“I would love to. I haven’t eaten yet and would love the company. As far as happening places, that will be short and sweet.” TJ chuckled as she put down her pool cue and followed them back to the host’s station.
“I see you found a friend. Excellent. Three for dinner. Right this way, ladies.” Leading the way, the host went in the opposite direction from the bar and took them into a small, dimly lit dining area. It was perfect for bringing a date for a romantic evening. “Would you ladies like a booth or a table?”
“A table against the wall would be fine.” Alex wanted to be able to look directly at TJ as they talked.
“Table it is.” The host put them off by themselves and left three menus and the wine list.
“This is quite romantic if I say so myself. I hope Sam thinks so.” Alex figured she may as well get the conversation rolling. “Sam’s my new girlfriend from New Mexico. She’ll be here in a couple of weeks and I need a few suggestions on where to take her.”
“Well, the pickings are slim around here. This place is the only one I would take a date to if I had a girlfriend.” TJ wanted to make a point that she was single. She had been so for over a year and was getting tired of being the resident single lesbian.
“So nothing else that’s fun and gay friendly you know of?” Alex liked the place, but the Tea Room was a lot closer.
“Not in this county, but if you’re willing to drive I can give you directions to a few other bars that is if you like bars.” TJ kept looking at Cyn who was staring at her drink.
“No we’re not really into the bar scene.” Alex wished Cyn would say something.
“Does Cyn ever talk or do you have her trained to just sit and listen.” Smiling at Alex, she was waiting for a reaction from Cyn.
“Who, me? Oh, I’m sorry.” Cyn blushed and put her head in her hands.
“My buddy here isn’t that outgoing. She’s the quiet intelligent type that prefers one on one conversation with people she knows. And now you know why you’ve never seen her here before.” Alex reached over and hugged Cyn as she still had her head in her hands.
“I just get all tongue tied. I don’t know what to talk about, so not wanting to sound stupid, I just don’t say anything and then the other person thinks I am stupid. It’s a vicious circle and I know I need to work on it.” Cyn looked at TJ and smiled, wishing for a way to ask her out that wouldn’t sound dorky.
“Repeat after me.” TJ motioned to Cyn. “Hi TJ. My name is Cyn. Would you like to have coffee with me tomorrow afternoon at the Espresso Cafe?”
“Hi TJ. My name is Cyn. Would you like to have coffee with me tomorrow afternoon at the Espresso Cafe?” Cyn thought she was just being helpful and giving her a line.
“I’d love to ─ what time?” TJ wondered when it would dawn on Cyn that she was serious.
“That’s perfect. I love it!” Alex really did like this girl. She knew what she wanted and she wanted to go out with Cyn.
“You’re serious? I mean, you want to meet for coffee with me?” Cyn was ready to go now.
“Yes, with you. Your friend here is taken and I think – not that she looks it that she’s a little older than the women I usually date.” TJ was figuring Alex was ten or twelve years older.
“Yes, you look a tad young for me too. How old are you, TJ?” Alex was guessing twenty- eight as Jason figured late twenties.
“Twenty-eight last month. And you ladies are?” She hoped Cyn wasn’t younger than she was.
“I’m thirty-two and Alex is forty-two.” Cyn figured Alex didn’t care if everyone on the planet knew her age.
“Actually only forty-two for two more days. Then forty-three will arrive whether I like it or not. Woo hoo!” Knowing Cyn didn’t care how old TJ was, this match could work.
“Wow! I wouldn’t have guessed that. I figured thirtynine or forty. How old is the new girlfriend?” TJ wanted to get all the information on everyone.
“Sam is thirty-five and yes the eight year difference isn’t huge, but it’s still eight years.” Being with these youngsters Alex was hoping she didn’t act her age.
Just then, the conversation was interrupted by the waiter, and everyone quickly decided to have the prime rib special. Getting back to their conversation, the three talked like old friends needing to catch up. Even Cyn loosened up and was getting into the kidding around. TJ had a quick wit and great sense of humor. Both Alex and Cyn needed to stay on their toes so as not to let anything slip by.
“So, TJ, what do you do for a living?” Alex figured it was time to get to it.
“I work in the family business. I’m an auto mechanic at Spicer’s Auto Repair.” TJ was ready for the tone to change now that they knew she wasn’t a college graduate.
