Lucky Love: A Lesbian Romance Page 7

  No sound emanated from anywhere. I peeked under the sheet-draped furniture. I even stood completely silent in the room and tried to listen for breathing or other dog sounds. I sniffed, just in case he had dropped one of his bombs. I kept on past the point where I was reasonably sure he had slipped out the door. Then, I walked out the front door and onto the porch.

  The sky radiated pink and purple and yellow to my left, with dark clouds rolling in on my right. A cool breeze pricked at the skin on my face, the warmer air blowing on my arm. A storm was coming, and with it, a frisson of fear ran down my spine. What if Alice got stuck out there? Did I care? I found, despite my best intentions, I did. How could I not after what she had done? I would be a monster if I didn't.

  I decided to get in my car and drive around the block trying to find her, but as I started to back out, Alice staggered past the driveway. I slammed the car into park and rushed out.

  She shook her head and turned away. But not before I saw her face crumple.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ALICE

  I'd called for Ronald until my voice had disappeared, replaced by an ineffective whisper. In the end, as it started to grow dark, I decided to return home.

  When I did, Lena was standing outside her car with keys in hand. At the sight of her hopeful face, tears pricked my eyes. I dashed them away, turning from her. This was not helpful. This would not help me find Ronald. I clenched my fists. "Stop it," I whispered.

  Lena had come to my side, patiently waiting for me to finish with my emotions. I turned to her and shook my head a little.

  "Do you want to take a ride around?" she asked. "We'll be able to cover more ground that way."

  I shrugged. "He wouldn't have gone far. He can barely walk four blocks without plopping down on the sidewalk. I'm just worried about this storm that's coming in and the dark. He hates storms. And the dark. Seriously... I have a nightlight for him." I choked at this admission, barely holding back my tears. Ronald had been my best friend, my favorite comedian, my confidant. "What if we never find him again. Or worse?"

  "We will find him," Lena said. "If what you said is true, he can't be far. Let's take a quick look in the bushes around here and in the neighbors' yards. Maybe he was scared of something."

  Lena's voice was sure and steady. She didn't waste time reassuring me, but that wasn't what I needed just then anyway. I needed someone who would take charge, and Lena was perfect for the job.

  Lena jogged over to the hedge lining the property. I nodded once, pulled myself together, and went the opposite way. I looked under porches, calling and whistling. I knocked on doors and asked the neighbors if they'd seen him. All of them said no and promised to keep an eye out for him. I did a search more thorough and more organized than my last one, ensuring I checked every nook and cranny. As I branched out, hope diminished. He wouldn't have gone so far. My only wish was that Lena had found him by going the other way.

  My legs were tired, but I forced them into a jog. It was completely dark now, not just because the sun had set but because the storm, threatening from the west, was upon us. The skies opened up three houses before I reached home, drenching me so my hair clung to my face and the skin on my hands mottled with damp cold.

  I reached the porch just before Lena, who came running back with her arms empty. My heart pulled.

  "Any luck?" she asked.

  I shook my head. Ronald was out there somewhere. He was out there and scared and there was nothing I could do about it. My teeth chattered. I couldn't stop them. "You?" I asked, though I knew the answer.

  "No. Let's drive around just a bit."

  "Okay," I said, unwilling to give up and unsure about what to do next. Lena peeled off her blazer and lifted it over our heads. "Ready?"

  I started to run, shrieking as a bolt of lightning flung across the sky. Lena wrapped her arm around my shoulder and huddled close, tenting the jacket above us both. She ran around the car door with me and opened it. I would have smiled at the romantic gesture if I wasn't so worried about Ronald. It was so unlike Lena. It was if I was watching a whole new woman hurry around the front of the car and slide into the driver's seat.

  "I'm sorry we're getting the upholstery wet," I said.

  "You're worried about that now?" She shoved her keys into the ignition and twisted. "Stop thinking about that. It's not important."

