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Chapter sixteen. You have no idea how much I'm dreading this, Jay said as she walked back into her office and shut the door






" You have no idea how much I'm dreading this, " Jay said as she walked back into her office and shut the door. " I'd rather have a root canal."

Audrey laughed. " That's because you enjoy the gas he gives you."

" You know what I mean." She plopped down into her recliner. " And with my luck, Katherine won't even make it home in time and I'll be stuck here with them."

" Oh, she'll be home in time. This is her dinner, not yours. She'll be there."

Jay glanced at her watch. " I should get in the shower. I have to prepare the salad still."

" And for dessert? "

" Shut up, Audrey."

" Oh, I know you have something planned. What is it? "

" I got apple pies at the bakery."

" And ice cream? "

" Yes, and ice cream."

" You're such a good little housewife, " Audrey said. " Now go get ready. You want to make a good impression on Katherine's new friend."

" Do I? "

" Of course you do."

" Would it be uncouth to wear shorts to dinner? "

" You will not wear shorts to dinner. Wear something light. Wear slacks and a sleeveless blouse."

" Khakis and sandals? "

" You can't wear your Teva sandals to a nice dinner. I swear, were you raised in a barn? "

" Very funny. Okay, I'm going to go now. Wish me luck."

" I shall think of you all evening."

" You will not. I know you're going out. And remember, don't have sex with strangers." She smiled, hearing Audrey howl with laughter as she disconnected.

But her smile soon faded as the hour approached. She wasn't sure why she was dreading the evening so much. Maybe she was just apprehensive about meeting Katherine's old fling. Although to hear Katherine tell it, their affair lasted only a semester. But still, here the woman was, newly divorced and out there, as Katherine had said. Was she jealous? With the fragile state of their relationship, did she view Jenna as a threat? Perhaps.

Or perhaps it was just the idea she was having to put on a dinner party for two people she'd never met before.

" Smells wonderful, Jay." Katherine closed the oven door and smiled, walking closer. " You look nice."

Jay shrugged. " Thanks." A light blue silk blouse—a gift from

Katherine—and her favorite khaki slacks won out. But she'd taken Audrey's advice on the sandals. She wore comfortable leather slip-ons instead.

" Well, let me shower and put on something a little more comfortable. Why don't you put some music on? Jazz perhaps? Jenna used to love jazz."

Jay nodded. " Sure." She knows I hate jazz.

" Have you picked out a wine? " Katherine called from the top of the stairs. " How about that burgundy I brought back from California last year? "

" Sounds good." Although far too dry for her liking. She would force down a glass, then open another bottle on the pretense she would let Katherine and Jenna finish the very expensive bottle from California. She much preferred the German wines from that little vineyard in Bryan. " Nothing wrong with Texas wines, " she muttered as she found the bottle Katherine had requested.

" Is our bar stocked? " Katherine called again from upstairs. " It's been so long since we've entertained."

Jay stood, closing the cabinet door to the hidden wine rack and opening the bar instead. It was well stocked. As Katherine said, they rarely entertained any longer. Gin, vodka, rum, bourbon and of course, her tequila, along with all the mixers to make nearly any drink. " We have plenty." In fact… why not start now? She was much more likely to make it through the evening with alcohol than without. So, she filled a glass with ice, poured a generous amount of gin, and topped it off with Tom Collins mix.

She took a sip, enjoying the freshness of the drink. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. She'd had Katherine's friends over before. She'd survived.

" Did you forget about the music? "

Jay turned around, finding Katherine at the entertainment center, picking through the CDs. " Sorry." She took another sip.

" Want a drink? "

Katherine nicked her gaze at Jay. " Starting early, aren't you? "

Jay shrugged. " Had a busy, rushed day, getting Connie started at the new house, then shopping for dinner, then back at the new house." She pointed toward the kitchen. " Then back here to cook. It's been a long day already."

Katherine laughed. " Sweetheart, you don't know what a long day is. When you're at the office until midnight and only come home to catch a few hours sleep, then we'll talk."

