Christmas All Around Us ; The Perfect Time for Love ; Playing for Keeps

by Carla Kincaid

  "Thanks. I'd be happy to accept a ride," Kate said with exaggerated formality. "Hey, if you haven't already had breakfast your welcome to eat at the center? I'm making blueberry quinoa pancakes."

  Joy cocked her head to the side. "Quinoa pancakes?" she asked suspiciously.

  "I promise you'll love them," Kate said with confidence. If there was one thing in her life she knew she did well it was cooking. "Breakfast is the only time I get to try new things without my boss around," Kate explained. "The residents and I keep it our little secret."

  "Well, I'm down for an adventure," Joy said with a smile that made Kate's heart skip a beat.

  "Ok, I just need to take a shower real quick."

  Kate saw a smile cross Joy's face and in response, she felt her own face turn hot.

  "Uh," she stumbled. "There's a fresh pot of coffee on the stove if you'd like some while you wait," she said quickly.

  "Perfect," Joy said with an unmistakably flirtatious tone. "Unless you need some help picking out what you're going to wear today."

  Kate no longer had any doubt. The expression on Joy's face and the tone of her voice made it clear. She'd put on that t-shirt for a reason and she wanted Kate to know it.

  "You know where the mugs are," Kate said tilting her head toward the kitchen where the two women had done the dishes last night. "I'll be ready in a few."

  With that, Kate dashed down the hall and away from Joy's intense stare.

  Chapter 8

  Joy stifled her giggle as Kate scurried down the hall. Maybe I shouldn't have teased her, she thought but the truth of the matter was she was really attracted to Kate and she wanted her to know it. The chance to tell her that last night went out the window when Dana and Mr. Warner got back from the ice cream parlor and Joy didn't want to miss another opportunity.

  Joy glanced down at her t-shirt. Was it overkill? Maybe, but after Kate's coming-out story last night she really wanted the woman to know she wasn't alone. Coming out to a total stranger was never the easiest thing to do and even if Kate wasn't interested in exploring anything with Joy she should at least know that someone found her attractive.

  Joy went into the kitchen and pulled a coffee mug down from the cabinet. She poured herself a cup of coffee and walked back out to the front porch to wait for Kate.

  "Well, good morning!" Mr. Warner's voice broke into Joy's thoughts. She smiled and waved as he approached the house. He must have driven the riding mower into the garage while Joy was in the kitchen.

  "Good morning, Sir," she said suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about her t-shirt.

  Joy watched his eyes as they looked down at her shirt. Mr. Warner's head tilted to one side as he processed the message, then he nodded slightly and looked back at Joy.

  "Is there any more of that coffee inside?" he asked.

  That was all he said but the expression on his face made Joy feel like there was something unspoken spinning around in his mind. For a moment she considered uttering some kind of explanation but what was she supposed to say? I think your daughter is hot and I just wanted her to know I'm gay? Oh, and in case you didn't know, so is your daughter? No, this wasn't the time or place for that conversation especially since Joy was pretty sure Kate and her father had never talked about such things.

  "Yes. I'm sure there's enough coffee left for another cup," Joy said only answering the question that was asked.

  "Great!" he said enthusiastically. "My daughter's not only a great cook, she makes a mean cup of Joe!"

  Mr. Warner smiled broadly and walked back into the house. A moment later he reappeared with a steaming cup in his hand.

  "So, what are you going to get into today, young lady?" Mr. Warner asked Joy over the rim of his glasses.

  Suddenly Joy felt a little like she was being examined. Not in an unpleasant way but examined non-the-less.

  "I'm going to give Kate a ride to work since I'd planned to head that way this morning. She wants me to try the quinoa pancakes she's making for the assisted living center residents." Joy couldn't mask a grimace. Kate's meatloaf was great but she was still a little skeptical about pancakes made with the newly popular grain.

  "Oh boy! You're in for a treat!" Mr. Warner said excitedly. "I know it may sound a little strange but trust me. You're going to love them!" Mr. Warner seemed pleased at the opportunity to brag about his daughter. He paused and took a sip of his coffee. "I'd better watch out. If Kate keeps feeding you like this you might choose to stay with us longer than three weeks.

  His tone was light and joking and if Joy didn't know better she would have sworn he was acting like Kate's wingman.

  "That is unless you have someone waiting for you back in Virginia." Mr. Warner peered at Joy. His eyes were friendly but something in his voice made it clear that there was a protective father asking the question.

  "No. No one's waiting for me at all," Joy replied. Thoughts of her brother and her parents flashed through Joy's mind. She knew that wasn't what Mr. Warner was referring too but she also felt like none of her family was in any rush for her to get back home either.

