“What do you mean by ‘someone like her’?” Kylie asked.
Jodie grinned and shook her head. “Kylie, look at her. She’s gorgeous and classy, and he’s a big, fat slob. Do the math. Duh. I thought you were the
brainiac
.”
“You graduated where, Kyl?” Lynne’s words brimmed with laughter.
Kylie looked in her boss’s direction again. There was no denying that LJ Evans was attractive—
beautiful
was a better word. She had noted that fact when they first met, but seeing her in this setting made it all the more obvious. “You’re right, she is way too good for that guy.” She looked at her friends. “I can’t believe it. She’s also my boss.”
“Get out. You can’t be serious,” Jodie said.
Kylie raised her eyebrows. “I wonder why she’s here.”
“Probably for the music.” Jodie took a swig of her beer.
“She’s definitely not how I pictured her,” Lynne said. “I thought she’d be in khakis with a vest, boots, and a fedora.” She pointed her beer bottle in LJ’s direction. “I’d never guess the woman sitting over there is a renowned archaeologist.”
“She certainly doesn’t fit the stereotype,” Jodie added.
“No, she doesn’t.” Kylie looked at her friends. “Do you think I should go say hi?”
“You said she wasn’t particularly friendly, Kyl, so going up to her might not be a good idea.” Lynne shrugged. “Just
sayin
’.”
Kylie nodded in agreement as the band took to the stage to begin their set. Cassie, the lead singer, looked every bit the part. Her spiked, short hair was green, she had pierced eyebrows, and when she opened her mouth and held a long note, Kylie could see the piercing on her tongue. As it should be, the other three members of the band were rather bland in comparison. But when Cassie started to sing, her smooth and mellow sound made the listener forget all about her appearance.
“Wow! Are they great or what?” Jodie shouted over the music.
Every now and then Kylie glanced over to where LJ was sitting and weighed the wisdom of going over and saying hello. If LJ saw her there and she didn’t say something, it might look bad. But the idea of speaking with LJ in such a different place than work was strange, and she felt out of her element. This was a night out with her friends, and LJ Evans didn’t fit into that equation.
When the band took a break, Kylie decided she should approach LJ first on the off chance that she’d seen her there. “My turn to buy, who wants another?” she asked her friends. “I think I should stop by and say hi just in case she saw me.”
“You’re probably right.” Lynne held up her bottle. “I’ll have another one.”
“Me too.” Jodie grinned. “Good luck.”
Kylie wove her way through the crowd as she headed to the bar and was surprised when LJ came into view again. The singer was leaning into her in a provocative manner. Kylie squinted, wondering what was going on, and finally it dawned on her. She moved forward but the crowd made her stop when she was opposite LJ. It appeared she was getting up to leave with the singer, and at that moment blue eyes turned in her direction. Kylie looked away in embarrassment and made her way to the bar, where she got the bartender’s attention and placed her order for three beers. Several of the band members were standing next to her, and she found it difficult not to overhear their conversation.
Back at the table, Kylie gave her friends their drinks and shook her head. “Did you see my boss and that singer?”
“No,” Lynne and Jo answered simultaneously.
“A couple of the band members were at the bar talking about it.”
“What did they say?” Lynne asked.
“Basically that it looked like the singer was
gonna
get lucky and after the break
they’d only be doing love songs
. One of them said there was pure desire in my boss’s eyes. Since she and my boss went outside together, I figured they are going to….” She looked away. “You know.”
Jodie scrunched her eyebrows together. “I would think the songs are prearranged.”
Lynne shook her head. “Duh! You aren’t listening. Kylie’s boss and the singer are going to make out or maybe more.”
“She’s gay! Yuck. Kyl, did you know that?” Jodie asked.
Kylie shook her head.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being a lesbian,” Lynne said. “If I recall correctly, a few of our sorority sisters were lesbians.”
“Oh, I know and I don’t have a problem with it really…it’s just…I don’t know….” Jodie shrugged. “I’m just being silly. Everyone has a right to live the life they want, but it just isn’t a lifestyle I’d choose. Life is too difficult to add something that not everyone accepts to it.”
“I don’t think it’s a conscious choice, Jo.” Lynne took a long swig of her beer. “What do you think, Kyl?”
“Who you love isn’t a choice,” she said petulantly.
Jodie held up her bottle. “To love.” They clinked their bottles together. “I love this place. It has so many interesting people.”
