STIRRED 4 page

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 450.

"I'll be here." Their plans made, the car dealer stole a kiss and disappeared out the door.

Lily finished making turkey sandwiches, and filled sealable plastic bags with carrots, trail mix, and orange sections. She filled her two-liter Camelback water bladder, adding three one-liter bottles of water and lifted the pack. A little heavier than usual, but not too bad. The weather was perfect, so they wouldn't need any rain gear or extra sweaters. "Mom, are you ready?"

"I am now. Do you have room for my camera in your daypack?"

"Sure."

"I'll take my turn carrying that thing, you know. Tell you what, you carry it until lunch then I'll carry it the rest of the day."

Lily frowned. "But after lunch, it will be practically empty."

"Yes, I know," she deadpanned.

Lily had picked a moderately challenging 10-mile hike for their outing. That would get them home by three, in plenty of time to rest a bit and get ready for dinner at the Kaklis home. Eleanor had met Kim and Hal, but had missed the pleasure of George, Martine and David. Well, Martine and David anyway, if you're talking pleasure. She was somehow certain her mother would handle the Kaklis patriarch perfectly.

They parked the SUV at the trailhead and gathered their things. As they started out, Eleanor stopped to adjust her boots, something she did every single time they went hiking. Lily had gotten so used to it over the years that she built it into her gait. The hike did not officially start until Eleanor's boots were right.

"So what happened to you and Bill?" Lily didn't mean to get into her mother's business, but she wanted to know if something had gone awry.

"Oh, we just figured out that we liked being friends. Getting closer kind of complicated that, for both of us, I think."

"Is it working out? I mean being friends. I was just worried about you."

"We're fine. I think he still misses Liz, more than he's willing to admit." Bill's wife of 21 years died of cancer almost four years ago.

"Are you okay?" Now that Lily had found Anna to love, she hated to think of her mother being lonely.

"Of course I am. I mean, it was nice while it lasted, but it wasn't an overwhelming need I had. Our friendship is… fulfilling."

Lily could hear the melancholy in her mother's voice, but knew that Eleanor had said all she wanted to say about it. She hooked the woman's arm in hers as they trudged up the wide shaded path.

Two and a half hours later, the women were standing at the pinnacle of Strawberry Peak. From this vantage point, they could see the Pacific Ocean to the west, Mount Baldy to the east, and the entire LA basin. Or at least, they could have seen it, had it not been blanketed in smog. Still, it was beautiful and sunny where they stood, and lunch was divine.

The peak was a stopping point for dozens of hikers and bikers, and Lily couldn't resist asking another hiker to snap a picture of her with her mother, here in one of her favorite places. "I don't think we've had a picture made together since I graduated from law school."

"Then we should get copies made, so we can both have one."

Walking downhill was hard on Eleanor's knees, so Lily chose a longer, more meandering path that wasn't as steep for their descent. "I've had a great day, Mom. I think that hiking with you on the weekends is the thing I miss most about leaving home. You've got to get down here more often."

"And you could come home more often too, you know."

"Yeah, maybe I will. Anna's been really busy with work. Maybe I'll come up in a couple of weeks and we'll do the Priest Rock Trail. Did I tell you that we're going to Maui next week?"

On the way home, Lily told her mother all about their plans for the holiday weekend. Well, not exactly all of their plans.

At six o'clock, Anna, Lily, Eleanor and Bill were piling into the SUV for the short ride over to the Kaklis home. At the last moment, Anna suggested taking Chester too, so the happy fellow proudly positioned himself in her lap in the front seat. They were the last to arrive, finding everyone in their usual spot by the pool. Hal and David had baby Jonah in the pool, squealing with delight.

"Mom, Dad? I'd like you to meet Lily's mom, Eleanor Stuart." Turning back to Eleanor, she went on. "And this is my father, George, and my mother, Martine. That black-haired tree in the pool is my brother David."

Martine addressed the older woman. "We're very pleased to meet you, and so glad you could come. We think the world of your daughter." Martine could have been… southern.

