Chapter 2
Chapter Two
H elen settled into one of the cushioned chairs on their balcony, careful not to spill the glass of chilled Chardonnay in her hand. The late afternoon sun painted the sky in brilliant oranges and pinks, its warmth gentler now than during their beach excursion earlier. She smiled, watching Mel fuss with the other chair, knowing her partner was still feeling the effects of her sunburn despite her protests to the contrary.
“I put some aloe vera in the refrigerator,” Helen said, taking a sip of her wine. “It’ll feel better when it’s cool.”
Mel finally sat, wincing slightly. “I’m fine,” she insisted, though Helen noticed she was careful not to let her shoulders touch the chair’s back. “This view almost makes up for the sunburn anyway.”
Below their balcony, palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze, their fronds casting intricate shadows on the manicured courtyard. The resort’s swimming pool sparkled in the fading sunlight while the distant ocean rolled in endless waves of blue meeting the horizon. As she looked at the scene, Helen felt contentment wash over her. “You know,” Helen said, turning to look at Mel. “I never thought I’d be sitting on a balcony in Hawaii, sharing wine with a retired police detective.”
Mel smiled. “And I never thought I’d be sitting beside such a beautiful retired middle school teacher turned lesbian romance writer either. Life’s funny that way.” She reached over and squeezed Helen’s hand. “But I’m glad we are.”
Movement in the apartment across the courtyard caught Helen’s attention. Through sliding glass doors off his balcony, she saw a man sitting at a desk, typing furiously at his computer. The warm glow from his desk lamp illuminated a cluttered workspace, papers scattered across the surface. The reading glasses the man wore caught the light as he moved, creating brief flashes that drew the eye. Something about him seemed off. “Mel,” Helen said, nodding toward the apartment. “Look at that man. Does something seem strange to you?”
Mel followed her gaze, and Helen could practically see the detective instincts kick in. The way Mel’s posture straightened slightly, how her blue eyes narrowed with focus. “Yep. He seems agitated,” Mel answered before taking a sip of her wine. “See how he keeps looking for something on his desk? And his typing is erratic. Lots of stopping and starting.”
Helen nodded, finding herself drawn into watching the man. “Should we be concerned?”
“Probably nothing,” Mel said, but Helen noticed she didn’t look away from the neighbor’s apartment. “Could be on a deadline. Could be having an argument with someone online. Could be…”
“Could be something more serious?” Helen finished, raising an eyebrow.
Mel chuckled, finally turning back to Helen. “Sorry. Old habits die hard. We’re on vacation, remember? No mysteries, no investigations, just relaxation and romance.”
As if to emphasize her point, Mel lifted her wine glass in a toast. “To vacation?”
“To vacation,” Helen agreed, clinking her glass against Mel’s. But even as they sipped their wine and tried to return to their peaceful evening, Helen noticed Mel glancing at the neighbor’s window. She couldn’t blame her. There was something compelling about the man’s obvious distress.
“You know,” Helen said. “Just because we’re on vacation doesn’t mean we have to ignore it if something seems wrong.”
Mel’s expression softened. “You’re enabling my worst habits, you know that?”
“I prefer to think of it as supporting your natural talents,” Helen replied with a smile. “Besides, what’s the harm in being observant?” A particularly aggressive burst of typing from the neighbor made them both look over again. The man ran his hands through his gray hair in what appeared to be frustration, then resumed typing with renewed intensity.
“Well,” Mel said, settling back in her chair. “If we’re just being observant, I’d say he’s either writing something very important or very controversial. Maybe both.”
Helen watched as the man abruptly stood, paced a few steps out of sight, andthen returned to his computer. “He certainly seems invested in whatever it is.”
The sky had deepened to purple now, the last rays of sun painting the clouds in brilliant gold. The neighbor’s apartment was more visible in the growing darkness, his desk lamp creating a bright window into his world. Helen found herself wondering about his storyand what could have him so worked up on what should have been a peaceful Hawaiian evening.
“Remember,” Mel said, reaching for Helen’s hand again. “We’re here to relax. No getting involved in other people’s drama.”
Helen squeezed Mel’s hand, noting the contradiction between her words and the way she continued to watch the neighbor. “Of course not,” she agreed, hiding her smile behind her wine glass. “We’re just two people enjoying the sunset. Nothing more.”
