The Lure of White Oak Lake (17 page)

Ida grabbed the gallon of milk and shot Chet another glance. “Have a good one, Jaclyn. See ya, Chet.”

Chet picked up a newspaper and hid his face behind it. “Everything okay?” Jaclyn asked.

“Dead as a doornail.” He lowered the paper and studied her face. “When Augie was bothered, she always looked like something stunk. You look like that right now.”

“Things do stink. Austin’s sick and whiny, and Maddie is…well, the same.”

“Maddie’s sick?” Chet asked.

“She…it’s a long story that I’m too frustrated to tell.”

“You work too much. It’s a beautiful day, go take a walk.”

Jaclyn shook her head. “I can’t. Austin’s sick and—”

“I said, go take a walk. Go all the way to Miller’s Bridge and don’t turn around until you get there,” Chet said firmly. “I can check on Austin and handle the store, too. Don’t make me tell you twice, girl.”

Jaclyn recoiled at the unusual behavior. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I don’t like the way you’ve been looking lately. You need to be aired out, now go. I’ll take my belt off if you don’t. You’re not too old for an ass whoopin’.”

Jaclyn regarded him with a bewildered smile “Are you drunk?”

“Stone-cold sober.” Chet tossed the paper aside and softened his tone. “Go for a walk to Miller’s Bridge, Jaclyn. Do it because I asked you to, okay?”

The idea of a walk on such a beautiful day was certainly appealing. There weren’t many pontoon bridges in Louisiana anymore, and Jaclyn often found her peace standing on Miller’s Bridge looking out over the dark waters of the swamp. “Do I really seem that bad off that you feel the need to run me out of my own store?”

Chet pointed at the door. “Go, and don’t come back too soon, or I’ll send you packing again.”

Jaclyn grabbed a bottle of water. “I’ll take a hike if it pleases you.”

“It does,” he said with a grin.

Jaclyn headed down the road, trying not to pay too much attention to Morgan’s cabin as she neared it. She’d pretty much put talking to Morgan out of her head. What could they say? The attraction was there, but there were just too many obstacles. Betsy was at her mailbox and drew Jaclyn’s attention from the quiet cabin.

“Good morning,” Betsy chirped. “How’s Austin? Maddie told me he wasn’t feeling well.”

“The doctor prescribed him antibiotics and gave him a Celestone shot this morning. I imagine he’ll be on the mend soon.”

Betsy inhaled deeply and let it out with a smile. “It’s a beautiful day for a stroll.”

“Chet suggested I needed airing out. Actually, he demanded it. I’m going to Miller’s Bridge. Do you want to join me?”

“Oh, no, not this morning, I can’t.” Betsy looked nervously at Clarice’s trailer. “I have something on the stove. You go on, baby, and enjoy.”

Jaclyn waved as Betsy scampered up the driveway. Birds chirped, and the breeze lifted her spirits as she strolled along at a lazy pace. She had been stressed lately and had not stopped to realize how it was affecting her. Taking Morgan out of the equation, there was something else that weighed on her heavily. Her parents were coming in for Christmas, and she was not looking forward to that. Maddie’s injury and Austin’s illness had just compounded the tension. But the most prevailing emotion was loneliness, and Morgan made her feel that way. She pushed her hair from her face, allowing herself to ponder that for a moment. Until Morgan arrived, she’d just gone on with her daily life telling herself all the while that she was too busy to care that she didn’t have anyone to hold. But Morgan made her want it. Morgan made her want many things.

Leaves and twigs crunched under Jaclyn’s sneakers as she left the asphalt and followed the gravel road to the bridge. At one time, the road led to many hunting and fishing camps deep in the swampland surrounding the lake. Hurricane Katrina had decimated them all, and where land had once been, there was only swamp. Jaclyn had been a resident of Louisiana all her life, but it still mystified her that a storm could change the entire landscape. Some part of her felt that she alone was enduring a storm that was reshaping her world, too. Hurricane Morgan was battering her defenses.

She rounded the curve, and the bridge came into view; sitting upon it was the storm. Sunlight glinted off her dark hair as she sat staring out at the water. Jaclyn came to a stop. Logic told her to turn and go the other way, but something else deep inside told her to stay. Morgan turned and looked her way. Her eyes widened for a second, then a small smile creased her lips.

“Funny meeting you here,” Jaclyn said as she walked onto the bridge.

“Betsy told me this was a good place to think.”

