Rebecca’s Cove

Chapter 26

“How long will they stay that way, Tanti?” Baylor asked. “Until dawn,” Evelyn said. “Tomorrow evening, when the

stars come out again, your two stars will appear exactly as they did before.”

The women sat in a pair of comfortable chairs set far back on the expansive lawn. Evelyn’s walker rested beside her chair, but she swore that she wouldn’t need it for too much longer. Beside the walker lay Arturo, sound asleep. Noah and his friends had worn the poor pup out, and he lay on his back with all four paws in the air, snoring pleasantly.

Rebecca Ashby had spared no expense. The Cove had arranged a beautiful buffet that spread across three tables, and it seemed as if everyone on Ana Lia stopped by to wish Baylor and Hobie well. There was even a small string quartet on the lawn playing Vivaldi.

Baylor studied her grandmother’s profile. Evelyn looked almost sad as she stared out over the ocean.

“Aimee used to love that sound,” she said distractedly. “The sound of the waves breaking onto the shore.”

Baylor watched as her expression grew sadder. “You must miss her so much.” She hadn’t comforted her grandmother much after Aimee died, not that Evelyn was one to allow anyone to hover. Baylor regretted the depth of her self-involvement, which had prevented her from seeing what was evident to everyone else.

Evelyn turned toward Baylor. “We had so many more years together than anyone ever anticipated, dear heart. When the doctors diagnosed Aimee’s cancer, they told us she only had a year or two to live. She lived for another twenty after that.”

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“That’s incredible. I had no idea.” Baylor smirked. “More Ana Lia magic?”

Evelyn chuckled and held her hands up in a “who knows” gesture.

Baylor couldn’t imagine the pain she knew would follow should anything happen to Hobie. “Weren’t you angry about any of it? Mad that she was taken away from you?”

“Those twenty years we always considered a gift from Ana Lia. How could I be angry when we were given so much more time than we expected?”

“It was you—the two of you, wasn’t it?” “Hmm?” Evelyn turned from her introspection.

“You and Aimee. The stars came together fifty years ago for the two of you, didn’t they?”

“Yes, it was us, all right. I meant it when I told you that I understood what you were going through. Aimee had to practically drag me kicking and screaming to our ceremony. I’m more like you than you know, dear heart.” Evelyn winked.

“I suppose I should have known.” Baylor shook her head and smiled. “You know, I’m going to want to hear about it all. Actually, I want to hear about a lot of your life, Tanti. It’s my own fault, but I feel like I’ve missed most of it.”

“Agreed. We’ll have our time, but you have other things to do tonight.”

“You’re right. It’s getting late, too. Do you want me to take you home?”

“On your wedding night? No, I’m staying here with Rebecca. Did you set everything up like you wanted for you and Hobie?”

“Yeah.” Baylor grinned. “I’m glad I found out she likes your tropical atrium at the hospital so much.”

“She’ll be very pleased. I know it.”

Baylor stood and stretched her legs. “I better mingle or folks are gonna think I’m antisocial. Besides, I saw Hobie giving me that ‘why are you hiding in the corner’ look.”

“I think I’ll sit here and listen to the waves a little longer.” “You sure?”

“Absolutely. Go on now.”

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Baylor started to walk away, then stopped abruptly. She turned to face her grandmother again. “I’m glad I could finally do something to make you proud of me, Tanti.”

Evelyn reached out and squeezed Baylor’s hand. “Baylor Joan, I may not have always been proud of the things you did, but I have always been proud of you.”

Baylor, her eyes full of tears, bent at the waist and gently kissed Evelyn’s cheek. She couldn’t speak for fear of breaking down completely.

“I didn’t mean to make you sad,” Evelyn said. “Not tonight of all nights.”

“Not sad, Tanti. Between you and Hobie, you make me feel better than I ever have. All my life, I’d been told that I was less than nothing, and now I find out that I was something all along.”

