Chapter Twenty-nine

THE NEXT FEW days were individual whirlwinds of activity. Taylor had several meetings on Friday and an appointment with a prospective client on Saturday morning, so she was unavailable much of that time. Melanie was so busy getting ready for the grand opening of The Quill is Mightier, that she didn't have a chance to miss Taylor nearly as much as she could have. Still, their separation was palpable and neither could wait until the evening, when they would discuss their day with one another over dinner.

They spent the second half of the weekend in Melanie's apartment, or more specifically, in Melanie's bed, talking, laughing, learning about each other and loving one another.

It was Monday afternoon, and Melanie casually checked her watch. Five-fifteen. The first day of her new business had gone very well. There were several women milling around among the shelves. A petite, college-age woman with a nose ring sat comfortably in one of the overstuffed chairs, reading The Empty Closet and twirling a lock of burgundy hair around her finger.

Melanie had gotten several compliments on the name of the store, all of them fans of Xena, just as Lynda had predicted. She smiled happily at the memory of Taylor seeing the sign for the first time the previous Friday. She had been on her way to an appointment, deciding to drive past the shop simply to beep—she confided later, feeling somewhat childish, that she had spent the previous few days purposely avoiding any route that would take her past the bookstore, in order to save herself the pain of being reminded. She had laughed out loud when she saw the large, cobalt letters, scripted clearly above the front door, parking and popping her head in quickly to let Melanie know what she thought.

" The Quill is Mightier? I love it."

Melanie's head had snapped up at the sudden sound of somebody bursting through the front door, then smiled at the light of her life. " I wanted to surprise you."

" You did. I love it, " she'd repeated. She had swooped Melanie up in a big hug, kissed her soundly on the lips, then turned on her heel. " Gotta run, baby, I'm going to be late. Just wanted to tell you I love the name. And I love you."

She'd done the same thing again this morning. She'd breezed in, an hour or two into Melanie's first official day of business, wearing a snappy blue suit and a big grin. She'd quickly set a large cup of steaming coffee in front of the auburn-haired woman and kissed her lightly on the forehead. There had been two customers browsing, so she had kept her voice to a whisper. " Can't stay, sweetheart. I was just driving by, so I thought I'd drop in, bring you some liquid drugs and tell you I love you."

Melanie had smiled in pleasant disbelief. " How did I get you? " This seemed to be her signature question of late.

Taylor had simply smiled and shrugged. " I get a check in the mail every week from an anonymous source." She winked. " I'll see you tonight."

And she was gone.

Her timing was near perfect. Not five minutes later, another surprise guest had popped in.

" Hi, Mellie."

Melanie had been bent over a packing slip at the counter. She had recognized the voice immediately and had taken several seconds to get her bearings before looking up to meet the blue-eyed, buxom blonde who shared the same bloodline as she did.

" Hi, Sam, " she'd replied with controlled neutrality.

Sam had fidgeted slightly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, making a point to look around. " It looks great in here, " she'd finally commented.

Melanie nodded. " Thanks."

The silence had been awkward at best, but Melanie had been determined not to give in too easily. She had been sure Sam had come to apologize, or at least to perform the Samantha Richter version of an apology, and she had been determined not to make it easy for her. Sam's reaction to last week's situation and the insults flung at Taylor still stung, and Melanie had no intention of letting her off the hook without a fair bit of groveling.

" You've really fixed it up nice."

" Thanks, " Melanie had said again.

Samantha had squirmed visibly at that point, unaccustomed to wallowing in her own guilt, part of her becoming annoyed that her cousin had not been making this easier for her. She had blinked in surprise as Melanie had reached around her to take a book from the hand of the customer who'd appeared soundlessly. Sam had stepped awkwardly to the side at the murmured " excuse me" and had watched her cousin.

" Find everything okay? " Melanie had asked the customer, a young, tomboyish black woman, a cheerful note in her voice.

" I did, thanks, " the woman had replied with a friendly nod. " Impressive selection."

" Thank you." Melanie had smiled, enjoying the compliment immensely. She'd handed the woman her change and bag, effectively ignoring her cousin while making the transaction. " Have a great day."

" You, too." She'd smiled apologetically at Samantha as she'd passed.

Only when the customer was actually out the door and onto the street had Melanie returned her gaze to her cousin expectantly, silently waiting for her to continue.

Samantha had taken a deep, steadying breath and studied her well-manicured, blood-red nails with grave interest.

" You were right, " she'd finally said softly.

Melanie had cocked her head, like a puppy listening to a high-pitched sound. " Pardon me? What was that? "

Sam had narrowed her eyes. So this is how it was going to be. " I said you were right, " she'd repeated through clenched teeth.

" I was right? Right about what, Sam? " Oh, Melanie was enjoying this.

Sam had grimaced. Her baby cousin was going to make her spell the whole thing out. She had sighed, resigned to her fate, and had lowered her eyes to the floor. " It was none of my business that you chose to sleep with Taylor, and I had no right to react the way I did, " she'd finally said, her voice barely audible. " I'm sorry."

Melanie had never seen her larger-than-life cousin look quite as vulnerable and young as she had at that moment. Apologies had never been Sam's strong point. As a matter of fact, Melanie had been hard-pressed to think up even one example when she'd heard her cousin admit she'd been wrong. The sight of Sam standing before her with her proverbial tail tucked between her legs had pulled at Melanie's heartstrings.

" I didn't just choose to sleep with Taylor, " Melanie had corrected gently. " I fell in love with her."

" That, too." Sam had nodded.

