Chapter 23
Closing her door behind her, Bette noticed Kerrie and Kenny standing outside. Their truck, Bette had learned that Kenny considered it his, was pulled out from under the detached red-roofed carport and covered in soapy suds. Both twins were matching in cutoff sleeveless men's t-shirts and basketball shorts. Bette couldn't help but roam her eyes over the patch of exposed skin that showed off Kerrie's black sports bra and a little of her thick middle. Never had Bette ever thought such a thing would turn her on, but she was quickly realizing she loved a larger lady. It was like discovering women for the first time. She wanted to touch every curve and dimple of Kerrie's body.
"What are you doing?" she asked, keys in hand and purse nestled in the crook of her elbow.
Kenny beat Kerrie to the punch. "Washing my truck. Do you want to help? We're getting Dairy Queen when we're finished."
"I wish I could. I'm going to have dinner with Missy."
Kerrie walked up to her, placing a long kiss on her lips, not caring a bit that her lips would now be smeared with red berry-colored lipstick. When they parted, Kerrie asked, "What's your favorite Blizzard from DQ?"
Buzzing with excitement, Bette tilted her head. "The turtle one. With the pecans and caramel."
A twinkle formed in Kerrie's eyes. She wrapped her arms around Bette and swayed them back and forth like they were slow dancing to the sound of a water spigot. "Ah, nice choice. Very nice choice. I'm more of a strawberry cheesecake gal myself. Why don't I pick you up a cup, and when you get home, you call me? "
Bette scrunched up her face, faking concentration. "I don't know. I may be out late."
Kerrie leaned down, her hot breath ghosting Bette's ear. "I don't mind waiting up. Take your time."
The taller woman's words sent a shiver down Bette's spine. She believed her. She had no doubt Kerrie would wait for her. She wouldn't call to hurry her up or go to bed without seeing her. She would wait for Bette to have her fun. "I'll call you then. Will you get a side of fries? I like dipping them in the ice cream."
A sincere smile tugged at Kerrie's lips. "I'll get whatever you want."
***
Bette pulled her car next to Missy's old purple Jeep. She had taken her up on the offer to have dinner, and she had been looking forward to it. It would be nice to spend a couple of hours with a friend.
It had been two weeks since the graduation. Bette and Kerrie's relationship had slowly progressed. Bette would have liked to have spent more time with her. Kerrie always seemed to be doing something, whether staying late at work, taking on extra responsibilities, or just being a caregiver to Kenny. Bette couldn't help but notice that over the last few days, lines had formed around her mouth and under her eyes, the tiredness evident. Bette wondered if she was sleeping very well but hadn't seen her enough to really ask. Their moments together were brief but were of quality. They had managed to spend a little bit of time out by the firepit two nights this week.
Missy beamed at Bette from her Jeep, waving her hand before hopping out. Bette followed her lead, meeting her in front of their vehicles. They exchanged a quick hug. Bette could smell the faint scent of sage coming from Missy's thick curls.
"Your lipstick looks a little smeared. Was that done by a certain tall lady?" Missy asked with a mischievous look in her eye.
Bette's eyes widened as she pulled her compact from her purse. Sure enough, the lines around her lips were smeared. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as she pulled out a tissue and fixed the lines. "I might have seen her before I left."
"Are the two of you living together?"
"Why don't we grab a table, and I'll fill you in? "
Roark was full of car lots, banks, and Mexican restaurants. There was nothing small-town southern white folk liked more than margaritas and cheese dip poured over some grilled chicken. For a Thursday evening, it wasn't too full, and Bette was happy about that.
They were seated in a booth with colorful walls. They gave their drink order to the lady who had seated them, and then Missy wasted no time getting back on the topic of Kerrie.
"Well? Are you living together? Please tell me you're living together. I would love that for you." Bette knew she genuinely meant it, too.
"Define living together. We live in the same house, but I'm actually renting the basement apartment from her. We also work together, so we're kind of really intertwined right now."
Missy squinted a little, her large brown eyes turning into slits. "Are you sure it's wise to have a relationship with somebody who controls your money and your housing?"
Shrugging, Bette fidgeted with the little paper piece that wrapped around her silverware. "She's not my boss. We just work in the same building. And I have a 6-month contract. So technically, I'm there regardless of whether she wants me there or not. I really don't think that she would ever try to control me like that, though. It's not in her nature. She really is like a huge teddy bear."