Baylor kissed her again and quickly walked away. She saw Hobie standing by one of the drink tables, pouring a glass of iced tea. Baylor slipped up behind her. “Hey there, beautiful.” She put an arm around Hobie’s waist. “Why don’t you run away with me?”

Hobie leaned against the tall body and chuckled. She rested one hand on Baylor’s arm. “Well, I am a married woman.”

“I bet she’s not half as good as I can be,” Baylor whispered into Hobie’s ear.

“Oh? Bold talk.”

“Trust me, I can back it up.”

There was a brief silence, then both women broke into laughter.

“I love you, Hobie.”

“Love you, too.” Hobie turned to share a gentle kiss with her new partner.

“I was halfway serious—about being ready to leave, that is,” Baylor said. “You about ready to go home?”

“More than ready. Wait a minute. Where do you mean when you say ‘home’?”

Baylor smiled. “I mean Tanti’s. She’s spending the night here and Jules is baby-sitting Noah at your place. I have something special arranged for us back at Tanti’s.”

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“Well, you thought of everything.” “Somebody had to.”

“I was busy, you know.” Hobie defended herself. “I had to deliver a breech foal this afternoon. I was up to my armpits in places you don’t want to know about.”

“Oh, lovely. I have a nice romantic vision of you on our wedding day now.” Baylor laughed at Hobie’s serious expression. “I’m just teasing you, Doc. I know you had to work. Besides, Mrs. Fazzini already told me how you saved the life of their $200,000 mare, not to mention the baby horse.”

“Foal.”

“Yeah, whatever. Wait a minute, I thought baby horses were ponies.”

“Something else entirely. Don’t worry, you’ll learn all about animals soon.”

“Just be patient with me. We don’t get a lot of wildlife on Lake Shore Drive. Besides pigeons, I mean.”

“You enjoy giving me a hard time, don’t you?” Baylor’s smile reminded Hobie of her son’s hearty, childish grin.

“Yeah, I kinda do.”

“Just be careful, my dear, and remember what happened to the young lady from Niger.”

“Ooh, is that a threat?” Baylor grabbed Hobie tighter and moved to tickle her.

“That’s a promise, tough girl.” Hobie squirmed to elude Baylor’s wandering hands. “Okay, okay,” she laughed. “Uncle!”

It was at that moment that they looked up to see Juliana carrying a limp Noah in her arms.

“What happened?” Hobie rushed toward them.

Suddenly, Noah raised his head and opened one eye a bit. “Mom, don’t. I’m dead.” He then returned to his limp position in Juliana’s arms.

“Jules, what are you doing?” Baylor asked in an exasperated tone.

“We’re playing the part where the mummy carries his victim to the tomb,” Juliana said enthusiastically.

Baylor and Hobie exchanged a look.

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“And I asked you to baby-sit him,” Baylor said to her friend. “Aw, Baylor, I don’t need no baby-sitter.” Noah rose up to

complain.

“Did I say baby-sitter? I meant buddy.” “Yeah.” Noah smiled and nodded. “Buddy.”

“Come here, you living dead thing you.” Baylor scooped Noah up. “Do you mind spending the night with Jules while your mom and I go someplace special?”

Noah shook his head. “Nope, Jules said married people go somewhere alone so they can do kissin’ and stuff.” His cheeks turned pink and he buried his face against Baylor’s shoulder.

Hobie hid her smile, but Baylor chuckled at Noah’s lovable innocence. He apparently got over his embarrassment in a hurry because his mind was already on a new thought.

“Can I stay up late tonight?” “It is late,” Hobie said. “Then more late?”

“More late, eh?” Hobie chuckled. “Well, it is sort of a holiday, so okay.”

“Yeah!”

“You go say goodbye to your grandma and Tanti. Okay, Bubba?” Baylor directed.

“’Kay,” Noah said before speeding off in the other direction. “Don’t worry, Jules. He’ll probably fall asleep as soon as he

gets home,” Hobie said.

