Jody experienced a horrifying flashback of the condition of her house and groaned. She slid down the wall and sat heavily on the floor. She and Denise kept keys to each other's houses, and at any other time Jody wouldn't have minded Denise being there. Oh, well, she thought, it's too late to worry about that now.

Eric placed a hand on her head. "Honey, are you all right?"

"It's Monday," she said, exhausted. "I'm going home. Close for me, and leave the receipts in the safe. Denise or I will take care of it tomorrow."

Jody pulled her backpack from behind the counter and wondered when things had started getting out of hand. It seemed like recently she was always rushing to catch up.

Chapter Four.

Denise's white Ford Taurus was parked on the street in front of Jody's house.

Jody eased into her driveway. As she waited for the garage door to open, she puzzled over what could have happened to upset Denise. It was odd she hadn't gone home, since she only lived a few blocks away. Could she and Ellen already be having problems? Jody doubted it, since they seemed to get along well.

"Only one way to find out for sure," she said as she drove into the garage.

Jody walked through her kitchen door and into a very different house from the one she had left that morning. The scattered clothes, stacks of pillows and rumpled sheets were no longer in sight. The dishes were washed and put away. She looked into the living room and saw Denise lying on the couch.

At the sound of the door, Denise sat up and looked at her strangely.

Jody felt like a ten-year-old who had been caught with a dirty room after having been told to clean it.

"Sorry about the mess," she said, shrugging. "Sharon spent the weekend and we, ah...I mean, I never got around to . . ." She trailed off as Denise continued to stare at her. Embarra.s.sed, Jody tried again. "I know the house was a mess, but you didn't have to clean." Exhausted, she set her backpack down and fell into her favorite chair, a deep, overstuffed rocker-recliner.

Denise jumped up and went into the kitchen. "I've made a pot of coffee if you'd like a cup."

Reluctantly, Jody pulled herself from the chair and followed. "Denise, I really wish you would talk to me. I know something's wrong. Is it Ellen?"

Denise sat down at the table with their coffee. "She's a lesbian."

Dumbfounded, Jody stared at her. After several seconds, she cleared her throat and said, "Well, it's not like you don't know any."

"Jody, she's my daughter."

Jody frowned. "Are you saying it's all right for your best friend to be a lesbian, but not your daughter?"

"I don't know what I'm saying." Denise's voice sounded flat and lifeless.

Jody sat in the chair beside her. "Tell me what happened."

"We had a terrible fight. Ellen left. She stayed in a hotel Sat.u.r.day night. I finally convinced her to come home yesterday, but everything is so awkward. I don't know what to say or do. I'm just so d.a.m.n angry!" Tears rolled down her face.

"I'm sure it was a shock, but Denise, you've always been supportive of me. What's different with Ellen?"

"She's my baby."

"She's twenty-five. She's not a baby anymore."

"She'll always be my baby."

"Not if you want to keep her. You have to let her grow up and find her own life," Jody said softly.

"Why did she have to hide it from me all these years?" Denise dabbed at her nose with an already damp tissue that she'd pulled from her pants pocket.

"Maybe she just discovered it herself."

Denise shook her head. "She says she has known since high school. How could she have possibly known what she wanted in high school?"

"You knew you wanted to marry Mark," Jody reminded her.

"And look how that turned out. Why didn't she tell me?"

"She was probably afraid of your reaction. It could be the reason she stayed in Los Angeles."

Denise looked at her frowning. "What do you mean? You just said I've been supportive of you. Why would she think I wouldn't support her?"

"Because you're very possessive of her."

Denise started to protest, but Jody held up her hand.

"Don't start in on me, Denise. I'm only telling you the truth. Look at what you're doing now that she has told you. This is probably the very thing she was trying to avoid."

Denise sat quietly for several seconds. "I suppose I do tend to cling to her."

Jody grabbed her own throat and pretended to choke herself.

