by Renee Roman
“Are they together?” Trinity asked.
“Nah. That’s her best friend. Last I knew she was as single as ever, but she doesn’t mind casual.”
The knot that had formed in her gut loosened a tad. She wasn’t interested in anything more than casual either. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
Her friends headed back to the floor and Kelly turned to her.
“So, what’s going on?” Kelly asked.
“I enjoy her company, that’s all.”
Kelly nodded and walked away as though knowing there was more she wasn’t saying. Blaze stood alone again. Trinity glanced at the writhing masses, and when she didn’t see DJ in view, she took a breath and made her way over. This time the smile from Blaze was knee-weakening.
“Hi again,” Blaze said. “I apologize for before. Can we start over?”
Trinity nodded, happy to give that a try.
She raised her wrapped arm and extended her hand. “I’m Blaze.”
Trinity couldn’t help laughing as her smaller hand slid into Blaze’s, and she liked how it fit. “It’s nice to meet you, Blaze. I’m Trinity.” Checking one more time for DJ, she gathered her courage. “Would you care to dance?”
Blaze set her drink down. “It would be my pleasure.” She gestured for Trinity to lead the way and lightly placed her hand at the small of her back.
The intimate gesture wasn’t unwelcome, and the heat generated by the simple touch had her head swimming. They found a small opening on the edge of the dance floor and gyrated to the beat of one of her favorite songs. She couldn’t help but notice Blaze’s excellent rhythm and how well she commanded her body. The fast song ended and a slow one started as the DJ announced, “This one’s for all you lovers.” She froze in place as couples around her engaged in embraces.
Blaze stepped close and held out her arms. “Another dance?”
She knew she shouldn’t, but she moved forward anyway. Trinity was glad she’d worn three-inch heels. While she was still shorter, at least she wouldn’t be staring at Blaze’s chest. Trinity became sidetracked by thoughts of what her breasts looked like and she stumbled. Blaze easily kept her upright. She blushed. “Sorry.”
“A misstep isn’t a reason to be sorry.” Blaze pulled her closer. “Save apologies for the big stuff.” Blaze’s lips brushed against the curve of her ear and a streak of pure heat shot through her. “Do we have big stuff to discuss?”
Trinity relaxed against her. “Maybe, but this isn’t the place. Let’s just dance.” When the song ended, they remained in an embrace that felt too intimate. She didn’t have a chance to back away.
“There you are.” DJ looked Trinity up and down, clearly noticing Blaze’s arm around Trinity’s waist. DJ turned back to Blaze. “I’ve been looking for you. I think I’ve had enough of this.” She glanced in Trinity’s direction and Trinity’s anger bristled.
Blaze’s features hardened. “DJ, meet Trinity. Trinity, this is my rude friend, DJ.”
DJ pursed her lips, like she’d just tasted something bitter. “Sorry,” she said.
At least she had the decency to rein in her sarcasm, though Blaze’s jaw clenched anyway, and Trinity was relieved when DJ headed back to the table. Blaze sighed.
“I apologize. She’s been through a recent breakup and I haven’t been much of a friend lately.” Blaze watched as DJ downed her drink and yanked on her jacket. “Perhaps we could talk more when I’m not babysitting?”
She wanted to be pissed, but she couldn’t be. Not with Blaze. “Sure. I look forward to it.” Blaze kissed her cheek, then paused next to Trinity’s ear. “You really are beautiful.”
Trinity watched them leave and didn’t miss the glare DJ threw over her shoulder. Once they were gone, she went to find Kelly, knowing she’d never leave without letting her know. She was just returning from the bar with fresh beers.
“That was quite the show.” Kelly sat on a stool and tossed a peanut in her mouth.
“We were just dancing.” Not that she hadn’t thought about doing more, but she wasn’t about to admit that little detail.
“Not you and Blaze dancing, though it looked pretty hot. DJ.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
“For a minute I thought she was going to scratch your eyes out.” Kelly grinned. “What did she say to you? You didn’t look very happy.”
