Homecoming (55 page)

“My favorite position.” Lizzie started to kiss her, quickly shifting into a gear Jill knew would lead to sex.

“Slow down there, two-pack. We’re not going to do it when your parents are right next door. No way. No how.”

Lizzie looked down at her, obviously puzzled. “Why not? They can’t hear us. My dad’s oxygen makes a lot of white noise.”

“Not enough to cover the noise
you
make.”

Raising an eyebrow, Lizzie said, “Are you really complaining about the feedback I give you? Ask some of my old boyfriends how it felt to be met with utter silence.”

“You know I love to make you squeal,” Jill said. Lizzie was still lying on top of her, and she found her hands roaming all over her butt, unable to stop herself from exploring that fantastic asset when it was right under her fingers. “But I can’t relax enough to be myself.”

“Then be someone else,” she purred. She lowered her head and captured Jill’s lips, letting out the softest of moans when they started to really get into it.

“Mmm.” Jill nearly let herself be pulled along, but she stopped and wrapped her arms around Lizzie, holding her in place. “I keep thinking about your parents. I’d hate to know my kid was next door having sex.”

“They
assume
we are,” she said. “At least my mom does. Why not make her right?”

“I don’t think so,” Jill said, urging Lizzie onto her side. “Don’t be upset with me, but I can’t let go enough to enjoy myself.”

“Can I at least kiss you for a while?” She put her hand on Jill’s hip and started to pull her forward. “I promise I won’t touch a single erogenous zone.” Her hand went to Jill’s hair and she threaded her fingers into it as she started to kiss her. “I’ve never gotten this far with a woman in this bed,” she murmured. “Elena insisted we sleep head to foot just to keep me from trying anything.”

Jill started to feel like a jerk for not being more flexible. But Lizzie didn’t seem upset. Not even a little. She gave every indication that she was having a very good time making out like teenagers.

After they’d kissed for a long time, Jill started to feel a definite pulse between her legs, her resolve weakening. Then Lizzie’s knee lifted and she let out a soft gasp. Jill reached down to feel Lizzie’s hand moving between her own legs. “I can be very quiet when I do this,” she said, a satisfied smile on her face.

Jill tucked one arm around her shoulders, pulling her close so she could increase the intensity of her kisses. Then she mirrored Lizzie’s pose and touched herself, smiling through their kiss. “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” she murmured, as they quietly but enthusiastically fulfilled one of Lizzie’s girlhood dreams.

***

On Thanksgiving day, Jill assumed the role of hors d’oeuvre tray refiller. She and Lizzie had spent the morning at the kitchen table, cutting up celery and carrots and cheese cubes and making dip for the platters now scattered around the living and dining rooms. Now she kept an eye on them, amazed at how quickly seventeen people could plow through food.

Kristen and her husband Dave seemed perfectly normal, with none of the awkwardness that Lizzie had worried about. Chris and Tim and their families also treated them the same as any other couple, teasing Lizzie about old childhood adventures, including Jill when they could. It was a lovely group, one Jill was thrilled to be a part of.

The only thing that took some of the gloss off the day was that Lizzie was a little off. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday, and it clearly bothered her that Mark and his family weren’t there. If Jill hadn’t pushed her to come out when she did, Lizzie could have had the whole group together. Of course, Jill wouldn’t have felt comfortable about tagging along, and that would have sucked.

No, being in the closet wasn’t the answer. Sometimes people disappointed you when they knew your truth. But you couldn’t let that be the deciding factor in what you revealed about yourself. Better to be authentic and let people react as they would. Just because it’s a better situation doesn’t mean it won’t suck. It will.

***

Even though Janet had demanded they stay until Sunday, she was pushing them out the door the second they’d eaten breakfast.

“Everybody and their dog’s on the road on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The sooner you get home, the better. If you leave now, you’ll be home to see the Pats.”

Cornering her mother, Lizzie asked, “What’s really going on? You’ve got something up your sleeve.”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it that way, but Mark and Lisa are coming over for a delayed Thanksgiving. I’m just making a couple of chickens, but I thought I should invite them to make up for not having them on Thursday.”

