by Geonn Cannon
“I could maybe get into her work computer, see what she looked up after you left.”
Ari shook her head. “I doubt she would look up anything incriminating on her work computer. Isn’t it also… what’s the word…? Illegal! That’s the one.”
“Only if we use it in court.”
“You’re such a wild child,” Ari said.
Dale stuck her tongue out. “So we’ve met a mermaid, a gender-shifter, felidae… what else might be out there?”
“Vampires.”
Dale glared at her.
Ari shrugged. “Is it so hard to believe? There are werewolves in the world, there are mermaids, so why not a vampire?”
“I guess not. I can get used to wolves because… well…” She gestured at Ari. “And I never even considered mermaids until I saw one transform right in front of me. I guess I won’t buy vampires until one of them flashes their fangs at me. Fingers crossed it looks like Kate Beckinsale.”
“Cheers to that idea.”
After dinner they went to bed. Dale rolled over as soon as the lights were out, sliding her hand over Ari’s stomach to tease the waistband of her underwear. Ari lifted her head and found Dale’s lips in the dark, and they grappled for a bit under the blankets until Dale lifted up.
“Maybe I should hold back, just to prove to you that I’m not under the effects of whatever Parrish did to you.”
“Could you hold back?”
“Sure. It would suck, but I could go to sleep right now if I had to.”
Ari said, “And this morning at the office?”
“That was really touch and go.”
“I think that’s enough evidence.” Ari cupped the back of Dale’s head and pulled her down to continue their kiss. She would take Parrish at her word and hope that whatever effect she was having on the female population of Seattle would indeed fade by morning. The next day was Thanksgiving, so between Neka, Diana, and Lucy they were bound to have a good array of test subjects to determine if Ari’s desirability had returned to normal levels. Until then, she was just fine with the attentions of one woman in particular.
#
Afterward, and after an all-too-brief shared shower, they changed into their pajamas; Ari into a thermal undershirt and shorts while Dale chose an oversized T-shirt that hung enticingly off one shoulder. Ari rested her head on Dale’s chest and listened to the sound of her breathing. The room smelled of them both, of their lovemaking but also of Dale’s perfume and lotions and various beauty products. Before going to the cabin, she’d taken those scents for granted. Her canidae senses were so heightened that she had to ignore a vast majority of what she heard or smelled. But three months away had been too long.
She gathered a handful of Dale’s shirt and pressed her face against the material. Dale chuckled, brushed her hand down Ari’s back, and kissed her hair. “I missed you, too.”
Ari lifted her head. “There’s something I have to tell you. I don’t want you to panic or freak out. It’s just something you should know.”
“Okay…”
“When the pain was so bad, when I knew turning into the wolf would mean hours of agony afterward, I started thinking about what would happen if the bite didn’t work. If I ended up paralyzed and you had to take care of me. I thought about ending it all. Not seriously, not in a… planning way. But the thought was there.”
Dale guided Ari’s head to the pillow and rolled onto her side so they could face each other. “I knew.”
“You did?”
“I saw my mother when she got sick. When she thought that I was going to give up my chance to go to college just so I could take care of her, she had the same ideas. She figured she couldn’t get in the way if she wasn’t there, and I’d be free to do what I wanted. I could see some of the same things in your eyes. I was waiting for you to say something, but I understood why you didn’t. I just knew that you weren’t close to actually following through. And I understood the reasoning. You didn’t want to be a burden. You didn’t want my life to become all about taking care of you.”
“Right.”
“That’s not your choice.”
“I know.”
Dale cupped Ari’s cheek, extending her thumb to brush it over her bottom lip. “You’re an amazing thing, Ariadne Willow. If my purpose on Earth is to make your life a little easier, I consider that an honor. You save everyone, puppy. You need someone to look out for you, too. I love you. And if that means my job turns from receptionist to caregiver, then I’ll jump in with both feet. I know it doesn’t mean much now that the bite worked and you’re pain-free…”
“There’s still going to be pain. Even if it isn’t as bad.”