"Indeed we do, but please don't tell her. It keeps her on her toes to wonder." George always had to qualify his affection for the little blonde who owned his daughter's heart, but he couldn't effectively hide it anymore.

"And this is her friend, Bill Mueller. He drives a Mercedes," she hissed the word.

"We can fix that. Have David and Hal hold his head under water."

Bill laughed amiably. "Actually, my lease is up this month and I thought I'd like to drive something different. The 745i is one of the three cars that I've been studying."

"What are the other two?" Anna and George asked their question in perfect synchrony.

"Well, I was looking at the Jaguar."

"They're alien droppings," George spat in disgust.

"What he means," Anna interjected diplomatically, "is that you don't see very many older Jaguars out there. They don't exactly have a reputation for being well-built. What's the other one?" It was the good guy-bad guy routine, but Bill didn't recognize it.

"The other is the Lexus."

"Ah, the Lexus," George remarked. "Well, there's one good thing about driving a Lexus."

"What's that?" Bill was so gullible.

"Tell him, Anna."

"If you're driving it, you can't see how ugly it is."

Bill surrendered, laughing. "So I guess it's the BMW?"

"Look, if you really want one, I'll set you up tomorrow morning," Anna offered. "Just tell me what color you want and I'll have it ready to go by early afternoon. I won't pressure you, but I'll give you the family discount–what I'd pay if I were buying it. That's the best deal you'll get anywhere."

"White."

"Purchase or lease?"

"Lease."

"Three years or five years?"

"You pick."

"Three. That way, I get it back sooner to sell again."

"Then I'll have to turn in the Mercedes at the local dealer first thing tomorrow."

"No, we'll deliver it for you." Anna beamed. "We really like that part."

Eleanor and Martine were fast friends, quickly discovering a shared interest in gardening. They went on and on about their families as they wandered from one flower bed to another. "Jonah's adorable. I bet you're thrilled to have a little one."

"Are you kidding? I can't get enough of him, but I have to loosen my grip when Anna's around."

As if on cue, the little guy squawked his displeasure at being passed from the pool into a towel, despite the loving arms of his aunt. But in mere moments of bouncing and cooing, he had stilled, enraptured by the smiling blue eyes and long dark hair. Did someone say long dark hair?

"Ouch! Somebody help!" Kim pried her son's fingers from his prize, though he kept a sizable souvenir.

George and Lily were having another of their deep conversations. "What part of ‘I'm not going anywhere' don't you understand, George? When your daughter puts you in an old folk's home, I'm going to be right there to wipe the drool off your chin." She watched as a small smile played on the man's face. "Don't worry, you'll warm up to me eventually."

"Perhaps if we're cremated together…"

The evening was wonderful, especially for Anna and Lily, who got the chance to watch their families getting acquainted. Anna was filled with admiration for Eleanor. The woman emanated grace and charm, clearly winning over George and Martine.

Lily had expected Martine and her mom to hit it off, and was not disappointed. But the special attention shown to her mother by George touched Lily's heart. She was sure that she had overheard the man say something like "We like her a lot," but knowing the elder Kaklis, he was probably talking about the neighbor's cat, who had wandered into the yard to entertain Chester.

CHAPTER 5

"DRIVE CAREFULLY, BILL. When Lily got her X-5, I couldn't keep her under 80. And then there was that time…"

"That's enough, Amazon! Are you trying to give my mother a heart attack?" Shaking her head, Lily turned to reassure her mother. "I'm a very careful driver, Mom."

"I know you are. So are you coming up in a couple of weeks, like we talked about?" she asked hopefully.

Lily looked back at her partner to indicate that they would talk about her plans later. "Yeah, I'm going to try to get up soon. I really enjoyed our hike yesterday."

"Me too, sweetie." Eleanor wrapped her daughter in a mighty hug. Next, she broke up the lovefest on the front lawn between Anna and Chester in order to extricate her hound.

