can’t believe you were going to kill him.” Sophie ran out the room and returned with a cup, then bent down and scooped the thing up. “Spiders are ancient symbols of power and growth. They remind us to be mindful of the choices we make in life.”

  “I’m sorry. I figured everyone thought spiders were icky.” Jordan’s shoulders slumped, embarrassment etched on her face.

  “It’s okay. I get a little passionate about these things. How about we set this little guy free?”

  Jordan followed Sophie to the front door and watched as she put the cup on the ground and allowed the bug to escape when he was ready.

  “Well, I guess we just have one more room, and that’s the kitchen,” Sophie said.

  It was a happy place, painted in bright yellow and with a large bay window that provided lots of light. Jordan immediately zeroed in on Sophie’s favorite item as she approached the dining table.

  “This wood is gorgeous. What is it?” Jordan swept her hand across the smooth, shiny surface.

  “Brazilian cherrywood,” Sophie said proudly. “I found the table and chairs in an antique store and fell in love with it. It’s far bigger than I need, but I couldn’t pass it up. Don’t you love the texture and the intricate patterns of the darker colors mixed with crimson?”

  Jordan stared at Sophie’s hand as she traced a spiral pattern with her fingertip. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Do you want something to drink?” Sophie asked.

  “Sure. Is coffee too much trouble?”

  “Well, I don’t actually have a coffeepot, but I do have something up here.” Sophie stretched to reach the top shelf.

  “Here, let me help. I’m taller than you.”

  Jordan stood close behind and reached into the cabinet. Sophie inhaled sharply, heat rising to her cheeks, when Jordan’s breasts brushed against her back. Yes, she needed to get laid…and soon. Jordan grabbed the box and stared at it with a frown.

  “I’m sorry it’s instant, but it’s all I have. This Frenchwoman on the commercials makes it look better than it really is. I can make some tea instead.”

  Jordan sneered and put the box on the counter. “Actually, that would be great. Can I help?”

  “Thanks, but I’ve got it. Why don’t you have a seat?” As far away from me as possible, please.

  As Sophie busied herself brewing tea, she felt Jordan’s eyes follow her every move. Feeling self-conscious about being watched, she spilled water and fumbled with the tea bags, dropping several on the floor. Luckily, Jordan didn’t comment on what a klutz she was being, which would have embarrassed her even more. Sophie placed two cups on the table and sat across from Jordan. They both blew into the steaming liquid as an uncomfortable silence settled between them.

  Finally, Sophie looked over the rim of her cup and said, “You’ve changed. You seem…different.”

  “What do you mean?” Jordan’s hazel eyes were a striking green. When they were kids Sophie had teased that her eyes were like mood rings. They changed color depending on her emotional state. Hazel was relaxed, green was nervous, and brown mixed with gold was excited.

  “You seem more reserved, guarded. Just different than when we were teenagers.”

  “Hmm. You seem the same. You’re still sweet, caring, and trying to save the world. Or I guess, in this case, the butterflies. And you still look like a Disney Princess.”

  Sophie smiled. “I remember you used to call me that.”

  “So,” Jordan said, sitting up straighter in her chair. “Let’s see how SOS can help you. First, tell me what you’re looking for in a mate.”

  “Well, first and foremost I want someone I can trust. That’s a biggie. My last relationship didn’t end well and involved infidelity.”

  Jordan frowned. “I’m so sorry, Sophie. You of all people don’t deserve that. You’re someone who should be worshipped. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend.” Jordan blushed and stared into her tea.

  “Do you believe in soul mates? I mean, your company is called Soul Mate Outreach Solutions. Do you think there really is such a thing?”

  Jordan answered without hesitation. “Of course. I think there are many people someone could date, commit to, and be happy with, but to me there’s that one person who surpasses all. It’s a connection that goes beyond love. It’s a true meeting of hearts, souls, and minds. It’s a relationship unlike any other. That’s what I think, anyway.”

  Who knew Jordan was such a romantic?

  “I think so, too.”

  “So, what else are you looking for?”