“No worries, love. I don’t mind. After all, if I can live with Baylor, a six-year-old should be a breeze, right?”

“That’s very funny,” Baylor said. “How’d you like to sleep next to the pool for the rest of your visit?”

“I guess that’s my cue to go and collect my charge for the evening. Have fun you two. As a matter of fact—”

“Say good night, Jules,” Baylor commanded.

“Right. Good night, Jules, and congrats, you two. I’m dead chuffed about this whole thing.”

“Happy,” Baylor translated. “Oh,” Hobie said.

Juliana gave them each a hug before she left in search of

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Noah.

“I worry so much about your friends,” Hobie said.

“This is very nice,” Hobie said as she took in the champagne bottle sitting in a silver ice bucket. “Is this the surprise you had planned?”

“No, this is just a precursor.”

“Wow, it’s still cold. How did you manage that?” Hobie asked when she placed her hand against the bottle.

“That was Tanti’s handiwork.” “How did she do it?”

“She cast a spell.” Baylor enjoyed Hobie’s wide-eyed expression. “Just kidding. She asked one of her friends to stop by on her way home and set it up.”

“A spell, huh?” “Sorry.”

“You’re not, either.”

“Sorry you don’t think it’s funny,” Baylor said with a pout. “My poor baby.” Hobie moved closer and wrapped her arms

around Baylor’s waist. “Hey, the water looks kind of inviting, huh?”

“What?”

“The water in the pool,” Hobie said. “Let’s take a dip. What do you say?”

Baylor looked at Hobie’s enticing expression, then down at the pool. “Uh-uh.”

“Come on, sweetheart. I promise I’ll make it worth your while,” Hobie said seductively. She kissed Baylor’s neck as she undid the top button of Baylor’s blouse.

“Oh.” Baylor groaned. She looked from Hobie to the pool once more. “Uh-uh.” She shook her head vigorously.

“Okay,” Hobie said, pulling away. “What is it with you and this pool? You wouldn’t go in with Noah the other day, either, and all I keep getting from you is that we’ll discuss it later. It’s later. Is it something about the pool? Did you see an alligator in it, or what?”

Baylor shook her head. “It’s not just the pool. It’s all water,

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everywhere. Taking a bath gives me a weird feeling.”

“Did something cause it? I mean, what are you afraid of?” “Sinking, mostly. Afear of sinking. I had a bad experience in

the water.”

“Honey, people only sink when they fight it. If you relax and—”

“Nope, I pretty much always sink. Hell, I should have gotten over it and taken classes or something a long time ago, but I never did. It was one of those brilliant ideas my father had. Throw her in the water and she’s sure to learn how to swim or tread water or something, right? Wrong. I sank like a stone and passed out. I nearly drowned, and that bastard still acted like it was some failing on my part.”

Baylor half expected Hobie to laugh. At the very least, she expected Hobie to calmly talk to her, attempt to put off her childish fears. What Baylor didn’t expect was what Hobie did.

“That goddamn son of a bitch!” Hobie began to pace alongside the pool. “That bastard ruined it!”

“Ruined what?” Baylor asked uncertainly.

“Things! He ruined things in your life, innocent things that are supposed to mean something or be fun. That sick bastard screwed it up for everyone that came after him. I hate him, and I hate the terrible things he did to you, the way he treated you. I’m the one who’s never going to treat you that way, but he’s already fucking ruined it all.”

“Honey, honey…”

Baylor came up behind Hobie and wrapped her arms around her. Hobie was nearly rigid with anger and her whole body trembled. Baylor hadn’t been prepared for Hobie’s passionate response, and the display touched her in a place few had been able to reach. With the exception of her grandmother, no one had stood up for Baylor before and certainly never against her father. She was sure that if she had met Hobie years earlier, the feisty redhead would have given him a run for his money. Just knowing that helped Baylor more than ten years of therapy had.

“It’s okay, honey. He can’t hurt me anymore, not unless I let him, and I’m not going to let him.”

