Chapter 16
Sitting at the table, Stephanie watched her family and wondered if they all had some kind of collective memory loss.
Of course, Court, as she had told everyone to call her over and over again, hadn’t been on the boat.
Calvin had always made sure that they didn't do anything when the girl was with him. It had always seemed like they had done nothing because she was there. That meant that Calvin’s birthday celebrations were always postponed until after she went home.
Stephanie didn’t know if Helene had requested they do nothing fun or that was all Calvin and Marlene’s doing.
Looking back on it either way, it was wrong to do that to a child.
As she took a drink of her water, she chanced a glance at her across the table.
Her brothers had moved their chairs so close to Court that the woman could barely move her arms. Which would have been funny if she even looked a little uncomfortable with it.
After the boat talk, she was just picking at the meal with a lack of enthusiasm.
Probably didn’t dare say a word, or she’d be the center of attention again, and she probably didn’t want that.
Only Calvin and the little kids got excited about taking the boat out anymore.
Stephanie and her siblings had spent far too many hours on it in their youth to want to spend too much time on it now.
Luckily, they usually only took one ride on it, and before the first hour, everyone was ready to be back on dry ground.
But right now, all Stephanie wanted to hear about was Court, but all everyone else wanted to talk about was themselves.
Even Calvin hadn’t asked too many personal questions Court.
If it had been her, Stephanie would have wanted to know everything about the woman and her life from the moment she left here. Where had she been? How was she doing?
Instead, it was like she had been there the entire time and everyone already knew the answers, so there was no need to ask. But they knew nothing, she knew they didn’t. Yet, she wasn’t going to be the one to ask because that would lead the woman to think she was interested. And she wasn’t.
“Have you ever been to Florida?” Aaron asked Court, because he asked anyone and everyone that question all the time. It was the only thing on his mind since moving there was making sure that everyone knew he lived in sunny Florida.
“Not everyone’s been to Florida, Aaron,” Laura stated with a snort, because she was as sick of the question as everyone else was.
Wiping her mouth with a napkin before answering, she gave her brother her full attention. “I actually have, a number of times. One of my best friends goes down there every year at some point. Sometimes I’ve gone with.”
“Where? I'm in Tampa, amazing weather and the nightlife is out of this world..” Aaron asked with interest.
“Oh, we usually land in Miami and make the drive to Key West. Beautiful drive that never stops taking my breath away.” Was her answer, which caused Aaron to lose interest.
“There are a lot of parties in the Keys. It’s for the young people, that’s for sure.
There are other places for when the parties get old,” Dylan stated, as if he actually knew that.
He lived in the city near Stephanie and had only been to Florida once, and that was to visit Aaron a few years ago.
Since then, his girlfriend hadn’t let him do too much.
“I can say they haven’t for us, and Rebel always finds the wildest ones.” Court grinned right at Stephanie as she said it. Because Stephanie had met Rebel, and the woman she had met knew a good party from a bad one.
“You have a friend named Rebel? Like the Army of the South during the Civil War?” Marlene asked in distaste. Was it the name or the fact that she had friends? For a woman who seemed not to have an issue with anyone, her dislike of Court was surprising.
“It’s Rebecca, actually, but she hates her name. When she was in middle school, she started going by Rebel and has been ever since. I barely even notice that it isn’t her real name.” She shrugged.
Her embarrassment over Rebel’s introduction of herself had waned once she met Court.
But Rebel definitely suited her name, and any other name wouldn’t fit her at all.
Stephanie bit her tongue to ask Court when she had started to go by just Court, why and how?
She wanted to know it all. Nobody else had an interest since nobody asked, and she wasn’t going to.
“Becky’s a cute nickname. Oh, and Becca. I like Becca,” Marlene said, as if Court was going to tell her friend what to call herself and that it had never come up before.
“She's not a Becca and most definitely not a Becky, but thank you for the suggestion.” Court said with a smirk, and Stephanie knew she was rolling her eyes inwardly, but she was too in control to do it outwardly.
That was what Stephanie caught on to right away. Court Morrissey was in control of her emotions and knew exactly what everyone wanted to hear. She didn't say anything to rock the boat. Just let other opinions of her roll off her back.
“Courtney, how is Helene?” Marlene asked Court. Her mother made the name sound like a curse word. The chill between the women had never once thawed, and it was never going to. Marlene hated her for Calvin’s years-long crush, even if Helene had never been interested in him.
Stephanie didn’t even know if she had seen the woman before. Looking back on the times that Court came, it had been Calvin who brought her here and took her home. The few occasions she was dropped off, the mysterious Helene never got out of the car.
Court set down her glass without taking a drink and turned to the woman who had asked. Her expression controlled as ever, “I would assume she's the same. We don’t talk all that often. To be honest, we don’t speak at all, haven’t in years. I prefer it that way.”