“It’s okay,” Lizzie said, giving her mom a long hug. “I know you’ve got to juggle things to keep the peace.”

“Not for long,” Janet promised, placing noisy kisses on Lizzie’s cheeks. “He’s making progress. By next year, I know he’ll be back at the table.”

“We’ll see,” Lizzie said, grasping Jill’s hand and heading for the door. “But if he isn’t, I’m going to go over there and drag him back home. My patience has its limits.”

***

They got home early, with the whole afternoon available for play. Lizzie had a dozen ideas, but her eyes lit up when she said, “I know! Let’s go get a Christmas tree!”

Jill hated, truly hated to douse that bright smile, but she had to deliver the bad news. “I can’t have one,” she said, wincing as Lizzie’s smile deflated.

“Why? Are you allergic?”

“No, of course not. But the cats don’t know the difference between a Christmas tree and a toy. I had one when they were kittens and it was a mess. They climbed it, knocked it over a bunch of times, wouldn’t stop playing with the ornaments, drank the water in the tree stand. All bad,” she insisted.

“They’re older now.”

“True. But they haven’t changed much, Lizzie. They’re still pretty wild. I guess…” She hesitated, thinking. “I guess we could get a tree for them to play on. If we put it in the corner by the stairs and used piano wire to hold it up…”

“No lights?”

“No,” Jill said, shaking her head. “I’m worried they’d break them or unplug them.”

“No ornaments?”

“Nothing breakable. If we could find really sturdy ones…”

“I wasn’t thinking of sturdy.” She made a sad face, then took Jill by the hand. “If I can’t put up a Christmas tree, you have to take me ice skating. I’m awesome, by the way, so prepare to be struck mute.”

“I’m already looking forward to being awestruck,” Jill said, so very, very glad that Lizzie’s disappointment’s never lasted long. She was the very definition of resilient.

Jill spent a ridiculous
amount of time getting ready for Lizzie’s open house. After going to get her hair trimmed and blown out straight, the way Lizzie liked it, she fussed in front of the mirror for a half hour, trying on different earrings, necklaces and bracelets. She owned very little jewelry, but Lizzie had a lot of inexpensive stuff she’d picked up at thrift shops that always looked good on her. On Jill? Not so much.

Lizzie was too swamped to come home before the event, so Jill took one last swipe at her dark suit with a sticky roller to get any stray cat hair off, put on her coat, and went to the car, determined to be there early to help in any way she could.

The parking lot by the main house was almost full, even though it was an hour before the event was supposed to start. Jill hated to have her car dinged, so she moved down the road and pulled over to the side. Better to walk another hundred yards in the cold than have a scrape on Freyja.

The kid at the front door was wearing a heavy parka, with Hollyhock Hills embroidered on the breast. “Good evening,” he said, smiling brightly. “May I help you?”

“I’m here for the open house.”

“Great! The party’s not for an hour, but—”

“I came early to help out. I’m with Lizzie Davis.”

His smile brightened even more. “I just saw her swing by. Lizzie’s the best.”

“She certainly is,” Jill agreed, her possessive nature coming to the fore as it always did—much to her annoyance. “Mind if I go find her?”

“Oh, no, go right on in. There’s no one to take your coat yet, but you can hang it on the coat tree right inside the door.” He opened the huge, finely detailed oak door and she walked in to find the cool, dim, breezy room of the summer now sealed up tight, with a roaring fire, and a big, beautifully decorated Christmas tree filling the room with the scent of fir and some kind of spice.

Her gaze went to a group of servers, setting out glasses and mugs upon a couple of long tables covered with red fabric.
That
was the smell. A spiced wine or cider in big bowls. Nice. And much easier than having to make mixed drinks or juggle dozens of bottles of wine.

After stashing her coat, Jill turned to see Lizzie coming down the stately staircase right next to the entryway. A gorgeous stained glass window, probably twenty feet square, was lit from the outside, rendering the cool blues and greens in sharp detail. It was stunning, but it paled in comparison to Lizzie, gliding along purposefully, a notepad in her hand, followed by a couple of kids, probably interns.

Lizzie was likely only six or seven years older than her followers, but she looked like the elegant lady of the manor, trying to inculcate her young servants with enough polish to get them through a major gala.

