by CJ Murphy
Val exited to find Laurel at the counter with Beth, looking over the order forms for the following week. Mule and Bobeye sat around the stove, arguing about something in the newspaper. Wunder bused a table and made a small child laugh. All of the sights and sounds around her were comforting, like a long-lost friend. She felt an arm glide around her side and could tell who it was by the soft whisper of vanilla and coconut.
“You about ready to go home?” Laurel asked. “You look a little pale. I want you to take a pill before we go. Let it get into your system. After we get to the house, it’s straight to bed.”
“I like the sound of that.” Val wagged her eyebrows.
Laurel blushed. “Your thoughts are writing those checks again. Behave. I’ll be right back.” Laurel went to pour Val a glass of chocolate milk. Wunder stood near the dispenser drinking his own glass. Val watched as Wunder spoke to Laurel and took the glass from her. He came over to where she was standing and handed it to her. They sat down in the chairs near the checker board and Val dutifully took out her pills, downing the milk slowly. She looked back up in time to see Laurel head through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
***
Laurel allowed the doors to swing closed behind her, relishing the familiarity of the kitchen. The heat from the deep fryers turned the whole place into an oven and the smell of fried chicken filled the air. Home.
Ree walked up beside her. “I sure have missed ya. Val looks like she’s doin’ good. She’s hidin’ how much she’s hurtin’, though.”
“I had her take a pain pill. By the time I get her to the house, she’ll pass out for a few hours and will look better this evening.”
“How about you? Ya look like ya haven’t got much sleep of late.”
Laurel hugged her grandmother tightly, allowing herself to become lost in the arms she’d sought solace in so many times. “She’s got things eating her up inside. She has flashbacks and crawls across the floor looking for cover. She’ll break out into a sweat, and her mind’s right back there in the desert. We stayed with her therapist and best friend. Having to go back to the hospital where so many things happened was hard. The surgeon who fixed her shoulder is the same one who amputated her leg in Iraq. I’ve seen her terrified, and I’m helpless to do anything to stop that.” Tears welled up and sat heavily on her lashes.
“What did her therapist say?”
Laurel stood, wiping tears from her cheeks. “Liz said I actually help bring her out of it faster. She taught me a few things to say.”
“Let’s walk out back for a minute. I need some air. This kitchen is blazin’ with the twins workin’ on the fried chicken.”
Each took a rocker as they reached the wide back porch. Laurel had snapped and shelled more beans than she could count here since her childhood. It looked over the park area of the attraction. Steam engines, iron tractors, and other equipment dotted the tree-covered area. Children climbed on the seats and let their imaginations take them to a different time as they ran around on the sun-dappled grass.
After a moment, Ree spoke. “Now ya also know I’m one ta speak my mind.”
Laurel laughed. “You speak your mind? I’m shocked.”
“Don’t you be sassin’ me, Liebchen, I can still send ya to cut a sprig of forsythia.”
They both raised their pinkies, laughter rolling off the porch. Laurel grinned with deep affection for the woman beside her. “I’m not sure how many switches I cut as a kid, but damn if I can ever remember you using one on me.”
“A lot of that was bluffing. You and Viking slept together yet?”
Laurel’s faced burned. It wasn’t as if she and Gram never talked about sex. Gram was the one who’d explained the birds and the bees to her, talking to her as she’d grown old enough to need answers. This seemed different in some way. “Yes.”
“And she knows everythin’?”
“Not everything. I haven’t told her my fear of the future.”
“How’d she react?”
Laurel laughed. “Pissed. Put me in my place, right proper. Reminded me I’d seen all her scars and didn’t see her as less than a whole person.” She dropped her head back and closed her eyes, remembering the first time Val had touched her. “She made love to me in a way I never thought was possible. I didn’t think about the reconstruction or the cancer possibilities. All I could think about was how she made me feel.”
“Then it’s love.” Ree put her weathered hand on Laurel’s cheek. “I best get back to it. You go take our girl home.”
