Chapter 6
Vera
S aturdays were usually Vera’s only day off. Although she vowed to change her habits each week, her Saturdays usually included running every errand she couldn’t during the week. That meant stopping by the pharmacy, paying bills, and, of course, grocery shopping. Usually, such mundane activities bored Vera to no end.
But it wasn’t everyday Vera ran into a gorgeous woman and got invited over for dinner.
Well, invited over to dinner by her kid.
It had been clear to Vera that Isla was only extending the invitation because she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—tell Mason no. Of course, Isla wouldn’t want a stranger at her house for dinner. And especially not a stranger who had randomly called her house a few nights ago. No, it all had to be because of Mason. Not that Vera could blame Isla. Mason was beyond adorable and Vera knew there was no way she could ever tell that cute kid no .
Which was precisely why she was currently standing in front of a full-length mirror trying to find the perfect outfit that was casual, but also flirty. Vera knew it wasn’t a date because Mason would be there, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to look good for Isla. Not that she felt she had to look good for Isla; she just wanted to look good for her. For all she knew, the dinner would be her only chance to impress Isla. And even if Isla didn’t want to date her, then maybe they could be friends. After all, being friends was better than nothing.
Because the question still hung in the air like humidity in Florida: was Isla even gay?
Isla obviously had two kids and mentioned an ex-husband, but it was the nineties. Anything was possible. Vera had been rattling her brain all afternoon to try to find a way to work it into conversation. That would at least help her decide if she should try to pursue a relationship with Isla or leave it at a friendship. Although Vera definitely wanted the former.
There was something about Isla that Vera couldn’t quite figure out, but it was entirely captivating to her. Maybe it was her eyes, her smile, or the way she’d nervously reacted when Mason invited Vera to dinner. It was sweet and endearing, and Vera hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her all day.
Sighing, Vera took off the dress and changed into jeans and a button-up blouse. It fit fine; it wasn’t flattering in any way though. The shirt hung loose around her middle, and she wasn’t feeling the jeans at all. Sifting through her closet once more, she pulled out a light pink scoop neck top and a chunky gold necklace to pair with a pair of jeans she’d never worn before. Looking in the mirror, Vera nodded at her appearance.
“That’ll have to do.”
Glancing at the clock by her bed, Vera hurried back into the bathroom to finish straightening her hair. She added a pair of gold hoop earrings as she tucked her hair behind her ears. For someone who usually wore scrubs or pajamas every day, she had to admit she dressed up nicely.
Hopefully Isla will like it.
Vera couldn’t help but smile as she walked down the stairs of her townhouse. She’d stopped by the flower shop on her way home earlier and picked up a gorgeous fall bouquet for Isla. Not wanting to forget Mason, Vera had carefully placed her a little surprise in a gift bag under some tissue paper. With any luck, her gifts would win her some brownie points in both of their eyes.
As she headed out for the evening, Vera tried to calm her nerves. It wasn’t like she was going on a date with Isla. She was simply having dinner with Isla and her kid. At her house. Nothing weird about that. Right? Friends did that all the time.
Right?
Vera honestly had no idea. She’d forgone friendships in place of work years ago. Instead of parties in college, Vera stayed in her dorm and studied. While her colleagues went out after work, Vera stayed at work honing her skills. The extra work had helped her immensely in her career but it left her personal life years behind her peers.
With any luck, things would change after dinner.
Walking down the small corridor at the apartment complex, Vera found the correct apartment and knocked. She heard tiny feet scurrying toward the front door and she quickly decided her wardrobe choices were perfect as she held the flowers up in her hand. Mason opened the door with a wide grin on her face.
“Mommy’s not done cleaning yet,” she said with a giggle.
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yup.” Mason firmly nodded. “But my room is clean, so you can come and see it.”
It wasn’t a question; more a demand. But Vera didn’t care. She took a step inside the small apartment and looked around as Mason scampered off down the hallway. There was a lack of personality to the place. Cardboard boxes were still stacked against one wall of the living room while a couch and a small TV finished off the space. Vera could see the kitchen beyond the living room, but didn’t want to intrude. Thankfully, Isla rounded a corner from another room with an exhausted smile on her face.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Vera felt her heart flutter—literally flutter—when her eyes met Isla’s. She never felt that way before, and she instantly found herself more nervous than she had anticipated. Isla was wearing a brown sweater with jeans and untied sneakers. Vera gestured to her feet. “Did I catch you in the middle of getting ready?”
Isla looked down, seemingly embarrassed. “Um, yeah, sort of. I lost track of time, then I heard the doorbell and Mason running to get it, so I just stumbled out here.” She sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
Vera took a step closer to her. Then another. They were mere inches away from each other when Vera slowly held out the flowers toward Isla.
“These are for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” Taking the flowers, Isla smelled them as she smiled. “This is so sweet of you.”
“I got a little something for Mason, too,” she sheepishly held up the bag that had been draped over her arm. “I hope that’s okay.”
“As long as it’s not a puppy.”
“Oh, damn.” Vera snapped her fingers in mock frustration. “Well, I guess I’ll have to take the gift back then.”