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Hobie was still quiet, but Baylor could feel her body begin to relax. She heard a muffled sound and thought Hobie was crying. “Hobie, you okay?” When Hobie turned, Baylor could see that she was laughing.

“God.” Hobie shook her head. “I think our wedding night is going good so far, how about you?”

“You are crazy, do you know that?”

“I know. I warned you, but you wouldn’t listen. I’m sorry for going off like that.”

“Don’t be. I was pretty impressed.”

“Impressed that I can turn into a raving lunatic at the drop of a hat?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of being thankful that I have someone who loves me enough to turn into a raving lunatic on my behalf.”

“Thanks.” Hobie furrowed her brow. “I think.”

“I love you, Hobie Lynn, just as you are, all your frailties and faults included. I’ve always believed that it was a person’s flaws that make them so lovable.”

“Really? Well then, I should be damn near irresistible.” “You are, baby. You are,” Baylor said, punctuating her answer

with a passionate kiss.

“Same goes for you.” Hobie returned the kiss with equal fervor. “When you said you weren’t going to let your father hurt you anymore, does that mean you might,” Hobie gently placed a line of kisses from Baylor’s jaw to her collarbone, “give the pool a shot?”

“Um...” Baylor nervously looked at the water. She figured she could be brave if she had to, but was her wedding night the time to close old wounds?

Hobie continued her seduction where she had left off before her meltdown. She unbuttoned two more buttons on Baylor’s blouse and surprised her by gently massaging her breast. Hobie could feel the nipple harden immediately under the thin silk blouse.

“Oh, God.” Baylor groaned. She wanted to speak, but her body was enjoying the experience too much. She was sure her brain

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was making a conscious effort to keep her voice from messing up the entire experience.

“Because I was thinking...” Hobie continued. She had completely unbuttoned Baylor’s blouse. Her fingers easily slipped inside the silky bra to tease Baylor even further. “You’ve got this negative experience on your mind, and maybe...” She lightly pinched the hardened nipple, making Baylor gasp in pleasure.

“Maybe you just need a positive experience in the water to push that old memory out. What do you think?” Hobie nuzzled the skin of Baylor’s neck and sucked, gently at first, then gradually increasing the intensity of the sensation.

“Good God!” Baylor said. “Hmm?”

Baylor finally received the message from her body that this was a good thing and that she shouldn’t ruin it. “Oh, yeah. Positive is good. I could do positive.” Her head bobbed up and down.

“I’m glad you feel that way.” Hobie forced herself to separate from Baylor and walked to the table. “Are you going to open this?”

“Now?”

Hobie nodded. Baylor made quick work of the wire and cork. She turned with a full glass to catch Hobie unzipping her dress. Hobie pushed the dress from her shoulders and carefully stepped out of it, then folded the garment over the back of a nearby chair. “What are you doing?” Baylor asked the question that needed

no answer.

“Oh, I know you’re smarter than that,” Hobie said with a devilish smile. She unhooked her bra.

Baylor had once again lost her ability to speak. She emptied the champagne glass in her hand in three swallows. Her eyes widened and her brows became lost in her hairline when Hobie tossed the undergarment onto the chair with her dress. “Holy shit!”

“I wondered what you’d say.” With her index finger, Hobie touched the tiny gold hoop that hung from her left nipple.

“Holy shit.”

“Is that all you’re going to say?”

“Well, I-I mean...I wasn’t really prepared. God, didn’t it hurt?”

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Baylor moved closer to inspect the piercing, having temporarily put her passion on hold.

“Not at all,” Hobie said dryly. She slapped Baylor on the arm. “Are you insane? I think I took Vicodin for a week just to get my bra on.”

“How does it feel now?”

“Well, it has been several years. Why don’t you tell me?” Baylor didn’t waste any more time. She slipped one arm

around Hobie’s waist, drawing her into a kiss, and her other hand found its way to Hobie’s chest. She brushed the warm metal with her thumb and forefinger, tenderly massaging the area.