“Not much, but I don’t think she liked the fact that Blaze was dancing with me instead of her.” Honestly though, if DJ hadn’t walked away, she’d be checking for dagger marks in her back.
“And what did dreamy stud say?”
“Her name is Blaze,” she said, laughing. “She called her out for being rude and that’s when DJ stalked off.”
“Huh.”
Huh exactly. She wasn’t sure she’d go anywhere near Blaze if her bulldog was around, but she did want to see her again. And another slow dance wouldn’t hurt. She glanced at Kelly. “You about done here?”
Kelly finished her bottle, burped, and got to her feet. “Yep. Nothing more to see here.” She laughed.
Trinity had to agree. The hottest woman in the club had left with someone else. She pushed away the surge of jealousy. It was ridiculous to be upset over Blaze leaving with DJ instead of her. But if she had her choice, it certainly wouldn’t be the last she saw of Blaze. Time to go home to my empty bed. At least the apartment wouldn’t be empty. Kelly would be banging around for the next hour pretending she was picking up, when really, it just took her a while to settle down. And Trinity would lie in bed pretending to read, all the while speculating how far away Blaze lived and if she was sleeping alone.
* * *
“Still at it?” Kelly leaned against the counter and held her mug in both hands.
Kelly had been dead to the world after pulling a double, but the smell of fresh coffee likely roused her. Trinity had applied for the head trauma nurse position and Kelly was her biggest cheerleader. She’d been dreaming of the day she’d be given the responsibility of keeping the staff on their toes and patients alive, and she was studying for the test all applicants had to take if she made it to that stage of the interview process. “You know it.” She glanced at the clock above the sink, surprised she’d been studying for more than four hours. “You hungry?”
Kelly laughed. “When am I not?”
She pushed her pile to the far end of the table. “Cop a squat. I’ll make breakfast.”
“Don’t you ever run out of energy?” Kelly ran her finger down the nearest open book. “Are you trying to memorize all this stuff?”
Trinity pulled a bowl from the lower cupboard, then a pan from the side cabinet. “Not really. I just want to have a handle on the urgent-care medications and what they’re used for. I mean, I’m familiar with some of them, but there’s quite a few I’m not.” She cracked open eggs, letting them slowly tumble into the bowl. It was how she approached all situations. Methodical. Logical. Rushing meant mistakes, in her career and life in general, and she didn’t like making mistakes.
“True. Every doc has their favorites and no two are alike.” Kelly leaned back. “So, when are we going back to EroZone to find hot and handsome?”
She laughed. Trinity had briefly talked with Blaze earlier in the week, but three nurses had the flu and she was filling in a lot. With her interview and practical in the near future, she hadn’t wanted to commit to getting together when she might not make it, so she’d told Blaze to expect a last-minute text if she was suddenly free. Blaze had been gracious and understanding. Unlike some of the women she’d tried to explain how difficult her schedule was, Blaze hadn’t given her a hard time.
“We? I thought you were pretty serious about Linda.” She stirred the eggs and dropped the bread in the toaster.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other women. You have to admit Blaze is a hunk.”
“A hunk, huh?” Trinity tamped down the flare of jealousy.
“Bet I wasn’t the only one she got tingling. She’s got those amazing bedroom eyes and a
body I could certainly spend some time getting up close and personal with.”
Trinity rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know you were such a pig.” She was kidding, of course, but she prickled at the thought of Kelly having the hots for Blaze.
“Maybe I never had a reason to be.” Kelly wiggled her eyebrows, then stopped. She reached out to touch her hand. “You know I’m just kidding, right? I’d never move in on someone you’re interested in. Lord knows, how you sustain yourself on what little sex you have is beyond me.” Kelly spread butter on the toast and plopped pieces on their plates. “This looks great. Thanks for cooking.”
She was being childish. Maybe she did need to see a little more action. Work was stressful enough, but with studying and surviving on minimal sleep, sooner or later something was going to give, and she’d just as soon keep everything functioning. “Are you off Sunday?”
Kelly nodded. “Yes. You?”