“Wow, Cyn takes her car there. That’s great. I took auto shop in high school. It’s definitely something every woman should know.” Alex watched TJ’s expression and it didn’t change at that news.
“Really? What do you drive?” TJ hadn’t remembered seeing Cyn at the shop.
“A ’68 blue Mustang. I always deal with Roy, who I assume is your father.” Cyn figured TJ only worked on the cars and never saw the owners.
“Oh yeah, my dad works on your car. He likes the older models. I get all the new stuff because of all the electronics. I’m a certified mechanic on just about everything. What do you drive Alex?” TJ was curious what chick magnet she had chosen.
“My baby is a ’48 F-1 Ford pickup. I take it to the Ford dealer in town. They know where to get all the parts, not to mention they love it as much as I do. There’s a picture of all the mechanics standing around it with ‘built to last’ as the caption. They would all come after me if I took it anywhere else.” That was definitely the truth.
“My dad’s commented about your truck. I can now tell him why he doesn’t have you as a client. So what do you two do?” By the way they dressed, TJ figured they were paid pretty well.
“I teach English and Cyn teaches History at Taylorwood School for Girls. I’ve been there over five years and Cyn almost two.” If TJ was the one, she was doing a great job of acting innocent.
“Oh wow, Taylorwood. That’s were that woman tried to commit suicide, isn’t it?” TJ wasn’t up on the local current events or she would have known who Alex was.
“Oh yeah, that’s the place all right.” Alex wondered if that was what everyone in Hastings thought of Taylorwood.
“Alex was the teacher who stopped her.” Cyn wondered where this woman hung out that she didn’t know about it.
“No kidding? I’m sorry, I don’t read the paper or watch television. I guess you can say I have my head in the sand. I spend my free time here or working on my truck. If I would have known there were such good looking lesbians at Taylorwood, I would have made a request to deliver all the parts Don and Marty order.” TJ thought Taylorwood was full of snobby girls and uptight female teachers.
“So you’ve never been to the school?” Alex had such high hopes TJ was the one.
“Maybe once a few years ago, but my dad does all that stuff and always has. His life is that shop and that’s all he thinks about work.” TJ wished her dad could meet a nice lady. She had such high hopes he would have hooked up with Mrs. Greenway, but she was as much a workaholic as her dad. She was the only person she actually knew at Taylorwood since she had worked on her SUV the past few years.
Alex wanted to cry, as their best lead just hit the wall. She liked TJ, and her intuition told her she wasn’t the one they were looking for. But where would they go from here? Telling TJ everything that was going on would have to wait, as the waiter arrived with three of the biggest pieces of prime rib Alex had ever seen. This place was definitely going to come in second behind the Tea Room for her favorite restaurant, if the food was a good as it looked. All further conversation was put on hold until she could get her knife and fork working on such a gorgeous cut.
Once everyone got their food and baked potatoes fixed just right, all three nodded and cut
into their dinners at the same time. The only sound coming from any of them was sounds of happy diners enjoying every bite.
“This is awesome. I can’t believe I just found out about this place today. So, TJ, are there any other great steakhouses around this area, or is this it?” Every bite was melting in Alex’s mouth.
“This place is the best around here. It’s a well guarded secret for more reasons than the obvious one. The chef only cooks one prime rib and when its gone, there isn’t any more for the rest of night.” TJ figured for a Saturday night they should have more than one.
“Well, that gets people in here early if they want a piece. The Chef’s smart, he’s not having to hope it all gets eaten before they shut down the kitchen for the night.” Alex figured two regulars may be out of luck tonight.
“That’s true. So what have you been doing the last two years, Cyn? I mean if you haven’t been here, where exactly?” TJ wished being out was a lot easier and both men and women felt safe to be themselves in public.
“Home most of the time. I would take a lesbian cruise every couple of years. I was just as shy on those, but you were assigned seats for all your meals so I got to know the women at my table and just hung out with them.” Cyn wished she was braver when it came to meeting women. Kids were no problem, but grown ups were totally different. “I tried internet dating, but you have to do so much driving. It was easier since I got to know the person from emailing and then talking on the phone. But after a couple of months the red flags would start beating me up so badly, I would have to bail, or she would. Then Alex and I became better friends and I’ve been hanging out with her.”