“So my massages?”
Ari smiled. “Keep them up. They’re worth your paycheck all by themselves.”
Dale kissed her. “Whatever happens, puppy, I’m in it for the long run.”
“Good. Me too… just for the record. No more pain, no more dark thoughts.”
“Good.” She kissed Ari again. “Now go to sleep.”
Ari slid closer to Dale, who wrapped her in a tight embrace.
Chapter Thirteen
Dale had arranged their Thanksgiving schedule when Ari wasn’t paying attention, making it the first thing she was thankful for on the holiday. Neka and Simon were having their meal at lunchtime, so Ari and Dale would eat with them before moving on to Diana and Lucy’s for pie and drinks. Dale spent the morning cooking and when the dish was ready, rather than going through the laundry room, they actually went outside and walked around the house to arrive through the front door like normal people. Their knock was answered by a short, scruffy guy wearing a blazer over a V-neck shirt. His eyes were about as wide as the smile that threatened to break his face in half as he looked at Dale and then at Ari.
“This must be the infamous Ariadne Willow!” He stuck his hand out. “I was starting to think Dale and Neka had just made you up. A private eye seemed too cool to be true. But here you are! Sorry, I’m rambling. Hi! I’m Simon.”
“Hi.” She shook his hand and stepped inside.
“We’re all set up in here. Why don’t you come in and… oh! You brought something. That’s cool. Here, let me take it from you. I’ll put it in the kitchen.” He took the dish from Dale and brought it to his face to smell it. “Oh, wow, what is that?”
“Southern cornbread,” Dale said. “It was my mother’s recipe.”
“Excellent! I’ll put this in the kitchen. Neka’s watching the game.”
He disappeared and Dale guided Ari toward the living room. Ari leaned close. “Now that is a puppy.”
Dale laughed. “He’s excitable. I’ll give you that. But you’re the only puppy here.”
Neka got up off the couch when she saw them. “Hey! Happy Thanksgiving!” She stepped around the table to give Dale a hug. “I’m going to tell you right now that I’m thankful to have you as tenants. I was afraid I’d get some convict or pervert or something, but you two have been amazing. Even if you do sometimes dog-sit for your friends.”
Ari said, “Hopefully Tule is well-behaved when she stays here.”
“Oh, she’s great. She’s great. Hardly notice her at all.” She looked toward the kitchen. “What did you bring? I’ve been smelling that all morning, and it’s driving me nuts.”
“Just cornbread.”
“It’s not just cornbread,” Ari said. “She’s made it for me before. It’s the most buttery, flaky thing you’ve ever tasted. I feel bad for your turkey. Its thunder is about to get stolen.”
Neka laughed. “It wouldn’t be tough, trust me. I’m not the best cook, but I try. I feel cooking is like dancing. Enthusiasm trumps skill every time.”
They went into the kitchen where Simon was checking the turkey. “Almost done!”
Ari said, “I thought Neka was supposed to be cooking for you.”
“That was the plan,” he said with a chuckle. “But I think we established who has that skill in the relationship. But it’s the
thought that counts.”
“What can I do to help?” Ari asked, unbuttoning her cuffs to roll up her sleeves.
The meal was served promptly at noon, and Dale’s cornbread proved to be even better combined with Simon’s gravy. The rest of the food was equally delicious, even the parts Neka claimed to have screwed up. They chatted about work - Neka was in school learning to build boats, which Ari found endlessly fascinating - and Ari gave them a few juicy tidbits about her life as a private investigator. She left out client details, and also any wolf-related activity, but still managed to have them hanging on every word.
Eventually it came time to say goodbye and move on to the next engagement. Ari apologized for the dine-and-dash, but Neka assured her that she and Simon would just spend the rest of the day watching Netflix or football games. Ari thanked her for the delicious meal, then went outside to wait while Dale retrieved the second dish of cornbread from their apartment. She called Diana to let her know they were en route, then headed out.