  Once, I might have taken her tone as insulting, but now I saw it as practical. She wanted me to focus on finding Ronald rather than worrying about the state of her car. I sat back and squinted through the rain-streaked window, using the lights from the cars, the street lamps, even the lightning, to scan every possible hiding place. I felt helpless sitting in the car and wanted to get out and search as well, but I was already shivering uncontrollably. "Can you t-t-t-turn on the heat, please?"

  "Yes, of course. I'm sorry. I should have thought of that." Lena tapped the up arrow on the touch screen until it read eighty-five degrees.

  I placed my yellowed fingers in front of the vent and kept looking. We stalked the streets a little longer, craning our necks to see out our respective windows.

  "This is useless. We're never going to find him like this," I said.

  Lena kept her focus on the window. "You never know. All it would take is one of us to see him."

  "And statistically? Is it worth it? If you were crunching the numbers... would you take the time?"

  The car screeched to a halt. Lena turned toward me. "Sometimes, you have to try for that small chance. Plus, you've got luck with you today."

  It took me a moment to realize what she was saying and, despite the cold and despite how upset I was about losing Ronald, I let out a sobbing laugh. Lena Luck. "You didn't just make that joke, did you?"

  "I did," Lena said, smiling broadly.

  "Do you use that often?"

  "Others have made the joke, but I have to say that's the first time I used it for myself. What's the verdict? How did it work? Take it or leave it."

  Was she flirting with me? Or just trying to make me feel better. It was so hard to know with her, and I was too tired to really find out. "Leave it, I think."

  "Okay, then you will be the first and the last one who ever hears that joke."

  After this I felt lighter as I glanced out the window. Not so hopeless. We started moving, but the rain intensified to the point where we could no longer see outside. Anxiety gripped my lungs, and I found it difficult to draw in a breath.

  Lena shifted the car into park. "Tell me about Ronald. Where did you get him?"

  "I rescued him about five years ago." I swallowed. "I was in a bad place in my life, lonely. I guess he rescued me more than I rescued him."

  "You rescued each other," Lena said softly.

  She seemed totally different, softer, more... open and real. This whole thing with Ronald could have gone a thousand ways. She could have shut me out of the house once Ronald was missing. She didn't touch me or hug me or try to console me, but there was a strength about her, and I held on to that to keep myself from crumbling.

  The rain pounded on the car, drumming out a rhythm. Until Ronald, I'd always liked storms. I'd found them exciting. Now, the rain only brought terror. "Do you find that you are luckier than others?"

  Lena shifted against her seatbelt, facing me. "Well, my birth parents gave me up for adoption and my adoptive parents died in a car accident a couple of years ago. I can't seem to keep a girlfriend. Other than that... yes, I think I'm lucky."

  A drop of water from my hair fell on my warming hand. I'd expected her to throw some joke at me, but this was real. This was... "I'm sorry," I said, already having paused too long.

  "You didn't do anything."

  Except drag her out here to look for a dog. Except take away her grandmother's house, which could be the only thing she had to remember her parents by. Why had Lois given it to me? "If you want the house..."

  "Forget about it," Lena said.

  I folded my hands, reconsidering how I'd thought of Len
a. She was nothing like my last girlfriend. I'd just had to let her get to know me enough to be vulnerable with me.

  "What's that?" Lena pointed out the windshield.

  A bolt of lightning lit the sky and thunder crashed. A figure about the size of Ronald scurried in the yard right next to us.

  I hurtled out the door. Rain slashed my face and neck, newly soaking me to the core.

  "Ronald," I screamed, running toward the spot where I thought I had seen him. It was to my left, near a big tree. I jogged to it. I couldn't hear anything but the rain. As I moved from concrete to grass my impractical heels slipped and I fell straight on my ass. Tears and rainwater streamed down my face. I crawled toward the shadow. Lightning flashed again, and the beady eyes of a drenched raccoon stared back at me.

  I pounded the ground with a fist, sending a spray of mud into my eyes.

  Then Lena's arms were around me and she was holding me tight and dragging me upright. Her arms were like steel supports as she carried me back to the car. "Let's get you home," she whispered in my ear. "You're no good to Ronald if you're too sick to take care of him."