Missy let out a breath. "Well, that's good to know. I don't really know anything about her, but she does seem like a good person based on the interactions from the photo shoot and the way you look at her. I've known you for, what, ten years now? And I don't think I've ever seen you smile like that at somebody who wasn't your daughter."
They were interrupted by the arrival of their drinks. Both of them got a peach margarita. The waiter, a young man with a charming smile, took their order.
"You did not just check that guy out. He couldn't be more than 23!" Bette hissed over the table.
Winking and then shrugging, Missy said, "There's nothing wrong with looking."
"He's young enough to be your son."
"I know, I know, but if I were even ten years younger..." She placed her hand over her heart, and they both laughed. "So, back to the new love interest. Any red flags?"
"No, not really. Well, there is one thing that I'm not very familiar with. She's an alcoholic. In recovery, though, she's been in recovery for over 20 years, but still, it sorta sits in the back of my mind, you know? "
With her straw in her mouth, Missy nodded as she took a sip of the fruity drink. "I could see how that would be a worry. But if she's got that long of sobriety under her belt, I feel like she would be worth taking a chance on. Does she have any other baggage?"
"I wouldn't really call it baggage, but she does have a twin brother who has special needs, and he takes up a lot of her time. Which is fine. I really like him. He's a sweet guy. I just worry that sometimes she neglects herself because she's putting everybody else first. She's also an addiction counselor, so she's constantly being the caregiver to someone."
Missy nodded, understanding. She was fidgeting with a pop socket on the back of her phone. Missy never could sit still for very long. "I've known some people like that. Sometimes, it's an avoidance tactic. Like, they help everyone else, so that way they don't have time to work on themselves. And because they're helping other people, they get a rush from it like they would if they had solved their own problems, but they don't have to do the emotional work."
Bette bit her lip. Was Kerrie running from something? Was there something in her past that she didn't want to confront? Or maybe some toxic trait that Bette hadn't seen yet? They had only known each other for a short time, and though the first couple of weeks were a little tense, Bette didn't think there would be anything huge that she could avoid showing Bette. It was definitely something to think about.
"I'm not saying that there is something there. She just sounds like she doesn't seem to know how to say no to things. Maybe she's not good with boundaries?"
"Either way, it's definitely something to think about. She's just so kind to me. It's almost like she's not even human."
Missy snorted. "I bet she's perfectly human, but you're just not accustomed to being treated the way you should be treated. Let's face it: you and Shelly should have broken up a long time ago. Everyone saw it. I know you thought that you were able to keep up a facade that people couldn't see through, but there was just no warmth between you."
Bette felt as if somebody had punched her right in the stomach. The air puffed out of her quickly. No one had ever told her. "Are you serious? You could tell?"
They were interrupted once more when their food arrived. Missy thanked the young waiter, winking at him and thoroughly embarrassing Bette. He took it in stride, laughing casually and telling them to let him know if they needed anything else.
Leaning forward, Bette lightly scolded Missy. "You've got to stop doing that! "
Missy's look said she didn't see anything wrong with it. "You only live once, Bette. He doesn't seem to mind, and if flirting with that young man makes me feel a little happy, then what's the problem?"
Indeed, what was the problem? Did it hurt anything? At the graduation party, she had been hesitant to talk about what Kerrie did for a living, and she had stopped Kerrie from mentioning her alcoholism to Shelly. At what point would she stop caring what others thought? On more than one occasion, she had worried others would see her relationship with Kerrie as moving too fast or beneath her. After all, they had only known each other for a few months, and she was fresh out of a 20-year marriage.
Bette focused on her taco salad as she mulled it over. She really liked Kerrie. They got along great, and she brought out feelings in Bette that she hadn't felt in forever. So, if their feelings matched up, what did time have to do with anything?
"Missy?"
The dark-haired woman was busily cutting up her carne asada, shoving a piece in her mouth. She chewed it while motioning for Bette to continue.
"Do you think I'm moving too fast?"
It took a moment for her to finish chewing and swallowing. "I don't think it matters what I think or what anyone else does if she makes you happy. You deserve to be happy regardless of the time."
"I just got a divorce. Doesn't that look awful?"
"I mean, yeah, you were married, but when was the last time you and Shelly were actually a couple? If the two of you have just been roommates for the last few years, then why do you have to wait to start your life when you'd already had it on hold and had gotten over the relationship?"
Bette nodded slowly, taking a sip of her margarita. That's true. She had mourned the loss of their relationship years ago, and then they fell into a comfortable routine. It was almost like she had been single, and now she was starting to date again. "I think you're right. If Kerrie makes me happy, why not be happy?"