Trinity swallowed a mouthful of eggs along with her pride. She hated to admit her attraction, but there wasn’t any reason to deny it, especially when it was so obvious to Kelly. Still, she didn’t want to come across as a woman desperately looking for a hookup, and even though she’d gone out alone on plenty of occasions, she preferred to go with someone. “Want to go dancing?”
Kelly grinned. “Any particular reason?”
She bumped Kelly’s shoulder with her own. “Why would you think there’s a reason?” They stared at each other for a minute before bursting into fits of laughter. It felt good. She hadn’t laughed in a while. She’d been taking life way too seriously lately. And if Blaze was free to meet her, even better.
Chapter Thirteen
Days were ticking by. This was the season Blaze loved most—fall. Summer flowers had died, and the beds needed work. Standing in the middle of the driveway, she closed her eyes, letting the cold air caress her like a lover’s touch. She was grateful to come home every day to the house she’d built and the peaceful acres teeming with life that surrounded her. She’d stocked up on birdseed, peanuts, and ears of corn to provide food for her forest friends when the ground was covered in snow and ice. She couldn’t become complacent about all she had. Still, she recognized the gnawing need inside her. Soon another year would be over, and she continued to return to an empty house with no one to greet her, though if Baxter could talk, Blaze was sure she would take offense. She shrugged off the melancholy along with her jacket and hung it on the peg.
“What did you do today? Catch any mice?”
The orange tabby snaked around her legs and cried loudly, letting her know she was none too happy with dinner being late. Again.
“One of us has to work and it’s obviously not you.”
Baxter didn’t seem to care what her opinion was, as long as food was in her near future. She sat by her dish mat looking up expectantly.
“At least you’re one female I can always rely on.” She shook dry food into a dish with cartoon drawings of fish and mice, gave Baxter a pat on the head, and set it down. “Bon appétit.”
Blaze thought about her own dinner, but she wasn’t in the mood to cook, and eating alone wasn’t the same since her picnic with Trinity. By now she’d hoped for more meals together, but Trinity’s profession demanded she work long shifts and overtime. Days off were an infrequent luxury lately. She grabbed a bottle of fruit juice and headed for the bedroom. Her clothes smelled of wood shavings, a scent she’d grown up loving, but she wasn’t sure it would be welcome at a restaurant. Not everyone shared her appreciation of woodsy scents. She stripped, then tossed everything in the hamper before stopping in front of her full-length cheval mirror. The figure in the reflection was in good physical shape. Her stomach was flat, her arms and legs were muscled. Her forearm bore a thin red line, and Cassie assured her it would fade more with time. Blaze turned sideways. Her ass was a bit too round for her liking though no one had complained, so she was okay with it. Maybe she’d let her hair grow. She needed a change, but she knew she’d regret anything but a subtle difference in style.
The shower spray hit her chest, the warmth comforting. A good meal might help her feel more content. Content. Somehow the word didn’t hold the same conviction it once had. Maybe that was what had been gnawing at her insides. Was she ready to take that step into the next phase of her life? What did that even mean? Blaze shook her head and concentrated on what she was doing. In less than five minutes, she was standing with a towel wrapped around her. She was going through the motions, bits and pieces just seemed to…happen. She was living on autopilot. She needed to touch base with her family. When they were together, she was happy. Not so long ago she’d been relaxed and unfazed by being on her own. At least, she thought so. She didn’t want to be like some high school acquaintances she ran into every so often. Nothing in their lives had changed since graduation, and it would be easy to wake up one day and find out her life was a mirror image of a decade ago. She needed to grow emotionally. Take a risk. Make a move. All she had to do was figure out what her next step should be. Easy.
Baxter stood at the door watching her.
“Do you think you get an opinion?”
A loud meow and a swish of the cat’s tail was her answer.
“Think again. But I do need a second opinion.” Baxter’s head tipped. There was only one person she could rely on for guidance. She smiled at the icon of her father and pressed the number.
* * *
A couple of hours later, Blaze sat at a table for two and ordered a bottle of Chianti. She’d never known DJ to turn down a decent glass of wine. Her call home had been productive, and even if her father hadn’t provided the answer, he’d told her where to find it. She was confident he was right.
