The Right Time (27 page)

“I did indeed.” Hennessy took the knife from her jacket pocket and handed it and the oysters over. “I’ll make up some spicy cocktail sauce while you shuck.”

Townsend gave her a love-filled smile. “In honor of Christmas, I won’t say anything suggestive, even though you really set me up.”

They each performed their tasks, then Townsend held a half shell up to Hennessy’s lips, after dousing it with horseradish-infused cocktail sauce. “Gulp it down, baby girl.”

The oyster slid down her throat, with the horseradish going right up into her sinuses. That was such a strangely satisfying sensation, the briny, slippery oyster with the tangy sauce lingering on your tastebuds for a long time. “One of my favorite things,” Hennessy declared. “I could eat two dozen—alone.”

Townsend maneuvered around to settle back against Hennessy. Then she opened an oyster, spooned some sauce on it and let it slide into her mouth. “Good stuff,” she said. “I might have to fight you for these.”

Hennessy leaned in and placed soft kisses on her chilly neck. Then she sat back and simply let the pleasures of the day wash over her. Being home—with Townsend—was enough to make her perfectly happy. But being out on the beach, completely alone, with the salty, fresh breeze in their faces and the warmth of the crackling fire to keep the chill at bay… Well, that was a day you wanted to encase in amber.

They whipped through the rest of the oysters, with Townsend showing an amazing dexterity in her shucking. After the last oyster disappeared, Hennessy checked her potatoes, deciding they had another good while to go, then she sat back down and immediately cuddled up behind Townsend.

“You did a really good job on the oysters,” she said, still tasting the horseradish. “I’d be happy to have some of your skills. Actually I want to celebrate some of them with a gift.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box.

“No fair!” Townsend objected, turning to scowl. “You made me promise not to buy you anything.”

“It’s a gift for the future. I’m going to keep it for a while.”

Townsend scooted out from between Hennessy’s legs, then crawled across the sand to sit next to her. “Is that what you call gifts in South Carolina? Things you buy but don’t give away?”

“No,” she said, a little shyly. “This is a special kind of gift.” She took in a breath and let it out in a rush. “I’ve given this a lot of thought, and one thing I know is that it’s always a mistake to get into a relationship before you’ve had a year of sobriety.”

“But—!”

Hennessy spoke right over her. “That’s proven to be true for a lot of people, and I’m not going to test the theory. Not with you. You’re too precious to me to risk having this blow up in our faces.”

“But we
are
in a relationship. How can you deny that?”

“Being intimate will change things. It just will. We’ve got our hands full, trying to learn as much as we can about each other while we work on our own issues.” She pursed her lips and spit the last bit out quickly. “We need to keep it right here until you’ve been sober for a year.”

“That’s six more months!”

A gnawing sensation settled in Hennessy’s gut. She’d known this was going to be a tough sell, and given the look on Townsend’s face, she’d been dead right. “It is. I know that seems like a long time, but it really isn’t. We can do this. I know we can. When you’ve been sober for a year, we can start to move forward. If you want to, that is.”

A dark, suspicious look made that pretty face appear older and much more jaded. “
Start
to move forward? What does that mean?”

“We’ll see when we get there. I’m going back to camp, and if we’re ready to be intimate, I’ll tell MaryAnn the whole story and see what she thinks.”

“I’ll have my mom rent us a house,” Townsend offered, her sober expression replaced by a bright smile.

“That’s damned unlikely,” Hennessy said. “MaryAnn would never agree to that. Besides, I’m a house leader. I’ve got to be in the house to lead the darned thing.” She shook her head, determined to get to the point she needed to make. “Don’t focus on that. Where we live isn’t the important part.”

“Says you,” Townsend said glumly. “I don’t think I can be with you all summer and keep my hands off you. That’s going to be ridiculously hard.”

“No,” Hennessy said, trying to stay patient. “Staying sober is the hard part. It always is. I just want you to understand that I’ll be right with you, no matter what. Eventually, you’ll be able to stay on the path. I believe in you.”

Townsend hugged her tight, squeezing until Hennessy let out a yelp. “I love having your trust.”

