The Aquittal
Page 25
Josie dropped her head to examine the frayed straps on her backpack. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“Not yet,” Josie said. “I want to try to apologize first.”
Lucy was silent for a while. “I was pissed off at the way you broke things off with us,” she said.
“Who could blame you?” Josie was still fiddling with her backpack.
“Look at me, Josie.”
Josie lifted her head. It weighed at least a ton. “I don’t really know how I can apologize for that. Everything I say will sound like a ridiculous excuse. I was a jerk.”
“Hmm. I can begin to work with that, I think. All I need is for you to turn that into a simple ‘I’m sorry,’ and we may be at square one.”
Josie looked at her in confusion. Square one was them starting to date. Was that where Lucy wanted to go?
“I’m truly sorry,” Josie said. “There was no reason to stop seeing you other than I was out of my mind.”
“Okay,” Lucy said.
“Okay?”
Lucy stood and smiled down at Josie. “Okay. As soon as you feel like getting together, give me a call. You’ve got my number.”
Lucy walked off toward Alamo Shoes and even stopped to window-shop as Josie watched. Soon she was out of sight. Josie pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent a text. “I feel like seeing you now. You?” Minutes later Lucy was back and helped Josie up from the bench. They hobbled their way halfway down Summerdale, when Josie stopped and leaned on her crutches.
“I have two questions for you,” she said.
“All right.” Lucy looked at her curiously.
“First—may I kiss you?”
Lucy answered by bringing her lips to Josie’s. This kiss felt nothing like the kisses they’d shared before. Josie could feel the electricity move through her body and out her crutches. The lingering kiss ended and Lucy held Josie’s eyes.
“And the second question?” she asked.
“What floor is your apartment on?”
“First.”
“You really are an angel,” Josie said. “Let’s go.”
About the Author
Anne Laughlin is the author of Veritas and Runaway with Bold Strokes Books. Sometimes Quickly, an edited version of her first novel, will be published in 2014 by BSB. She is a three-time Goldie Award winner and has twice been shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award. Her story, “It Only Occurred to Me Later,” was a finalist in the 2013 Saints & Sinners Short Fiction Contest. In 2008, Anne was named a Lambda Literary Foundation Emerging Writer. She’s been accepted into residencies at Ragdale and the Vermont Studio for the Arts. She lives in Chicago with Linda Braasch.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Because of You by Julie Cannon. What would you do for the woman you were forced to leave behind? (978-1-62639-199-4)
The Job by Jove Belle. Sera always dreamed that she would one day reunite with Tor. She just didn’t think it would involve terrorists, firearms, and hostages. (978-1-62639-200-7)
Making Time by C.J. Harte. Two women going in different directions meet after fifteen years and struggle to reconnect in spite of the past that separated them. (978-1-62639-201-4)
Once The Clouds Have Gone by KE Payne. Overwhelmed by the dark clouds of her past, Tag Grainger is lost until the intriguing and spirited Freddie Metcalfe unexpectedly forces her to reevaluate her life. (978-1-62639-202-1)
The Acquittal by Anne Laughlin. Chicago private investigator Josie Harper searches for the real killer of a woman whose lover has been acquitted of the crime. (978-1-62639-203-8)
An American Queer: The Amazon Trail by Lee Lynch. Lee Lynch’s heartening and heart-rending history of gay life from the turbulence of the late 1900s to the triumphs of the early 2000s are recorded in this selection of her columns. (978-1-62639-204-5)
Stick McLaughlin by CF Frizzell. Corruption in 1918 cost Stick her lover, her freedom, and her identity, but a very special flapper and the family bond of her own gang could help win them back—even if it means outwitting the Boston Mob. (978-1-62639-205-2)
Rest Home Runaways by Clifford Henderson. Baby boomer Morgan Ronzio’s troubled marriage is the least of her worries when she gets the call that her addled, eighty-six-year-old, half-blind dad has escaped the rest home. (978-1-62639-169-7)
Charm City by Mason Dixon. Raq Overstreet’s loyalty to her drug kingpin boss is put to the test when she begins to fall for Bathsheba Morris, the undercover cop assigned to bring him down. (978-1-62639-198-7)
Edge of Awareness by C.A. Popovich. When Maria, a woman in the middle of her third divorce, meets Dana, an out lesbian, awareness of her feelings bring up reservations about the teachings of her church. (978-1-62639-188-8)
Taken by Storm by Kim Baldwin. Lives depend on two women when a train derails high in the remote Alps, but an unforgiving mountain, avalanches, crevasses, and other perils stand between them and safety. (978-1-62639-189-5)
The Common Thread by Jaime Maddox. Dr. Nicole Coussart’s life is falling apart, but fortunately, DEA Attorney Rae Rhodes is there to pick up the pieces and help Nic put them back together. (978-1-62639-190-1)
Jolt by Kris Bryant. Mystery writer Bethany Lange wasn’t prepared for the twisting emotions that left her breathless the moment she laid eyes on folk singer sensation Ali Hart. (978-1-62639-191-8)
Searching For Forever by Emily Smith. Dr. Natalie Jenner’s life has always been about saving others, until young paramedic Charlie Thompson comes along and shows her maybe she’s the one who needs saving. (978-1-62639-186-4)
Blindsided by Karis Walsh. Blindsided by love, guide dog trainer Lenae McIntyre and media personality Cara Bradley learn to trust what they see with their hearts. (978-1-62639-078-2)
Blue Water Dreams by Dena Hankins. Lania Marchiol keeps her wary sailor’s gaze trained on the horizon until Oly Rassmussen, a wickedly handsome trans man, sends her trusty compass spinning off course. (978-1-62639-192-5)
Let the Lover Be by Sheree Greer. Kiana Lewis, a functional alcoholic on the verge of destruction, finally faces the demons of her past while finding love and earning redemption in New Orleans. (978-1-62639-077-5)
About Face by VK Powell. Forensic artist Macy Sheridan and Detective Leigh Monroe work on a case that has troubled them both for years, but they’re hampered by the past and their unlikely yet undeniable attraction. (978-1-62639-079-9)
Blackstone by Shea Godfrey. For Darry and Jessa, the chance at a life of freedom is stolen by the arrival of war and an ancient prophecy that just might destroy their love. (978-1-62639-080-5)
Out of This World by Maggie Morton. Iris decided to cross an ocean to get over her ex. But instead, she ends up traveling much farther, all the way to another world. Once she’s there, only a mysterious, sexy, and magical woman can help her return home. (978-1-62639-083-6)
Kiss The Girl by Melissa Brayden. Sleeping with the enemy has never been so complicated. Brooklyn Campbell and Jessica Lennox face off in love and advertising in fast-paced New York City. (978-1-62639-071-3)
Taking Fire: A First Responders Novel by Radclyffe. Hunted by extremists and under siege by nature’s most virulent weapons, Navy medic Max de Milles and Red Cross worker Rachel Winslow join forces to survive and discover something far more lasting. (978-1-62639-072-0)
First Tango in Paris by Shelley Thrasher. When French law student Eva Laroche meets American call girl Brigitte Green in 1970s Paris, they have no idea how their pasts and futures will intersect. (978-1-62639-073-7)
e-share-buttons">share