Denise swatted her arm. "I'm not that bad."

"You're no more clinging than ivy on an English cottage."

Denise eyed Jody's soiled clothes and frowned. "What happened to you? You're filthy."

Jody held up her leg to display her torn pants. "It's that strange effect I have on women."

Denise toyed with her coffee cup. "You know, even with all those women I've known you dated, I never..." She let the sentence hang.

"Never what?" Jody prompted, sitting forward.

Obviously embarra.s.sed, Denise looked out the window into Jody's large backyard. "I never thought of your being ..." She shrugged. "You know, s.e.xual."

Jody stared at her in amazement. "What did you think happened while I was dating 'all those women'?"

"I don't know," she answered. "I guess, I didn't think. Period."

They sat quietly. Jody wasn't comfortable with the turn of the conversation. She wanted to get the topic back to something other than her own life. Before she could think of another topic, Denise started to talk about Ellen again.

"Jody, I don't know what to say to her. I don't have much experience with this sort of thing."

"Gay men and lesbians are no different from you." Jody sipped her coffee. "We want to be accepted for who we are. We want to find someone to love and live happily ever after, just like everyone else in the world. You shouldn't need a lot of experience to understand that."

"h.e.l.l, Jody, I don't have much experience at all. I never really dated anyone except Mark. That was high school. I married him a year after I met him. Since the divorce, you know I've avoided becoming involved with anyone."

"That's true," Jody admitted. "Why haven't you ever dated?" she asked, realizing she'd never given the matter much thought.

"Why haven't you settled down?" Denise shot back, avoiding the question. "You're the queen of short-term relationships."

Jody thought about it for a moment. "Maybe we've both been dumped one time too many."

"One time was all it took for me," Denise said, clearly lost in a painful memory.

Jody leaned back in her chair. "Aren't we a pathetic pair?"

Denise laughed. "Sweetie, I knew you would make me feel better." She patted Jody's hand. "I'm just being silly. I guess I really don't care if she's a lesbian, as long as she's happy." She sipped her coffee. "I do worry about her, though. She seems so unhappy. I think she may have moved to get away from someone."

Jody stretched her aching muscles. She wanted nothing more than a long, hot bath and eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Ellen's love life would take care of itself. "She'll be fine."

"Maybe you could show her around. Introduce her to some people," Denise said. "She's already started working, and she seems to put in a lot of extra hours. I don't want her to be a workaholic. She's young. She should be going out and having fun."

Jody sat upright. "Oh, no, you don't. I'm not about to get involved in Ellen's love life. She's a grown woman. She's perfectly capable of meeting people on her own."

"I'm not asking you to find her dates," Denise said. "Just introduce her to people. She doesn't know anyone here anymore. Can't you at least do that? For me. Please. It would make me feel so much better. I know you could introduce her to some nice women."

"Denise, if she's just broken up with someone, she's not going to be ready to start dating."

"She needs friends, and she's not going to meet them hanging around with me. You can introduce her to other lesbians."

"What are you going to do if she meets someone and gets serious about her?" Jody asked.

Denise sat for a moment before giving a slight nod. "I want her to be happy. I'll be able to handle it."

Jody had her doubts but didn't feel like arguing. It was always easier to give in to Denise than to try to wear her down. "All right, I'll introduce her to a few people, but only if she agrees. If she decides she doesn't want me messing around in her life, then you have to leave us both alone."

"Agreed." Denise smiled. "Now, I have to get home. Come for dinner Friday night, sweetie. Ellen hasn't stopped talking about you since she came home."

Jody rolled her eyes at Denise's exaggeration. She hadn't seen Ellen in eight years; she doubted if Ellen ever thought of her. "Sounds great. I'll bring the wine."

"Good. I'll make my lasagna." Denise stood and gave Jody a long hug. "Thanks for listening."

"Anytime." Jody followed her back into the living room where Denise picked up her purse.