Jay smiled humorlessly. " Of course. I forgot. You're the queen of long days. I'm actually quite shocked you were able to get away today, " she said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Katherine didn't seem to notice.

" Well, it's not every day I run into an old friend, Jay. Of course I made it a point to be here."

Jay's eyebrows shot up but she withheld her comment, sipping from her drink instead.

" And I think I will have a drink, " Katherine said after glancing at her watch. " They should be here any minute." She put several CDs in and adjusted the volume. Soon, smooth... and loud jazz wafted throughout the house.

And it wasn't that Jay despised jazz. Not really. It's just she liked it in small doses. Quiet doses. But Katherine liked it loud. And for some reason, Jay couldn't wrap her brain around smooth and loud jazz at the same time, even when Katherine insisted it was. " It's a bit loud for conversation, " she said, trying to be heard over the music.

" You can't hear all the detail if you keep it low."

" And we won't be able to hear our company talk if you keep it loud."

Katherine only smiled and headed to the bar. " Can I get you another? "

Jay shook her head, ignoring Katherine's stare as she turned the volume down. " I refuse to entertain guests and compete with this noise at the same time."

" Noise? "

" Yes, noise. It was deafening. I'm fairly certain jazz was meant to be listened to in more subtle decibels."

" As if you know jazz, " Katherine countered.

The ensuing argument was thankfully halted by the ringing of the doorbell. Katherine's eyes brightened, and she put her glass down and hurried to the door. " Wonderful. She's here."

" Wonderful, " Jay mimicked.

But when Katherine opened the door, Jay's breath left her and she very nearly dropped her glass.

" Jenna, welcome, " Katherine gushed. " I see you didn't have trouble finding it."

" Not at all. Of course, having a GPS system takes all the fun out of it, " she said with a laugh. " And I'd like you to meet my friend, Drew Montgomery. Drew, this is Katherine, an old college friend."

Jay watched, her eyes wide as Drew—decked out in tan slacks and a dark green polo shirt—shook hands with a laughing Katherine. " What do you mean old college friend? " She stood rooted to the spot, her eyes darting between Drew and Katherine. Finally, Drew looked her way, her expression—Jay imagined—mirrored her own. Shock.

" Oh, here, please come in, " Katherine offered, standing aside. She glanced at Jay, motioning her closer. " Jay, come meet Jenna and Drew."

Jay tried to be polite and pulled her glance from Drew, smiling quickly at Jenna before locking once again on Drew. What in the hell was she doing here? To her credit, Drew seemed to have recovered quite nicely.

" Nice to meet you, Jay, " she said, hand outstretched. " I'm Drew Montgomery."

Her eyes twinkled and her mouth just hinted at a smile, and

Jay took her hand dumbly, acknowledging the hard squeeze Drew gave her with one of her own. " Hi, Drew, " she said, pulling her hand away and offering it to Jenna. " Nice to meet you, Jenna. Katherine's told me a little about you. It's so neat that you two met up again."

" Nice to meet you too, Jay. Thanks for having us."

Jay was saved from commenting when Katherine linked arms with Jenna and led her into the house. Whereas Katherine was tall, blond... Jenna was short and dark-headed. And as they headed to the bar, Jay whipped her head around, glaring at Drew.

" What the hell! " she hissed.

Drew grinned. " Imagine my surprise."

" The blind date? "

" The same."

" Oh, good Lord. What are the chances? "

" Drew? Can I get you a drink? " Katherine asked from the bar.

Drew gave Jay a subtle wink. " Beer? "

Katherine looked at Jay. " Oh, my. Do we even have any? "

Jay shook her head. " No beer. Sorry." She glanced at Drew and smiled. " But we have the fixings for just about anything else."

Drew's lips twitched in amusement. " How about something fruity, then? "

Jay met her eyes, smiling in return as she remembered Drew's earlier admission that she had a fondness for fruity drinks. " Daiquiri? "

" Perfect."

