Evening Stars (18 page)

Bonnie straightened. “I remember that boy. It was very sweet. He had such a crush on you. What’s he like now?”

“Yummy. Irresistible. He showed up and said I was his fantasy.”

“That’s a lot to live up to.” Bertie grinned. “He asked you out?”

“He did. I’ve seen him a couple of times.”

“Good for you,” Bonnie told her. “How was it?”

Nina laughed. “He’s gorgeous and sexy and has made it clear he wants to sleep with me. Heady stuff. I know it’s not serious, but I’m okay with that. Right now hot, meaningless sex sounds really good.”

“You have had a dry spell,” Bertie admitted. “Are you sure it’s meaningless?”

“He’s too young and very driven. He wants to be a Blue Angel.”

“I’m sure Blue Angels can be married.”

Nina rolled her eyes. “Yes. I find it unexpected that you’re so traditional. You want me married. What about you, Mom?”

Bonnie considered the question. “I want you to be happy,” she said. “That’s enough for me.”

“What about her having babies?” Bertie asked. “I never wanted to push, but I’m fifty. It’s time for me to be a grandmother. I never got to have children, so I have unmet needs. I expect you and Averil to fulfill them.”

Bonnie took her partner’s hand.

“I’ll do my best, but not with Kyle.” A Navy wife? She wasn’t the type.

“But someone,” Bonnie said. “You do want that.”

“I do. I was thinking earlier that I thought I would have it all together by now. I’m not sure where everything went wrong. I guess part of it is living on the island. There aren’t a lot of single guys here.”

“And now there are two.” Bonnie grinned. “I’m so proud. Who will win your love?”

Nina shook her head. “This isn’t
Twilight.
I don’t have to pick a guy.”

“That’s true.” Bertie nodded in agreement. “I want you to be happy, and it’s not like I can offer any advice. I’ve always found relationships with men complicated and perplexing. Which is why I’ve avoided them. Well, that and being gay.”

Nina laughed. “The latter is probably the bigger reason.” She paused. “You were never with a guy?”

“No. I always knew. I dated a little, but the first time a boy kissed me, I was horrified. It was so disgusting.” She shuddered. “After that I stopped trying to pretend. I had my first girlfriend in college. It was a revelation. I never looked back. When I met your mom, I knew I’d found the one.”

She and Bonnie shared a look, and Nina knew this one had nothing to do with her.

She remembered how Bonnie had introduced Bertie as her friend. There hadn’t been an explanation of their relationship. One night Bertie hadn’t gone home. Nina hadn’t said anything, but Averil had asked about it the next morning.

“Are you a lesbian, Mom?”

Bonnie had looked up from her bowl of cereal. That’s what Nina remembered most. The fact that they were having perhaps one of their most significant conversations over cereal and orange juice.

“Yes, I am. Bertie is going to be with me now.”

And she had been.

“You were a welcome addition to the family,” Nina said, shaking off the memories. “It’s been nice having you around. You take care of things.”

Bonnie frowned. “What does that mean? Nina, not everyone can be like you.”

“I’m not asking you to be. But there are times...” She paused. “Like the roof. You called once, but only left a message. You never returned Tim’s call, so it didn’t get fixed. I had to deal with it. You said you’d taken care of it, but you didn’t.”

Bonnie pouted. “It’s not my fault he didn’t pick up when I phoned.”

“We still had a leaking roof. It’s hard when you promise to deal with something, then don’t.” She felt herself starting to get upset. Not tonight, she told herself. She’d already alienated Averil. Did she want the same with her mother?

It wasn’t fair. In the end, it was all up to her. If she complained, she was a bitch. If she didn’t, she got stuck doing it all while everyone else went off and had fun. It had always been like that. She was, as she’d realized a couple of weeks ago, trapped in a situation with no win for her.

“You expect too much,” her mother told her. “That’s always been your problem.”

Bertie touched her lover’s arm. “You know I think you’re wonderful, but making the decisions and following through isn’t your strength. You shouldn’t offer to do something and then not take care of it.”

“But I...” Bonnie nodded slowly. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I’m just used to Nina taking care of things.”