  I let my head fall against Lena's chest and hung onto her neck. I let her slip me into the car. I leaned against the window as we sat in silence, waiting for the rain to let up, then sat in silence on the ride home. When we stopped, Lena was there again, helping me into the house, helping me up the stairs.

  She sat me on the toilet in the bathroom upstairs and left. She reappeared with a dry towel and a face cloth. "There's soap and shampoo in the tub. Are you able to stand long enough for a shower?"

  I glanced up at her, water dripping from my hair and puddling on the floor. Shivering. "I should be looking for him."

  "You've done all you can do tonight. First thing tomorrow we go back out, okay?"

  I nodded, too exhausted to argue.

  Lena closed the door behind me in her quick, efficient way. Using the pedestal sink I pulled myself up and looked at my pathetic rain-strewn makeup and my hair. Arguably, I'd never looked worse and, for once, I didn't care.

  ...

  LENA

  I hovered outside the bathroom door, listening for the shower to start. Alice couldn't stay too long in those clothes. The cold would pierce her and though I knew you couldn't catch a cold from the cold, if she had any illness in her body it would come on with this kind of exposure. It took maybe five minutes for her to start the shower, and then I decided I needed to stay to make sure she didn't slip.

  Hovering outside of the shower, so close to her, my mind wandered. Alice layered her body under so much clothing, I could only imagine what it looked like. She wasn't rail thin, I could tell by her legs and arms, but she wasn't soft either. She was probably stronger than she looked, especially if she played rugby. More than anything, I was sure of the curve of those hips. I was sure, under those skirts, she had a beautiful round...

  I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to remember how I had felt about her just a couple of days before. How I had spent weeks holing myself up in this house just so she couldn't get inside, but I couldn't recreate the feelings. I couldn't remember why I hadn't trusted her, what made me see her as the enemy, as someone who was manipulating me. It seemed so stupid now, especially after what had happened today. She wasn't fake, she was just doing the best she could with what she had. Just like me.

  The shower turned off and I darted for the safety of my room, my heart pounding in my ears. I remembered she didn't have any dry clothes to wear and gathered up boxers and a T-shirt from the duffel bag out of which I'd been living. I scrambled back to the hallway, draping the clothes over my arm, like I'd been there the whole time.

  She opened the door and I almost crashed into her.

  "I brought you some..." I blinked at her towel-clad form, at the rise of her breast emerging from the top of the towel. At her auburn hair, soaking and swooped over one shoulder. At her freckles and her short eyelashes and her lips which almost blended into her skin. She blinked.

  I cleared my throat. "Some clothes for you."

  "I should probably head home. Do you have an umbrella I could use?"

  "No... I don't know if there's one here. If there is, it's buried in one of the closets downstairs. Why don't you..." My throat clogged before I could utter the question. I cleared it. "Why don't you stay here tonight? Ronald may be close, and we can get started as early as possible."

  "I guess you're right," Alice said. "Sure."

  I nodded once. We stood there for a moment until I realized the ball was in my court. "You can stay two doors down. In the room next to me."

  She smiled a sincere smile as she held out an arm. She looked like a completely different person like this. Younger. More vulnerable. I transferred the clothes to her, careful not to brush her skin. Why had I said the thing about the room next to me? Was I trying to flirt? Is that what this was? If I was, subconsciously, I couldn't let that happen. Right now, she needed strength, stability. Not the weak person I became when I fell for someone.

  I jerked my thumb at my bedroom. "I'm going to clean up. If you need anything, knock on my door."

  Without another word, Alice stepped down the hall and entered her room. She closed the door behind her. It was early, and I had enough energy to power a locomotive, but I didn't want to leave Alice alone in case she needed anything. I took a quick shower to warm up, changed, entered my room, and opened my laptop.

  First, I sent an email to Attorney Angela Johnson telling her to stop whatever she had filed. Telling her I'd misjudged Alice. Telling her to send me her bill.