" Oh, well I'll let you take care of that one, Jay, " Katherine said. " I'm going to show Jenna my office real quick. You two get acquainted."

" No problem, " Drew replied.

As soon as the two women walked away, Jay and Drew faced each other, smiles turning to grins, and finally to quiet laughter.

" I cannot believe you're at my house for dinner. How did we not know this? "

" Well, remember, I've been avoiding you."

" Oh, that's right. You were breaking up with me."

" Do you have fresh strawberries? "

" You'll have to settle for frozen." Jay glanced over her shoulder, making sure they were still alone. " So this is your blind date, " she stated as she pulled out the blender and filled it with ice. " And this makes what? Your fourth time out? Is it getting serious? "

" Are you asking if we've slept together? "

Jay blushed. " Of course not! " She turned the blender on, crushing the ice, then stopped. " Have you? "

Drew tilted her head, watching Jay. " Other than a few steamy goodnight kisses, no, no sex." Drew raised her eyebrows. " Which is surprising, I'll admit."

" Well, maybe she just doesn't do it for you."

" I was thinking it was the other way around. She doesn't seem to be in any hurry." Drew shrugged. " Besides, we don't really go together. We have nothing in common. And she doesn't really meet many of those qualities I'm looking for, " she said with a wink. " Which is why it's surprising we've been out four times. And there's not even any sex going on."

" You never did tell me what all those qualities were, you know, " Jay said as she added frozen strawberries to her mixture before turning on the blender again.

Drew waited until the blender finished before answering. She held up a hand, ticking off each finger. " Honest, funny, loyal, talented, beautiful, single, '" she added with emphasis. " And of course be madly in love with me."

" That's all, huh? "

" What? Too ambitious? "

Jay poured Drew's drink and handed it to her. " Try this."

Drew took a sip, nodding. " Excellent."

" Good. And no, not too ambitious. Everyone should have standards." Jay filled her own glass with ice and reached for the gin. " But are you looking for someone with all of those? Or maybe just four or five? "

" Yes, all."

Jay laughed. " No wonder you're still single."

" I don't think it's that unattainable. You, for instance, meet all but two of them, " Drew said seriously.

" Two? "

" Yes. You have all the qualities except two. You're not single and you're not madly in love with me, " she said quietly.

Jay met her eyes, letting herself be pulled into the dark green depths. No, she wasn't single. But Lord, if she let herself, Drew would be so easy to fall in love with. She finally pulled away. " I like you... a lot, Drew, " she said softly.

Drew sighed, a heavy sigh that caused Jay to look back at her.

" Maybe we should rethink this friendship thing, " she suggested. " It's harder than I thought."

But Jay shook her head. " You're one of the very few bright spots in my life right now. Don't you dare disappear on me."

Drew held her gaze for a moment longer, then gave a slight smile. " Okay." She held her glass up. " After all, you do make a killer daiquiri."

" Wait until you taste my pot roast."

" Oh? Should I add cooking to my list, you think? "

Jay nudged her arm. " Want me to show you around? "

" Do you suppose we should find out what they're up to? " she asked, motioning to the closed door Katherine and Jenna had disappeared behind.

" I don't really care." Jay looked intently at Drew. " Do you? "

" No. So how about we start outside then? " She looked around the large living area. " No offense, but it seems kinda sterile."

Jay stifled her laugh. " Really? You'd dare say that about the mansion}" At Drew's confused look, Jay took her arm and led her out to the patio. " Audrey refers to it as the mansion. She hates it here."

" Well, I'm just surprised by it. It doesn't have your personality at all."

" Me? " Jay shook her head. " Oh, no. I didn't design or decorate anything here."

Drew frowned. " You didn't? Why? "

Jay bit her lower lip, surprised that it still stung. She was a designer, after all. But she tried to be diplomatic about it. " Katherine and I have different tastes."