Right, Nina thought bitterly. When her mother didn’t have to try to be responsible for anything.

Bonnie rose. “I’m going to bed,” she said.

“I won’t be long,” Bertie told her.

Bonnie walked to Nina, then bent down and hugged her. “I do love you, daughter of mine.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

Love wasn’t the problem, Nina thought.

When Bonnie had left, Penny trotting at her side, Bertie turned back to Nina. “I’m glad you found someone for the store.”

Nina accepted the change in subject the same way she accepted her mother leaving the room. It was what they did as a family. Things only went so far, then there was a strategic retreat. No one was willing to push to the point of clearing the air. From fear, she supposed. Of what the other person would say.

“Cindy seems to be working out,” Nina said. “She’s organized and willing to learn about antiques. And she doesn’t have a criminal past.”

Bertie sighed. “Tanya might not have been the best choice.”

“Sadly, she wasn’t the worst one, either.”

Bertie looked at her. “I’m willing to help out more than I have,” she said slowly. “I’ve been open to it for a while, but I haven’t wanted to push.”

“Please, push,” Nina told her. “I don’t like having to worry about everything going on in the store, along with my job and the house.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

Bertie nodded. “Then I’ll start stepping in. You could also expect a little more from your mother. She’s stronger than everyone thinks.”

“I don’t doubt her strength, it’s her follow-through I have trouble with. Like the roof.”

“She’s a work in progress.”

Nina smiled. “You love her and that’s great. I’m glad she has you. But Bonnie is a complete flake. We’re all guilty of taking care of her, so she never had to grow up. Now I think it’s too late.”

“I’m not so sure. I’m seeing signs of progress.”

Nina hoped she was right, but she had a feeling that love made Bertie blind. Which would be nice to experience, she thought.

Bertie stretched her arms toward the ceiling, then stood. “I’m tired, which makes no sense. All I did today was drive.”

“That’s stressful. You have to concentrate.”

Bertie smiled and moved toward her. “I’m glad we’re back. We both missed you.”

They hugged.

Nina went into her room. She was glad they were back, too. With her mother around, life was never boring.

She glanced at her phone and saw she’d received a text.

Just wanted to say hi.

It was from Kyle. Butterflies hatched in her stomach. She typed back, asking if he was still doing his government thing.

Nope. Back for the night. Thinking of you. Don’t suppose you could get away?

It was very close to a booty call, she thought, studying the small display. She was pretty sure that the correct response was to make him actually ask her out. Or beg a little harder. She wasn’t interested in being his go-to sex partner whenever it was convenient for him.

Only just thinking about being in his arms was enough to get her heart racing. If she lingered on the memories of all he’d done to her body, she found herself not caring about potential damage to her feminist side. A good orgasm or two healed a lot of ills.

* * *

“Happy clothes?” Cindy asked, sounding doubtful.

Averil opened the second box and started pulling out vintage dresses and jackets. “I can’t explain it more scientifically. Some of it is the smell. Old clothes have a scent, which is fine. But sometimes they have an odor that is gross.”

“Like body odor?”

Averil laughed. “No, it’s different. I’ll let you know if I find any unhappy clothes. We can’t sell those. They need to be destroyed or at least thrown out.”

“Because the unhappy cooties will be passed on to the new owner.”

“I’m not making this up,” Averil said as she pulled out a flapper-style dress and shook it. “This is fabulous. Look at the beading. I’ll bet it was all done by hand.”

Cindy fingered the fringe. “Expensive. Check to see if there’s a label. I’ll bet it was couture.”

They were sorting through the boxes unloaded from Bonnie and Bertie’s van. Cindy had already put the books aside to look for first editions. The chairs were sorted and tagged already. Which left the clothes and accessories.

“I’m going to ask your mom to look for more vintage beaded purses on her buying trips,” Cindy said, holding up a lace wedding gown that looked to be a size two at most. “They would sell like crazy. Especially on eBay. This is beautiful.”

Averil reached for a hanger. “I have no idea how old that one is.” She hung up the dress, sniffing as she worked. “But it’s happy.”