  "Alright, are you ready to taste the best pancakes you've ever had," Kate said as she came outside. "Oh, Hi, Daddy. I didn't realize you'd come back down the hill."

  Kate looked back and forth between her father and Joy. The expression on her face registered that she knew she'd missed something in her absence.

  "What were you two talking about?" she asked cautiously.

  "Nothing, Sweetheart," Mr. Warner said as he stepped toward his daughter and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Joy was just indulging an old man as he bragged about his favorite child."

  "I'm your only child, Daddy," Kate said jokingly. She peered at her father still trying to figure out what she may have missed.

  "Yes you are, Sweetheart. Yes, you are. Well, I think I'm going to see if I can squeeze another sip or two of coffee out of that pot before I head back up the mountain. You two have fun today. It looks like it's going to be a beauty."

  Mr. Warner walked back into the house whistling.

  "Should I be concerned about whatever the two of you were talking about?" Kate asked.

  "Nope. Nothing to be concerned about at all," Joy said shaking her head. "Your Dad was just sharing some of the benefits of life in Hersh Falls. I think he's trying to get some more Airbnb money out of me," she said laughing.

  Joy strolled over to the car. "Would you mind if I put the top down? I think your Dad was right about it being a beautiful day and I want to enjoy as much of the view of the mountains as I can."

  "Sure, go ahead," Kate said as she climbed into the passenger's seat. "I'm just glad Dana isn't here to see us."

  Joy looked over at Kate confused.

  "I'm sure she'd find a way to maneuver me out of my seat so she could ride in a convertible," Kate said laughing.

  Joy turned out of the Warner's driveway and drove back out to the main road. She knew from her brief exploration on Monday that you could get to everywhere in Hersh Falls by driving down Kramer Way, so she didn't really need Kate to give her any directions on how to get to the assisted living center. Instead, the two women just road in peaceful silence as they enjoyed the morning air.

  A few minutes into the ride Joy thought she heard Kate let out a sigh. She glanced over to the passenger's seat. Kate was leaning back with her head tilted up toward the sun. Her eyes were closed and she wore the sweetest smile. With the sun beaming down on her face she looked like a model in a travel ad for some exotic location. The kind of ads where everyone looked so much more peaceful than Joy had ever felt anywhere she'd ever gone. Joy didn't know what Kate was thinking but whatever was on her mind had her grinning from ear to ear.

  "A penny for your thoughts," she said finally interrupting the silence in the car.

  Kate opened her eyes and stretched like a cat rising from a window seal nap.

  "Oh, nothing much," she replied. "Actually I was just enjoying the ride and letting my thoughts blow away in the
wind." Kate waved her hand in the air. "Is that why people drive convertibles?" she asked with a laugh. "It seems almost impossible to hold a worried thought with nature right inside the car with you."

  Joy was amused by Kate's observation but she couldn't agree. No matter how often she let the top down on the car her worrisome thoughts never blew away -- until today.

  "Maybe it's the company," she said with a flirtatious smile.

  Kate didn't look at her but Joy could see the corner of her mouth turn upward.

  "Maybe," she said softly.

  Joy had to admit she certainly felt different in Kate's presence. She was definitely enjoying their time alone together. When was the last time she'd driven around with an attractive woman in her passenger seat? She didn't drive at all in Japan and even if she did there wasn't anyone to share these kinds of moments with. Country hopping with her friend Taylor didn't count. Although Joy was grateful to have someone whose company she enjoyed to travel with, she and Taylor were just friends, nothing more. Spending time with her didn't make Joy feel the same kind of tingling she felt in Kate's presence. And surprisingly she hadn't thought about having a drink all morning. In fact, she'd hardly thought about alcohol since she settled into the Warner's place. When was the last time that happened? A peaceful smile stretched across Joy's face as she maneuvered through the quaint Hersh Falls streets.

  "It must be great to grow up in a place like this," Joy said as they neared the more populated part of the downtown area.

  Small shops lined both sides of the street. Joy eyed a few small groups of kids -- out of school for the summer -- straggling along the sidewalks and aimlessly looking in store windows.

  "Yeah. Great," Kate said sarcastically. "And you should see this place during Gay Pride week."

  Joy snapped her head towards Kate. When she saw the woman's expression she burst out laughing realizing that Kate was making a joke.

  "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess. It's just that it's so quiet and peaceful. It's a nice change from what I'm used to."