Laurel rose and clung to her grandmother, letting the words sink in under the caress of her weathered hands. “See you at home.”
After they reached the house, Laurel took Val straight to bed and settled her under a light sheet. The room smelled of the mountain laurel planted outside the open window. “I’ll be right back. I want to put something in the oven for dinner, then I’ll come and lie down with you.” Laurel leaned over and kissed Val. Her eyes were already growing heavy, but she held on to Laurel. “I promise, I’ll be right back.”
Val released her and Laurel made her way to the kitchen. She was just as comfortable cooking a meal here as she was helping in the kitchen at the diner. She pulled out the Crock-Pot and went about filling it with ingredients for a pot roast with the vegetables she and her Gram grew in their own garden. Gram always said that fixing someone a meal was an intimate thing because they would feed their body and spirit from what you’d prepared. Thinking about all the meals her Gram fixed made her smile knowing she was now doing this for her family. Laurel placed everything in the slow cooker and poured some beef stock in with it. She changed into a pair of shorts and crawled into bed with Val.
Sliding under the sheet and into Val’s open arm felt so natural. “You okay?”
Val hummed.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Get some sleep, love.” Laurel kissed her cheek and let her own exhaustion take over.
Both slept until they heard car doors three hours later. Laurel urged Val to stay in bed while she went to catch up with Beth. Val nodded and drifted back to sleep. Laurel went to the kitchen and helped unload groceries. Everything was put away and Gram went to catch the evening news before dinner. Beth and Laurel made their way to the swing on the front porch.
They had been best friends since infancy. There were no secrets between them and there was no embarrassment as they talked of love and sex. Laurel thought she’d been in love with Beth at one time. As they grew older, it was obvious the love wasn’t sexual in nature. It was a kindred spirit love that allowed them to be more than friends, more than sisters.
Beth rolled her head to the side. “Ok, fess up, how was the sex?”
“Mind blowing. I’ve never felt that way. It’s not like I slept around. The last one I let touch me never made me feel that way.”
“Abby?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t that she wasn’t attentive or acted turned off, it’s just the difference between the way Val touches me and the way Abby did. There’s no comparison. Val engaged all my senses. For once, none of the other mattered except her touch.”
Beth flapped her shirt away from her body. “Whew, I need a cold shower now.”
“You jerk.”
Beth gave her a little nudge. “I’m happy for you. So, when does she start therapy?”
Laurel sneered. “Cat didn’t want her to wait too long. We have an appointment with Fallon tomorrow morning. They may not start yet, but she needs the consult so they can set up a course of treatment and appointment schedule.”
Beth furrowed her brow. “Every time you say the name Cat, you might as well be taking a spoonful of cod liver oil. You really don’t like that woman.”
Laurel’s jaw tightened and jumped. “That’s an understatement. That woman makes the hair on my neck stand up. She’s used to getting her way, but this time, she’s met her match.”
“That’s my girl. Now let’s go back in and see if Ree needs anything. I’m no substitute for you, that’s fo
r sure. I think we’ve done pretty well. I’m positive I got on her nerves. I wasn’t about to let anything happen to her while you were dealing with Val’s surgery.” She lifted Laurel’s hand and clapped hers against it. “Tag, you’re it.”
They both laughed and went back inside. They found Val up and in conversation with Ree in the kitchen. Laurel walked around to Val’s back and her hand squeezed Val’s neck as she kissed her on the head.
“Need anything?”
Val raised her eyebrows up and down provocatively at Laurel. A smile quirked across her face.
With the roast almost done, they set about making rolls. Laurel cut some greens for a salad while laughing at the stories being told. Val had many adventures that never made it into the magazine, making them all new to the three women involved in the food preparation. She helped set the table after Laurel carried the plates over. The kitchen smelled heavenly as the roast was sliced and everyone made their way to their seats. Ree announced that she wanted to say grace. Around the table the four held hands, with Beth placing a hand on Val’s injured arm.