“You do.” Opening the box, Hennessy pulled out a thin gold chain, with a small gold disk attached to it. “This is a one year chip.” The wind caught it and made it flutter for a few seconds, the sun reflecting off the gold to make it glitter. “I don’t want to put pressure on you, so I’m not going to give it to you yet. I’ll keep it to remind myself of what we’re working toward.”

Townsend’s eyes glittered as beautifully as the gold had. She’d probably never earned anyone’s trust, and Hennessy could tell she wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

“We’ll get there, Townsend, and when we do, I’ll put this necklace on you, and kiss your sweet neck.”

“Oh, damn, why can’t the days move faster?”

“We need this time to grow up some more. You need to work on your sobriety, and I need to work on letting my libido come out and play. It’s time to start letting my body feel pleasure, so I’m ready for you when you’re ready for me.”

Townsend grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her to the ground, so they were lying face to face. The glow of the fire reflected in her eyes, sparking with intensity.

“Do you love me?” Townsend demanded.

Hennessy’s eyes closed as she searched her heart for the truth. There was only one answer, and she was more sure of it than anything in her life. “I do. I love you with all my heart.”

Townsend placed her head on Hennessy’s chest and held on tight. “I can hear your heartbeat,” she murmured.

“I’m a little anxious. Or frightened. We’re moving awfully quickly.”

“No, we’re not,” Townsend soothed. “We’re taking tiny baby steps. I think it’s time for another. You told me that once we were sure we were in love we could start to kiss. I think it’s time.”

“Uhm…” Hennessy’s heart was beating like a drum. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I want to—God, do I want to. But I’m afraid of rushing it.”

“It’s Christmas, and you’re the best present I’ve ever received. I think we need to celebrate with just one kiss. One kiss to carry us until June, when I’m going to gobble you up.”

“Until you have a year’s sobriety,” Hennessy reminded her. “Don’t be too fixated on the day. That’s an easy way to lose the path. You really do have to take it one day at a time.”

“Fine. Then let’s celebrate Christmas and our love.”

“Just one kiss?” She could feel herself wavering. Townsend was fiendishly good at pushing her just past where she wanted to stay.

“Just one,” Townsend promised. “But it’s gotta be a good one. No cheating like you usually do, with those little pecks on the forehead. I need a real kiss to last me until I have a year of sobriety, whenever that may be.”

“Good girl,” Hennessy beamed. “Okay, I guess this is a pretty momentous occasion. Want me to start, or would you rather lead?”

“You start. You need the practice.”

Smiling nervously, Hennessy pushed up until they were sitting next to one another. Then she put her arms around her and stayed close for a minute, getting used to being in charge. It was different—better—than always feeling like she was back on her heels. She took Townsend in, letting her eyes roam over her smooth skin, sparkling eyes, and pouty lips. Lips that seemed to pull her in like a magnet.

“I love you, Townsend,” she whispered as her eyes closed. Leaning in just an inch, she pressed their lips together, amazed at the tender, enveloping softness of Townsend’s mouth.

She tasted like the sea, fresh and salty, but the overwhelming sensation was the warmth, the tenderness that filled Hennessy’s heart. Without thinking, her lips parted as Townsend’s tongue slipped inside. A rush of feeling pulsed through Hennessy, with a tingling charge starting at the top of her head and skittering down as she absorbed Townsend’s scent, and the lush feel of her body as it trembled in her arms.

Slowly, Townsend rolled her onto her back, then lay on top of her, pressing herself heavily into Hennessy. The kiss went on and on, with Townsend’s hands going to Hennessy’s hair to hold her still. For just a heartbeat, she was back on her heels again. But she sucked in a breath, with Townsend’s calming scent centering her.

Without consciously telling it to, one of Hennessy’s hands roamed up and down Townsend’s back, paused to cup her ass, then squeeze, with that electrical charge now throbbing along her fingers. All the while, the kiss continued, their tongues darting and swirling in each other’s mouths.

Hennessy’s heart was beating so hard she was sure it would burst, but she could feel an equally wild beat from Townsend, which once again calmed her enough to let her take every sensation in. Finally, Hennessy began to pull away, but Townsend held on tenaciously, slipping a leg between Hennessy’s thighs and pressing against her. Hennessy shifted her hips gently, purring as she did. That broke the spell, with Townsend’s soft laugh reaching her ears.