  “I want someone who gets me. She should respect my values, my―”

  “She?” Jordan furrowed her brow, confusion etched on her face.

  “Yes. I’m a lesbian.”

  Jordan was as stiff as a wax figurine. “You’re gay?”

  “I thought you knew. Didn’t Bertha tell you?”

  Jordan paused, staring into her tea, as though absorbing the information. “No, not at all.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “No, of course not. Wow, you’re a lesbian. I had no idea.” Jordan rubbed hands up and down her pants legs. “So, you’re out? I mean, people in Monarch know?”

  “Most certainly. I’d never be in the closet. Don’t they have lesbians in LA?” Sophie smirked.

  “Yeah, but most of them aren’t out. At least not the ones I know.” Jordan’s eyes darted from her tea to Sophie. “So, when did you know you were gay?”

  “I came out to myself in college.” That wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth either. From the look on Jordan’s face, though, Sophie didn’t think she’d be able to handle the whole story.

  “How did your aunt and uncle react?”

  “They were shocked at first, and honestly, it did take them a while to accept it. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

  “Of course. I’m sorry. I just need to adjust my thinking and look for a Miss instead of a Mister.” Jordan halfheartedly smiled.

  An unexpected sorrow covered Sophie like a prickly wool blanket. What was it about Jordan that made her so sad sometimes? Maybe the loss of their friendship, or maybe―in this case―because Jordan wasn’t a lesbian as well.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rainy Nights and Mondays

  God wasn’t funny. Just when Jordan had decided to swear off women, she found out her first love was a lesbian. And not only that, but a beautiful, amazing, single lesbian. Maybe this was a test. The big guy was making sure she was serious about that celibacy vow. Well, fine. Jordan could take anything he could dish out. Discovering Sophie played for her team was a shock. Sophie said she came out in college, but Jordan wondered if she knew when they were teenagers. She hadn’t said anything, but then again, neither had Jordan. She didn’t want to consider the possibility that they’d both been in love with each other but hadn’t acted on it. That would just be tragic.

  Jordan opened her car door and put a white sack containing two Italian subs in the passenger seat. She’d texted Sophie earlier saying that she’d be in around noon and would bring lunch. Sophie had responded, Hurry up, I’m already hungry and it’s only 9 a.m. She was so cute. But not cute enough to break her pledge, of course. Jordan would be happy if they were just friends again. Anything more would never work. They lived in separate worlds, with different priorities, plus Jordan was about to destroy everything Sophie had worked for the past five years.

  Jordan did wonder why she hadn’t told Sophie she was a lesbian, too. She settled on the fact that it was because she was a private person, and really, it was no one’s business. Being completely honest, though, it was because the longer she stayed in the closet, the easier it was to keep Sophie at arm’s length.

  Jordan inhaled deeply and held her breath, like she was taking a hit. The scent of fried butter, olive oil, onions, and spices filled her Jaguar. Her stomach grumbled loudly as she sat at a red
light staring at the white bag. Instinctively, she licked her lips, then shifted her gaze to the rearview mirror, where someone in the car behind her waved wildly. It was no one she recognized, but she raised her hand anyway. Whoever it was had a big smile plastered on his face as he went from waving to pointing straight ahead. Jordan looked in front of her and saw that the light was green, so she stepped on the gas. She chuckled to herself. If she’d been in LA, the person would have honked and given her the finger.

  It seemed to take forever to drive the two miles. Jordan couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into a sandwich, but she was also looking forward to seeing Sophie again.

  “Lunch has arrived,” Jordan said as she walked into the sanctuary.

  “Thank God. I’m starving.” Sophie was sitting at her desk with her nose buried in a book. She had little makeup on―which she didn’t need with her beautiful complexion―and wore a faded Utah University sweatshirt. The laid-back-Monday Sophie looked adorable. Well, okay, all the Sophies were adorable.

  “Whatcha reading?” Jordan placed a take-out bag on the desk. Sophie held up the book as Jordan said, “The Mating Habits of the Monarch Butterfly. Now that’s hot stuff. Sexier than a Harlequin romance, I’m sure.”