“Mmm.” Hobie’s eyes closed. “I’d say it feels very good.” “Very, very good,” Baylor said. She kissed Hobie until they

were both breathless. “God, you feel good,” she whispered as she ran her fingers across Hobie’s skin.

Hobie’s hands moved under Baylor’s open blouse, finally coming to rest upon her strong back. She slid her hands upward and, with the skillful movement of two fingers, quickly unhooked the white silk bra.

Hobie took special delight in the sounds coming from Baylor as she moaned into their kisses. Gently pressing her palm against Baylor’s breast, she only allowed the barest contact as she tickled her palm by rubbing it against the stiff nipple. She repeated the action on the other breast.

Baylor’s hands were similarly busy, and Hobie seriously considered letting go and exploding into orgasm at that moment. She’d never experienced such intense emotions before. They excited and unnerved her at the same time.

“I have to say that you’re slightly overdressed for the occasion,” Hobie said.

“Your wish is my command,” Baylor said with a grin. She stepped back and took off her jacket. The rest of her clothes quickly formed a pile on the ground. With one last smirk, she bent to remove her panties.

Hobie hoped the gasp she heard hadn’t come from her, but she had a feeling that was wishful thinking. She still couldn’t believe that this incredibly beautiful woman belonged to her, and that she

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wanted her, as well.

“Better?” Baylor asked as she returned to wrap her arms around Hobie.

“You have no idea.”

“Now who’s wearing too much?” Baylor ran the tip of her finger along the top edge of Hobie’s panties.

“Oh.” Hobie offered a crooked smile. She made a move to remove the garment in question, but Baylor stopped her.

“I’d like to do that,” Baylor said softly. She didn’t wait for an answer. She tenderly kissed Hobie’s lips, then moved her hands to the sides of the panties, sliding them down. She dropped to one knee and waited for Hobie to step out of them.

Baylor ran her hands up the backs of Hobie’s legs, stopping to rest on her backside. She gently touched her lips to Hobie’s thigh. The urge to touch her reddish-brown curls was almost too great to resist. The scent of Hobie’s arousal tugged at the loosely held strings of Baylor’s control. She forced herself to go slow and placed a soft kiss on Hobie’s belly, just above the hairline. Then as she stood, she allowed her lips and tongue to trail across the soft skin, up to eager lips that met hers in a breathless kiss.

“Come with me,” Hobie said hoarsely. She took Baylor’s hand and directed her to the steps that led into the pool.

Baylor paused as soon as her foot hit the water. Her breathing became shallow and she swallowed hard.

“It’s all right, sweetheart. Let’s just sit on the steps. The water isn’t deep here.”

Baylor nodded but didn’t appear convinced that water and making love could possibly be a good combination. “It’s okay. I can do this, and we will have a good time, damn it.”

“Okay.” Hobie drew the word out. She couldn’t help her amusement at her lover’s unusually vehement approach to their lovemaking. “We may have to work on the ’tude a little, though.”

They were on the top step, in a mere four inches of water, when Hobie began to whisper in a low, seductive tone.

Baylor’s eyes widened at the language Hobie was using to entice her. She felt herself become wet at the images Hobie’s

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words created in her mind, her wildest fantasies and secret desires. Baylor held her breath at some of the scenarios, risqué positions, and toys that Hobie promised.

Baylor pulled Hobie close and kissed her roughly. Her hands touched and teased as they declared possession of Hobie’s body. Before she knew it, she was seated on the steps of the pool. Hobie straddled her, and as they kissed, they proved that breathing was unnecessary during lovemaking.

Some moments later, Hobie stroked Baylor’s face with her fingertips. She found a light sheen of perspiration on her lover’s brow. “Are you okay?”

Baylor seemed preoccupied as she nuzzled Hobie’s neck. “Mmm, yeah...great.”

“Baylor, you’re sweating.” “The water’s warm.”