"You sure you don't want to leave Chester here at our house? We'll bring him back eventually. Or not," she joked.

"Not a chance! Bill, get my dog from that woman!" Bill guided Chester into his crate, which was strapped to the back seat. Immediately content, the dog settled down with his rawhide chew.

After one last hug for Anna and Lily, Eleanor got in and rolled down the window. "Love you both."

"Love you too," the women shouted as they watched the sparkling BMW pull out.

"You and your mom really had a good visit, didn't you?"

"Yeah, it was too short though. But our hike yesterday was really special. We talked a lot. It was like the old days."

Anna put her arm around Lily's shoulder as they walked into the house. Lily reciprocated with an arm around her lover's waist. "What did you talk about?"

"We talked a lot about Bill. I was kind of worried about her, you know, that she was feeling lonely because things didn't work out."

"Is she?"

"She says no, but I still worry. I wish she could find somebody special." Lily's voice was sad. "I never used to think about that until I found you. Now I want everybody I love to be as happy as I am."

"Are you happy with me, Lily?" Anna thought she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it.

"I'm so very happy with you." That settled, it was time for a long, loving Sunday afternoon reaffirmation.

* * *

Things had calmed down at Premier Motors as they waited to hear back from Sweeney Volkswagen. Anna and Hal agreed that they should hold off on their offer for the dealerships in Palm Springs until they completed negotiations with Sweeney. With that out of the way–at least temporarily–Anna had more time for the day to day tasks of running the dealership. To further reduce her work load, she and Holly had worked with a business forms company to draft a new computerized version of the seller's contract that minimized the possibility of error. Things were looking up.

Lily was thrilled with getting her lover back. Anna was sleeping in until 6:30, and getting home from work before seven. They had a life again!

"Oh, I almost forgot! Kim called me yesterday at the dealership and invited us for dinner tonight. I told them yes, but that I needed to check with you." Anna and Lily were going through their morning routines side by side in the long master bath.

"Sounds good to me," the blonde answered. "Or we could send them out together and stay home with Jonah!"

"I thought of that already. Kim laughed and said nobody pays any attention to her or Hal anymore. You know, she said it like she was kidding, but I think she really might be feeling a little neglected."

"Well, we don't want that. Of course we'll go."

At seven sharp, Anna and Lily rang the bell at Kim and Hal's Encino home. For the first time since Jonah was born, Anna did not bolt through the house in search of the infant. "Hiya, sister!"

"Hi yourself! It's good to see you guys again. We didn't get much of a chance to talk on Saturday." Kim greeted her sister and Lily warmly, and they followed her to the family room. "Hal's got Jonah upstairs if you want to see him."

"We'll see him later. Something smells great!" Anna's fight with her inner self not to dash off upstairs was a stark indicator of how badly she'd been treating the sister she loved so dearly.

"It's Cornish hen. I got the recipe from one of the women I walk with." Kim was the epitome of suburban motherhood, strapping little Jonah into his three-wheeled stroller for a power walk with two other mothers on the wider trails at Topanga State Park.

"Cornish hen's one of your favorites, isn't it honey?" Anna asked her lover.

Lily loved it when Anna called her honey! "Oh yeah! Mom used to make it on Sundays. I always called them ‘little chickens.'"

Just then Hal walked in with Jonah in his arms, fully expecting to give the little guy up to his aunt. Anna stood her ground, though, resisting the temptation to reach out for him. Lily saw a rare opening for herself and took the baby from his dad, retreating out to the deck with Hal to give Anna time with her sister.

"Mom called and said they really enjoyed meeting Eleanor. She said Dad just went on and on about her."

"Isn't she wonderful!" Anna had come to love Lily's mom. "It scares me to think that she and Lily might never have met. They're just so perfect together."

"It was meant to be, then." Kim grew quiet for a moment. Anna knew her sister well enough to know that she was struggling with whether or not to say what was on her mind.

"What is it, Kimmie?" That pet name was one Anna reserved for the times she felt like the big sister.

