Reece's Faith (74 page)

"So?" the club owner shrugged and attempted to see the hole for herself. After nearly toppling over onto her head, she offered Faith a grin.

"Baby, we talked about that. Why is it you can always find the money for everything else but yourself?"

"Faith," Reece started, "I told you, it's not imperative that I buy a new wardrobe because there's a hole in my sock," she finished with a hint of exasperation.

"
All
your socks have holes. Even the pairs that don't match," Faith made a disgusted face.

Cori and Violet snickered to themselves at this interesting interaction. They two women seemed oblivious to the couple and it was highly amusing to them to see their friends bickering.

"And what about those boots? I told you it was way past their life expectancy. That's why all your socks have holes."

"I just broke them in!" Reece argued.

"They're 10 years old!" Faith retaliated. "How can you even stand to put your feet in them? No wonder your socks disappear," she shook her head and sucked her teeth. "They know all the other socks will laugh at them."

"No one sees my socks, Faith." Reece jumped off the stage, crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

"
I
see your socks, Reece. Just what are you implying?" the actress tapped her foot in a manner that said she might not be taking this as lightly as the club owner was.

Reece decided it would be wise to back off. She took her lover in her arms and stooped down low enough so that their noses touched, and then she stuck out her lower lip. Faith couldn't help but smile.

"You are the most important someone." Reece kissed Faith's nose, making it crinkle up. "Have I told you, that you have the cutest nose?"

Faith blushed and slapped the strong shoulder playfully. "Stop that, you."

"Ohh, Boss... you're good. Really good," Cori chuckled. She stopped almost immediately as blue eyes threatened to burn a hole through her hat.

"Okay, Reece, you win, but this subject is not closed. You
will
be getting new boots," she waggled a finger in front of her lover's face and yelped as it was bitten.

"Come on, chicas, let's go see the rest," the club owner stood to her full height and gestured with her hand to follow. The way she lifted her hair off her neck didn't get past Faith who pulled a face.

"Hey? What was that ugly mug about? You never complained about being behind Reece before," Cori teased.

"It's what she's doing with her hair."

"Oh, that?" Cori waved at an imaginary a bug. "She always does that. It must be a bitch to have that on her head all the time. I'd never be able to keep that much hair. It must be brutal in the summer."

"I get the picture, Cori. You don't have to convince me," Faith said sarcastically.

"What? Hey? What's the matter?" the dancer pulled Faith's arm to make her stop walking.

"Reece wants to cut her hair off and I thought you were playing sides. Sorry," Faith admitted.

"Oh. Well." The dancer didn't know what to say. She had put her foot in it already.

"It's okay, Cor. You didn't know. I told her it would be fine, but now I'm not so sure." The actress started walking to catch up to Reece and Violet.

"I think she'd look hot. More butch, if you like that sort of thing," Cori wiggled an eyebrow and smiled with all her teeth.

Faith smirked at her friend's behavior. "I guess, but I'll miss the way it tickles me sometimes," she blushed, "and the way it makes a curtain around our faces when we make love." Faith got lost in that image for a second until she heard Cori clear her throat.

"Well then, you better make good use of it until it goes away," she bumped shoulders with Faith and made Groucho Marx eyebrows. "If ya know what I mean."

"Yeah," Faith grinned mischievously. "I certainly do."

 
*  *  *

Faith followed everyone into Reece's office. Violet plopped down in Reece's chair and immediately started fiddling with the club owner's laptop. Cori stood, looking over her lover's shoulder.

"Hey, when did you get this, Boss? I never saw you with a computer. I didn't even know you knew how to use one."

"Are you kidding? Frankie taught me all I needed to know. I just thought I could do everything on my own, but I got tired of playing with pencils, Cor. I got this program that takes care of all my business for me now."

"You finally got yourself an accountant then, huh?" Faith smiled knowingly. "She's not as cute as I thought she'd be."

"Very funny, Faith," Reece stuck her tongue out at the actress retaliated in kind. "You better put that away unless you intend to use it," Reece threatened.

Faith blushed, "Well, it's been fun, but I have a script on the kitchen table waiting for me to read and I think I need to find you..." Faith pointed at Reece, "...a less inutile pair of boots." She stuck out her tongue again and left the room.

"Inutile?" Reece and Cori both repeated the word with raised eyebrows, and then all three women looked Reece's boots.

The tall woman lifted her foot and sniffed at it, then shrugged. "Well it don't mean 'stinky'."

"Inutile, it means 'worthless'," Violet clarified. She got two looks of confusion. Turning the laptop around to face the women, she tapped the screen and continued, "I looked it up. You didn't think I knew that off the top of my head, did you?"

"Well, I didn't think Faith did either," Cori snickered. "Hey look something else up," she said as she leaned over Violet once more.