Her tone was icy, even if her expression was blank. There was a level of dislike that went beyond the fact that they didn't speak. It was less of an iciness that she had been showing all evening. Maybe it was because she was out and maybe it more. Stephanie had no idea.
“When I called her to get your number, she gave it over right away,” Calvin stated as if that meant mother and daughter were close. Though he didn't seem all that interested in knowing more, because he didn't ask more.
Court turned to him. “That doesn’t mean she ever calls.”
“You must get together with her for the holidays? I can’t imagine not spending holidays with family.” Laura asked with interest. At least someone was interested, so Stephanie didn't have to do the asking.
“I don’t. I spend holidays with my friends and their family. It’s exactly how I like to spend them. With those I love,” Court said with a smile.
“Doesn’t sound as special as spending it here.
” Marlene stated and got up and went into the kitchen in a huff.
As if for years Court had been turning her invitations down, instead of there never actually being an invitation in the first place.
And if she had been invited, Stephanie knew she wouldn’t be all that welcome.
Marlene wasn’t hiding her dislike of the woman, and it had only been a few hours.
“Well, isn’t this awkward?” Dylan said with a nervous laugh, causing the entire room to nervously join in.
“I’ll go talk to her.” Calvin got up and headed out of the room himself.
Staring at his retreating form, Stephanie felt he should be comforting and talking to his goddaughter.
It was she who had been left out of family events, big and small.
It was she who had to find a family because hers wasn’t there for her.
But instead, he went after Marlene, who had been the center of the family since forever.
“What are the sleeping arrangements this weekend?” Court asked the remaining group.
Most likely to move the conversation away from her and coming to holidays when Stephanie knew she wasn’t ever planning on that.
Even after the few hours she had been here, Stephanie could tell she wasn’t coming back.
“I believe we’re sleeping together in the family room.” Stephanie announced and then realized exactly how that sounded. “I mean not together, apart, but in the same room. There’s more than enough room for two in there.”
Digging herself deeper just caused the other woman’s smile to grow bigger. No longer was her expression blank, but now was full of mischief. Which was a better look on her, because Stephanie didn’t like her in even a little distress.
Stephanie knew she was blushing and couldn’t stop herself. Had she just said that they would be sleeping together? Her only saving grace was that nobody but Court seemed to have noticed the slip. But Court was probably the only one she cared about.
“Isn’t that where you used to sleep, Courtney, in the family room? On a positive note, the couch was replaced a few years ago, so it might be more comfortable.” Aaron said, because the exchange between the two women had gone right over his head.
Stephanie shot him a look. “Dad got a new air mattress, she can sleep on that. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Who gets your old room, Stephanie?” Court asked using her name, making her heart beat faster being the center of her attention.
When their eyes met, Stephanie stopped breathing for a moment, and everyone in the room disappeared around them, and they were alone. It lasted only an instant before her brother-in-law jostled her and snapped her back to reality.
“Aaron and his wife are in there.” She stumbled over the answer as she pointed at her brother and his wife, who didn’t even notice she was having a hard time talking to the woman.
“It’ll be like a sleepover. We will have to make the most of the family room.
” Court took a drink of her water but didn’t break eye contact with Stephanie.
And she knew the woman was flirting with her at the dining room table, just like at the bar.
Hopefully, nobody else noticed. Only this time, it wouldn’t lead to anything.
“How’s Jordan?” Shane asked from beside her, which gave him the excuse to touch her shoulder. Thus, breaking the connection she had with the woman across the table.
“Good, like always.” She said to him, wondering why he even cared.
A glance across the table said that Court was concentrating on the cold food on her plate again and not at Stephanie anymore.
“Jordan’s my partner.” She said about the woman, then realized that partner would have two meanings for Court.
Not so much for her family, who barely remembered she was gay.
“She’s hot,” Dylan stated, and Shane nodded next to her.
“I’ll tell her you think so.” Though her friend wouldn’t care one iota that her brother even noticed her, they had known each other long enough that Jordan thought of her brother as an annoyance. “She's my business partner. We own a gym together.”
At her words, Court stopped chewing for a moment before she looked up and raised an eyebrow at her. Had she not said that the night they were together? Maybe not. She usually didn't tell anyone that right away, usually just that she taught yoga, not that she owned anything.
“Is your gym in the city? Have I heard of it?” Court asked curiously.
“In Motion, it’s an all-women’s gym on tenth. We’re sort of new.” She glanced across the table at Court. Not bothering to hide that Court would know the area. Maybe not the gym, but the area. Because The Button was only four blocks over.
“All chicks, no dicks.” Laughing at his own joke, Dylan waved his hands over the table. The action caused his beer glass to tip and, with it, Court’s water glass, causing the liquid from both to flow towards Court. Who had been watching Stephanie and not what her brother was up to?
Court jumped to her feet and looked down at the liquid that was covering her from chest to thigh. The anger that flashed in her eyes was powerful. Much like her eyes when she orgasmed. And it made Stephanie wonder how she was going to sleep in the same room with her tonight and not touch her.