"I'll tell you, but I don't want you to go off on me, okay?"

Anna could see that something was really bothering her sister, but she couldn't imagine why she would go off about it. "Okay, tell me."

With great trepidation, Kim started. "I know you guys are really busy at work. I know there's a lot to do, and that it's all temporary." She waved her hands in acquiescence to make the point that she understood. "And Hal loves it. I'm really glad, because I knew he would. It's just that…"

"Just what?" Anna had no idea where this conversation was going.

"He's been gone so much, going in early and working so late. For the first time in 13 years, we have something to fight about. And I hate it!"

Anna felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. She knew that Lily had been struggling with her time at the dealership, and that it had caused its share of problems for them. Now to find out that it had also caused problems for Kim and Hal–who never had problems–made her feel awful. "Kim, I don't know what to say. I'm really sorry this has been so hard on you guys. Hal's been great at work. There's no way I could have done any of this without him, but I promise I won't keep him so late from now on." Whatever it took, Anna would work it out.

"No, I'm not complaining to you because I want you to do that! You have to make the decisions that are best for the company. I understand that, and Hal needs to make his own decisions too." She finished the final preparations for dinner, and she and Anna began taking things into the dining room. "I know it's not going to last forever. I was just wondering how you and Lily work it out."

Well, let's see. I make her feel like it's all her fault. Anna suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of guilt about how she'd treated her lover last weekend. Lily had been a real trooper, her support unwavering, and Anna had behaved selfishly. "We just do the best we can," she said solemnly. "Hey, did I tell you that we're going to Maui next weekend?" she added excitedly.

"You're kidding! You better not make my husband work overtime while you're gone." Her tone was obviously a mock threat, but Anna got her message nonetheless.

"No, I think we're in a calm right now waiting for Sweeney. But what if when we got back, Lily and I kept Jonah for a few days while you two got away." That would make everyone happy!

Kim chuckled. "Right. And which one of you is going to breastfeed? So what are you doing in Maui?" They were ready to call Hal and Lily to the table.

"I'm…” Anna hadn't told a soul about her decision to make things with Lily permanent. She wanted Lily to be the first to know. "I'm going to show my woman how much I appreciate her for being there for me."

"Well, that's pretty sweet, especially for a lug like you," Kim teased. With a wink at her sister, she walked out on the deck and announced that the little chickens were ready.

Hal had opened a chardonnay for dinner and was pouring for the table.

"None for me," Lily spoke up. "I'll just have the Perrier."

Anna was once again abruptly reminded of how she'd selfishly turned the tables on her partner last weekend, all because she hadn't realized the impact of her absence at home. "Sweetheart, you should try this. It's good." She was letting Lily know that it was okay without revealing their private conversation.

Lily was definitely confused. She had understood that Anna didn't want her to drink; now Anna was recommending the wine. Or maybe this was a test. "No thanks. The water's fine."

Please don't be stubborn. I'm sorry! "Are you sure? This will be great with the little chickens," Anna encouraged.

Yes, it would. "Okay, you talked me into it." She was relieved to see her lover smiling, obviously glad she'd changed her mind. What Lily didn't understand was why. Oh well, you know that old saying about the gift horse…

The wine was delicious, and midway through the Cornish hen, Lily realized that her glass was nearly empty. Glancing around the table, she noted that the others had not kept pace, so she switched to the Perrier. She was determined not to get a refill, at least not until someone else did. Though the conversation was lively, Lily found herself distracted by watching the others drink. Would anyone ask for more?

"Does anyone want me to open another bottle?" Hal offered.

Neither Anna nor Kim replied, so Lily bit her tongue. She drained her glass after the last bite of hen, and proclaimed the dinner the best she'd had in ages.