  Sophie’s cheeks tinted pink, which made her look even prettier, if that was possible. She opened the bag and peeked inside. “Mmm. That smells amazing.”

  “Tell me about it. I had to drive all the way here with that in the front seat.” Jordan grabbed a couple of bottled waters out of the mini-fridge as Sophie unpacked the sandwiches. “I need to start jogging again. My pants are getting tight from eating so many of these.”

  “You look great to me.” Sophie’s eyes roamed up and down Jordan’s body. More blushing, more cuteness.

  They sat at Sophie’s desk, moaning in unison as they ate without conversing. The sound of strings and piano seeped through the speakers when Sophie clicked something on her computer. Jordan frowned when a guy started singing in Italian. She was about to protest, but it was surprisingly soothing.

  “What’s that?” Jordan asked.

  Sophie paused to swallow a mouthful. “Andrea Bocelli. Have you heard him before?”

  “I think I saw him on TV once. Opera dude, right?”

  “He does sing opera, but I like his crossover stuff.”

  After polishing off lunch, Sophie reclined in her chair and patted her stomach. She reached to turn off the music, but Jordan stopped her. She couldn’t understand a word the guy was singing, but it was romantic. She liked it.

  “So what do you do for fun besides read butterfly books and play midwife to caterpillars?” Jordan asked as she took a swig of water.

  Sophie paused. “I like hiking, biking, antiquing. Guess I’m pretty boring compared to LA women, huh?”

  “Not at all. You’re the most interesting, amazing woman I know.” Not to mention the most beautiful.

  Sophie held Jordan’s gaze for several seconds. “You’re a jogger?”

  “I used to be, but I’ve been so busy with SOS I haven’t done it in a while.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’re a workaholic?”

  “Because you’re psychic?” Jordan grinned. “Hey. Let’s go running on the beach later.”

  “Me? I can barely walk in the sand, much less run. Anyway, I heard it’s supposed to rain.”

  “Aw, come on. It’ll be fun. We can close up shop early and get a run in before sunset. Pretty please, with milkweed on top?”

  Sophie smiled widely with a twinkle in her eye.

  “What?” Jordan asked.

  “I see you still beg like when we were kids, which―if I remember correctly―always seemed to work in your favor.”

  Jordan smiled. “So that’s a yes?”

  “On one condition. Let me teach you how to do meridian tapping so no more fainting spells.”

  Jordan puckered her lips and stared into space, mulling over the idea. “Ohhh, all right. Deal.” Jordan felt downright giddy. Sophie was warming up to her and seemed to have forgiven the past. It was like a hundred-pound weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

  Sophie straightened her posture and faced Jordan. “Okay, this is super easy to learn.”

  “What…you mean now?” Jordan had Googled “tapping” after Sophie mentioned it before, and what she saw had made her chuckle. How could thumping various parts of your body relieve stress? The things some people came up with were crazy. Jordan didn’t want to hurt Sophie’s feelings, though, so she played along.

  “No time like the present. Okay. Tapping is similar to acupuncture since it stimulates the meridians and energy flow, but without the needles.”

  That was one positive, at least. “What do I do?” Jordan asked.

  “Focus on the negative emotion, which in your case would be anxiety, and use your fingertips to tap five times on each of the twelve meridian points. Tapping, while concentrating on accepting and resolving the issue, will access your body’s energy and restore it to a balanced state.”

  Sophie demonstrated, with Jordan mimicking her every move. After several times she had the hang of it. It was simple enough and surprisingly she did feel calmer, but that could have been because she was having so much fun with Sophie. She didn’t care if they were drumming body parts, just as long as they weren’t arguing about butterflies.

  After the lesson, Sophie worked on the computer as Jordan took photos and videos of the caterpillars for the research files. They left early to go home and change, with Jordan arriving at Sophie’s cabin around five.