“Lord, we have much to be grateful for. My girls are home, and Beth didn’t kill me for treating her the way I do Laurel. We’re thankful to be able to be together, and we ask you to watch over us. As my momma used to say, thank God for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell. While others may go hungry, we’re eating very well. Amen.”
Laurel chuckled a little and touched Val on the arm. “Need me to cut your roast?”
Val shook her head. “I saw the way it came out of that pot, practically falling apart. I’ll try and see if I can cut it with my fork .
Laurel leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. It was a simple thing, a meal with your family, and Laurel felt like the luckiest woman alive to have the people she loved most around her.
Ree looked at Val and Laurel. “You two can come to the store after your appointment. Come have lunch and let me know how it went.”
Dinner was finished in comfortable companionship. The dishes were washed and put away and the four sat talking over coffee. Beth yawned and excused herself to go home. Laurel took Val by the hand and directed them both to her room.
“Ree’s not going to be upset if I sleep with you, is she?”
“Did you hear Gram make the statement that she wants great grandchildren? I think she’d be pissed if I don’t sleep with you.”
Val shook her head in laughter. “I heard. Even if I sleep in the same room with you, I’m not sure we’re going to be able to accomplish that.” She walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She was getting better at doing this left handed. The movement was still jerky and foreign to her, resulting in as much toothpaste on the outside of her mouth as was in. She looked to her side to see Laurel stifling laughter with a hand over her mouth. “Think this is funny, huh? You try brushing with your left hand.”
Laurel watched Val and knew she’d never grow tired of lying down with Val every night for the rest of her life.
Chapter Twenty-Two
MORNING CAME ALL TOO quickly and another day dawned. Val rubbed a hand across her face to clear the sleep away as she walked to the kitchen.
Laurel gave her a light kiss. “Morning. How are you?”
“I can tell it’s time for a pain pill. Think we can we cut them in half? I get too groggy with a whole one.”
Laurel frowned. “We’re going to see Fallon. She might want to manipulate that joint, and you don’t want to do that un-medicated.”
Val rocked her head back and forth. “I’m pretty good at judging what my pain tolerance is. I think I’ll be okay. Worst comes to worst, we can take the other half right before we go see her, agreed?”
“You know your body better than anyone.” Laurel smirked. “At least parts of it, anyway.”
Val gathered her closer. “I’m hoping you get to know it a whole lot better.”
Laurel pulled away with a groan. “Breakfast time. Sit down. I’ll get you some coffee.”
Ree walked by her and touched her good shoulder. “How’d ya sleep?”
“Good. I slept like a baby.”
“The mountains can do that to ya. They have a special way of making ya feel protected and a part of something deeper than yourself. They ground me.” Ree sat a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Val.
Val looked at the two women around the table. “In all the traveling I’ve done, I don’t know that any place ever called to me the way this one has. I have no doubt it’s more about the people I’ve found here than the place itself.” She bit into the biscuit, dripping with homemade strawberry jam. An explosion of sweet flavor hit her tongue.
The back door opened, and Beth strode in. She kissed Ree on the cheek and took her place at the table. Beth and Laurel started talking about something from the store. Val envied the two women. It was obvious they were as close as any sisters could be. She was grateful Laurel had Beth and having more people as close family made her happy. Her closest friends were Jo and Liz. Not sure where I’d be without those two. She wanted to call them after therapy and fill them in on the course of treatment. She also needed to call her boss. There was no way she’d be back on a motorcycle any time soon, but she couldn’t disappear from her readers. She needed to write a short story of what happened, explaining she’d be four wheel bound for a while. She had another idea rolling around in her head though, a series of quirky articles about the store and its characters. A fellow journalist friend had been trying for years to get her to expand her work to include some feature pieces for the magazine. Maybe she should explore that. Her mind was lost in a million possibilities. The sound of her name brought her back to the present.