“Neka didn’t seem to be overwhelmed with desire for you,” Dale pointed out. “Neither did Simon.”
“Yeah, but if the theory that Diana wasn’t affected because of her commitment to Lucy…”
Dale shrugged. “True. But I still think we can relax a little bit.”
“Let’s hope.”
At the car, Dale said, “You know, we could swing by your mother’s place real easy. It’s on the way to the Macallan household.”
“Drop in unannounced on Thanksgiving? Rude.”
“I’m sure you have an open invitation. I’m sure we both do.”
Ari said, “I’ve kind of had my fill of her recently. Is that okay?”
Dale said, “As long as that’s all it is. I’m worried something happened between you two.”
“No, nothing happened. We’re better than ever. We just…” She sighed and looked at Dale over the top of the car. “I spent three months with her wishing I was with you. Now that I’m with you, I don’t want to share you with her. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah. But I want to see her at some point. I’ve never had a girlfriend’s mother tell me to call her ‘Mom’ before.”
Ari smiled in a way Dale found odd. “Yeah…”
“What?”
“Nothing. To Diana’s!”
“To Diana’s,” Dale said, putting a pin in the conversation but not forgetting it.
Diana and Lucy lived in a picturesque townhouse in North Seattle. It was a gorgeous neighborhood that was closer to ‘white-picket fence’ than Ari had ever imagined for Diana. They found a place to park amid the fleet of cars and trucks lining both sides of the road and walked the rest of the way. Diana greeted them on the porch and escorted them inside, which was still rich with the smells of turkey and stuffing. The odor of the meal was threatened by the smell of baking pies. Through the living room, Ari could see into the kitchen. A redheaded woman wearing a black sweater was setting the places, her pulled-back hair falling over a pair of thick square-framed eyeglasses. Ari slowed at the sight of the woman, then recognized her from the photo.
“You must be Lucy. The pictures I saw were blonde.”
Lucy grinned. “I go back and forth.” She wiped her hands on a towel and came around the table with one hand extended. “It’s so great to finally meet you, Ariadne. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You too. You’re an artist, right?”
“Artist, illustrator, kid who never stopped drawing on the walls.” She chuckled. “And you’re the private eye. The fact Di even gives you the time of day proves you’re something special.”
Ari said, “I hope so.”
Lucy pointed at Dale. “You, I know less about. So let’s get to know each other while our ladies prepare the pies. I want pecan.”
Dale said, “Is there apple?”
“Apple for Dale,” Ari said. “Got it.”
Lucy guided Dale into the living room. Ari and Diana moved to the stove, and Diana lowered her voice. “Staying out of trouble today?”
“No kidnapping attempts yet.”
“Good girl. A bunch of officers raided the Flex gym and picked up two of the Creep Cousins.”
Ari smirked. “I’m glad that name is catching on.”
“It’s apt.”
“Which two?”
“We matched two of the guys to the description you gave. Mike and Joel Murphy. They were the only ones we could put on-site for the attempted kidnapping. Lots of paper on both of them. Assault and battery, theft, property damage, general asshole behavior. They’ve also been picked up on drug-related charges. Sometimes they were picked up with accomplices, and I think that will help us tie together the rest of the Flex gang. Their rap sheets were eclectic enough that I figure there’s only one of two explanations for it. One, either they just break the law with no rhyme or reason. Or…”
“They’re hired out and do the dirty work of whoever is paying.”
Diana nodded. “Whipped cream is in the fridge. We’re letting them chill out over the holiday. Tomorrow I’m going to see what I can get out of them after they’ve had some time to sit and think. Hopefully whoever they were hired by isn’t scary enough to risk going to jail for.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“Fingers crossed. And you need to be careful. We got the Murphy brothers, but judging from their ‘known associates’ crossover, there are three others we weren’t able to get. At least one of them probably saw you take down the goons, so they know what you look like. Keep your eyes open, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay, with that out of the way, no more business talk.”
