Scaredy Cat (21 page)

Neither of them realized then that they were crossing hurdles as a couple. They comforted each other. Blake spent a lot of time at the nursing home with Quinn and watched Nelda’s steady decline. She held Quinn as she cried over what was to come. They spent the last Thanksgiving with Nelda and Quinn’s family at the nursing home.

Blake never told Quinn about the conversation she’d had with Nelda. She wanted Quinn to believe that her mother had chosen on her own to make amends. That was the only secret Blake kept. Nelda kept it, too, and though she and Blake never discussed it, they often gave each other a nod of thanks when no one else was looking.

Blake and Quinn spent much of their time at Quinn’s house. Smaller belongings gradually made their way over until the rental house was virtually empty except for larger furniture. They made jokes about not discussing living arrangements, as they did everything that two people who lived together did. Blake washed the laundry, including Nelda’s. She and Quinn took turns cooking. In the mornings, Blake had coffee with Quinn and Jacob before they all began their day. Blake wrote, and in the evenings, Quinn came home to her. After dinner, they’d go out to the boardwalk and stroll along until they came to what they’d dubbed the kissing tree, and each time, they’d commemorate their first kiss. There was one hurdle they had yet to cross.

December winds blew across the water, adding a chill to the air. Blake laughed as Quinn pulled her to a stop beneath the tree. Their lips were cold as they met, but Blake felt warmth spread from her head to her toes. “Quinn, I have to tell you something.”

“You’re very still. Is there something behind me? Is it a—”

Blake put a finger to Quinn’s lips. “We can never let anyone cut this tree down because it’s special. This is where we had our first kiss, and this is where I want to tell you for the first time that I love you.”

Quinn’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight as she pulled Blake out of the shadows. “I was going to admit that to you tonight. I can’t believe you beat me to it.”

Blake grinned. “Then say it now.”

“I love you, Blake Taylor, and I will follow you to the ends of the earth. Wherever you are, that will be home to me.”

Blake wrapped her arms around Quinn’s neck and kissed her. “Tomorrow, I want you to take me to the DMV where I will test for my Louisiana driver’s license.”

“I will,” Quinn promised with a smile. “In the spring, I want you to take me to New York. I want to see the sights, and I want to see your apartment.”

“
Our apartment
. If we decide to keep it, we’ll have two residences. Details, we’ll work out later. Right now, I want to stroll in the moonlight with the woman I love.”

Epilogue

That was the first Christmas that Blake had spent away from her family. She refused to go home and leave Quinn, and she could not ask Quinn to leave her mother over the last Christmas they’d probably share. It was understood when Dani spent the holidays with her in-laws, and Blake gently explained to her mother that it would not be the last time she wouldn’t be in New York for Christmas. To Blake’s surprise, her mother took the news well.

The leaves had barely begun to bud on the trees, when Nelda in her sleep slipped through the veil that divides this life from the next. Quinn had been a constant source of strength to Blake, but on that night and the ones that followed, Blake was the comforter. With Tonya’s help, they finalized all of Nelda’s arrangements as Quinn had planned to do. At the wake service, Blake only left Quinn’s side once, and that was to show Glenda Percy the door when Blake heard her whispering to someone that Nelda had been a poor mother.

Blake led Glenda by the arm past the others who stood outside the chapel. “This is not the time or the place to express your opinions. And for the record, you don’t know jack shit about Nelda or the Scott family, so shut your foul yap. If you don’t do the respectable thing and get into your car and drive away, I’ll wring your neck just like a chicken’s. Look into my eyes, Glenda, you know I mean it.”

Glenda took Blake at her word and left. Feeling satisfied with herself, Blake spun around to go back inside and ran into Tonya. “I’m not a lesbian,” Tonya said as she held Blake by the arms, “but you totally just turned me on. I’m serious. My nipples are so hard right now I think they’re cutting holes in my bra.” Fresh tears welled in Tonya’s eyes. “I’m so proud to call you my sister.” She hugged Blake tight.

“Oh…you really are serious about the nipple thing,” Blake said as she patted Tonya on the back. “I’m honored to have you as a sister, too.”

*******

The next day as everyone turned and left the burial site, Blake walked alongside Quinn with her arm around Quinn’s waist. Quinn sniffed and wiped her eyes with a tissue, and said, “Now would be a good time for you to make your confession.”

“What’re you talking about?” Blake asked, caught completely off guard.

“I went into the nurse’s station one day to get some ice, and one of the nurses told me about an incident that occurred with Mr. Wade. She said he grabbed you one day and you jacked him in the jaw.” Quinn stopped walking and turned to face Blake. “She remembered the day well because they had to ice his face. You did that not long before my mother called me to make peace. You talked to her, didn’t you?”

Quinn’s expression wasn’t one of anger, but she wasn’t smiling. “All she needed was a little push. I believe she wanted to talk to you, but I think maybe she was afraid that it was too late. So…I gave her a nudge.”

Quinn’s eyes filled with fresh tears. “Thank you.” She kissed Blake, uncaring of who watched or disapproved. “You’re a hero to the staff there. Mr. Wade stopped grabbing them after that and uses his hands to play bingo and chess, no pun.”

Blake smiled timidly. “Ester the chicken trained me well.”

*******

Cassidy stared at Blake’s next book on her computer screen disappointed that it was not the one she’d read a portion of while in Cypress Glade. There were no ghosts, no demented psychopaths, just the story of a woman battling her own demons. And it was told in first person, which was not Blake’s style. She’d be very surprised if it sold at all given Blake’s audience.

At the moment, Blake was the golden child. The video of her doing an EVP session and the responses she received had gone viral on the Internet. Her next book, the one that was to immediately follow the manuscript Cassidy was reading was based on the investigation of the Whitley house, and news of it had created a buzz. Cassidy was forced to capitulate to Blake’s demands of releasing the one dedicated to Quinn first.

She sighed and reread the last paragraph.

Love is the most fickle of the spirits. She chooses to whom she bestows her gifts, and her timing isn’t always perfect. She’s often hateful when she seeks out a pair and kisses only one depositing her spell. In my case, she was kind and blessed me with love most healing and a lover extremely divine.

Cassidy snarled at the screen. “Poetic, romantic bullshit. God, deliver me!”

About the Author

Robin Alexander is the author of the Goldie Award-winning
Gloria’s Secret
and sixteen other novels for Intaglio Publications—
Gloria’s Inn
,
Gift of Time
,
Murky Waters
,
The Taking of Eden, Love’s Someday, Pitifully Ugly, Undeniable, A Devil in Disguise, Half to Death, Gloria’s Legacy, A Kiss Doesn’t Lie, The Secret of St. Claire, Magnetic, The Lure of White Oak Lake, The Summer of Our Discontent,
and
Just Jorie
.

She was also a 2013 winner of the Alice B Readers Appreciation Award, which she considers a true feather in her cap.

Robin spends her days working with the staff of Intaglio and her nights with her own writings. She still manages to find time to spend with her partner, Becky, and their three dogs and four cats.

You can reach her at
[email protected]
. You can visit her website at
www.robinalexanderbooks.com
and find her on Facebook.