Chapter 24
Kerrie took a sip of her sweet tea, bobbing her head to herself at its sweet taste. "Kenny, you've outdone yourself on the tea this week."
"Yep, I did," he agreed, nodding his head. They were sitting in their respective recliners watching a rerun of SpongeBob. Kenny was a huge fan of Mr. Krabs.
One of Kenny's chores around the house was making the sweet tea they had with meals throughout the week. Every Sunday evening, he reminded Kerrie that he needed to make the sweet tea. Kerrie would boil the water and help Kenny count out the amount of tea bags that were needed for the large pitcher. Once the boiling water was done, Kenny would carefully drop the bags into the pot. He would then go over to the windowsill where a timer sat. Kerrie had marked the spot needed for him to turn the dial to start the timer. Kenny couldn't read, but he could match things up. He knew to take the dial and turn it until it went to the red line that she had put on it. Once that was done, he would carefully scoop two large cups of sugar from the sugar canister and put them into the pitcher. After scooping out the tea bags, Kerrie would transfer the tea to the pitcher. Kenny was diligent about making sure the tea was done. He took his chores seriously. His other chores were to empty the bathroom trash can and remind Kerrie to take it to the curb on Wednesday. And every day, he would check the mail.
Kerrie glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was getting to be about 9:15. She was surprised that Bette hadn't arrived home yet, but just as she thought that, she noticed car lights pull into the driveway.
"Bette's home," observed Kenny, rocking back and forth lightly in his recliner.
Kerrie nodded. "Do you think she had fun at dinner? "
"I bet she did."
At 9:30, Kenny announced that he was ready for bed. He rarely stayed up late, and Kerrie had been surprised that he was still awake. Her brother enjoyed his sleep, even if it was sometimes interrupted, which meant sometimes hers was too.
As she helped Kenny go up the stairs to his bedroom, she rubbed her chest at the tightness within it. She chalked it up to indigestion. It had been chili dog night, and she had been a little heavy-handed on the diced jalapenos.
Kenny's nightly routine was usually the same. His medication consisted of a cocktail of 12 pills. She helped him out of his T-shirt because he liked to sleep without one on, tucked him into bed, helped him take his glasses off and put them on the bedside table, and turned off his light. Most nights, she didn't use the baby monitor on his nightstand, but she wasn't sure if she would be staying in the upper part of the house or going down to Bette's.
"I'm going to turn your monitor on, okay? I may go down to Bette's apartment, but I'm not sure. If you need me, just call out, and I'll hear you."
"Okay, Kerrie. I love you."
"I love you too, bud."
She made sure he was settled once more and then left the room after turning on his nightlight and turning off his overhead light.
Just as she was turning on her half of the monitor, she received a text from Bette asking if she could come upstairs. Kerrie replied yes, telling her to use the basement stairs and let herself in.
She quickly ensured the basement door was unlocked and then ducked into the little half-bathroom on the first floor, making sure her hair didn't look too crazy. She was in her pajamas and momentarily wondered if she should change, but just as she was about to head upstairs, Bette poked her head out of the door, smiling.
"Hey, I hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and changed into my pajamas. I can't wear dress clothes another minute."
Kerrie motioned down at her gray Hanes T-shirt and black cotton shorts. She liked to keep clothing simple. Solid colors, mostly black, blue, and gray, meant she did not have to try to match anything. "I already beat you to it."
Leaning down, she gave Bette a kiss. The soft scent of rose soap was on her face, and the taste of tequila was on her lips. She pulled back. "Margarita at dinner? "
Bette's bright blue eyes widened as she covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think anything about it. I should have brushed my teeth."
"It's okay. I'm not going to suddenly go out and buy a bottle. You're allowed to enjoy yourself. The only thing I ask is that it's not kept up here. I can handle someone else having one at a restaurant, but I don't want temptation within reach in my safe place."
Despite her words, guilt still lingered on Bette's face. She winced. "I still feel bad."
"You have nothing to feel bad about. And you shouldn't stop enjoying a margarita with your friend while you dish on how much you like me," winked Kerrie, hoping the flirting would take the guilt away.
It worked. Bette's freshly washed face brightened. "What makes you think we talked about you?"
"Call it a hunch. Do you want your ice cream and fries?"
"Totally. But first, do you have mouthwash? I'd feel better rinsing my mouth out."
Kerrie nodded. "Upstairs in the bathroom. Pick your poison. Mine's minty, and Kenny's is bubblegum."
"Oh, bubblegum," she teased, "I'll be right back."
Kerrie felt a little guilty that Bette felt the need to wash her mouth out, but she also felt a little relieved. The physical need to drink rarely hit her anymore, but the opportunity to be triggered made her anxious. She didn't want to let her guard down, as that would lead to a slippery road.
It didn't take long for Bette to be back.
"Where's Kenny?"
"Pick up the monitor by my recliner and give it a listen," Kerrie instructed, walking into the kitchen. In just a few seconds, she could hear Kenny's rumbling snort float through the living room, followed by laughter. Bette appeared in the door frame, holding the monitor. "He is out," she said.
Kerrie dumped the fries into the air fryer tucked in the corner of the counter and switched it on. She turned and leaned against the counter, her hands resting on it behind her. "I knew he would be out quick. He doesn't normally stay up past 8 or 8:30, and tonight, he managed to stay up until 9:30."
With her hips swaying in pink pajama shorts, Bette sauntered over to Kerrie with more confidence than Kerrie had seen before. The shyer woman, who usually waited on Kerrie to lead, pressed herself against Kerrie and ran her hands slowly up between Kerrie's freed breasts and rested them on her upper chest. Kerrie's breathing hitched. Tingling zapped through her. She licked her lips unconsciously as she met Bette's gaze.
"I had a really great conversation with Missy. I'll be honest; I've been worried that I'm moving too fast."
The tingle turned to more tightness in Kerrie's chest. Shit, are we about to break up?
"But then I talked to Missy, and I realized I'm not moving too fast."
Oh, thank god.
"I was with Shelly for a long time. We grew a family and business together. We were lovers for a long time, but then it started tapering off. And neither of us seemed to want to save it, so we turned into a partnership, like friends who run a household and business. I mourned my marriage years ago. After that, I lived like I was single but had obligations. Just because I'm newly divorced doesn't mean I just became single. I've been mentally single for years. I guess what I'm trying to say is I want you to know I'm going to be working on giving myself permission to enjoy this. Enjoy us and hopefully shake off any worry about the judgment of others. I know it won't go away overnight, but I'm going to make an effort."
Kerrie was surprised. She didn't see that coming. It had crossed Kerrie's mind once or twice that maybe Bette wouldn't be ready for a relationship. To be with one person for so long had to be a completely different world, especially when she was starting over. But now, hearing it spoken aloud, it felt like a weight had been lifted that she didn't know she had been carrying.
"I had wondered if you needed to take things a little slower."
Shaking her head, Bette reached her arms up around Kerrie's neck, lightly brushing her nails over the sensitive area on the back of her neck. "I think what we're doing right now is perfect. We're not running to move in together, get married, or share a dog," she said, laughing to break up some of the tension. "I like this, and I want this. Are you okay with that?"
Kerrie snaked her arms around Bette, realizing she needed to offer her physical and verbal reassurance. "Yes, I'm great with that. No pressure to be anything more than what we are right now."
"No pressure. Just enjoying the moments we have together."
The air fryer beeped loudly. Kerrie reached over and opened it. "Fries are done."