  Then, since this was my first free moment, I looked up the news on Cash Johnson and found exactly what Tara described. I started to type him a message, but I couldn't figure out exactly what to say. Sorry you were caught, bud. Yeah. You'll get out of jail in twenty years and can start over again. I ended up typing a simple message: Thanks for your offer. I think you'll need your money more than us. L.

  What next? The storm had faded, but the rain still pitter-pattered against the rooftop. Going out to look again would be pointless. Perhaps I could help in some other way.

  I opened Facebook, which I saw mostly as a waste of time, but which Tara had forced me to use for networking for the app. I typed Alice's name into the address bar and scrolled through all the Alice Richards profiles. She was about the fifth one down with the most eclectic photo of the bunch. Surprise. I clicked on her image.

  She hid most of her posts and pictures from strangers, but I was able to scroll through some of her profile pictures and found one of her hugging Ronald. I copied it and pasted it into a Word document. Then, I found some examples of the best missing dog posters and used them for inspiration to make my own. I included my phone number on the page and the address for this house. I described him the best I could. Next, I emailed it to myself to print off later. This was the way I could repay her for defending me earlier in the day, this and calling off the lawyer. So we were even.

  As soon as I finished that, I closed my laptop. I was about to leave the room, to check the porch and doors one more time before heading to sleep, when I heard movement in the hall. I froze. The movement stopped.

  A soft knock sounded on my door. "Are you awake?"

  "Yeah, I'm awake," I called, far too loud. "Come in."

  Alice opened the door and poked her head in. Her hair curled around her face, more wild than usual. As she entered the room fully, I couldn't think of anything that was more normal. More natural. It was as if this had happened a thousand times before.

  She rested her head on the side of the door, cushioning it with her hand. "I realized I didn't thank you."

  My cheeks and jaw warmed. It could have been because my shirt was a little tight around her, and her dark nipples showed through the white. It could have been because her hips were almost like I had imagined, but somehow better. Or it could have just been because it was warm in here. I forced myself to tear my gaze away.

  "It's nothing," I said.

&n
bsp; "No, you did a lot. I gather you don't really like dogs, but you were willing to risk your health for him. Because I love him. I appreciate that."

  I shrugged.

  "You're a good person, Lena Luck."

  How did one react to that? It wasn't exactly a full-throated compliment. I managed a chuckle through my drying throat. "I'm learning you're a good person, too."

  Alice laughed. Then she stopped laughing and stood in my doorway. Without all the makeup, she was even more beautiful than before. Somehow more reachable. Could I tell her that? What would happen if I did? Would she end up in my bed? Did I even want that?

  Of course I wanted that. I'd wanted that ever since I'd watched her walk away our first day of working together, maybe even the first moment we'd met. Maybe I could scratch that itch, as long as I didn't get emotionally involved. "I—"

  "I'm going to bed now," Alice said at the same time. "See you in the morning?"

  This was my last chance, I could still ask her. But what if she said no? It would ruin all the progress we'd made so far, that's what. I would clam up and she would paste that smile on her face and I would maybe tolerate her or if she pushed me enough maybe I would even go on with that lawsuit. It was better not to ask. "Yeah. I'll see you then."

  Alice turned with a smile, her hands clasped in front of her, and walked away.

  Her name was on my lips even as she pulled the door closed.

  It was too late.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ALICE

  My sleep was fitful that night. From the sound of it, so was Lena's. Her floor creaked rhythmically with her pacing steps, her anxiety practically vibrating through the walls. Had it been because of our conversation about her parents? Or was there something else going on with her? Something with work, perhaps? I wanted to ask her, but she had seemed so uncomfortable with me when I'd popped into her room I didn't want to bother her again. I fell asleep in the early morning hours.

  I awoke to the door downstairs closing and sat up in bed. The sun was streaming through the windows. I bent over and lifted my phone, squinting at the time as I turned on the screen. 10:58 AM. Holy crap. I scrambled out of bed.