by Geonn Cannon
“Mm,” Shane said. Her voice was husky, and it was the sexiest thing Molly could remember hearing. “I thought you’d left.”
“No. I was thirsty. MSG gives me heartburn.”
“Do you want an antacid?”
“No, milk helps.”
“You should still take an antacid. Milk can just make heartburn worse.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” Shane went to the cabinet and found a clear plastic bottle. She handed it to Molly and watched as she tapped out two pills. Shane rubbed her eyes and leaned against the counter as Molly chewed on the chalky white tablets. “You can stay the night if you want.”
Molly smiled. “I was planning to.”
The sleepy smile Shane offered made Molly quake. The innocence of it, the peace behind the expression, made Molly love her even more. The thought froze in her brain, and she looked down at her glass.
Shane tilted her head to the side. “What?”
Molly laughed out loud. “Like a book, huh?”
“Yeah. What did you just think?”
“That I might love you.”
Shane ducked her head, and blonde hair fell into her eyes. She stepped away from the counter and tugged her T-shirt down into place. “Oh. Is that all?” She looked up and revealed her eyes were moist. “Are you coming back to bed or what?”
“Yeah,” Molly said. She poured the rest of the milk down the sink, looked out the window at the moon, and then crossed the living room to join Shane in bed. When she passed the dining room table, she spotted the folded fortune from Shane’s cookie. Shane had already retreated into the bedroom, so Molly picked up the paper and unfolded it to read what had been written in the stars.
“You will have a wonderful evening.”
“In bed,” Molly added with a smile. No wonder Shane had kept it under wraps. She must have been worried about jinxing it. Molly put the fortune down and walked to the bedroom door.
Who was she to argue with the fates? She and Shane could work out the mechanics of being in love in the morning.
Epilogue
Molly woke wrapped up in Shane. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and one leg had insinuated itself between Molly’s thighs. She felt Shane’s warm breath against her shoulder, and gently, moving slowly so that she wouldn’t wake Shane, she changed positions. Once she was on her back, she repositioned Shane so that her head was resting against Molly’s chest. Shane murmured in her sleep and tightened her hand on Molly’s stomach. She came to a few seconds later and turned her head to kiss the swell of Molly’s breast through her thin pajama top. “What time is it?” she groaned.
“Almost seven.”
Shane groaned. “We should get up.”
Molly reluctantly let Shane pull herself free and watched as she climbed out of bed. She was wearing cut-off sweatpants and a thin white tank top that showed off the muscles of her back. She pulled off the tank top and revealed the tattoo on her right shoulder. The words formed a gentle crescent, following the natural curve of her shoulder. The letters were tiny and red: “Cygnus Inter Anates.”
Molly had asked what the phrase meant their first night together, but Shane had been too embarrassed to translate it. Molly finally looked it up herself and discovered it meant “swan among ducks.” Shane had blushed and tucked a hair behind her ear and explained, “I had a bit of a superiority complex when I was a teenager.” Molly had kissed her and assured her that the tattoo was very fitting.
While Shane dressed, Molly climbed out from under the covers on the opposite side of the bed and wiped the sleep out of her eyes as she stumbled to the bathroom. Her toothbrush stood in its cup, but her toothpaste was sitting uncapped next to the sink. “Shane, did you use my toothpaste last night?”
“Oh. Sorry, babe.”
Molly sighed and brushed off the dried crust at the mouth of the tube. As she brushed, Shane came in, and Molly playfully kicked at her. Shane ducked away from the blow and said, “I’m going to take the first shower.”
“Okay,” Molly mumbled around her mouthful. She held her hair out of the way and spit the frothy mouthful of Crest into the sink. She ran the tap and took a drink of water to wash her mouth out. When she was done, she capped her toothpaste, rinsed out the brush, and returned everything to its rightful place. She walked to the shower and pushed the curtain out of the way.
Shane had her body twisted to wet her hair under the spray, so she saw Molly’s head appear. Molly said, “Next time, cap my toothpaste if you use it.”
“Okay,” Shane said. “You want to hop in here with me?”
Molly hesitated but shook her head. “No, it’ll be quicker if I just take one after you’re done. Try not to use all the hot water.”
Shane grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
Molly let the curtain fall and headed to the kitchen to start their breakfast. Shane liked Pop Tarts -- mainly because they were extremely easy to make -- but Molly liked to go all out. Bacon, eggs, sausage, and orange juice. She would start it while Shane was in the shower, Shane would finish it while Molly showered, and then they would sit and eat together before heading to work. They had fallen into the routine so easily it was almost second nature by now.
She paused as she cracked an egg and considered how much her life had changed in one simple year. Shane had moved in with her five months ago. Clifton had been unbelievably accommodating when they came out to him and revealed they were a couple. The restaurant had even hired a new cook to replace Tatum, and soon they were able to take the occasional day off together. Molly still had trouble leaving the kitchen in the hands of someone else, but being with Shane helped alleviate her anxiety.
Shane came out of the bedroom dressed in blue jeans and a T-shirt. She waved Molly away from the stove and said, “Shower’s yours.”