She also wanted to share her epiphany with DJ, though she wasn’t sure what her reaction would be. With her arm in better shape, she’d been back to work as much as possible, and when she wasn’t…well, that was the part she was dreading telling her. Then, magically, as if a tornado had blown through the door, DJ was there.
“Oh my God. Traffic is ridiculous. What the hell. I had a distress call from my BFF, and no one was going to get in my way.” She gulped down water. “Okay, I’m ready.” DJ sat with her hands folded near her plate with a look of expectation on her face.
Blaze shook her head. “You can take a breath you know. It’s not life or death.” Blaze leaned back while the waiter opened the bottle, then poured a tasting into her glass. She’d always thought the ritual was unnecessary until she’d been served a bottle that had turned to vinegar. After she took a swish and a swallow, she nodded and he poured more for them both, then went away.
“Well, it could be. Are you sure it’s not? You sounded pretty intense.” DJ took a drink, set it down, and gave a thumbs-up, signaling her stamp of approval.
She hated when she hesitated to address an issue, but she wasn’t keen on rushing into explaining why she had the feelings she did. “Let’s take time to settle in, then I’ll tell you.”
DJ stared for a moment. “Okay, but this could be a two-bottle session.” She added more to their glasses before they ordered food.
“Good thing we can Uber home. How’s work going?” Blaze asked. It was an unnecessary question since she and DJ talked regularly, but she was using the opportunity to start to open up the flow of conversation until she was ready to focus on herself. DJ graciously chatted about her latest successful showing and how much she was looking forward to the big commission. DJ wanted to be known as the Realtor who closed the most houses in a month, enabling her to ask for a larger commission percentage.
“Do you ever get tired of working so much? You should take a vacation.” Blaze knew she wasn’t afraid of hard work and putting in the hours required to accomplish her goals. Unlike her personal life, real estate was something she excelled at. Relationships, however, she failed at miserably. DJ had redeeming qualities, but she could be difficult at times. Blaze was the only one she let see her vulnerable side, and that didn’t make for solid relationships.<
br />
Blaze wondered if the reason DJ’s relationships continued to fall apart was her lack of taking time off. Even weekends belonged to her job, and Blaze knew she hadn’t been away in a few years.
“I take time off. I’m not working now, am I?” DJ shoved a piece of calamari in her mouth and chewed. She wrinkled her nose. “I’m done for the day.”
“It’s a little difficult to show houses in the dark, and you know perfectly well what I mean.”
“Sometimes I show houses at night. My clients work crazy hours too, and I have to be flexible. My life is fine just the way it is, thank you.” DJ blinked a couple of times before sitting back. “Why do I get the feeling we aren’t really talking about my life? Spill it.”
At least DJ hadn’t lost the ability to read her mood. Like now. “Don’t you ever want more out of life?” Blaze sighed. “I’ve been thinking about mine a lot lately.”
DJ smiled. “Thinking’s important.”
“Funny.” She took a breath. “I’m content with where my life is.” She held DJ’s gaze. “But I don’t think it’s enough any longer. I want…more.” There. She’d said it and she was still breathing.
“More what?” DJ set her fork down and leaned forward.
“I want someone to come home to. I want someone to share my day with. My joys, my sorrows. All of it.” She stared into the contents of her glass. “I’m tired of living alone. I want a partner.”
DJ’s eyes widened, then she cleared her throat. “Baxter will be none too happy to hear the alone part.”
DJ was trying to make a joke, but Blaze sensed there was something else beneath the surface that she wasn’t sharing. “Can’t you be serious for once? I thought you’d understand.”
She nodded. “I do, but where is this coming from? Why the sudden change of heart? I thought you were happy.”
Blaze looked up. “I thought I was happy, too, but I’ve been restless, and I can’t seem to focus. My thoughts are all over the place.”
DJ’s hand covered hers. “Honey, we all have moments of questioning. I’m not sure that means you aren’t happy. What’s the one thought that keeps coming to mind? The one thing you can’t shake?”