Drew raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

" Very different tastes, " Jay added. At Drew's amused look, she laughed. " Oh, hell, you know what I mean." She looked back toward the double doors leading inside. " It's all so over the top for me. Even though I'm far removed from it, I'm still just a girl from a middle-class family in a small, conservative city. And this, well, this reeks of money. Wasted money, I might add." She turned back to the patio. " I enjoy the pool, of course. But still, it's not something I would have designed. You're right. It's sterile. It lacks feeling."

" That's a good way to put it. But I'm still surprised you weren't a part of the planning. That is your profession. I mean, it'd be like me buying one of these new houses and getting Apollo to do the yard."

" Okay, I'll admit I was totally pissed off at the time. This monster was everything she wanted and nothing for me. So our arrangement was she would pay the mortgage. And if she paid the mortgage, then she got to decorate. So she hired Wilkes and Bonner, but I wasn't allowed to participate."

" That's just wrong."

" Yes. My coworkers at Wilkes and Bonner were quite amused by it all." Jay stared again at the house. " And not that I'm dying for their company, but isn't it a bit odd that they only said a handful of words and then disappeared into her study? " She glanced at her watch. " Do you think I—"

But the doors opened, interrupting her. Katherine stood in the doorway, Jenna beside her.

" There you two are. I was wondering where you'd gone off to." She motioned back inside. " I was about to give Jenna a tour. Drew, are you interested? "

Jay saw Drew's hesitation, then watched as she nodded.

" Sure." She glanced at Jay. " Are you going to tag along? "

" Actually, I think I'll check on dinner. You all go ahead."

And as the doors closed, leaving Jay alone, she turned toward the pool, absently watching the water shimmer in the early evening light. Damn, how weird is this? Drew is dating Katherine's old flame. Dating, but not sleeping with. She didn't know why, but that news was pleasing to her. Not that it mattered who Drew slept with. Not that it's any of your concern, she told herself. But really, they didn't go together at all. Jenna was short... and not heavy, but certainly not thin. She seemed far too serious for Drew. Not that you could get a good read on a person after only exchanging greetings. But still, not her type.

And good Lord, Jenna and Katherine} Of course, who knew how they were all those years ago in law school. But now, no. No way.

Drew pushed her plate away, her eyes finding Jay's across the table. " That was absolutely delicious. I'm stuffed."

" Thanks. But I hope you saved room for dessert."

" I have to agree, Jay, " Jenna said. " I can't remember when I've had better pot roast."

" It's my favorite meal, " Katherine chimed in. " But I did save room for dessert. Apple pie with ice cream? " she asked, looking at Jay.

Jay nodded. " I'll bring it right out."

Drew was about to offer to help, but Jay had already hurried from the table. She glanced to her right, surprised to find Jenna blatantly staring at Katherine. She frowned, wondering at the extent of their relationship. Jenna had simply said old friends, but there was something intimate in their looks.

" After dessert, Jenna, you'll have to come into my study. I forgot to show you my collection of law books. Some date back two hundred years."

" Oh, I'd love to see them."

Katherine turned to Drew. " You'd be bored silly, dear, but you're welcome to view them too."

Drew smiled, but took the hint. " Maybe I'll get Jay to show me her portfolio. We're sort of in the same business."

" Oh, really? Jenna said you did yards. I assumed mowing and the like."

Drew laughed. " We do that too. But we're a landscaping service. I work with builders designing new homes."

" Well, I'm surprised you and Jay haven't run into each other before."

'Yeah, that is kinda weird." Drew looked up as Jay carried a tray laden with four plates and a large bowl of ice cream.

" What's weird? " Jay asked, setting the tray on the table. She handed the first piece of pie to Katherine.

" That you and I haven't run into each other before." Drew took the plate Jay handed her. " Thank you."

" Well, I've seen your trucks around. Does that count? "

Drew noticed the slight smile around Jay's mouth. " I'm not really on site all that much anyway."

" Don't do a lot of grunt work anymore? "

" As little as possible."

" Who else wants ice cream? " Katherine asked as she held up the bowl.

" None for me, thanks, " Jenna said. " Goes right to my hips."

" Then I'll have your share, " Drew said, reaching for the bowl. " This pie looks great."