Molly stepped back, but before Shane could get close to the stove, Molly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a kiss. Shane moaned into the kiss, her hands resting on Molly’s chest. When they parted, Shane said, “What was that for?”
“Happy one-year anniversary.”
Shane grinned. “You’ve still got a week or so.”
“I know,” Molly said. “Consider that a prelude.” She bent in and kissed Shane again. When she pulled back, she said, “And you used my toothpaste again.”
Shane pushed Molly away. “Go take your shower. You stink.”
Molly swatted Shane’s ass and went to the bathroom. Despite the taste of Crest in Shane’s mouth, Molly discovered that her toothpaste tube was capped and back in the right place. “Good girl.” she called.
“I owe you a spanking now. My spanking was totally unjustified.”
Molly shut the bathroom door and shivered. She could hardly wait.
##
The day was unseasonably cold. Heavy black rain clouds hung low over the island, but so far they hadn’t made good on their threat. Molly parked on the side of the gravel road and held Shane’s hand as they walked down the slope. They had left Gail’s on their lunch break, leaving the kitchen in Lilly’s hands for the time being so they would be able to come out to this place. Shane clung to Molly, lightly scratching Molly’s arm through the sleeve of her jacket. Shane rested her head on Molly’s shoulder as they came to a stop. “It’s a nice place,” Shane said.
Molly nodded.
Shane lifted her head and looked around. “Are you sure she’s coming?”
“She called from SeaTac last night,” Molly said.
“How is she...dealing with everything?”
Molly smiled. “She decided to stick it out. For April. She said it was a sort of tribute. It was rough going the first couple of months, and some teachers made a stink at the PTA meetings, but she stuck it out. She said it’s been calming down slowly but surely. She's going to make it.”
“April would have been proud.”
“She knew how tough Robin was.”
As if on cue, they heard the crunch of gravel underneath tires. They turned and watche
d the rental car slide in behind Molly’s. Shane moved her hand to Molly’s and squeezed. “You gonna be okay?”
Molly nodded.
Robin climbed out of the car, wrapped her coat around herself, and walked down the slope. “Hi,” she called.
“Hi,” Molly said. When Robin reached them, Molly said, “This is Shane Sanborn, my partner. Shane Sanborn, this is Robin Fraser, my sister’s widow.”
Robin took off her glove and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you. Partner as in business or...?”
“Both,” Molly said.
Shane smiled. “Nice to meet you, too,” she said. She turned to Molly and lowered her voice. “Do you want me to stay for a bit?”
“No,” Molly said. She kissed Shane’s lips and said, “But thank you. You should get back to the kitchen.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”
Molly mouthed “yeah” and let her hands slide out of Shane’s.
Shane stepped back and smiled politely to Robin before she started back up the slope. She got into Molly’s car and pulled away from the shoulder.
Molly watched Shane drive off, but Robin was focused on the grave marker. The funeral home, or whoever was in charge of such things, had finally gotten the name and dates carved into the stone. APRIL POLLY PAGE. Born, 1973. Died, 2008. They stared at the simple gray stone for a moment before Robin decided something needed to be said. She ran her hand over the curved top and said, “It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah,” Molly said. “I’m sorry she’s not closer to you.”
“No, it’s fine,” Robin said. “She belongs here. Besides, it gives me a chance to come see you.” She forced a smile, but Molly could see the pain underneath it.
“I know it’s hard.”
Robin nodded. She sniffled and wiped at her cheek in case one of her tears had slipped free. “I’m glad you don’t mind. I mean, I’m...I’m glad you agreed to spend the day with me.”
“Of course,” Molly said. “I have a ton of April stories I haven’t had a chance to tell you.”
Robin laughed and brushed her hand over the face of the headstone. “I want to bring her flowers.”
“We’ll get some,” Molly promised. “We can come back later this afternoon.”
Robin sniffed and whispered something Molly couldn’t and didn’t even try to hear. She rested her hand against April’s name and then turned away. “All right. What’s the plan for today?”
Molly started towards Robin’s car. “Well, you never got to see Sholeh Village the last time you were here. How about we start there? It’s not exactly whale-watching weather, but...”
“Sounds good.”
Halfway up the hill, Molly said, “Did I tell you about the time April and I went to a museum in Seattle and tried to drive the guide crazy?”
Robin laughed and said, “No.”
“Well, we were in different classes that year. But we both took field trips on the same day. So we got to the...”
The wind blew across their backs, lifting Molly’s hair and whipping Robin’s jacket around her body. They stopped and looked at the sky, but the wind gust was apparently an anomaly. Molly glanced back at the tombstone and said, “Screw you, I’m telling her. You hear me?” she screamed at the sky, “I’m telling her everything!”
Molly looked at Robin and saw that she was smiling. Molly cleared her throat and said, “Sorry about that. Now where was I?”
About the Author
Geonn Cannon was born on the fortieth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. After almost twenty years, he is cat-less (goodbye, Sahara!). He writes to get the ideas out of his head so he won't mumble to himself in public (which he already does a little more than is socially acceptable). He currently lives in Yukon, Oklahoma, although his mind is still stuck in Washington state. If you see it wandering around the shoreline, just make sure it's warm and comfortable and leave it be.