She wore a dress Jill had never seen. Probably because it was far too fancy to wear on a regular work day, and they’d never been to a state dinner at the White House. It was scarlet red, in a clingy jersey knit that highlighted every delightful curve of Lizzie’s body. The long-sleeved dress just covered her knees, but its modest length didn’t reduce its sexiness one bit. In fact, having her so covered up made it even sexier. It let Jill think about what that lucky dress was hiding.

She was certain she was perfectly composed, but when Lizzie met her eyes and raced down the last few stairs, she leaned close and whispered, “Someone likes my dress.”

“You think? How can you tell?”

“If it were summer, flies would be headed straight for your mouth.” She reached up and playfully closed it, then placed a very chaste kiss on her lips. “Fifty bucks at that resale shop in New York.”

“A million bucks,” Jill said. “That’s what you look like tonight.”

“Oh, that’s sweet of you to say. But you’re the one who’s going to make heads turn. You look lovely, sweetheart.”

Jill stared at her, still a little awe-struck by how gorgeous she was. “I had no idea your hair was long enough to have it in that… What do you call that?”

She reached up and touched her neck, bare and delectable. “Just an updo. Nothing special.” She turned, displaying her creation.

A laugh, a loud one, came out. “Leave it to you…”

Lizzie had crafted a delightfully whimsical hairdo, with a cherry red ball peeking out from a neat knot of auburn hair, a pair of googly eyes on top of that, with what looked like pipe cleaners fashioned into small antlers on the very top. Somehow, the few little doodads looked remarkably like a reindeer. It was such a contrast to her sexy, formal dress that Jill decided it was absolutely perfect for her—and the exact definition of her personality. Quirky, playful, yet deadly serious about a few specific things.

When Lizzie turned again, Jill leaned in and kissed her cheek. “If a thousand women show up, you’re the prettiest one. No contest.”

“Aww, you’re full of it, but I appreciate the thought.”

“I bet you’re swamped. I came early to help.”

“We’re in good shape, but if you want to help, you can hand out name tags.” She led the way to a small table where a young woman sat, frantically spreading the tags out, clearly trying, but failing, to organize them in alphabetical order.

“Jessie, this is Jill. She’s going to help out.” Lizzie kissed her one more time. “I’ve got to run. But I’ll be back soon. Get ready to meet a zillion people.”

“Okay,” Jill said to thin air as Lizzie swept across the space, looking like she was about to take the stage.

Jill focused on the kid she was supposed to help. “Okay then, what can I do?”

“Have you ever done anything like this before? I usually milk the cows.”

Stifling a laugh, Jill said, “Yeah, I’ve handed out name tags before. We’ll figure it out.”

After getting the tags into proper order, Jill walked over to the front door to find three young women tasked with checking coats. It looked like a bottleneck would be created as soon as more than two guests arrived at the same time. “Mind a suggestion?” she said to the woman closest to her.

“Feel free. I think this is going to get screwed up fast.”

“If I were doing this, I’d welcome the first guests by leading them as far into the room as I could get them. Keep pulling groups inside, because it’s chilly out there and people get annoyed when they’re cold.”

“Good one,” the woman said. “I’ll try to make that work. We don’t have a lot of experience.”

“What do you normally do here?”

“I move the sheep around to different grazing pastures. Kelly and Annabelle both make cheese.”

“People are just like sheep,” Jill said. “They like to be led.”

Lizzie appeared at Jill’s elbow right at seven o’clock. “I noticed you getting the kids in order. Thanks for that.”

“They’re not much younger than you,” Jill teased. “Do you get to call them kids?”

“Anyone younger than me is a kid. And nearly everyone around here is younger than me.”

“Why’s that? I’m used to having a lot of seniors volunteer for things.”

“These kids aren’t volunteers for the most part. They’re employees or interns, and most of them are in college.” She leaned close and whispered, “My primary task tonight is make sure our donors are treated like royalty. These kids don’t have a lot of experience kissing ass.”

“I have to settle a lot of disputes between departments and schools, so I’ve got some experience there. I’m also good at seeing when kids look like they don’t know what they’re doing. There’s a lot of that at a university.”