“Hey, look over there. That guy is hitting on someone else.” Lynne laughed. “Think he ever gets lucky?”
Jodie laughed too. “If he does, it’s just wrong.”
Kylie listened, trying to ignore the nauseous feeling in her stomach. It had to be the beer along with the fact that she hadn’t eaten since lunch.
“Is everything okay? You don’t look so good.” Jodie put an arm around Kylie’s shoulders.
Kylie didn’t know what to say because she couldn’t even explain what she was feeling to herself. “Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I’m just not used to the nightlife anymore. What do you say we get a snack?” She let out a small laugh. “I forgot to eat before I went out.” She shrugged. “Too excited about tonight, I guess.”
“Chips and
queso
?” Lynne asked.
“Sounds good.” Kylie’s eyes strayed to the door. “Want me to get it?”
“Nope, I’ve got it.” Jodie waved at one of the waitresses and placed the order.
Fifteen minutes later, the band was warming up, but the singer wasn’t there. Finally, she hurried back into the room, looking disheveled. Her shirt was cockeyed, and if it was at all possible, her hair was messier than earlier.
“She looks like she had a quickie during the break.” Jodie wiggled her eyebrows, then laughed. “Guess what you heard was right.”
They all turned their heads and watched as the singer picked up the mic and with a smile began to sing.
“Well if the sultry song she’s singing is anything to go by, it must be love.” Lynne touched Kylie’s hand. “What do you think?”
“I think she must be a slut.” Kylie couldn’t keep the vehemence out of her voice.
“Tell us how you really feel.” Lynne was regarding her with concerned eyes.
Kylie looked over to see if LJ had come back inside and frowned when she didn’t see her.
“Kyl, are you okay?” Jodie asked worriedly. “It’s not like you to judge someone so harshly.”
Kylie ran a hand over her face. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me. It just seems wrong to me that she’d screw someone during the break.” She laughed. “I guess I’m getting too old for this scene.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m a prude and out of touch with reality.”
“No, you’re not. I’m with you, it really is in poor taste,” Jodie said. “You just found out your boss is gay, Kylie. Are you going to keep working there?”
“Of course I am. I don’t care about who she dates. It’s none of my business.”
For the rest of the night, Kylie couldn’t get the image of the singer pawing at LJ out of her mind. The vision just kept playing in one continuous loop, and she was relieved when her friends suggested they call it a night.
†
LJ parked her truck and walked purposefully toward the Rusty Nail. It was exactly where she needed to be for some sort of distraction from her unruly thoughts. Once inside, she nodded to the bartender, who handed her the usual Shiner beer, then she proceeded to the dancehall and sat at a table just inside the doorway. As she looked around at the Friday night crowd, she immediately saw Kylie. How could she miss her? Ever since the blonde’s arrival the week before, LJ couldn’t get her out of her mind. It was almost impossible to concentrate or stay focused at the museum. Often she’d pace among the relics trying to get a handle on her agitated feelings before Kylie showed up for work.
The fact she couldn’t seem to escape Kylie even here was a problem, but she was determined to ignore her A feral look crossed her face as she took in the band.
A slob of a man approached her. “Hey, baby, good to see you here tonight. Can I buy you another one?”
“Get lost,” LJ said without even looking at him.
“Why don’t you come sit with me, honey, and I can show you a really good time.” He was leering at her, his breath stale with beer and cigarettes. He grabbed himself and winked at her before reaching out to touch her.
LJ grasped his balls and squeezed them hard. The man’s face turned red as he grimaced in pain. “I said get lost!” She gave one last hard squeeze before letting go.
The man turned and walked away while awkwardly covering himself in what looked like an effort to stop the pain. She watched him leave, then looked at Kylie Wilcox sitting with two other women. When the band began playing, LJ looked away and took a long swallow of her beer before turning her attention to Cassie, aroused and in need of relief. Soon she was lost in the music and thoughts of what was to come. Still, she was unable to stop from looking over at Kylie. When the band took a break, LJ saw Cassie heading her way.
Yep, she’s just what I need.
“Hey, lover, glad to see you here tonight.” Cassie leaned in to LJ. “
Mmmm
, you smell so good.” She rubbed her body against LJ’s legs as she bent to whisper in her ear. “What do you say we get out of here? I can’t wait to feel you inside me.”
LJ was on fire, throbbing with desire as she felt the woman’s hot breath in her ear. She gazed over the singer’s shoulder and saw Kylie looking at her. She growled as she grabbed Cassie’s hand, then led her quickly outside and to her truck. Once inside they embraced in a flurry of passion as hands began groping and touching.