“Deal.”
They each took two plates and went to find their respective partners.
#
After having their pie, while they were watching football, Lucy picked up a pad and began doodling. When Ari and Dale decided it was time to leave, she tore off the top sheet and handed it to them. Ari was shocked to see a crude but incredibly detailed sketch of her and Dale. “It’s just something I do with my hands to keep them busy. You don’t have to keep it or anything.”
“This is amazing. Thank you.” She hugged Lucy and showed the picture to Dale. “We’ll be back sometime before next Thanksgiving. Promise.”
“You’re more than welcome,” Diana said.
They finished saying their goodbyes and started the walk to the car. Dale took Ari’s hand. “Diana is so… grown-up.”
Ari laughed. “Yeah. I get what you mean.”
“Do you imagine something like this for us one day?”
“Absolutely. We could get one of these townhouses. Live like real adults instead of in a basement.” She tightened her grip on Dale’s hand and stepped in front of her. “The wolf loves you.”
Dale raised her eyebrows. “Was that in question?”
“For me, a little bit. Yeah. When the subject of being bitten came up, my mother started talking about ‘real’ canidae. That meant no pain, changing like every other wolf in the world, but it also made me think about the fact that no canidae has ever had a real relationship with a human.”
“Agatha and Johanna…”
“Yeah, two hundred years ago, there was one relationship forged during a war. You and I weren’t forced together. We just… we just…” She brushed the hair out of Dale’s face. “We just found each other. I thought maybe the wolf would fight that once she was at full strength. That was one reason I waited so long to go through with it. I was able to live with the pain if it meant I could still love you.”
Dale smiled, her eyes wet. “And?”
“What do you mean ‘and’?” Ari smiled and brushed Dale’s cheek. “I love you as much, maybe more, than I ever did before. You’re the woman who saved my life. And then saved it again, and again, and again. You know, it’s almost a habit with you, now that I’m thinking about it.”
“Purely selfish motivation,” Dale said. “My life is better with you in it.”
“Ditto. I
’m thankful for you, Dale Elizabeth Frye. I’m glad those punks decided to start beating my ass. If they hadn’t, you would have just kept walking and we’d never have met.”
Dale hugged Ari tightly. “I kind of like this holiday confessional thing. I’m thankful for you, Ariadne Willow. I didn’t know what I wanted to do or who I was going to be. I thought I would end up working in some office or behind a counter with a name tag on my chest like I did this summer. You gave me a career. You let me do something I love more than anything. I can never repay you for that.”
Ari’s smile wavered.
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” Ari said. “Cecily Parrish offered me a job with her firm.”
Dale blinked in surprise. “Wow. That’s unexpected. Was that what she wanted to see you about last week?” Ari nodded. “What did you say?”
“I asked for time to think about it. I would still be a private investigator, I would just be in-house. I’d be on retainer with them. I would have a steady paycheck, an office, and it would probably be a lot less dangerous than some of the cases we’ve worked lately. No Wayne Francis Corbett or Katherine Gavin. No one throwing a drink in my face when I serve them with divorce papers.”
Dale’s voice was soft. “Doesn’t sound like there’s a lot of room for me or Bitches in that scenario.”
“That’s why I didn’t say yes. It’s why I’m not going to say yes. I can’t just scuttle the agency and drop you.”
“You can so.” Dale took Ari’s hands. “Your business, your decision. This is the next logical step in the evolution of the agency. If you decide to take it, I’ll find something else to do. Maybe I could get a job at the police station or intern at Parrish’s law firm. And if you want to keep things the way they are, I can get behind that, too. Make the decision that’s right for you, and for us, and I’ll go along with it. Even if Bitches goes away, you’re stuck with me in your life.”
Ari laughed. She kissed Dale’s forehead and took her hand to continue the walk to the car. “I’m not sure it would be wise to work with Parrish if something in her office really did turn me into some kind of sex magnet.”