“What do you think, Val?” Beth asked.
“I’m sorry. I was lost in my thoughts. What did you say?”
Laurel’s brow furrowed. “You okay, honey?”
“I’m fine. Just thinking of a series of articles. Now what did you ask, Beth?”
“A man came by a few days ago wanting to upgrade our postcards. Said he had a new series of images.”
Laurel broke in. “We’ve been using the same company for years. They sell okay, nothing to write home about, excuse the pun.”
Val rolled her eyes. “I’ve got a better idea. There are companies out there that will turn photos into postcards for you. Personalized with a message from the store. I could take the photos and we could offer larger prints for sale too. There are dozens of places around this area to take wildlife and nature photos.”
“Oh, Val, we couldn’t ask you to do that,” Laurel said.
“Are you going to let me pay you for room, board, and travel while I’m here?”
Ree sat back in her seat, lips pursed. “That jam go to your head in a sugar rush, child? There’ll be no paying for ya being here.”
Val turned her palm up. “Then how can you not let me do this for you? I’ll need to replace my camera lenses anyway. Digital photography makes it cost effective, and I already have the editing software. If I truly am part of this family, then let me pull my weight. Right now, I’d only be a terrible bus boy, an inept waitress, and you don’t want me anywhere near a cook stove. This is what I do. And I’m good at it.”
Laurel chuckled. “Well played, Viking.”
Val grinned. “Now for a while, I’m pretty sure I’ll have to have someone drive me. It won’t be too long before I’ll have both my arms back in working order. Then I can do a lot of this on my own while you guys work at the store. I need to take some time to work on Maggie May with Bobeye, and even Wunder’s offered to help.”
Ree crossed her arms and squinted at her. Val could see the gears turning. She could also see the woman coming to a decision.
“I’ll agree to this with one condition. Ya put the picture postcards thing together. Ya get the sale on them prints you’re a talkin’ about. Now ya mind me, no sweet talk’s gonna work.” Ree pointed her finger between the two other women at the table. “Ask both them younguns’ there.” She looked at Laurel
and Beth. “Once I make up my mind, there’s no changin’ it.”
Val looked at the two women between her and Ree.
Laurel held her hands up. “Don’t look at me. I learned a long time ago, you can’t move a mountain. You can go around it or over it. Either way it’s easier to accept that the mountain is there and work with it.” Laurel grinned and squeezed Val’s hand. “I suspect you’re starting to see that I come by my stubbornness honestly.”
Val shook her head and took another bite of biscuit. “Agreed.”
“Now that we’ve settled that, we need to finish up and get a move on, Beth.”
Beth smirked and finished her breakfast.
“I’ll get the dishes. You two head out to the store. If Val feels up to it, we’ll drop by there after her appointment.” Laurel rose and hugged her grandmother.
The four women finished breakfast in comfortable silences. Val had never, ever experienced such warmth and concern. She caught Laurel looking at her and reached out to hold her hand. The look that passed between them was pure love. Beth and Ree left as Laurel began to clear the table.
Val picked up a plate. “I can at least help with the clearing. I’m not sure how good a one-handed dish washer I’d be either.”
Laurel smacked her forehead. “We should talk to Daren. He’s probably analyzed the data from the last twenty-four hours.” You need to go get ready. I’ll clean up the kitchen. Your appointment is in two hours. Cat said there was a specific course of treatment she wanted you to follow. Something about teaching your deltoid muscle to assist the damaged tendons and muscles. I didn’t understand all of it, but Fallon will.”
Val kissed her and kept kissing her until Laurel’s lips parted to allow her tongue to enter. With her good hand, she reached under Laurel’s shirt to find the bare skin of her lower back. She let her fingers play in the hollow dip at the base of her spine and watched as Laurel’s face took on one of desire. She kissed her again.
Laurel stepped back and took Val’s hand out from under her shirt. “You play dirty, Viking. Go get ready.”