“Not that warm. Honey, we don’t have to do this if it’s freaking you out this bad.” Hobie moved as if to pull away, but Baylor stopped her by locking an arm around her waist.

“Oh, no, you don’t. Now that you’ve got me going, we are definitely not stopping because of a little water.”

“Is that so?” Hobie smiled when she saw the passion mixed with determination on Baylor’s face.

“Yeah, that’s so.”

“Then I guess you don’t want me to stop this.” Hobie slowly pressed her lips to Baylor’s for a deep kiss. “Or this.” She moved her kisses to Baylor’s neck, nipping lightly at her flesh. Baylor leaned her head back and groaned, loving every minute of it.

“And I suppose that you don’t, under any circumstances, want me to stop this.” Hobie moved to straddle Baylor’s thigh, sliding along her leg until they were once more pressed together. Hobie’s tongue teased Baylor’s earlobe with the same soft strokes that her fingers used to caress Baylor’s nipple. The double action caused Baylor to shiver in delight, followed by another low groan.

Baylor usually took the lead in love play, but she was enjoying her new wife’s efforts at seduction. The water now came to her waist, but her lover’s actions dispelled any remaining fears. Baylor couldn’t believe the sensation the warm liquid, coupled

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with Hobie’s sensual touch, caused against her skin.

“Oh, yes...” A slow moan escaped Baylor’s throat. She looked down to see Hobie’s mouth cover her nipple. The hard flesh immediately reacted, sending currents of pleasure straight to the spot between her legs. She lifted a hand and ran her fingers through Hobie’s hair and pulled her closer, encouraging her. Hobie’s tongue worked the stiff flesh, its strokes increasingly rough. Finally, seemingly encouraged by Baylor’s response, she sucked hard.

Baylor braced herself with one hand on the edge of the pool. “God, woman!” she exclaimed. “So good.”

Hobie moved over to the other breast and repeated her assault. By the time she straightened up again, Baylor was breathing rapidly. Baylor captured Hobie’s mouth in a kiss that communicated unbridled passion and a certain urgency. Hobie couldn’t wait any longer and she interpreted Baylor’s kiss to mean the same.

She ran the flat of her hand down Baylor’s belly and into the dark curls. Baylor gasped when she felt the electric touch between her legs.

“Right here?” Hobie whispered.

“Yes...yes.” Baylor struggled to form that one word. She didn’t usually have such reactions to simply being touched. It was as if Hobie had complete command of her. Baylor had a feeling that what she had written in her novels all those years was true after all. Perhaps love did make all the difference.

“Don’t stop,” she managed to utter. She kissed Hobie’s shoulder, wrapping her arms tighter around her.

“You feel wonderful. So wet.” Hobie stroked the length of Baylor’s sex. She paused to circle the sensitive clit and Baylor groaned.

“More. Please, baby.”

Hobie realized that they’d both waited long enough. She easily slipped one, then two fingers inside Baylor. Baylor involuntarily opened her legs and Hobie slid her fingers in deeper. She began a continuous motion, sliding in and out. When she pressed in, Hobie made sure to rub her thumb in a circular motion against Baylor’s

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clit. It didn’t take long before she could feel the trembling begin within Baylor’s body.

“I love you, Hobie. God, I love you,” Baylor whispered breathlessly against Hobie’s neck. She held tightly to her.

Baylor felt as if she were swimming against the raging current of a whirlpool. Certain that she would do something to mess it up, she held back her release out of fear that this would never come again, that these feelings would never be duplicated, and that she would only have this one time within Hobie’s arms.

“I love you, Baylor. You’ll always be safe with me,” Hobie whispered into the trembling woman’s ear.

That was all it took. Astrangled moan escaped Baylor’s throat as she tilted her head back. She could see herself giving up against the strength of the current. Her body relaxed and she began to swirl along with the water in a downward spiral. The closer she got to the whirlpool’s center, the hotter the fire burned within her own body.