Though Melanie hadn't been ready to let her completely off the hook, she had accepted the apology with a hug and a promise to have dinner together the following week. It was only after Samantha had left, her step infinitely more bouncy than when she had arrived, that Melanie realized how deeply the tension between them had been affecting her. She'd felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

Lynda had popped in right around lunchtime, a big smile on her face, food stains on her apron. " I come bearing gifts, " she'd announced. She'd placed a plastic container of fruit salad and a foil-wrapped sandwich on the counter in front of Melanie, handing over a peach Snapple as the finishing touch. " Can't have you starving to death on your first day of business, now can we? " She held out a spork.

" You are a goddess, you know that? "

" So I've been told." She had stared openly at Melanie. " Wait a minute. You're glowing."

Melanie had felt her face growing red at the comment.

Lynda had leaned closer to scrutinize her friend’s face carefully, cupping her chin and turning Melanie's face from side to side.

" As a matter of fact, I'd say that's more than a happiness glow. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say this glow definitely has the distinct qualities of the I've-been-getting-laid-every-night-since-I-returned-from-Chicago glow."

Melanie had blanched, the redness draining from her face as quickly as it had appeared. " Lynda, " she'd hissed, not only worried that a customer might have heard, but astounded that Lynda had read her so easily.

Lynda had merely pinched Melanie's cheek affectionately and laughed. " Relax, babe. I'm happy for you. I've seen Taylor popping in and out of here, and if it makes you feel any better, she's glowing, too."

That had made Melanie feel better. A lot better. Tons better. Lynda had rolled her eyes.

" Oh, wipe that stupid grin off your face and eat your lunch. I've got to get back to work." She had turned on her heel and started for the door.

" Hey, Lynda? "

" Yeah? "

" Thanks. For everything."

They had held one another's gaze for a long beat, Lynda easily catching the intended message in the words.

" That's what friends are for, Mel. Eat."

She'd smiled a satisfied smile and exited the shop, leaving Melanie feeling warm and loved.

" This is a great little shop."

The voice startled Melanie out of her reverie and back to the present. She blinked once and focused on the pleasant-looking woman standing in front of her, three books on the counter between them.

" Thank you very much."

" It's nice to have a decent selection of fiction to choose from. The Barnes & Noble down the street has one shelf of lesbian fiction and actually refers to it as a 'section.'" She made quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

Melanie chuckled as she rang up the purchases. " Well, I'm glad we could help you out. I'm going to do my best to keep the inventory plentiful and up-to-date. Those seem to be the biggest complaints."

" Glad to hear it." The woman nodded, as she took her bag from Melanie.

" Have a great night."

" You do the same."

Melanie heard the bell over the door jingle as the woman left. She squatted to straighten the pile of plastic bags on the shelf near her knees, retrieving the handful that had somehow ended up on the floor during the course of the day. She stood back up and was immediately startled by the form standing directly at the counter, barely a foot away.

" Jesus." She placed her hand on her chest, hoping to slow down her racing heart.

" Hi, baby." Dark eyes twinkled at her.

" You scared the hell out of me."

" Sorry. You know, you need to pay more attention to the world around you, " Taylor chided, then pointed to her feet, as well as the hardwood floor. " I have heels on. It's not like I could sneak up on you."

Melanie laughed, grudgingly conceding the point. Besides, she was too happy to see Taylor to be mad at her. She took in the figure before her, mentally nodding in approval at the navy blue, pinstriped pantsuit and navy pumps. The cream-colored silk shell under the jacket had a scooped neck, and Taylor's collarbone peeked out invitingly over the trim. " It's good to see you. You look fabulous."

" Back atcha." Taylor smiled. She leaned forward and gently brushed Melanie's lips with her own. Melanie fought the little voice of panic in the back of her mind, the one that screamed in horror at such a public display of affection with another woman. She succeeded in ignoring it, but knew it was something she'd be working on for a while, the whole idea still being new to her. Being in private with Taylor was one thing, but being out in the open, in a public place where other people could see them was something Melanie wasn't sure she was ready for. Taylor seemed to sense her anxiety and drew back a bit.

" You okay? "

Melanie grinned, nodding. " I'm great."

Taylor studied her face for several seconds, before deciding to broach the subject at another time. " How was business on your first day? "

" I have to say, it was pretty damn good. A beautiful woman delivered coffee to me this morning. And you'll be pleased to note that I received in excess of seven compliments on the name."

Taylor clapped her hands in delight. " Excellent." " I thought you'd like that."

" Are you hungry? "

" Famished. And I'm having a craving."

Taylor raised an eyebrow mischievously. " Really."

Melanie slapped at her, blushing. " For food, you barbarian."

" Oh. Food. Silly me. What would you like? "

" Lynda's been filling me so full of healthy sandwiches and salads that my body is threatening to revolt if I don't feed it some grease soon. Could you stop at McDonald's for me? "

Taylor glanced at her watch. " How long you staying open tonight? "

" Seven." Melanie rolled her eyes. " Which may change in the future. This has been a long day."

" Okay. How 'bout I go home and change, hit the drive-thru and come back here to help you with your last hour? "

" You are the best."

" Shh." Taylor put a finger to her lips. " Don't you go spreading that around."

" No way. I'm keeping you all to myself."

The subtle clearing of a throat brought them out of their own private world and into that of everybody else. A tall, woman with graying hair smiled sheepishly at the couple, holding up a book. " Can I pay for this? "

Melanie flushed a deep pink, which made Taylor chuckle. " Sure."

Taylor tucked a strand of auburn hair behind Melanie's ear for her. " I'll see you in a bit."