“My God,” Hennessy moaned. “Is it always like that?” She was on her back, looking up as a flock of pelicans soared overhead, their bodies sleek and aerodynamic. She felt a pang of sorrow for the birds. Yes, they could fly, but they’d never be able to share a kiss with someone they loved.

It took Townsend a minute to reply. She reached out and grasped Hennessy’s hand, then brought it to her lips for a kiss. When she spoke, her voice was as smooth as glass. “It’s never been like that for me. That was…magical.”

Hennessy rolled onto her side, avidly studying Townsend’s face. “It was, wasn’t it?”

“It was.” She chuckled. “As you would say, it truly was.”

The wind was sending little clouds of sand across the beach, with sanderlings skittering along in front of the tiny storms. “How can I be so hot on such a cool day? I feel like taking my clothes off and jumping into the ocean.”

“That’s pure sexual excitement, baby girl. Get used to it, ’cause I plan on feeding you a steady diet of it for the rest of your life.”

“Thank God we go to school in different states,” Hennessy moaned. “Now that I’ve felt that, I could never keep my hands off you for six more months.” She grasped the hem of her sweater and fanned it up and down, trying to get some cool air on her heated skin. “Just for the record, do most kisses involve a knee to the groin? I mean…I didn’t mind, but I wanna be prepared next time.”

Townsend grabbed her tightly, and rolled on top of her again, looking down at her smiling face. “How would you prepare?”

Hennessy laughed. “I have no earthly idea. But I’m beginning to understand how people get carried away—even when they’re just kissing.”

“That was some kiss,” Townsend sighed. “Absolutely the best one I’ve ever had.”

“Your best and my first,” Hennessy whispered. “That’s the way it should be.”

Townsend gazed into Hennessy’s eyes, her smile warm enough to melt stone. “That’s exactly the way it should be. Every thing we do will be a first—for both of us.”

On Christmas day, Townsend
stepped away from the scene that had the backyard in shambles. You’d think people who cooked for a living wouldn’t freak out over sticking a turkey in a pot of hot oil, but they acted like they were getting ready to launch a rocket headed for Mars. There were so many opinions flying around, temperatures being checked with three different thermometers and commands to stay clear that Townsend was sure no one would miss her if she snuck away for a minute.

She walked along the side of the house, the coarse, prickly weed-like grass tickling her ankles as she moved. The porch, really just an elevated slab of concrete, looked like a good place to sit. The sun was shining on her face, and she tilted her chin to feel its warmth. After dialing her grandparents’ home, a very refined, Brahmin-accented voice answered. “Jameson residence. This is Frances speaking.”

Sense memory settled over her like fog. A warm kitchen filled with servers loading up canapé trays, two or three cooks, hired for the day, laboring over the stoves. And her grandmother, all dolled up in a Chanel suit, calmly directing the organized chaos. Always with a mug of wassail in her well-manicured hand. Fond Christmas memories. “Hi, Gram,” Townsend said, her throat constricting with emotion. “Merry Christmas.”

“Oh, Townsend! We were just speaking of you. How is your trip?”

“It’s going really well. How about you? Having a big shindig?”

Frances laughed. “Of course. You know us. Any excuse to polish the silver. But we all miss you. Christmas just isn’t the same without you, sweetheart.”

The knot in her throat was tough to swallow around, but she managed. “Yeah. I miss you too, Gram. Is my mom there? I wanted to toss some Christmas cheer her way.”

“She is.” Frances lowered her voice slightly. “I think she’s coming down with something, but she insists she’s fine.”

“Is she working on a new book? You know how late she stays up when she’s writing.”

“Maybe that’s it. It took Genevieve the longest time to convince her to leave her bed, but we had guests coming in an hour!”

After all this time, Townsend wasn’t sure if her grandparents were intentionally in the dark about her mother’s drug habit, or if they really
were
dense. Either way, she wasn’t going to be the one to start telling the truth. “Oh, she’s definitely on a writing binge. Don’t worry about it, Gram.”

“I’ll try. But you never really let go when you have a child, sweetheart. You’ll learn someday.”

“Can’t wait,” she said, chuckling. She’d raise zebras before kids, but it didn’t hurt to let her grandmother have her little fantasies.

After a while, her mother picked up the phone. “I hear things are going swimmingly in…where are you again?”