Stopping Cassie’s advances, LJ whispered, “No, let me.” Then she ripped Cassie’s shirt aside and closed her mouth around the taut, waiting nipple pierced with a ring. She grabbed the gold circle with her teeth and tugged until the singer squealed in delight. LJ moved her hand under Cassie’s skirt and was pleased there were no panties to deal with. She jammed her fingers deep inside Cassie before pumping her hard and fast. It was just what she needed—an impersonal, mind-blowing fuck.
The singer’s move to get her face between LJ’s legs had LJ lowering her jeans and underwear before leaning back and spreading her legs. Cassie trailed kisses down her body, and once she reached her goal, LJ grabbed her head and held it there. “Harder. I need it harder.”
Cassie came up for air. “
Mmmm
, you take my breath away, lover. You like the feel of my tongue ball against your clit, don’t you?”
LJ could only grunt as she too gasped for air. The effect the tongue piercing had on her drove her to distraction. She needed that relief from the tension she’d been feeling over the last week all because of that blonde assistant who even now was invading her thoughts. Suddenly she wondered what the hell she was doing there. Was this really what she wanted?
Cassie closed in on her again, but LJ pushed her away. “Don’t you have some singing to do?” Her voice was cold, distant, and laced with loathing.
The look on the singer’s face said she knew there wouldn’t be any more interaction between them tonight. “You know one day you’re going to want me and I am going to say no.”
“That will never happen and you know it. Now run along,” LJ sneered and pulled her jeans up before zippering them. She slid across to the driver’s seat, put the key in the ignition, and started the truck. Staring coldly at the singer, she raised an eyebrow. “I said go.”
Cassie got out and walked away, and LJ slid the gearshift backward and started down the street. She gave the bar one last glance before heading into the darkness alone.
She’d had a restless night and kept waking up. After making her way to the bathroom, she stood at the sink and splashed water on her face. “Must have been overstimulated by all the noise, music, and beer.” Her reflection in the mirror knew better. “Yeah, right.” She knew exactly why she couldn’t sleep, and it had nothing to do with noise or beer and everything to do with her boss. Seeing LJ with the skanky singer triggered something in her that she didn’t understand. The image of LJ leaving with her arm wrapped possessively around the woman kept her tossing and turning all night.
It was the first time since Ted’s death that she’d come home to emptiness and been overwhelmed by the significance of that. The thirty-two-hundred square foot house seemed even more cavernous than it had at any other time. A pang of loneliness enveloped her, and she had to fight the desire to race to her parents’ house and get her daughter. Now that it was light, she could take a shower and show up at her parents’ without having to explain why she was there so early. It was only six thirty, but they were early risers, and with her conflicted emotions swirling in her head, Kylie needed to see Ryan and hold her close to ground herself.
†
The morning air was crisp and cool as Kylie stepped out of her car. She smiled, knowing that when she entered, she’d find her mother in the kitchen making Ryan chocolate chip pancakes.
Her shoulders relaxed as she walked through the front door. It was where she’d grown up and was the only place she truly felt safe. Ryan came out of the kitchen, squealed, and barreled into her. Kylie scooped her up and held her close. “Good morning,” she whispered into Ryan’s blonde hair. “Are you having a good time?”
“Yes. Grammie is making me pancakes.”
“With chocolate chips?”
“Well, this is a surprise.” Virginia poked her head out of the kitchen, then moved toward Kylie. “I thought you’d take advantage of the alone time and sleep in.”
Kylie gently released Ryan and hugged her mother. “It was way too quiet for me.” She ruffled Ryan’s hair and smiled. “Alone time is overrated, and I missed Ryan’s chatter.” Her face heated. “I wanted to come at two, then again at three, but made myself stay home.”
Virginia nodded. “When you went to camp, it was like one of my arms had been severed. You’re just in time. I just flipped the last pancake.”
“Right now I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”
“I have that too.”
Kylie followed her mother into the kitchen and gladly took a cup of what she knew was rich, strong coffee. She looked at the table that held pancakes, bacon, and eggs before laughing. “Is there an army coming?”
“No. It’s what Ryan asked me for.”
“Mom, you spoil her. She would have been happy with cereal.”
“That’s what grandparents do.” Carl walked into the kitchen, pulled out the chair next to Ryan, and gave her a hug. “Ready for breakfast, sweetheart?”