When they reached their home, Lily offered to close up downstairs and set up the automatic coffeemaker while Anna went on to get ready for bed. Kim had sent them home with dessert, since everyone was too full after dinner to enjoy the poached pears. As she placed the bowl in the refrigerator, Lily noticed the corked bottle of chardonnay, opened for dinner at home almost two weeks ago. I wonder if that's as good as the stuff Hal had, she mused, knowing full well that she was rationalizing her desire for another glass of wine.

"Honey, it's only 9:45," Anna called from the top of the stairs.

That was unmistakably an invitation. Lily closed the refrigerator and turned out the light.

Desperate to connect, Anna poured her whole heart into their lovemaking that night. To Lily's delight, her lover's climax was loud and long, and she immediately rolled the blonde onto her back and filled her. In no time at all, Lily reached her release.

"I love being inside you when you come," the tall beauty whispered, drawing the small woman underneath her even closer. Lily reached between her own legs and pushed Anna's long fingers deep inside her as she rode out the last waves of her powerful orgasm. All of Anna's senses were heightened with the pulsing clutches, and she was once again overwhelmed by their deep connection. "I love you so much."

Lily was amazed at how close she felt to her lover at that moment, physically and emotionally. Anna needed to talk when they made love, and when she caressed Lily with her loving and intimate words, it seemed to pull them together. "I love you too."

* * *

Anna sat in the conference room at Premier Motors, drumming her fingers as she waited for her senior staff to arrive. Her mind had drifted back to her lovemaking with Lily the night before. More than ever, she was convinced of her resolve to making a lifetime commitment to this very special woman. Should I offer to get her a ring? Anna knew that many of their lesbian friends had traded rings as a symbol of their love, but Lily had never mentioned anything about that. Of course, that would require both of us being at the same place in our relationship, now wouldn't it? Though fairly certain that Lily felt the same way, Anna believed that they both needed to say the words.

"I called the wholesaler this morning to come by for the two Hondas," Brad startled her as he took a seat across from Anna at the conference table. One of the first changes the new president had implemented was to move the weekly senior staff meeting from Monday at 8:30 to Thursday at 10:30. By meeting later in the week, they could better plan for the weekend rush, she reasoned. The change to 10:30 was to allow Holly to come in later, since she stayed until after closing on Thursday nights.

Hal walked in and took the chair next to his boss. Holly sat directly across from him. The seat at the head of the table had remained empty ever since George left. Anna felt funny about moving to that chair after all these years. Besides, her father had an open invitation to attend the senior staff meetings, but as yet had declined. If he did drop by, that was still his chair.

"Okay, we're all here. The first bit of news I have for all of you is that I got a call from Walter this morning." Walter was the attorney who was handling their offer for Sweeney. "He said that Sweeney's lawyer had called and wanted to have a look at our financial report. Walter thinks they just want to be sure that we'll make good on our offer. That's your department, Hal, so why don't you give him a call later and…"

"Anna, Bill Mueller's on line one," Carmen's voice followed the beep that activated the room's intercom. The receptionist didn't usually interrupt these meetings, but everyone had heard about Anna and George ganging up on the poor man over the weekend.

"Oh no! I hope his car's okay, or I'll never hear the end of it," she joked.

"Hi Bill, what can I do for you?" she asked warmly.

Hal watched as a serious look came over his sister-in-law's face.

"Oh, no!" Tears rushed to the blue eyes as Anna stood.

Frantically, she groped for a pen. Hal pushed his tablet toward her and placed his hand on her arm. Brad and Holly watched the transformation with dread. Something horrible had happened.

"I'll go get her, Bill. We'll be there. How can I reach you?" Her hands shaking violently, she scratched out the number. "I'll call you when we get there. Thank you for calling me, Bill. You did exactly the right thing."

Anna hung up the phone and rushed from the room without a word. Only Hal had the nerve to follow. "Anna?"

Tears were streaming down Anna's cheeks, her lips and nose already starting to redden. She rushed into her brother-in-law's arms. Through muffled sobs, she finally spoke. "Eleanor's dead."