* * *
Despite her best efforts to focus on the peaceful evening and Helen’s company, Mel found her attention repeatedly drawn to their neighbor’s increasingly erratic behavior. Years of detective work had honed her instincts, and right now, they were humming with familiar tension. The man appeared to have started muttering to himself, not audible through the glass but visible in the way his lips moved rapidly between bursts of typing. “You’re doing that thing with your jaw,” Helen observed softly, her thumb still tracing gentle circles on Mel’s hand.
“What thing?”
“That clenching thing you do when you’re analyzing a situation.” Helen’s voice held equal parts amusement and concern. “The same look you had when you thought the valet at the airport was suspicious.”
“He was suspicious,” Mel said. “No valet should be that interested in people’s luggage tags.”
A sudden movement drew her attention back to their neighbor. He had answered his cell phone, his free hand gesturing animatedly as he spoke. Even from their balcony, Mel read the tension in his shoulders, the defensive posture as he half-turned away from his sliding glass doors. “I wish I could read lips,” Mel muttered.
Helen chuckled. “Now who’s enabling whom?”
Before Mel could respond, their neighbor slammed his cell phone down on the desk and returned to typing as crazy as before. “That’s not normal behavior for someone writing a grocery list,” Mel said, trying to add a little humor to what was starting to feel like a tense situation. “Look at how he’s started checking his phone like he’s waiting for something specific.”
The ocean breeze had picked up, carrying with it the sweet scent of plumeria from the gardens below. Palm fronds rustled, creating moving shadows across their neighbor’s apartment. The man jumped at a particularly loud rustle, his head snapping around to look behind him. Mel shook her head. “I think he’s scared of something. Not just nervous or anxious. He’s genuinely afraid of something.”
Helen shifted in her chair. “Should we report it?”
“To whom? And for what?” Mel sighed, running a hand through her short battleship-gray hair. “Being agitated in your own apartment isn’t a crime. He could just be an anxious guy.”
Their neighbor had started pacing. He took a few steps out of sight, then back to his desk with his phonepressed to his ear again. He kept nodding while making quick notes on a pad beside his computer.
“You know,” Helen said thoughtfully. “We could always introduce ourselves tomorrow. Bring over some of those chocolate macadamia nuts we bought. As a neighborly gift.”
Mel turned to look at her partner, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Now who’s the detective?”
“I prefer to think of it as being hospitable,” Helen replied. “Besides, you’ll drive yourself crazy if you don’t at least try to figure out what’s going on.”
The man had returned to his computer, but now he was repeatedly glancing at his watch. Whatever was happening, it seemed to be operating on some kind of timeline. “You’re too good to me,” Mel said, squeezing Helen’s hand. “Most people would be annoyed that I can’t just relax and enjoy the vacation.”
“Most people haven’t seen how brilliant you are when you’re working something out,” Helen replied. “Besides, I find it rather attractive when you get all focused and analytical.”
Mel felt her face flush, and this time it had nothing to do with her sunburn. Even after six months together, Helen’s casual compliments could still make her feel like a teenager with her first crush. Before she could reply, she saw the man practically leap from his chair as if he had heard something loud. Mel watched as he stood, staring at something out of sight, his entire body language screaming anxiety. “Now that’s interesting,” Mel murmured as their neighbor quickly gathered some papers from his desk and shoved them in a drawer before walking out of sight. “He’s hiding something specific.”
After a beat, the man returned to stand beside his desk, but a woman with long red hair in a lightweight business suit was with him. Although Mel couldn’t hear anything, the neighbor’s body language spoke volumes. His shoulders were hunched, hands gesturing defensively, and his eyes constantly glanced at his computer.
“Well,” Helen said, taking another sip of her wine, “I suppose we know what tomorrow’s agenda includes now.”
Mel tried to look innocent. “What? I thought we were just being neighborly with some chocolate macadamia nuts?”
“Mmhmm,” Helen hummed. “And I suppose you won’t be casually observing everything in his apartment while we’re there?”
“Would I do that?”
“Yes,” Helen said with a smile. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
* * *
The night air had grown cooler, carrying the sweet scent of plumeria mixed with salt spray. Helen watched as their neighbor’s visitor left. The man immediately slumped in his chair, running his hands through his hair in a gesture of clear distress. Then, as if suddenly deciding he should have more privacy, he closed the door’s blinds. In a way, Helen was relieved. “Well, that’s that,” she said. “We should probably head in.”
Mel nodded reluctantly, her eyes lingering on their neighbor’s apartment. “You’re right,” she said. “Though I hate leaving things up in the air.”
