Chapter 31
“Thank you, Ji, for inviting me to join you for this meal. It was delicious.” Stephanie’s arms were laden with leftovers in recycled plastic containers that Ji usually never gave out to strangers. A good yogurt container wasn’t something she parted with willingly.
It was her ability to handle the Ellis family during a meal had impressed Court.
For her, it had taken time to get used to a meal that comprised of five loud, argumentative women and one nearly silent man.
A man who she mimicked most of the time she was here.
Ellis women could talk rings around everyone, and worked at doing just that.
But Stephanie had jumped in with opinions and tidbits of information that the others almost always argued about for a few minutes before giving in about.
Though they wouldn’t admit she was right, they would just move on to a new subject.
Unless it was Ellis, who would just restate the information in another way, making her correct.
Without even having to warn her, Stephanie had let it slide and hadn’t point it out. Everyone at the table knew what was happening. It’s how Ellis had been since Court met her. There was a reason she was a great lawyer, she was a natural talker.
As Ji made sure that Stephanie was going to be fed again today and explained how to properly heat everything up, Rebel leaned into Court. “Are you going to ask her out?”
“Why do you care so much?” She asked, hoping Stephanie couldn’t hear them.
“Because she was supposed to be mine, and I wouldn’t let her get away so easily.”
“She’s off limits because of who Calvin was to her.” She told her, reminding her exactly why they shouldn’t be seeing each other in that way. Or any way since she severed all ties with that family just yesterday. Not that Court didn’t want just one more night with her.
Rebel snorted at her answer. “As if you think of her like that. Even right now, you are thinking about how to get into her pants.”
“Stop talking about sex. We’re at your mother’s house.” Court whispered as she slipped her shoes on. Happily, she was back in sneakers and out of those sandals forever.
“You should still ask her out.” Rebel said again. It seemed she wasn’t letting this go.
“Your mother?” She asked, because she knew exactly what she was saying, but she loved annoying her friend.
“God no, gross, can you please never make that suggestion again? Now I have to scrub my mind with bleach. How will I ever get over the image of you and my mother dating?”
Rebel rushed up the stairs to the second floor, rubbing her ears as she did.
It would be comical if Stephanie weren’t so close, making her stop and focus on her.
Not that that isn’t her focus most of the time.
They were in the same room. Hell, Court hadn’t been able to smell the food in her arms because all she could smell was Stephanie’s perfume.
Why she couldn’t just ignore this woman she didn’t know?
She had successfully ignored a lot of other women who were hot and sexy for years.
But this one, the one that she shouldn’t be spending more time with, was the woman she needed to spend time with, just a few more.
Then she knew she could walk away. She just needed more time with her.
Stephanie left first, not saying anything to Court.
But instead of lingering and letting her leave.
Court gave Ji a hug and James a wave and completely ignored the girls as she followed Stephanie out of the house.
Along with the Ellis girls, Court ignored every reason she had to stay away from her. This wasn’t a good idea.
“Hey Stephanie, can we talk?” She asked, watching the wind whip Stephanie’s blonde hair across her cheek.
Unable to control the hair with her arms full, Stephanie stopped and turned back to her. “That’s why I came here today, to talk to you. I assumed you didn’t want to since you didn’t earlier. Which I completely understand. What happened at my parents’ house was unforgivable.”
“Sorry, I was just surprised to see you. Here that is. I wasn’t expecting to see you ever again, actually.” Running her hand through her hair, Court should have manned up and talked to her.
“I know I shouldn’t have come, but I needed to say I’m sorry. Someone needed to say it to you. You deserve at least that much.”
Instead of arguing it, Court tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear so the wind couldn’t get it anymore, “Since you walked in that door I’ve been trying to put you back in that box, the one where you’re not Calvin’s daughter.
Where you are a part of my life I don’t want to think about.
But I haven’t been successful. You may be all of that, but there is still something about you that draws me back to you.
That makes me want to do something I’ve never done before. ”
“What’s that?” Stephanie leaned towards her, and her hair escaped again, blowing across her cheek.
Smiling at the unruly lock, Court tucked it again behind the ear, caressing her cheek as she did, “See where this goes.”
“What if what you like about me is that this?” she waved the leftover containers between them. “Is forbidden. What happens when that fades?”
“Then we move on with our lives and forget each other again. What scares me more is if it doesn’t fade. If we start having feelings.” She admitted, because with Stephanie came the family she vowed never to see again. Was that even worth it?
Stephanie chuckled, “You're right, that’s probably worse. But I still want to see where this goes.”
“Can we start with a quiet meal, get to know each other away from a family altogether?” She took the leftover containers from her wishing Ji hadn’t given her so much.
“I like the sound of that. When?”
“Right now.” Court didn’t want this time with her to end.
“I just ate, so did you.”
“I’m more interested in you than in food.”
“We’re not having sex,” Stephanie stated boldly, even if that wasn’t what Court was suggesting, but it meant that her mind was there as well as Court’s.
“No, of course not. I know a coffee shop that doesn’t care how long you stay or how much you order.”
“Okay, but what about my leftovers?” Stephanie held them up as if Court hadn’t seen them.
“We don’t want to waste those. You wouldn’t believe how good those are cold in the middle of the night.
But I know the owner of the shop. She’ll let me store them in her fridge.
Do you need a ride?” Court suggested as she headed to her car, hoping that Stephanie had taken an Uber and not her motorcycle.
Shaking her head, Stephanie followed, “An ex?”
“No, just a friend. I don’t have a lot of friends that I’ve slept with.” She opened the door for the woman and let her settle into her seat before she shut the door.
“But some?” Stephanie asked when Court got into the car and set the leftover containers on the floor in the back, “Sorry, I’ll have to get used to the fact that you have a past.”
“I can’t make it go away, but I can change the future if need be,” Court promised, and hoped she’d be keeping that promise, even if she also hoped she wouldn’t have to. This, whatever it was, was going to be sticky from start to finish.
“Let’s not think about the future just yet, if that’s okay. Day by day.”
“I like day by day with you.” Court shifted the car into gear. “Let’s start with today.”