Isla laughed, and it was one of the best sounds Vera had ever heard. They both seemed to also relax a little, which made Vera feel more at home in the apartment. Not that she needed to feel at home there; it wasn’t her home. But feeling less nervous was a good thing no matter what.
Just as Isla was about to say something, Mason came stomping into the room with her hands on her hips.
“Vera,” she whined, “I thought you were gonna look at my room.”
“Oh,” Vera playfully smacked herself on the forehead, “I’m so sorry, Mason. I forgot.”
“Come on.”
Mason walked over to her and grabbed her hand. Vera let her lead her down the hall to the bedroom that had more personal touches than the rest of the house combined. Isla followed behind them, still holding her flowers. As they entered the room, Mason jumped up on her bed and sat with her legs over the side.
“This is my room.”
“I love it, Mason.”
“Thanks,” she nonchalantly shrugged. “I cleaned it myself.”
“After I begged you to clean it.” Isla teased as she sat the flowers down on the bed and tickled Mason’s stomach. “Why don’t you go wash your hands, and then Miss Vera has a gift for you, okay?”
“Okay!” Jumping off the bed, Mason ran down the hallway to what Vera assumed was a bathroom. Alone again, she found herself caught up in staring at how beautiful Isla was.
“She’s a great kid,” Vera commented.
“The best. But I made her, so I’m partial.”
“You did good.”
Isla blushed as she tucked her curly hair behind her ears. “Thanks.”
“Can I open my present now?”
“Mason,” Isla’s voice switched to being stern at the drop of a hat.
But Mason must have known exactly what she meant because she asked, “Can I please open my present now?”
“Of course.” Vera handed the gift bag to Mason as she tore out the tissue paper and gasped. She lifted the kitten and puppy lunchbox out of the bag as if it were the Holy Grail. Her eyes were wide with excitement as she quickly turned to show it to Isla.
“Mommy! Look! It’s the lunchbox that I wanted!”
“Wow, sweetie! That’s awesome! Miss Vera was very sweet to get that for you.”
It was then Vera noticed that there were tears brimming Isla’s eyes. Had she done something wrong by purchasing the lunchbox for Mason? Vera wouldn’t be able to handle herself if she had upset Isla. She had only wanted to help out.
“Mace,” Isla wiped at a tear, “why don’t you go in the living room and find your backpack while I finish dinner, okay?”
“Okay.”
As Mason scampered off, Vera turned her attention to Isla. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” Isla shook her head, “you didn’t.”
“Are you sure?” Slowly, Vera reached out and wiped a tear away from under Isla’s eye. “Your tears tell another story.”
Isla’s lower lip quivered and Vera had to fight her instinct to pull her into a hug. She didn’t know if they were that kind of friends yet.
“Things have just been tough recently. Moneywise and otherwise. I feel like I’m failing her because I can’t give her everything she wants.” Isla wiped away more tears as she finally made eye contact with Vera. “Then I see how happy she is over a lunchbox and I remember that she’s a good kid and she’s going to be okay. Even if it feels like I’ll never be okay again.”
“Hey, come here.” Pulling Isla into a hug, she gently rubbed her back as Isla shed a few more tears. It wasn’t a sob; more just sad, pent-up tears finding their way to the surface finally. “You’re a great mom. Mason seems like an awesome kid and I cannot wait to have dinner with the both of you.”
“You’re sweet.” Isla pulled back, wiping the rest of the tears away. “I promise I’m not always like this.”
“I believe you.”
“It’s just been a lot this last year.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
Vera paused, unsure if she should continue talking or just letting things stop there.
But Vera was never one to keep her mouth shut.
“I’m here if you ever want to talk.” She smiled. “Friend to friend.”
Isla narrowed her eyes at her as she smiled. “We’re friends?”
“Aren’t we?” Vera laughed.
“We are.”
“Good.”
Looking more at ease again, Isla picked up the flowers and smelled them once more. She motioned for Vera to follow her, which she did, as they walked to the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready; I have the spaghetti staying warm on the stove and garlic bread is in the toaster oven.”
“It smells delicious.”
“It’s frozen,” she shrugged.
“As are most of my meals,” Vera joked. “I don’t have much time to cook for myself with my schedule. And besides, it’s hard to cook for just one.”
Taking an empty glass vase from under the kitchen sink, Isla filled it halfway with water before setting the flowers inside. Vera watched from a few feet away; her hip leaning up against the countertop. She sat the flowers on a small card table she had decorated with a paper tablecloth with fall leaves on it along with brightly colored napkins. Wiping her hands on her jeans, Isla smiled at Vera.
“Well, you’re always welcome to dinner here.”
“Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.”
For a moment, time seemed to stand still. It was as if both were afraid to move or speak another word in fear of ruining whatever was happening between them. Vera wondered if Isla was feeling the same thing. Their bodies felt like magnets as they closed the space between them and their lips nearly touched until they heard Mason ask, “Is dinner ready yet?”
Snapping back into reality, they parted ways faster than rats when the lights came on. Vera tried to casually lean up against the counter as Isla grabbed two wine glasses out of a cardboard box. She held them up to Vera, who nodded.
“Red okay?”
“Red is perfect. Thanks.”
Finally taking a full breath, Vera wondered how hard it would be to make it through dinner without wondering how Isla’s lips would have felt on hers.