Chapter 16
"So, where is this place again?" Zoe asked as she peeked into a box. They were at Bette's storage locker, where the meager amount of belongings she walked away with was stored. It had been months since she had been by and was surprised by the things she forgot she had.
"Nixon Lane. A street over from Walgreens. It's a charming little neighborhood."
Zoe put her hand over her eyes as she squinted against the sun that was already warming the morning. "But I thought you said you'd have to wait to find something."
Bette paused, a box in her arms. "I did. It just, it sorta just fell into my lap."
Zoe opened her mouth to speak when Kerrie's black Ford Ranger pulled in next to her car. Bette could see Kenny in the passenger seat, straining to see them.
Kerrie rolled down her window and popped her head out. Her hair was a little tousled, and she had an apologetic smile on her handsome face. "Sorry, we're a little late. The center called about an issue with some clients. I'll just turn the truck around so we can get started."
Bette shivered inwardly as Kerrie looked at her appraisingly before ducking back in the truck. Bette rubbed her upper arms subconsciously, hoping they didn't look too puffy. She hated her arms, but it was going to be a hot day, and sleeves sounded like torture. The brief look Kerrie gave her suggested she didn't need to worry about whether her arms were puffy or not, though. It was a feeling of appreciation Bette wasn't used to.
As Kerrie put the truck in reverse, Bette heard Zoe snort beside her. "Is she what fell into your lap? "
Eyebrows raising to her forehead, Bette gaped at her daughter, lightly smacking her on the arm. "Zoe Marie, you did not just say that!"
Zoe placed a hand on her mother's arm, setting her face serious. "Momma, I say this with all the love I have for you. You need to get laid. It's time."
"What is it with your dirty mouth this morning?" Bette admonished, hardly believing her ears. Her daughter had never spoken so candidly to her—like they were both adults. Of course, technically, they were, but Bette still saw her chubby-cheeked baby girl when she looked at Zoe.
Shrugging, Zoe slipped her long, blond ponytail over her shoulder. "I'm just saying. You weren't happy with Mom by the end, and you deserve to have fun. You deserve to be happy."
"You haven't even met her. She's just my coworker."
"Mom, it doesn't take a genius to see the woman is gay. And your face lit up when you saw her and the look she gave you. She was interested in what she was looking at. I know what I saw."
Kerrie put the truck in park, with the truck bed now facing the entrance of the storage unit. Kenny's door opened, and he slowly climbed out. "Hi, Bette."
"Hello, Kenny. I'd like you to meet my daughter. This is Zoe."
Kenny took a moment to register the statement, looking between Bette and Zoe and then smiled broadly. "Hi, Zoe."
"Hi, Kenny. What happened to your arm?"
Kenny rubbed at his head with his usable arm and chuckled at the ground. "I fell in the bathtub."
"Oh, that's not fun."
"No, it's not."
"And I'm his twin sister, Kerrie. It's nice to meet you, Zoe," introduced Kerrie, holding her hand out. Zoe shook it and didn't hide her face as she looked Kerrie over. She grinned mischievously at her mother, a grin that Bette knew all too well and was about to be embarrassed.
"Well, hello, Kerrie. Are you the knight in shining armor that's rescued my mom from my grandmother?"
Bette had the urge to crawl under her car, which only increased when Kerrie shot her a cheeky grin and a raised eyebrow. "I don't know about that. Your mom seems like a tough lady, but I'm happy I could help in some way. "
Zoe turned her head and mouthed to her mother, "I love her already."
A nervous chuckle left Bette's tight chest as she clapped her hands. "Well, let's get started, shall we?"
***
The flush of red that overcame Bette's face as her daughter embarrassed her sent a jolt of confidence into Kerrie's chest, causing her to puff it out and straighten her shoulders. She loved how the lines around Bette's mouth softened as she slyly smiled. A vulnerable Bette was a beautiful thing.