  Jordan’s eyes practically popped out of her head when Sophie opened the door. Talk about sexy. She had on tight black yoga pants and a baby-blue fitted knit shirt that brought out her eyes, not to mention her voluptuous figure. Why couldn’t she have worn baggy sweats? It was so much easier to be pals with someone who didn’t make you drool. Jordan stood awkwardly in the center of the living room while Sophie stretched her calf muscles in a lunge that nearly had Jordan hyperventilating. Sophie’s ex-girlfriend must have been insane to cheat on her.

  “Just need to stretch out a bit. Then we can go,” Sophie said.

  Stretch all you want. In fact, we can skip the run and I can watch you contort your body every which way. Geez, get a grip and stop lusting over your friend.

  The breeze off the ocean was chilly, but it didn’t take long to warm up when they started moving. Jordan reveled in the way her muscles stretched and loosened as she ran. It felt divine to move limbs that were usually stiff from her sitting at a desk all day. After about fifteen minutes, though, Jordan was already huffing and puffing. She really needed to work out more. This was embarrassing, especially when Sophie wasn’t even breathing hard. Jordan ate healthy and kept her weight down, but she was obviously out of shape. Thankfully, when she suggested they switch to a power walk, Sophie didn’t give her a hard time about it.

  After she caught her breath, Jordan asked, “So, what happened with the blind date you had the other day?”

  “She got three strikes. All for being dishonest.”

  “Ah, well, that’ll do it. Was she at least attractive?”

  “She had beautiful eyes…until she popped out color contact lenses.”

  Jordan laughed. “Are there many lesbians around here?”

  “More than you’d think. Tallon is a fairly large city that has a gay-and-lesbian center. Actually, Bertha is setting me up with someone. I haven’t met her yet. She’s only been here a month or so.”

  “Hmm. You and Bertha seem close.”

  Sophie shook her head. “My aunt and uncle were great, but I never felt like I had a real family until I met Bertha, Mabel, and Molly.” Sophie paused and looked at Jordan. “And you. You were family.” Sophie jabbed Jordan hard on the arm. “I’ll race you. Last person to the pier makes the hot chocolate.” And then she took off in a blur.

  “Hey, no fair! You got a head start!” Jordan ran but stayed several yards behind Sophie the entire way, not that she minded since th
e view was so nice.

  Once they reached the pier, Jordan bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. “You cheated.”

  “You’re just a sore loser.” Sophie propped her foot on a railing and stretched out her hamstring. Impressively flexible, she bent over her leg, her knee perfectly straight.

  “I think you lied to me,” Jordan said.

  Sophie stopped mid-stretch. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re faster than a cheetah. I thought you said you couldn’t run.”

  “Maybe you’re just slow,” Sophie said, playfully. “I’m freezing, and you owe me a hot chocolate. Let’s go home.”

  Jordan resisted the urge to analyze why her heart swelled at the thought of them going home…together.

  Sophie had been right about the rain. It started pouring before they reached the cabin. They rushed inside and stood by the door, dripping wet. Sophie suggested they shed their soggy clothes and get into a hot shower, which kicked Jordan’s imagination into overdrive. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. She was surrounded by beautiful women, actresses and models, so why was she thinking like a horny teenager around Sophie?

  Jordan apologized for dripping on the hardwood floor as she squished to the bathroom in her Nikes. In horror, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a wet raccoon, hair plastered to her scalp and smeared mascara. Not the impression she wanted to make. Sophie gathered towels and a pair of gray sweats, which she put on the counter before leaving Jordan alone. The spray of warm water felt heavenly on her chilled skin. She would have stayed in the steamy shower for hours if Sophie hadn’t been waiting her turn. She quickly washed, blow-dried her hair, and dressed in Sophie’s sweats. They were about the same size, except Jordan was a few inches taller, which resulted in crop sweats―not that she cared. At least they were dry.

  When Jordan emerged from the bathroom, Sophie stood in the kitchen wearing a pink chiffon robe, her hair still dripping wet. She glanced at Jordan before continuing to take items out of the cupboard.

  “You look good in my clothes.”