“My stomach wants food,” Ryan said. Everyone laughed.
They fell into a companionable silence as they began eating.
“So how was your night out?” Virginia asked.
Kylie put her fork down and chewed on her lip. “It was interesting and fun. Any time I’m with Lynne and Jodie it’s a good time.”
Virginia eyed her daughter and nodded.
“Mommy, Grandad is going to help me make a birdhouse.”
Kylie smiled. “I remember when I was about your age he helped me make one. I think I painted mine red.”
Ryan looked at him. “Can I have a yellow one?”
“I think we can do that.” Carl smiled at Kylie. “Do you have the time for us to do it after breakfast?”
“Of course. I always love being here.”
“You know that the offer still stands.” Virginia patted Kylie’s hand. “You two can move back here with us.”
“I know, Mom, and I’ve thought about it, but if I do that, then it will be like going backward. I took the job so I could move forward.”
“Well, if you ever change your mind….”
Kylie squeezed her mother’s hand. “I know and I appreciate it.”
Ryan put down her fork and looked at her granddad.
Carl smiled. “Are you ready to build that birdhouse?”
Ryan jumped out of her chair and grabbed his hand. “Yes!” They quickly exited the kitchen, and Kylie smiled at the sound of her daughter’s endless chatter.
“So what’s going on?” Virginia asked once they were alone.
Kylie knitted her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“What happened last night that’s got you all tangled up in knots?”
“Mom….”
“A mother knows these things. I always have. Spill.”
Kylie looked around the warm, inviting kitchen and drew in a breath. “We had a great time. It was more noise than I’m used to, but being with my two best friends was wonderful.”
“Okay, I already knew that. What else?”
“I saw my boss there.”
“Dr. Evans?”
“Yes.”
“Did you speak to her?”
“When the band took a break, I started in her direction, but by the time I got through the crowd, the singer was with her and it looked like they were getting rather chummy.”
“I guess that wasn’t the time to say, ‘Hi, how are you,’ was it?”
Kylie closed her eyes, recalling the incident. “No, it wasn’t.”
“Was he a nice-looking guy?”
“That’s just it…it wasn’t a guy.”
Her mother’s mouth formed into an O. “Did she see you?”
“Just as I passed by, I looked at her, and she was staring at me, and now I don’t know what to do,” Kylie confessed.
“Why? I remember in high school you were good friends with um…. Carol Kieslowski, and she was a lesbian, wasn’t she?”
Kylie nodded.
“You’re not a homophobe, so what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know if she’s out or not. Rob never said anything about her being gay, and the few people I’ve spoken to didn’t mention it, and believe me they would have. What if by my seeing her there, I unintentionally outed her? What do I say to her when I see her on Monday?”
Virginia put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “You say, ‘Did you have a good time Friday night? I know I did,’ and leave it at that.”
“It’s going to be awkward, Mom.”
“Only if you make it that way. Just go with the flow and see what happens.” Virginia nodded at the table. “Let’s get this cleared away and make some cookies.”
Kylie looked at her mother, and her heart filled with love. Throughout her life, her mom had always given her sound advice and was usually right. She hoped this time wouldn’t be any different.
†
LJ lay on her back staring at the ceiling early the next morning. The encounter with Cassie had resulted in an unsatisfactory orgasm, which was the norm with the singer. LJ only kept going to her because Cassie was always a willing participant—there was absolutely no emotional attachment on her part. Then there was her new assistant.
Why was Kylie at the Rusty Nail? She didn’t belong there. LJ watched her laughing and having what looked like a good time with her friends and felt a pang of jealousy she hadn’t experienced since Holly was in her life. Kylie had obviously seen her with Cassie, and unless she was an idiot—which she wasn’t—she knew what was going on between them.
I wonder if she’s already contacted Rob and told him she can’t work for a deviant?
That thought brought on a melancholy that LJ hadn’t experienced since Holly’s death. She couldn’t deny that the entire time Cassie was pleasuring her, she couldn’t stop thinking about Kylie.
“She was married for God’s sake and has a kid. What the hell am I thinking?” LJ shivered and pulled the sheet over her naked body. “What’ll I do if she quits?” She threw her arm over her eyes. “I’ve fucked this up big-time. I should have left the moment I saw her there or at least sent Cassie away. Shit, what am I going to do?”