" I can't take credit, " Jay said. " It's from Dora's Bakery."

" Then I know it'll be good. I usually get my breakfast there." She passed the bowl of ice cream to Jay. " Have you had her breakfast pastries stuffed with scrambled eggs and sausage? "

" The ones with all that cheese melted on top? " Jay laughed. " I'm surprised I haven't run into you there as well."

Katherine slid her plate away from her, her pie only half eaten. " While the two of you chat about pastries and such, I'm going to show Jenna my law book collection." She stood, motioning for Jenna to join her.

Drew watched them go, then looked back to Jay. Jay met her eyes with a shrug.

" I'd rather chat about pastries and such, " she said, mimicking Katherine.

Drew took a bite of pie, the melted ice cream oozing off the top. " Mmm, I'd rather eat pie."

" It's sinfully good, isn't it? "

Drew nodded. " And not that I'm prying or anything, but you and Katherine, you don't talk much, do you." It was intended to be a question, but she knew her tone indicated it was simply an observation.

" We don't talk much, we hardly see each other, and... and as a treat, she wants to take a two-week trip to Hawaii." Jay rested her chin in the palm of her hand. " Sometimes I feel like we're strangers, not two people in a multi-year relationship."

" People change. I'm sure you both have."

" Yes, we both have, I suppose. There's added stress in my life, trying to get my business going. There's pressure in her job, and goals she's set for herself that require an insane amount of her time. Time that we used to have together."

Drew looked at the two empty chairs at the table and the plates of half-eaten pie. " They seem to know each other well.

Jenna said they were old friends from college."

" Old friends, yes. Lovers too."

" You're kidding."

" They had an affair one semester, then Jenna decided she wasn't gay after all." Jay made a face. " Likely story."

Drew laughed. " Yeah. The Jenna I know is very comfortable with her sexuality." Drew looked around the formal dining room, shaking her head. " This is so not you." She smiled. " I didn't mean that the way it sounded, " she clarified.

" I know what you mean." Jay stood. " Come on. I'll show you my little space here in the house. It's my office."

Drew followed her up the stairs, pausing to take a look back at the closed door of Katherine's study, wondering what could possibly be so interesting about old law books. She shrugged. What did she know? Maybe they were fascinating.

" It's small, " Jay was saying as she stood by a door, her hand resting on the knob. " Just an extra bedroom I was able to claim." She pushed open the door, waiting.

Drew stuck her head inside and grinned. " Now this is the Jay I know." She went fully into the room, the desk and computer drawing her gaze as she pictured Jay sitting there working. The desktop was littered with swatches, the bookshelf lined with books. She looked around, seeing the recliner tucked into a corner, an old floor lamp beside it. A frayed rug—a Southwestern design—was thrown on the floor, and under the lone window was a small shelf holding four potted plants. Then she saw it and her eyebrows arched. She glanced quickly at Jay, saw the smile, the nod.

" Where did you get it? "

" You like? "

" Can I touch it? "

Jay laughed. " You can look. Keep your grubby hands off."

Drew bent lower, eyeing the helmet, seeing the scribbled signatures on the side. " Wow."

" I was teasing, you know." She lifted up the glass box and took out the mini helmet, holding it carefully by the tiny face-mask. She handed it to Drew. " Here."

" Wow, " she said again. " Troy, Emmitt and Michael. The triplets."

" There are fans, and then there are fans, " Jay said. " Which are you? "

Drew turned the helmet, taking in every detail. " I love the Cowboys, " she said quietly. " Everything stops on game day." She looked at Jay. " This is awesome."

" Katherine hates football."

" That's too bad."

" Well, in the past, she would tolerate it and get us tickets to a game now and then. But not in the last several years."

" Some of the builders, they've got season tickets. Maybe I could steal you away one weekend for a game. You think? "

She watched Jay's blue eyes soften, saw the wistful look on her face. Then Jay sighed and brushed at the hair covering her ears, tucking it somewhat nervously behind her ears.

" We'll see."

 


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