* * *

"Your honor, the defense would like to thank and excuse juror number 23, Mrs. Pedroso." Tony used his fourth peremptory strike on a juror Lily thought had a little too much in common with the landlady at the center of the civil case. Tony handled lots of evictions, and was suing on behalf of an Asian man whose family was evicted to make room for a Hispanic tenant.

People had been coming and going in the courtroom all day as jury selection continued, but something made Lily turn to see the latest arrival. She was startled to find Anna and Hal taking seats near the door. Meeting her lover's eyes, a panic gripped the attorney deep inside. Anna had never come to the courthouse before. "Tony, I need a recess."

Something about her desperate tone caused the man to act without hesitation. "Your honor, the plaintiff requests a short recess."

"Would counsel approach the bench?" Notorious for his no-nonsense demeanor, Judge Anston wasn't about to let an unrelated matter derail this proceeding. "What's going on, counsel?"

"Something important has come up for my co-counsel, your honor, and we'd like a few minutes to see what it's about." Tony gestured at Lily, who remained quiet, glancing back over her shoulder at the ominous pair.

Looking directly at Lily, the judge sternly advised, "Counselor, I'm not going to march the jury out of here so that you can attend to personal matters."

"If it would please the court, then I'd like to be excused from the courtroom until after the next recess. I'm sorry, Judge Anston. Something very important has come up. Mr. LeFevre can direct our case." Lily knew she was speaking the truth.

"Very well, but I have to tell you, Ms. Stuart, I don't appreciate these disruptions."

"I understand, your honor. I won't make a habit of it. And thank you."

Lily walked through the gate and met her lover at the door. Together, they stepped into the hallway. "What's going on, Anna? Why are you here?" She looked back and forth between Anna and Hal for a clue.

Her lover stepped forward and took her hands. The tears were back in the blue eyes. "Something awful has happened, sweetheart. It's your mother."

"Mom?" Lily's knees went weak and she squeezed the long hands tightly for support. "Then we need to go. I have to be with her." She knew from her lover's eyes that her pleas were futile.

Anna shook her head sadly as her floodgates opened again. "No, baby… she's gone."

Inside the courtroom, Judge Anston, Tony LeFevre, the principals in the case, and the 46 remaining members of the jury pool heard the awful wail from beyond the door. "The court will take a short recess," the judge declared abruptly.

CHAPTER 6

ANNA GRIPPED HER lover's hand tightly as they boarded the plane to San Jose. Lily was clearly in shock, almost overwhelmed by the crowd and the minutiae that was part of flying these days. Now settled into their seats in first class, Anna retrieved a pillow and blanket for the grieving woman, but Lily was oblivious to her gesture. There was simply no way to render comfort.

Anna realized as they packed that she would have to pull herself together in order to take care of her lover over the next few days. She had dutifully relayed the information she had gotten from Bill. When Eleanor failed to arrive at school this morning, the school secretary called her home. Getting no answer, she called Bill, knowing that the two were close. Bill agreed to stop by Eleanor's house after his hospital rounds. He and Eleanor had exchanged keys for emergencies, so he let himself in after knocking for several minutes. He found her on the floor in the hallway upstairs. From his physician training, he surmised that she had died late last night of something catastrophic, such as a stroke or an aneurysm. Since she died alone, a coroner would conduct an autopsy, the results of which would be known sometime on Friday.

Landing in San Jose one hour later, Anna pulled their rollerboards from the overhead bin and guided her lover through the narrow concourse to the baggage claim area. Bill had arranged for one of Eleanor's neighbors to pick the women up.

"Lily!" A gray-haired woman of about 65 called out. The blonde stiffly acknowledged her as she and Anna made their way through the crowd of people fighting for their bags.

"Mrs. Beck, hi. Thank you for coming. This is Anna Kaklis." Lily was remarkably composed.

"Hi Anna. I'm Charlotte Beck. I live next door to Eleanor." She shook Anna's hand then turned to hug the grieving blonde. "She was my friend, Lily. I'm so sorry." The woman's eyes were sad and kind.