A Table for Two (13 page)

Dana laughed. "Think again. When I'm off, I try not to cook unless I really want to or have to. I had planned to make breakfast tomorrow, though, if it's okay with Ridley."

"You don't have to do that," Ridley said.

"I want to as a token of my appreciation for being invited here."

"We certainly won't stop you, right girls?" Ridley looked at Karen and Laurie.

"No way," Karen said. "I'm sure it will be something delicious."

"Then we'll need to stop at the supermarket sometime when we're out," Dana said.

"We should check to see what we have here before we go shopping. My mother stocked the refrigerator with basic necessities before we came down, so we might already have some of the things you need," Ridley said.

"We can do that, but I'm sure I'll need a few things you don't have."

"Don't worry, Dana," Laurie said. "If you're missing anything, I'll send Karen to the super market to pick it up for you."

Karen moved so she stood behind Laurie's chair and wrapped her hands around her neck as if to strangle her. "You're something. What do you mean you'll send me? And let me remind you that Dana came here to relax, not to cook for us. We wouldn't ask you to give us a lecture on nineteenth century novelists on your day off."

"No, but I'd be happy to oblige you if you're interested."

Ridley frowned. "And when you're done, I'll go over the basics of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. Now that's really fascinating."

"God no--please spare us," Karen and Laurie said in unison.

Dana visibly shuttered. "I'll pass on that topic."

"Seriously, Dana, Karen's right. Don't cook unless you feel like it," Laurie said.

"I'd like to do it. It's just breakfast and I'm not making anything difficult."

"I'll help you," Ridley offered.

"Me too," Laurie added. Laurie looked up at Karen who had released her death grip on Laurie's neck and had her hands on Laurie's shoulders.

Karen smiled down at her. "Me three."

"I knew you'd all help." Dana smiled. "It's settled then."

"Goody." Laurie clapped her hands in the air.

Ridley got up from the table. "Dana, if you're finished with your coffee, why don't you come with me and I'll show you your room. You guys don't mind if we leave you alone for a little while, do you?"

"No, you go ahead. We'll clean up," Karen said.

"I LEFT MY bag out in my car," Dana said once they got into the living room. She touched Ridley's arm lightly. "I'll just run and get it. Don't go anywhere."

"Don't worry, I won't. I'll be right here." Ridley remained by the fireplace mantle and waited for Dana to come back with her things. The odor of burnt wood coming from the fireplace was one of the permanent smells that resided in the house, a collection of scents that nourished her soul and kindled her fondest memories. She breathed them in, the ever-present fresh sea air, the bouquet of flowers on the coffee table, the lingering aroma of bacon from the kitchen, freshly brewed coffee and just a trace of her mother's favorite cologne.

Over the years, she, Laurie and Karen had spent many a weekend at the shore house. Once in a while, if she met someone who lived down there or was staying for the summer, she might invite her to go out to dinner with the three of them or out to a club, but this was the first time someone who really meant something to her was going to stay at the house with them. She'd dated a few women for longer periods of time, but it had never been anyone special enough to bring to this place, even though she knew she had no right to think of Dana that way. Dana was just one of the gang.

"I'm back," Dana came back in with one overnight bag.

"You didn't bring much, did you?"

"I don't need much because I won't be here that long." Dana appeared to scan the room with her eyes. "This is a cozy room and that's a great fireplace. Do you use it much?"

Ridley nodded. "I thought we'd have a fire tonight. It's supposed to be chilly."

"That would be so nice," Dana said.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room." She led Dana down a hallway to one of the guest rooms on the first floor, a lovely room in shades of sea form green and soft pink with white wicker furniture. A large watercolor painting of sandpipers scurrying along the beach at sunset hung above the bed.

"This is a relaxing room. Did you buy the painting and decorate the room to match it or did you buy the painting to match the room?"

"Good question." Ridley thought a moment. "My mother did it a long time ago, but I think the room came first because I remember her looking for a painting to go in here."