“Good to know. For the right bride, this is a real find.” Cindy put it on the rack. “Now that your mom is back, is she the boss or is it still Nina?”

“Good question. I’m not sure. Nina’s the bossy one. Bertie sometimes handles things.”

Cindy looked up. “Bertie’s your mom’s...partner?”

“The romantic kind.”

Cindy pulled another dress out of the box and held it up. But her gaze was on Averil. “You’re comfortable with your mom being gay?”

“Uh-huh. It explains dad leaving her all those years ago,” she joked.

“You’re comfortable with the idea.”

“It’s not like my family was ever normal. I was in high school when Mom told us. I liked Bertie a lot. Having her around made things easier. Bertie’s always been a buffer between Nina and me.” Something she’d forgotten in her quest to come home.

She loved her sister, but they did better from a distance. Which made her need for Nina’s approval confusing. Kevin always complained Nina was the voice in her head. Averil wasn’t sure she could dispute that, but why would she want the voice of a person who made her crazy?

They continued to unpack clothes. There were several minidresses from the 1960s which made her think that she could write a fun article on finding hot, fresh looks in grandma’s closet. She paused to scribble down a few notes.

Cindy watched her. “That’s right. You’re a writer, aren’t you?”

“Articles, mostly. I write for
California Girl
magazine.”

“You must be very talented.” Cindy laughed. “In my previous life, all my writing was legal based. It sucked my soul dry. Now I can barely scratch out an email. Ever write any fiction?”

Averil thought about the novel that was unstarted, let alone not finished. “I think about it,” she admitted. “Which turns out not to be the same as doing it.”

Her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket. “It’s my husband,” she said, pleased to see Kevin’s picture pop up. “Give me a second.”

“Sure. Take all the time you need.”

Averil stepped out the back door of the store. “Hey,” she said. “How’s it going?”

“I need to talk,” Kevin said. “Do you have time?”

“Sure. What’s wrong?” There was tension in his voice, which in turn made her tense. Had he been in an accident? Had he figured out she wasn’t worth the trouble?

“It’s James,” he said.

“James, your friend from work?”

“Yeah. He just told me...” Kevin sighed. “He’s having an affair with his assistant.”

Averil walked to the low stone wall by the parking lot and sat down. She knew James, she thought, stunned. And his wife. They’d been to their house for barbecues and had gone out to dinner.

“Does Melissa know?”

“I don’t think so. What the hell is he thinking? He just told me.” He swore under his breath. “I don’t want to know. I like Melissa. I like my friends being happily married. This is all Don’s fault.”

“Your boss? What does he have to do with anything?”

“He cheats all the time.”

“What? No way. I’ve met him. And Jan.” His wife was a pretty fiftysomething who obviously adored him. She baked cookies and volunteered and always had something funny to say. “They have four kids.”

“Don always has something on the side. That’s what it’s like here. The guys talk about it like it’s no big deal.”

Averil was grateful she didn’t have to stand right now. She pressed her hand against her stomach. “Is this your way of telling me something?”

“What? No. I’m not that guy. I love you, Averil. I don’t want anyone else. That’s not the point.”

A relief, she thought, wondering if she could believe him.

“It’s James. Now he’s one of them. The thing is, they don’t understand the consequences. If Melissa finds out, she’s going to leave James. She’s not an idiot. She’ll make sure his life is hell, and then she’ll be gone. He’s going to wake up and wonder how he lost it all. I’ve told him that, but he says he can’t help it.”

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“Nothing. I can’t make him see what he’s doing. He’ll have to live with the consequences. I just wanted to hear your voice. You’re the one I talk to about this kind of stuff.”

Averil relaxed a little. Because she and Kevin were each other’s best friend. Because he wasn’t completely comfortable with everyone else’s feelings, and she was his emotional barometer. Now his reason for calling was clearer. He wasn’t threatening. He needed her. Just like she needed him.

She sighed. “Poor you, having to deal with this.”

“Tell me about it. Men are idiots.”

“Not you.”

“I try not to be.” There was a pause. “I have to get back to a meeting. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“I like hearing yours, too.”

“I love you, Averil.”

“I love you, too, Kevin. Very much.”