Bette's appearance hadn't escaped her. Gone were the power heels and full face of makeup. In its place was clean skin and a pair of large framed glasses. Bette's normally styled coif was piled high on her head in a messy bun. Kerrie had suspected the body underneath the stylish clothing was nice, and she was pleased to see she was correct. Black leggings and a sleeveless pink razorback tank top highlighted the body of a woman. Soft upper arms, a round belly, and hips that, for some reason, she strategically hid under dress clothing.
Why did women do that? She mused to herself. Why hide delicious dips and curves? Kerrie was 52. She enjoyed the female body of someone her own age. All the little things people in their early twenties thought were imperfections only served to turn Kerrie's head. Who wants tiny and hard when you could wrap yourself around bountiful and soft? Kerrie would be willing to bet the breasts beneath the tank top once sat up a little higher but weren't near as velvety and inviting as they were now.
The image of them in bed watching a movie and Kerrie's head lying on Bette's chest, soothed by the sound and rising of Bette's breathing, popped into her head. Her breath hitched in her chest briefly; she shook herself out of the thought. She hadn't imagined something like that for herself in a very long time, and it confused her. She couldn't remember the last time she had an intimate moment like that. Nor could she remember the last time she found herself longing for it.
"Thank you again for helping today," Bette said, looking up at her through long eyelashes .
"It was nothing. We'd probably just be rotting on the couch anyways," she said with a shrug, her cheeks heating up. Where were these nervous feelings coming from? She let the tailgate down and then cracked her knuckles. "What needs to go?"
Bette put her hand on her lower back and bit her bottom lip in the most adorable way, making Kerrie's heart flutter as Bette considered the contents of the unit. "Maybe we should move the most important stuff first. I need my bed for sure. I've got some stuff from my mother's house in my car already that I use every day."
Zoe snorted. "I bet she took you moving out well."
"Well..." grimaced Bette.
Mouth dropping open, Zoe's eyes widened fully. "You haven't told her, have you?"
Shrugging, Bette lifted her chin. "I'm an adult. I can move out if I want. Plus, she's on a weekend trip to Chattanooga with her church group. She won't be back until tomorrow evening, and I'll have everything out of there by then."
"She's not going to like that."
"She'll live."
Clapping her hands together to get them back on track, Kerrie said, "Alright, that sounds like we have some moving to do then. Bette, why don't you point out what you want? Kenny," Kerrie turned to her brother, "you're in charge of remembering which items she wants moved. Can you do that?"
"Yep," her brother nodded.
"He's got a great memory," Kerrie grinned at Bette and Zoe. "Mine's shot to hell."
It didn't take long for Kerrie to remember that she didn't like moving. She was thankful that the day had changed from super sunny to overcast. Direct sunlight would have made it even worse. Bette had said she didn't have a lot, but there was enough that it took three trips with both vehicles.
Kenny had charmed Bette and Zoe by the end of the first trip. He always had a way of making friends with everyone. His personality was infectious, and she saw a side of him that she hadn't seen in a while. He was all smiles, enjoying being out of the house. She had kept an eye on him continuously, but he didn't seem to be in pain or short of breath. His cheeks were a little pink, but otherwise, he seemed fine. Granted he wasn't lifting things, but he was walking around, holding doors, and keeping track of where all the boxes needed to go. He was really good at remembering things like that .
"Kenny, do you like slushies from Sonic?" Zoe asked as they unloaded the last box from Bette's car into the apartment. All of them were sweating, and the cold air of the air-conditioned apartment was welcoming.
Kenny nodded. He loved anything sweet, just like Kerrie did. He also got a kick out of his favorite flavor, turning his tongue blue. "Yeah, I like the blue coconut."
"My favorite flavor is the strawberry. It even has little real pieces of strawberry in it," said Zoe with a smile. "Do you want to go to Sonic and get one? I think it's happy hour. We could use a break."