Dana opened a door inside the room and peeked inside "Is this a bathroom?"

"Yes, you have your own. I hope you'll be comfortable in here."

"I'm sure I'll be very comfortable. This house is charming, what I've seem of it, and it's beautifully maintained both inside and out."

Ridley beamed. "That's my mother. She has good taste, doesn't she?" Ridley adored the older Cape Cod style ranch, so well-maintained its white cedar shake shingles barely showed any ill effects from the ruthless and constant battering of wind and salt.

"I'll say." Dana took a closer look at Ridley. "You look good. You've got nice color in your cheeks and your hair's all windblown. You look really cute."

Ridley ran her fingers through her hair. "We were walking on the beach before breakfast. I guess I should have combed it. You look good yourself. I'm glad you're here."

"I know. You told me when I got here. I almost changed my mind at the last minute, but now I can see that would have been a mistake." Dana opened her bag, took out a book and set it on the table next to her bed. She glanced at Ridley. "Where's your room?"

"I'm upstairs in the master suite. My mother added it on a few years ago."

"I thought I saw a new addition on the back of the house," Dana said.

"Did you go out there?"

"I went to take a quick look at the ocean and the beach when I got here and that's when I saw it. It must be nice to have an upper and lower deck overlooking the ocean."

"It is. We love to sit out there. The one on top comes off the master suite and connects to the one below it, the one that comes off the living room and goes down into the dunes. I'll take you up to see my room later. There's a whirlpool tub large enough for two people and skylights and another fireplace. At night you can hear the ocean and if the sky is clear, you can see the stars. I love that room, but I only get to stay in it when my mother's not here."

"If I owned a shore house, I'd want one just like this. It kind of reminds me of the houses around the Chesapeake Bay. I like the way the pine trees and bushes surround the house and make it feel secluded, like there aren't any other houses around."

"We actually have a triple lot. It's all worth a fortune now, the house and the land, but when my grandparents purchased the land it was quite cheap. Back then, there was nothing around and my grandparents weren't sure they wanted to build a house way down on this end because the island was so deserted. They thought they were making a big mistake, but they did it anyway."

"It looks like they made the right decision after all."

"They did, as it turned out. They left it to my mother when they died and now some parts of the island are crammed with expensive vacation homes and there's hardly a vacant lot to be had. We get some generous offers on the extra lots, but my mother would never sell them. She loves this place and she doesn't need the money."

"I don't blame her," Dana said. "I wouldn't sell them."

"Me either. I love the extra space around the house and the privacy it gives us. This house is precious to me and I wouldn't change a thing about it. It's the caretaker of my most cherished memories and a lot of my past lives in here."

"I guess this will all be yours someday?"

"Someday, but not too soon, I hope. I'd like my mother to be around for a long time yet. She's more precious to me than this house could ever be." Ridley looked away for a moment. "Would you like to go for a ride this afternoon and see some of the island?"

"Yes, I'd love to. I haven't seen the shore in a long time."

"On the way back, we'll stop at the supermarket and get whatever you need."

"Give me a few minutes to unpack and freshen up in the bathroom. Then we'll see what you have and make a list of what we need."

"Can you find your way back to the kitchen?"

Dana smiled softly. "I think so. If not, I'll yell for help."

"That was silly, wasn't it? It's not that big a house." Ridley smiled to herself and shook her head. "Well, I should go find the girls and see if they want to go out with us. They should be done washing the dishes by now."

LATER THAT EVENING, after dinner and a ride along the bay, they returned to the house and gathered in the living room in front of a blazing fire. Laurie and Karen were snuggled close together on the sofa while Ridley and Dana sat in matching chairs on opposite ends of the sofa.

"What a great dinner," Dana said. "That restaurant was even better than I remembered. It's got the perfect shore ambience and they know how to prepare fresh seafood. Don't laugh at me, but I absolutely adore those French fries."

"I'm not laughing," Ridley said. "I love the French fries and the restaurant, but so do a lot of other people. It's so crowded during the summer you can't even get in on the weekends. They don't take reservations, so you have to either go very early or very late or just go whenever and be willing to wait in line for a long time."