Suddenly, Baylor saw stars. They were the stars that had come together for them during their ceremony, but this time, she was flying with them. Surrounded by shooting stars and the blue-black night, the two stars raced toward each other. At the most intense moment of her pleasure, as her release shot through her entire being, the two stars collided. The resulting explosion caused rings of color to burst forth.

Baylor gasped as she opened her eyes. The vision was gone. She still held tightly to Hobie, her heart pounding so hard she could hardly catch her breath. That’s when her tears began. Baylor couldn’t understand it; sex had never been this emotional before.

“It’s official,” she whispered after she brought her breathing under control. “I’m pathetic.”

Hobie smiled in understanding. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

“Then I guess all I can say is thanks for having me.” They both smiled at the double entendre.

“No, don’t move.” Baylor held Hobie’s hand where it was between her legs. “Not yet. It feels too good.”

“You’re telling me.”

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Eventually, they realized they had to get out of the water. “Stay here, I’ll be back in a sec with some towels,” Baylor said.

She returned moments later with two oversized bath towels. The women wrapped themselves in the warm terrycloth and sat on the side of the pool. They held hands and dangled their legs in the warm water, feeling like teenagers in love.

After a while, Baylor situated herself so Hobie could sit between her legs and lean back against her chest. They sat that way in silence with Baylor’s arms around Hobie, listening to the breeze as it rustled against the palm leaves overhead.

“You are incredible, I want you to know that. I’ve certainly been around the block, but no one’s ever made me feel like this. I know I sound all sappy and cliché, but it’s the truth.”

“I’m so there with you, sweetheart. I feel like I’m sixteen and in love, and I’ve never felt like that with any lover before.”

Baylor’s arms tensed. “Um, have there been many...you know, lovers?”

“Don’t go there, Baylor Joan. Not tonight.” Hobie turned in the embrace and touched her fingertips to the crease in Baylor’s forehead. “It doesn’t matter anyway, anything that came before. I feel like I’ve been living my life in a black-and-white movie and now, here we are in Technicolor.”

Baylor instantly brightened. “Thanks for the reminder, and you’re right. It sounds like something Harriet Teasley would write, but I feel like I’ve been transparent all this time. Now I meet you, and suddenly, I can see myself, others can see me. I’m whole.”

“I think I like the way Harriet thinks.” Hobie smiled and the women shared a tender kiss. “Thanks for tonight, for making it special.”

“I think for the evening thus far, I should be thanking you,” Baylor said, wearing a sheepish grin. “However, your special surprise is waiting in that building right there.”

“In the greenhouse?” Hobie’s voice took on an excited, childlike quality. “I’ve always wanted to know what Evelyn grew in that big one there. Guess I was too polite to ask. To tell you the truth, I thought it might be pot.”

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Baylor laughed. “It’s nothing that exciting. I have a little spot set up for us. Have you been eating right today?”

“I did skip a little. I was kind of nervous and, well...Thanks for checking. You know it’s the first thing I forget.”

“I know, baby, but no more. Now you have someone to harp at you every day. I’m gonna make your mom look like she didn’t care.” Baylor chuckled. “I’ve done a lot of research on the Internet about hypoglycemia, and I’m prepared to make your life a married hell.”

Hobie laughed at Baylor’s earnest vigor, feeling secure in the fact that someone was looking out for her for a change. “You’ll probably drive me bananas, but I’ll love every minute of it.”

“So are you hungry?”

“Mmm, what did you have in mind?” Hobie fingered the spot between Baylor’s breasts where she had her towel knotted together.

“Alot.” Baylor jokingly slapped at Hobie’s hand, then kissed the tip of her nose. “But later. First, you’re going to eat some dinner. We’re going to go on a picnic.”

“A picnic? Isn’t it a little late at night?”

“Nope. Not where we’re going,” Baylor said cryptically. “I think you’ll love it. Plus, I want you to eat plenty of high-energy food.”

“Am I going to need it?” Hobie asked with a suggestive look.

“You have no idea, my love. Your evening is just getting started.”