The pit of Kerrie's stomach began to flip. She never liked for him to be out of her sight. "I don't know. Maybe we could all—"
Bette put her hand on Kerrie's arm, looking up at her with soft eyes. Her body heat and the cold air of the apartment were starkly different. "It's just 10 minutes down the road, and they wouldn't even get out of the car. While they're gone, you can put together the bed for me."
"I don't know," Kerrie said, rubbing the back of her neck. It was just down the road, but anything could happen.
"Please, Kerrie," begged Kenny, shifting from side to side. She really wished that Zoe hadn't said it in front of him, because now she felt obligated to let him go. And Bette's increasing pressure on her forearm wasn't helping.
With a sigh, she reluctantly nodded, going against her gut. "Okay, but no getting out of the car, and you go there and back."
"Awesome!" exclaimed Zoe. She turned and linked arms with Kenny, who immediately followed her without hesitation—a strong smile on his face. "We'll be back. Do you want anything?"
"Diet Dr. Pepper," called Bette.
"Same. Here, Kenny, why don't you buy us all drinks?" She reached into her pocket, fishing out her worn leather wallet. She handed Kenny a $20 bill.
Kenny took the bill and grinned widely. "Drinks on me."
She watched them go out the door with a cloud of worry settling over her. She wanted to follow them—tail them all the way and back. She fought the urge by telling herself it wasn't far, and she trusted Bette's judgment, which surprised her. She normally took a while to warm up enough to form trust, especially when dealing with Kenny, but something about her warm, nurturing spirit put her at ease .
Perhaps sensing her worry, Bette moved closer, briefly rubbing the small of Kerrie's back. A touch she hadn't experienced in years and sent tingles all over her body. She was sure Bette could feel the small shiver that went up her spine. "They'll be just fine. Zoe is mature and used to babysit all the time. She's used to taking care of someone."
"Did any of them have heart conditions?"
Bette rolled her eyes. "It's just down the road. Now come on, I need a bed put together. I'd rather not sleep on the floor tonight."
Sighing, Kerrie pushed at her worrying thoughts. "I'll go get my drill."
Kerrie gathered what she needed to put the wooden sleigh bed with the notched inlay together. It was a sturdy piece of furniture. High-quality material and well-maintained. Just seeing the few pieces of furniture Bette had, Kerrie knew that Bette had a taste for the finer things. Classy. It was a little intimidating. Kerrie liked Bette. The feeling grew more and more as they spent time together, but Kerrie wasn't sure she was Bette's type. To go from a lawyer to an addiction counselor seemed a little far-fetched.
She pulled on the waistband of her basketball shorts and tugged down her black tee shirt to cover her ass as she bent down to the floor, not wanting her boxers to flash Bette. "Could you hand me the bag?"
The baggie of brackets and screws had been taped to the headboard, labeled with neat, scrolling curves in black Sharpie. Bette gently pried it off the headboard and held it out to Kerrie between two pastel pink fingers. "Here you go."
"Pretty nail color," she complimented with a smile.
Blushing, Bette held her hand in front of her, admiring them. "I thought it was cute. I'm not quite ready for summer colors yet, so I'm sticking to Eastery pastels for now."
Kerrie cocked her head, grinning at the seriousness on Bette's face. It was adorable. I'm 52 years old, and I'm giddy about complimenting nails. "I think that's a nice color."
"I can do yours the next time I do mine," teased Bette, wiggling her eyebrows.
Snorting, Kerrie shook her head as she found the correct drill bit. "That kind of girly stuff isn't for me, but I do appreciate a woman who does." My God. Kerrie, rein it in. You're not suave.
The red on Bette's cheeks deepened at Kerrie's words. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by someone calling out from the front door, "Anyone home?"
With wide eyes, Bette held a hand up to stop Kerrie from standing. "No, uh, you stay right there and keep working. I'll get rid of her."
Frowning, Kerrie wasn't sure what to make of that statement. Who was here?