  Kate nodded her head. "Don't get me wrong, Hersh Falls is a wonderful community, but it's not the most progressive place on earth." Kate paused and looked out the open window. Her next words were spoken so softly Joy almost missed what she said. "It can get a little lonely."

  Another block down the road Joy saw the sign for Glenmore Assisted Living Center. She turned into the driveway and parked the car in one of the visitor spots in front of the building.

  "Does your Dad do the landscaping here too?" Joy asked as she looked around at the ornate flower beds surrounding the building.

  "No," Kate answered in a somber tone. Glenmore is maintained by a big landscaping company based out of Charlotte. They have a whole crew of people they send up here once a week."

  Before Kate got out of the car Joy saw a certain sadness in her eyes.

  "My dad used to handle most of the properties up here," Kate continued as they walked toward a door at the side of the building. "But when the building explosion happened about five years ago the contractors farmed most of that work out to the same company. They said Warner Landscaping was too small to handle the scale of work they required. So much for supporting local business," Kate said as she kicked a pile of ornamental rocks along the path where they were walking.

  The loss of business was obviously a sore spot with Kate and Joy was really sorry she'd brought it up. Until that moment Kate had seemed so calm and happy.

  "The entrance to the kitchen is this way," Kate said as they walked past the main doors.

  Kate pulled out an ID card and swiped it across a security panel. The large steel door clicked and Kate pushed it open.

  "Welcome to my castle," Kate said with a smile as she stepped through the door.

  Joy wasn't prepared for what she saw. The kitchen was huge. The walls along the far end of the room were lined with industrial-sized stainless steel equipment and every imaginable kind of kitchen gadget lined the counter tops and the neatly organized storage shelves.

  'Sheesh!" Joy exclaimed. "All I had was a hotplate and a blender in my kitchen in Japan. I wouldn't even know what half of this stuff is for."

  Kate beamed with pride. "Yeah, the center gets most of its funding from a wealthy family who's father lived here until his death nine years ago. They pretty much make sure we have everything we could ever need to work with."

  Joy detected a certain sadness in Kate's voice in spite of her well-equipped workspace. "But, something's missing?" she asked fishing for the rest of the story.

  Kate sighed and looked around the spotless kitchen. "I really shouldn't complain," she said.

  Joy remembered Kate's comment about her boss over dinner the night before. It was clear that she didn't like the way her boss limited what she could do in the kitchen.

  "Alright, time for me to get started of those pancakes!" Kate said in a cheerier tone.

  Joy planted herself on a stool and watched in awe as Kate buzzed around the kitchen. She didn't know how the strange sounding pancakes were going to taste but the chef making them was a beauty to behold.

  ***

  Joy squirmed around in her chair trying to find a comfortable position. Unlike the first time she was in Dr. Turner's office, it wasn't her nerves that were making it hard to keep still. This time she was fidgeting because even with stretchy sweatpants her pancake stuffed stomach was pinched by her clothes.

  "Are you okay?" Dr. Turner asked.

  "Yeah, I just ate a little too much for breakfast," Joy admitted as she pulled at the waistband of her sweats.

  After a wonderful breakfast with Kate, Joy had almost been tempted to skip her session with Dr. Turner. Although she'd gotten past her initial hesitance about sharing her problems with a stranger, Joy still wasn't convinced that these sessions were going to do her any good.

  "So, the last time we met you were telling me about the incident with your nephew," Dr. Turner said as she scanned a page in her notepad.

  All of the warm fuzziness Joy was feeling vanished in an instant. In its place, an image of Garrett's big brown eyes looking up at her flashed through Joy's mind. The kid was still young enough to think it was cool to spend time with his aunt and even though she knew time and hormones would end that at some point, she didn't want the relationship to be shortened because of something stupid she did.

  Joy let out a long sigh. "Carol was supposed to pick Garrett up from school but she got tied up at her office." Joy twisted in her seat again but this time the discomfort wasn't because of the pancakes. "She called me and asked if I could pick him up for her. I was on the way to his school when I had the accident."

  "You'd been drinking?" Dr. Turner asked.

  Of course, I'd been drinking, Joy wanted to scream. That's why I'm here, isn't it? Instead, she just sat in silence.

  "Do you think your sister-in-law was right not to allow you to say goodbye to Garrett before you left home to come here?"

  Joy's teeth clenched. "I don't think it was right but I understand why she was still upset. After all, if I'd actually made it to Garrett's school to pick him up he might have been in the car with me when I had the accident."

  That was the sobering truth that finally made Joy decide to get help with her drinking problem.

  "I'm just not used to being the screw up in the family," she confessed. "For most of my life I was the good kid and my brother Gary was the one always getting in trouble."