“The mystery will still be there tomorrow,” Helen said, gathering their wine glasses. “And you’ll be better equipped to solve it if you’re not distracted by your sunburn. Let’s get some lotion on you.” Inside their apartment, she set the wine glasses in the sink while Mel closed and locked the sliding door. “Let me get that aloe vera.” Helen headed to the refrigerator. “Go sit on the bed. It’ll be easier to reach your shoulders.”
Holding the gel, Helen moved into the bedroom and sat on the bed to gently apply the cool aloe to Mel’s shoulders. Mel sighed contentedly, leaning slightly into Helen’s touch. “Your hands are magic,” Mel murmured.
Helen smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to the nape of Mel’s neck. “Thank you,” she said. “Just be a little more careful in the sun.”
Mel turned slowly and caught Helen’s hand in hers. Their eyes met a moment before Mel leaned in and gave her a gentle brush of a kiss on the lips. “How did I get so lucky?” Mel whispered, moving her body closer.
“I ask myself the same thing every day,” Helen replied, her free hand coming up to touch Mel’s cheek. Their next kiss was unhurried and tender with the kind of patience that comes from finding love later in life.
Helen tasted the lingering sweetness of wine on Mel’s lips and felt the strength in her partner’s hands as they settled on her waist. “I love you,” Mel breathed against Helen’s lips. “More than I ever thought possible at this time of my life.”
Helen smiled, resting her forehead against Mel’s. “Love doesn’t care about timing. It just is.” They were quiet for a moment while Helen traced patterns on Mel’s arm. “You really can’t turn it off, can you? The detective instincts?”
Mel shifted to look at her. “Does it bother you?”
“No,” Helen said honestly. “It’s part of who you are. Besides, I find it rather exciting, being with someone who notices everything.”
“Not everything,” Mel murmured. “It took me a while to pick up on your flirting with me at the campground back in August.”
Helen laughed softly, remembering how they had met not long ago. Mel had been the campground host at Needle Lake Campground where Helen spent part of last summer. “You were just too busy keeping all the campers in line.”
“Maybe I was too nervous to look directly at the beautiful woman who kept stealing glances at me.”
At Mel’s words, Helen felt that familiar surge of affection, still amazed at how naturally they had fallen into each other’s lives. Pulling back a little, their gaze held, and Helen saw the love in Mel’s eyes, a love that had grown steadily over the past six months. It had filled her world with a warmth she had never expected to find at the age of sixty-six. Mel reached out, her hand cupping Helen’s face. Helen leaned into the touch, her heart beating faster as Mel’s fingers trailed down her neck, a feather-light touch that sent shivers down her spine. They were in no rush, their every movement slow and deliberate, a dance they had learned to enjoy together.
Helen’s hands explored Mel’s body. She felt the softness of her skin and the tight muscles in her arms. They moved closer until Mel’s lips found Helen’s in another kiss. It was a kiss with love but also passion. Helen parted her lips, inviting Mel in, their tongues meeting in a slow dance. They took their time, continuing to touch each other’s bodies. Helen felt Mel’s hand move to the buttons on her blouse, pausing for a moment. Mel broke the kiss. “I want you,” she said. “Like always.”
“I want you too,” Helen said, her voice taking on a hint of breathiness.
Mel opened the buttons before slipping her hand under the fabric, her warm touch on Helen’s bare breast sending a wave of heat through her. Slowly, Mel laid her back. They had come to know each other’s bodies well and knew what touches would draw out the most pleasure. As they continued to explore each other, their bodies pressed close, Helen felt a warmth spread through her as she whispered Mel’s name. Her climax was more than a release, but also a deep sense of contentment and love.
“We should try to get some sleep,” Helen said eventually after they were both content, though she made no move to break their embrace. “Especially if we’re going to be playing detective tomorrow.”
“Being neighborly,” Mel corrected with a smile Helen could hear in her voice. “With macadamia nuts.”
“Of course,” Helen agreed, snuggling closer. “Just being neighborly.” As she drifted toward sleep, Helen couldn’t help but wonder about tomorrow. Their peaceful vacation had taken an unexpected turn, but somehow, she wasn’t disappointed. Life with Mel was always an adventure, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
The last thing she heard before sleep claimed her was Mel’s quiet voice. “Thank you for understanding me.” Helen squeezed her partner in response, knowing no words were necessary. They had found each other later in life, but that only made their connection more precious. Whatever mystery awaited them, they would face it together.