“So how long have you been single?” TJ hoped Cyn was normal and it had been the other women with the problems.
“Almost three years. I broke up with my ex after a two year relationship, you know an ‘on again, off again’ type of affair. We weren’t suited for each other, but we liked each other’s company and the sex was great. We should have been just friends, but we wanted more. I took my current job to get away from her, or I’d still be trying to make it work.” Cyn realized she hadn’t even told Alex that much.
“Oh, I hear you. I give you an ‘A’ for effort, even if I’m not a teacher. But at least you realized it and moved on. I seem to attract controlling, selfish women. Not sure why.” TJ didn’t see Cyn as being any of the above.
“That’s who I attract. You must be kind, considerate and selfless. Am I right?” Alex saw TJ as pretty close to being perfect for Cyn. There had to be something wrong with her.
“Sounds about right. I’m not so sure about the selfless part. I have learned over the last five years to protect myself from being used. I give the other person two chances and then slam the door on the favor department.” Knowing how to fix cars, TJ’s phone rang a lot when she first started dating. The new girlfriend always seemed to have family and friends that suddenly needed a mechanic to fix their cars for free.
“Wow, I bet they abused the favors a lot you being a mechanic and all. Not too many teaching favors requested of either of us. Mostly for me, it was taking care of the girlfriend and doing everything she wanted to do, but nothing I wanted to do. My fault for letting it happen, but I’ve found a gem this time around.” Now if Alex could just get a time machine and get Sam here sooner.
“Sam, is it? She sounds great, I’d like to meet her. Now, I’m going to suggest something that’s totally radical for lesbians. Can we all be friends, no matter what? I’m not saying I want to cancel my coffee date with Cyn, but if we don’t end up a couple can we still hang out together? My reasoning being, that you two are the most normal lesbians I’ve met in I don’t know how long. I’m getting really tired of making a friend, we hang out together, have a great time and then she gets a girlfriend and I never hear from her again. It drives me crazy they have to be joined at the hip the rest of their lives.” TJ was ready for the two of them to tell her to drop dead and leave.
“We’d be honored. It’s the same way we feel at least for the moment. Let’s exchange phone numbers and after you and Cyn have your coffee date tomorrow, come by my place and I’ll show you around.” Alex hoped Cyn was thinking the same way, but in all friendships someone always has stronger feeling for the other one.
“I like that idea, too. We all need friends. In fact, being just friends may be a better way of going about the whole dating part, at first I mean.” Cyn wasn’t sure if TJ was having a change of heart about her or if she really did want them all to be close friends. At least when Sam arrived she wouldn’t be the odd woman out if TJ was along too.
“Excellent. It’s great to have two new friends who live in Hastings. This has been my lucky day and we’re going to have such a great time. I know this area and can show you all kinds of great hiking trails, private ponds for skinny dipping and a place that has the best view for sunsets you’ll see in these parts.” TJ was pumped and could hardly wait to start doing things.
“Terrific. Cyn and I have been wanting to explore the area and now we have an expert guide.” Alex was hoping that TJ wouldn’t be one of those women who never left you alone.
The waiter came by one last time to ask if anyone wanted dessert, but all three women were stuffed and asked for the check as well as doggie bags. Even coffee didn’t sound good. Splitting the bill three ways, Alex was glad to see that TJ knew where her wallet was and never even hesitated reaching for it when the total for each was calculated. This was hopefully the start of a great friendship, but time would tell.
Chapter 22
On the drive home, Cyn voiced her concerns about being friends with TJ and then possibly falling in love with her. She would still want to keep her around as a friend even if things didn’t work for them in the love department. Alex reminded her she was still friends with Dez, so why couldn’t she and TJ be friends. Alex wanted Cyn to hold onto her emotions for a couple of months and get to know TJ. It was possible she may have a few annoying habits, like smoking or talking too much. They doubted she smoked since she was a hiker, and she didn’t talk too much during dinner but there could be something. Alex pointed out to Cyn that she was already thinking they were married and they hadn’t even had their first coffee date. Realizing she was jumping the gun again big time, Cyn promised to go slow. Not having someone who truly knew TJ to vouch for her character, she needed to make sure she was the real deal before taking the plunge. Alex started to laugh at how the day went from suspecting TJ of tampering with Cyn’s car to the two of them possibly ending up as a couple for the rest of their lives. Anything was possible, but Alex pointed out they were both young and would still go through a few major changes in the years ahead.