Unable to sleep, she got up and dressed. She’d go to the museum and get lost in her relics so she wouldn’t have to remember The only problem with that, however, was that she couldn’t forget about Kylie there either. Kylie’s imprint was all over her relics and was a part of her life now, no matter how many barriers she set up.
†
When Monday came around, LJ once again watched and listened for Kylie to arrive. She’d been there sitting in the shadows since three a.m., and even the janitor hadn’t noticed her. As the now-familiar footsteps drew nearer, her heart rate picked up while she held her breath. LJ let it out as they passed her, having assumed Kylie was heading to her office to tell her that she was quitting. She surmised that Kylie was probably just getting her things out of the locker.
A full twenty minutes passed, and she wondered when the hammer would fall. There was no way a refined woman such as Kylie Wilcox would let what she observed between LJ and Cassie go without judgment. After all, that’s what most people thought about her sexual preference.
She’s probably an ultra-right-wing conservative who has no tolerance for gay people.
LJ frowned. Absolutely nothing in anything the woman had said or done indicated she had any feelings one way or the other on the subject. Still, what the woman thought mattered to her, and that fact alone was too much for her to handle. She had no reasonable explanation for her evolving out-of-control emotions, and for LJ that was objectionable. There was always a reason for everything.
Noon drew closer, and her stomach was a riot of knots in anticipation of seeing and talking to Kylie. The week before she’d tried desperately to keep her distance while longing to get close to her. With the woman’s departure each day, LJ felt a pang of loss and sorrow as well as confusion and upset for allowing it. The last people who had gotten that close to her had been Holly and her grandmother. Despite resolving last Friday night not to allow her emotions to run unchecked again, she felt like an emotional mess. If only she could go back and undo what happened at the Rusty Nail.
†
Kylie arrived at work Monday morning hoping she wouldn’t see LJ. She didn’t think she could look her in the eye after seeing her with the singer at the Rusty Nail. Her mother had been right—she wasn’t a homophobe, and what LJ Evans did in her spare time and with whom was of no concern to her. Yet when she saw the two women together, she’d had a strange feeling that bordered on wariness about the singer’s intentions. LJ was way out of Cassie’s league and could do so much better.
“What do I care,” she said. “I barely know the woman.” But for some unfathomable reason it mattered to her more than it should, and that disturbed her.
Kylie resisted going into LJ’s office when she arrived. Instead, she stowed her things in her locker and went into the workroom. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she saw notes attached to many of the artifacts, and she panicked.
Has she fired me? Is it because I saw her with that singer?
Then again, LJ couldn’t fire her for she’d done nothing wrong.
Swallowing hard, she moved to the table and picked up one of the notes. It read:
I think if you try to envision this as something like an urn, it will come together quickly.
She took another sticky note and saw a similar message. After inspecting each yellow square of paper, she breathed a sigh of relief.
I’m not fired.
Kylie sat on her stool and began with the first one she saw, envisioning it as the piece LJ had asked her to imagine as an urn, and true to LJ’s guess, Kylie was able to put it together quickly. The next thing she knew she heard LJ approaching her. “It must be lunchtime,” she said.
“Yes, it is.” LJ’s voice was soft and a bit tentative.
She looked up and smiled. “I had a great time at the Rusty Nail Friday night. Did you?” She held her breath as LJ’s blue eyes seemed to be appraising her.
“It was okay. Didn’t stay long.”
“I know. I was going to say hello, but you left. That band was great.” Kylie knew she was pushing it, but if she was going to let LJ know that she didn’t have a problem with lesbians, she needed to sound casual.
“Yeah, it’s semi-permanent. I liked the place better when they had different bands each weekend.”
“I remember going there all the time with my friends when I was going to the university. It hasn’t changed at all.” She met LJ’s gaze and held it. “We had a lot of fun reliving old memories.”
LJ gave her a long, hard stare. “Have a good lunch,” she finally said.
Kylie watched her move quickly out of the room. “Well, that went better than I thought it would,” she murmured when LJ was out of earshot. Her mouth watered as she picked up her lunch. Nerves had gotten the best of her, and she couldn’t stomach breakfast. Now she was ravenous.
Before returning to the job at hand, Kylie made a phone call.
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise. You usually text me when you’re at work,” Virginia said.
“Mom, I wanted you to know you were right.”
“I usually am.” Virginia laughed. “About what?”
“I did what you said and told Dr. Evans I had a good time last Friday, and it seemed to break the ice. Before that she was rather hesitant.”