"It's well worth the wait if you ask me," Laurie said.

"I agree," Karen said. "Don't you love sitting in front of a fire?"

"I could sit and stare at the flames for hours and hours," Ridley said. "And I often do. It's as if the fire puts me into a trance."

Without warning, Laurie stood up. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to call it an evening. I've had a nagging headache for a while and it's getting worse." Laurie had an odd expression on her face and she looked as if she was up to something. "Honey, didn't you tell me you were dying to get back to that lesbian mystery you were reading?"

"Uh..." Karen appeared confused, but it only lasted a moment. "Oh...yeah, I did. I hope you two don't mind. It's a really good book. You know how it is."

"Sorry you have a headache, Laurie," Dana said.

"I think I had a little too much wine at dinner," Laurie explained. "It's nothing a few Tylenol and a good night's sleep won't cure. I'll be good as new in the morning."

"That's a shame, Laurie." Ridley had an idea what her friends were up to. Laurie had looked fine all evening and rarely complained of headaches and Karen would never leave a group of friends and a good conversation to read any kind of book. Obviously, they were co-conspirators who had devised a clever plan to leave her alone with Dana. During dinner, Laurie had leaned over to whisper to Karen a couple of times and then when they got back to the house, she was whispering to Karen again. Ridley recognized a matchmaking scheme when she saw one and she reminded herself to be sure and thank them later on.

"See you in the morning," Dana said.

"Nighty-night you two. Hope you sleep well," Ridley called out to her friends as they started down the hallway to their room. "I hope you feel better, Laurie. Enjoy your book, Karen. See you both in the morning."

As soon as they left, Dana got up. "Will you excuse me? I'm going to my room."

Ridley jumped up. "You're not going to bed, are you? I thought we could go for a walk on the beach. There's a full moon out tonight." Ridley's heart raced as she waited for Dana's reply. God Lord, all that scheming by Laurie and Karen and as soon as she finally had the chance to be alone with Dana, she was going to bed?

"I don't want to go to bed yet and I'd love to take a walk on the beach. I just need to use the bathroom. Give me a minute to change my clothes before we go, okay?"

"I think I'll go change, too. Wear something warm.

It'll be cool out there." Ridley fought to conceal how thrilled she felt to have time alone with Dana. "I'll meet you back here in about fifteen minutes."

DANA STOPPED IN her tracks as soon as they stepped onto the beach from the path that led through the dunes. "Will you look at that moon," she said. A full moon, the color of butter, smiled down upon them from the sky above the horizon. It lit up the entire beach, and made everything glisten under its glow. "The moon's amazing. You can see the face so clearly and it looks like it's watching us."

"It's a friendly face. You don't see a moon like that too often." Ridley walked a few feet behind Dana as they wound their way through the long dunes path so she could study her bathed in moonlight. She became more beautiful every time Ridley laid eyes on her.

Dana stayed ahead until they got close to the water and then she turned and waited for Ridley to catch up. "Thanks for suggesting this." For a few moments, she studied Ridley's eyes before she looked away at the ocean. Then she started walking.

"This is one of my favorite things to do. Over the years, I've walked on this beach with my family and friends more times than I can count. When my grandparents were still alive we'd walk on this beach after dinner in the cool crisp evening. Sometimes my parents would come along and we'd all laugh and talk and walk until it was too dark to see each other's faces. Those were days I'll never forget," Ridley said. "And walking on this beach never gets old for me. I feel certain I could do this for the rest of my life and still never have enough." Had she seen something there in Dana's eyes a moment ago or had she imagined it? Or had she merely wished for it?

"Have you ever brought a girlfriend down here?"

Dana asked. "Someone special?"

"No, I haven't--no one that really mattered to me."

"I think walking on the beach at night is very romantic. It would be a great thing to do with someone you cared very deeply for, someone you loved."

"I agree, but I've never been in love," Ridley replied.