Cyn drove up Alex’s road and informed her she was going solo tonight. Alex wasn’t so sure, but let her have her way. It was probably more that Cyn wanted to sleep in and didn’t want to keep Alex from getting up early to get to work on her place. After requesting a phone call the next morning, Alex said goodnight and went in to spend her first night in her new home.
She walked in and headed for the guest bedroom to tell Anna and Ramon she was home. She then made a pit stop in the bathroom before she called Sam. Alex wanted to let her know how her day had gone and see what exciting things were happening at the ranch.
“Good evening, Darlin’. How was the rest of your day?” Sam was still watching the office as Jessie and Dawson were running a little late getting back.
“All good. Have you had dinner yet? I found a great place for prime rib and I can’t wait to take you there.” Alex always thought she was a patient person, but not as patient as she needed to be to get through the next two weeks.
“Not yet. I’m still babysitting the office. Jessie and Dawson are making good use of me today. They should be back soon, I hope. I don’t know how Jessie does this job. It’s so boring. I’d pick manual labor over this anytime.” Sam was having trouble staying awake and it didn’t help having Andy coming in every hour or so to make fun of her being behind the
desk.
“Boy, I can relate. After being outside with you those two weeks and then having to come back here and be inside – man it’s hard.” Alex wondered if Sam was going to be happy having to work indoors during her stay because of the weather, but then she must have had to work indoors when she lived in Colorado, so she surely knew what was coming.
Alex gave Sam a quick rundown of what she and Cyn had done after Jason hadn’t found any fingerprints on the parts in question. They discovered that all the tampered parts were new and were replaced without Cyn being aware she needed them. She told Sam that after meeting TJ and spending time with her, she didn’t think she had any knowledge of the whole thing. She was going to drop by after her coffee date with Cyn tomorrow and hopefully the two of them could talk more on the matter. Then Sam asked Alex if she had any other suspects or were they back to square one. Alex still wondered about Roy Spicer. But what could his motive be? Was he just being a nice guy and fixing Cyn’s car for free? But if that was the case, then why not put the new parts in her car while it was in the shop. It didn’t make any sense. Plus, no one was asking questions about why Cyn hadn’t driven her car all week. Alex was becoming extremely annoyed with the whole thing and told Sam she wished Anna and Ramon would tell her what was going on tonight in a dream, as it would make it all so much easier. Laughing, Sam hoped Alex got her wish and asked her to tell her spirit guides hello for her if she did see them tonight. Hearing the dinner bell ringing in the background, Alex told Sam she hoped she had a great meal and that she missed her very much and was counting the seconds until she arrived. Sam told Alex how much she missed her too and to be patient since she would be there in no time and then they could pick up where they left off. Sam wanted to tell Alex about the surprise, but knew she would have a school full of very angry girls to deal with if she did.
Hanging up, Alex ached for Sam and wanted to be there so they could have dinner together. But then who would get this place in order and ready for her arrival? At that moment, as she looked out her window, Alex realized she was alone. She hadn’t thought about it with all that had been happening recently, but here she was single again. Yes, Sam was coming. But as much as Alex felt it was going to work, would there always be that feeling of doubt? She had gone into her relationship with Dez thinking it would last forever, and it only lasted five years. Sam was making a major move in her life and Alex was at a point that she didn’t want to be the one making all the compromises again for her relationship. Sam had commented that she would go anywhere to be with her. Was this just talk or what Sam truly wanted with all her heart? Time would tell and Alex made a promise to herself right then to give one hundred and ten percent to this relationship as long as both parties made equal compromises and sacrifices. She knew if Sam moved in with her it was going to be a huge compromise and sacrifice, but one she hoped Sam would never regret making. Looking at the picture of Anna and Ramon and knowing what they had, if only for a short time, Alex hoped for the same devotion in her relationship with Sam. Suddenly feeling wiped out, Alex got ready for bed and made a request to both of them to try and help her figure out tonight what was going on with Cyn’s car.
but, mercury's not in retrograde! Page 11