Jaclyn laughed lowly and nodded as the pieces came together. “Chet told me the same thing. Apparently, everyone thinks we need to think a lot.”

“It’s overrated.” Morgan shrugged and tossed an acorn into the water.

Jaclyn sank down beside her. “I’m inclined to agree.” She looked up at a piece of rope hanging from a tree branch. “We used to have a rope swing right there. Skip and I would dare each other to swing out into the water, though we weren’t supposed to swim here.”

“Why not?”

“Too many gators and cypress knees. Our parents forbade us, so we put up a swing because we were stupid.”

Morgan stared at it for a second and looked at Jaclyn. “I need to apologize for last night. I—”

“I’m not mad. I wish I hadn’t been so surprised because I would’ve kissed you back.” Jaclyn blew out a breath as she watched the wind make ripples on the water. “I was attracted to you the minute I saw you, and the more I know about you, the more I like. So I don’t want to discuss that kiss or why it shouldn’t have happened.”

Morgan sat cross-legged, her elbow on her knee, chin propped in her hand staring at the water. “You want to pretend it never happened?”

“No.”

Morgan’s brow furrowed as she looked at Jaclyn.

“It happened, and there’s no use in pretending that we didn’t both want it to.” The shimmering light coming off the water reflected in Jaclyn’s eyes, making them a lighter shade of blue. “I started to come to your house last night and tell you it was no big deal, forget about it. Then I decided it was a big deal, and I didn’t want to forget about it. I spent a sleepless night going back and forth, and when I walked onto this bridge, I came to a conclusion. Attraction and emotion are as old as time, we’re not the first people to feel this way. We can pretend it isn’t there, and we can fight it, but if you end up staying here, we will have put ourselves through a lot of misery for nothing.”

“And if I have to leave?”

Jaclyn sighed and looked at Morgan. “Then that’s what’s meant to be. I can’t pretend that you’re not here or that I don’t want to kiss you every time I see you.”

Morgan stared at her for a minute. “Good God, you’re as jacked up as I am.”

“Something else we have in common.” Jaclyn handed an acorn to Morgan. “Throw this as far as you can. It’ll make you feel better.”

Morgan hurled it and watched as it landed in the water a fair distance away. “How do you want to handle this?”

Jaclyn explained it like she was reading from an instruction manual. “You’re going to kiss me again, and this time, I’ll kiss you back, then we’re just going to take it as it comes. Call it dating if you want to.”

Morgan sat up straight. “Did you just order me to kiss you?”

“I did,” Jaclyn said defiantly. “I dare you, throw a double dog on top.”

“A double dog dare, I haven’t heard that in ages.” Morgan looked away and asked, “You’re not afraid of getting hurt?”

“Even if you weren’t considering leaving here, there would always be that chance.” Jaclyn shrugged. “Maybe you’ll decide to stay, maybe you won’t, but not taking the chance feels more painful right now.”

Morgan reached up slowly and caught a strand of Jaclyn’s hair between her fingers; it felt like silk to her touch. “I wanted to do that the minute I saw you. It’s beautiful and so are you. And now, I’m too nervous to kiss you.”

