Jennifer looked long and hard at me. “That can’t be true. You’re smart, beautiful, funny. You just would have led a different life. One you’ll never know.”
She had called me beautiful. That was twice in one day. Leanne had called me beautiful, too, while fucking my son. I was uncomfortable but pleased. “So, what brought you to our small town?”
“I needed to get out of Seattle. To many memories.”
“Why here?”
She laughed. “You won’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
“I threw a dart at a map. It hit here.”
I stared at her. “You’re fucking with me…”
She giggled at my language. “Nope. Threw it and wham.”
“You didn’t think to throw it again?”
She paused then and stared at me and then threw her head back and really laughed. “No!” she finally managed to squeak out, and I joined her.
We spent the next hour laughing and sharing life stories. She told me little about herself other than she had lived in Seattle and had a bad breakup she refused to speak about. She had lived with her father, and he had suddenly passed from a brain aneurism, and she only knew she had to escape everything that reminded her of that life. I found myself loving the sound of her voice. The words flowed through me and circled me and caressed me.
“It seems pretty excessive to end up here, though. This is a remote area of the country. It’s just so quiet out here. The weather can be harsh in the winter. It’s mostly an easy life, but that can change quickly.”
“Actually, this is really helping me. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay. But right now, this feels right. It’s hard to explain. I feel like I’m where I need to be.”
“Me too,” I said after a moment of reflection. “My husband, he couldn’t wait to get out of here. Most of the kids I grew up with have moved on. Not me. I feel that this is my home. I have no desire to see the world. All I need is right out that window,” I pointed at the window with my wine glass. “Just look at that beauty.”
Jennifer’s eyes looked out at the land surrounding my home. She looked content to me. Happy with a little streak of deep sadness.
We were on our second bottle of wine. The first sip of the cheap stuff I bought had caused me to shiver uncontrollably and Jennifer had laughed until she took her first sip.
“Oh my God,” I said. “We need more of that first bottle. This stuff is garbage! I never knew!”
“Maybe next time.”
I looked at her. She was the first woman friend I had since high school. It felt wonderful. “We could make this a regular thing. You do the market and then come here for wine and a dinner.” I wanted that so bad. I needed more of her in my life. I knew what I was thinking. Wanting. My life was twisting itself, turning on me. Making me think impure thoughts about my own flesh and blood, my son, and now I was finding myself falling for a woman.
“That would be imposing,” she argued.
“Nonsense. You’re all alone in that house of yours. What better way to spend Saturday afternoons?”
She nodded. “Maybe.”
“You’re more than welcome here. In these small towns, privacy is a rarity, people will just show up at your house and walk in. It’s just the way it is. I wouldn’t mind one bit if I came home from work and found you sitting out here enjoying the sun.”
Jennifer smiled. “Okay. So, people really don’t lock their doors?”
“Nope. There’s no point.”
“I find that strange.”
“Life is strange…”
Just then the front door opened, and I heard Desmond come home.
“Mom?”
“Out here, hon! I’ve met a new friend!”
“A new friend?” he asked, and his voice grew louder as he approached. “Who is it?” He entered the kitchen and saw us lounging drinking wine. “A new book club?” he asked and smirked.
My heart thudded in my chest. Every time I looked at him as a man my heart would beat uncontrollably. He was gorgeous, my boy. Standing there in a white tee-shirt, tight blue jeans, and his damn cowboy boots, I was practically drooling at him. The wine sure didn’t help. I glanced at Jennifer to introduce her and saw a look of lust cross her features for a moment.
“Come here, Desmond. Meet Jennifer. She lives two houses down from us. She bought the Cooper place. She sells beautiful things at the market. See the dragonfly painting?” I pointed at it and then looked at him. He was staring at Jennifer, ignoring me.
“Hi, ma’am. It’s my pleasure. Welcome to the community.”
Jennifer went to rise but Desmond, always the gentleman, insisted she stay put. They talked easily, and he refilled our wine glasses, emptying the bottle. He brought out more cheese and grapes for us and then excused himself to wash up for dinner.
I glanced at Jennifer. She was lost in some thought. Probably thinking of my son, I thought.
She finally looked over at me. “So that was your son, I see where he gets his good looks.”
“Jennifer!” I said, proud and appalled at the same time.
“Sorry! Sorry! He’s just… wow. So handsome.”
“I know. He’s a beautiful boy. Man. He’s a man.”
“Yes, he is,” muttered Jennifer and quaffed more wine.
I smiled to myself and looked out the window. By the sun in the sky, it was soon time to heat up supper. I heard the shower start up upstairs. Desmond would be down to help in mere minutes. He was a quick shower person. “I’m going to get supper started. Just stay there and enjoy the remaining sun. It’s just leftovers tonight. Nothing gets wasted around here. You’ll like it, I hope.”
“Okay.”
I rose and felt the wine hit me. “Whoops. Balance is a little off,” I laughed.
Jennifer rose. “I’ll help no matter what you say. Two drunk people can certainly heat up supper.”
Jennifer joined me and we pulled out the leftovers and put them all into a heating dish and covered it with tinfoil. I turned on the oven and slid it in. “Thirty minutes and it should be heated up.”
I rummaged in the cupboard and failed to find more wine. “Dammit. Out of wine.”
Jennifer was standing next to me. “I can run home and get more.” She placed her hand on my lower back, right above my waist. I could feel her fingers flex slightly. I moved a little closer to her, feeling the intensity of those few inches remaining between us. What was wrong with me?
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