"Okay, what?"

"Look up 'Cori'."

"That's a name you twit, not a word," Reece teased.

"No, that's alright, I can just go to a name search. Give me a minute."

"Then, look up 'Reece'," Cori said excitedly.

Violet was overcome with snickers.

"What? Is it my name?" the dancer looked at the screen then scowled.

"Come on, Cor, spill it," the club owner began getting up off her couch.

"No, no. Stay there. It's not important," Cori lifted up a hand in protest.

After Violet composed herself, she spoke. "Cori, a boy's name, it's English and it means 'from the round hill, seething pool and ravine'."

"Seething pool! Could you imagine?"

"While being a boy's name is wrong, they got the 'round hill' thing right, though," Violet poked Cori in the boob and began laughing again.

"Why don't you look up her full name, Vi?"

The dancer narrowed her eyes at the tall smirking woman.

"Don't mind if I do. Okay, Corrine, definitely a girl's name, it means 'maiden'."

The club owner had a small burst of laughter, then settled quickly, knowing she was next.

"Oh and I suppose yours is any better, Reece," the dancer pouted.

"Reece, also a boys name, it's Welsh, it means 'ardent, fiery, enthusiastic'."

Reece nodded her head. "Can't argue with that, but again, it's not a boy's name. They oughtta fix that."

"Theresa..." the piercer began.

"Come on, Vi..." Reece grimaced, getting up and coming to stand by the two.

"From the French and Spanish, it means you are named after a saint." Everyone took a moment to chuckle and snicker, before Violet continued. "From the Greek, it means 'summer, to harvest and from the island of Theros'."

Reece took possession of the laptop and typed for a moment. "Faith, allegiance to duty or a person. Loyalty, fidelity to one's promises, sincerity of intentions. A firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust..." she trailed off in thought.

"Wow. You sure know how to pick 'em, don't ya Reece."

"This thing is right, you know. Faith is all that to me. If I hadn't met her, who knows what I would be like right now?" Reece said seriously.

The three women thought about that for a while, each lost in their own version of what might have been.

"It's not pretty, is it ladies?" Reece asked rhetorically. "Okay, now Violet, 'a purple flower'."

"That's it!?"

"Sorry, hon, that's it."

"I'd rather be a ravine," Violet pouted momentarily. "Hey, Reece, we're going furniture shopping, wanna come with us?"

"Oh no, no thank you. I'm not the shopping type," the club owner grimaced and shut down her laptop.

Cori shrugged. "Suit yourself, but we gotta go." The dancer pulled on her coat and paused. "You know, that was a really generous thing you did for us, Reece. I don't know how or when we'll be able to repay you. Thank you."

"I didn't ask to be reimbursed, Cori. Consider it a housewarming gift, okay?" the tall woman fidgeted.

"You just can't accept that you do nice things can you?" the dancer hugged the club owner.

"Just go shopping, will you?" Reece backed away out of Cori's grasp and rolled her eyes.

"Later, Saint."

"Later, Ravine."

Reece laughed as Cori growled in the hallway. She sat down at her desk and stared at the penholder in thought before releasing a long sigh. She almost regretted having to go back to being "Reece Corbett, Lounge owner" tomorrow. It was a great week for her, and for Faith. Now Faith will go back to work and find out the fate of Judith, if there even was a Judith anymore. With the way these shows went, one false move and you're out. With the press Faith had received lately, Reece wouldn't be surprised if Judith was going to be killed in some hideous accident. The club owner already felt guilty, blaming herself for the possible death of Judith. Realizing that this train of thought would get her nowhere, she stood and grabbed her coat, closing her office door behind her.

Maybe I'll take a walk or something,
she thought as she left the club and pulled down the gates.
Faith is shopping, who knows when she'll float in, and with what...
Reece snickered at the vision of her lover shopping for boots.
Does she even know what size I am?
It occurred to the tall woman that Faith always knew. In fact, she never even questioned it; she just accepted that every time Faith bought her something, it was bound to be perfect.
How cool is that?
Reece strolled down the street smiling, until she passed by a lingerie shop.
Do I know what size she wears?
She frowned now, feeling a bit stupid.
Sure I do. I mean all I have to do is look at something and imagine her in it.
Reece stepped into the boutique as she tried to convince herself.

 
*  *  *

Reece beat Faith home, as she figured she would. The club owner was nervous, a feeling that she was coming to recognize more quickly now. She purchased a few things in that little shop and was now worried that she may have made a mistake.
What if it's too tight? She'll think she's fat!
Reece smacked herself in the forehead.
What if it's too big? Then she'll think that I think she's fat!
That though made her shudder. Before she had time to put the bags in the trash, Faith's key was turning the lock.

"Reece? Are you home?" she called out from the doorway.

"In here," Reece replied rather high pitched.