Jaclyn leaned in close. “I’ll help you.” The kiss was slow and sweet and as perfect as Jaclyn dreamed it would be. She had no idea what the future held for them, but in that moment, she had no fear. In that kiss, they discussed more than they’d ever shared with words, and Jaclyn felt the whisper of promises. “Walk with me,” she said when it ended. “Let me show you my world. You might like it.”

~~~

“Hot damn! They kissed, and now they’re walking hand in hand toward the marsh.” Ida lowered the binoculars and grinned as Betsy danced around in a circle. “This crazy shit is working.”

“And you both doubted the leaves,” Clarice said in an imperial tone as she folded her arms.

“We’re gonna continue to drink the potion, right?” Ida looked at Clarice.

Betsy grinned. She knew that Ida wanted Jaclyn’s happiness as much as anyone, but her reason for agreeing to this hocus-pocus was because she really enjoyed smoking Clarice’s dope.

“Come on. If they turn around, we’ll have no excuse for being out here,” Ida said as she headed up the road.

Betsy looked skyward as she followed, hoping that Augie was seeing all of this. Many a night they sat together, and Augie had privately confessed her concerns for her granddaughter. Sure, she would’ve loved for Jaclyn to have a husband who would help raise Austin, but that was never to be. She didn’t understand Jaclyn’s desire for another woman, but she’d accepted the difference, and unlike Jaclyn’s folks never believed her granddaughter had chosen to be that way just to be spiteful.

Betsy agreed. Jaclyn had a kind heart, and she deserved a good mate who would take care of it. So Betsy went along with Clarice’s so-called prophesy at first because she simply wanted to believe. But after talking to Morgan, she realized that the newcomer possessed a respectable character, and Morgan was everything Clarice had asked the universe for.

May Morgan be strong in body, soul, and mind. Let her heart be pure and kind. Let her face stir desire in our young sister. Let her be all these things so Jaclyn cannot resist her.

I
t was the simplicity that struck Morgan as she strolled lazily along with Jaclyn. She’d never taken such pleasure in simply holding a woman’s hand. The warmth of it spread through Morgan, making her feel almost giddy. Somehow, they’d crossed a difficult hurdle together, and the peaceful feeling she felt in the corn maze had returned.

“Do you suffer from allergies?” Jaclyn asked.

The question struck Morgan odd. Her brow furrowed as she looked at Jaclyn. “No, why?”

“Because I want to show you my favorite place. I took Austin there once, and he sneezed for days afterward. This is the perfect time of the year to see it.”

If it was Jaclyn’s favorite place, then Morgan was perfectly content with sneezing into eternity. “Show me.”

Jaclyn smiled. “It’s just up ahead. When I was little, Grandma would give me a soda and a hot dog for my picnic lunch and I’d come here.” Jaclyn took a left and pointed to something ahead.

The yellow glow stood out against the darkness of the trees and thickets beneath. Foliage formed a canopy above them, and Morgan almost felt as though she were passing through a tunnel to Wonderland. Jaclyn stopped at the end of the trail, and Morgan looked out over a field of golden flowers surrounded by the woods.

“No one ever built here. I suppose because it isn’t close enough to the water, but it’s really the only firm land after the bridge. I like to think they just didn’t want to destroy this tiny slice of heaven. The flowers you see are goldenrod, but there’s ragweed growing along with it, and that causes hay fever.”

Morgan looked at the field in awe. “It makes me want to run through it.”

“Me too.”

“Can we?” Morgan asked as a childlike exuberance bubbled within her.

Jaclyn’s response was to release her hand and take off into the waist-deep flowers with her arms outstretched. The noonday sun glinted off her blond hair that blew around in the breeze. The deep purples, lavenders, and pale yellows of the plaid shirt Jaclyn wore were in contrast. Morgan waded in slowly, transfixed by the sight.

“You’re not running,” Jaclyn said as she made her way back to Morgan.

“I can admit this freely now. I can’t stop looking at you.” Morgan pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of Jaclyn’s demure smile as she stood in the field of goldenrod.

“I want to take yours.”

“Wait.” Morgan waded into the field and tried to do a handstand. “Get me while my legs are up.”

Jaclyn’s laugh echoed in the woods around them. She snapped dozens of shots of legs at odd angles. When Morgan finally stood, her hair was a mess, her mouth open in laughter, and Jaclyn snapped off another batch of pictures.

“I’m going to close my eyes.” Morgan turned her back to Jaclyn. “I’ll count to ten, you hide.” She was certain that if anyone were watching, they’d think two grown women had lost their minds. “Two…five…eight…ten!” Morgan turned, and Jaclyn was nowhere in sight. Golden flowers waved back and forth in the breeze, giving no indication of where she’d gone.

There were no sounds of traffic, no bustling, no horns blaring, only the birds and the wind in the trees. Morgan roamed the field taunting. “I’m going to find you, and when I do, I will kiss you senseless.”

Jaclyn was grinning from ear to ear as she rose up near where Morgan was standing. “Give up?”

“No, I was still looking. You provoke too easily,” she said as she turned. “Now go hide again.”

“You’re such a tease,” Jaclyn grumbled and scurried off.

Morgan gave her a little extra time and yelled, “ten,” as she turned. “You so suck at hiding,” she said when she found Jaclyn standing behind her.

“I want to be kissed senseless. No one has ever done that before.”

“Well, I’m always up for a challenge.” Morgan took Jaclyn into her arms and made good on her promise. They quickly got carried away in that field. Jaclyn’s body felt so good in her arms, her kisses stirred a longing that Morgan wasn’t sure would ever be quenched. Breathless, Morgan pulled away before she herself became senseless. “I have a history of moving way too fast. Don’t let me make that mistake with you.”