"Oh, by the way, I love your artistic touches," Denise said and motioned to the underwear pulled over the head of the ceramic cat. Denise studied the arrangement as she headed toward the door. "The t.i.tles of artistic works have always fascinated me. I would ent.i.tle that one, p.u.s.s.y in Panties." Denise laughed.

Chapter Five.

On Friday night, Jody arrived home and checked her phone messages. Two of the three calls were from Sharon. She had told Sharon she had dinner plans tonight and wouldn't be able to see her, but Sharon was still trying to arrange for them to get together over the weekend.

Jody considered inviting Sharon to go with her to Denise's but knew they would end up back at her place, and another weekend would pa.s.s without the household ch.o.r.es being done. Besides, Sharon was still pushing her family's barbecue, and Jody's plea of having to work was growing thin. She would never tell Sharon that Denise had volunteered to work this weekend, but Jody had insisted on getting back to their regular schedule.

Another argument over the barbecue had almost erupted over dinner on Wednesday night, but again they avoided the issue by making love. Jody knew Sharon was still upset, so it was best to make herself scarce until after the event was over and everything returned to normal.

Jody changed into a pair of shorts and a light sleeveless blouse. Denise's dinners were always casual, and besides, Ellen was practically family. She grabbed two bottles of red wine from her tiny wine rack in the kitchen, tucked them into her backpack and rushed out.

The warmer than usual weather that had plagued the city the previous week had given way to normal mild spring temperatures. Jody decided to walk the few blocks to Denise's house; it would give her time to think about Sharon and where the relationship was headed.

Instead of thinking about Sharon, Jody found herself enjoying the heady scent of mountain laurel and freshly mowed gra.s.s. Birds and squirrels played overhead in the ash trees lining the sidewalks. Before she knew it, the pleasant walk had come to an end, and she was ringing Denise's doorbell.

Denise opened the door, accompanied by the spicy-rich smell of lasagna. She gave Jody a quick hug. "Perfect timing. I was just about to take the lasagna out. Come on into the kitchen."

"Smells great in here." Jody removed the wine from her backpack and followed Denise into the kitchen. "Where's Ellen?"

"She just got out of the shower. She had to work late."

"Already? She's only been here a week." Jody put the wine on the counter, then snagged a carrot stick from a tray and munched on it. "What's she doing?"

"Something to do with training seminars," Denise said as she removed the lasagna from the oven and slid in the garlic bread.

"I train corporate managers on how to manipulate their employees into working harder," Ellen called from the doorway.

Jody turned to the gangly young girl she remembered and stared in shock. Ellen was no longer a girl and she certainly wouldn't be described as gangly. Denise's yearly vacation photos had certainly not done Ellen justice. Of course, Denise was the world's worst photographer. She was the only person Jody had ever known who couldn't operate a simple point-and-shoot camera.

Dressed in white shorts and a dark green sleeveless top, and with her short brunette hair combed neatly back from her face, Ellen looked nothing like the brat Jody remembered.

Jody felt her heart skip a beat as Ellen strolled toward her. It was with some difficulty that she managed to tear her gaze from Ellen's long, slim legs. When she did she found pale blue eyes framed by long, dark lashes intently studying her.

"It's good to see you again, Jody." Ellen hugged her.

Jody floated in the enticing fragrance of Ellen's scent. Her breath caught as Ellen's full b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed against her. The hug continued a fraction too long, and Jody pulled away.

What the h.e.l.l is wrong with me? she wondered as she blurted out a too-casual "Good to see you."

"Jody, would you open the wine, please," Denise said as she pulled the bread from the oven. "We're ready to eat."

Jody drank three gla.s.ses of wine and barely touched her food. She couldn't stop staring at Ellen. There was a tiny scar at the corner of her full bottom lip that begged to be kissed. The scar was the result of Ellen's falling on one of her toys and busting her lip when she was three or four. Jody had been there when it happened. She had been on vacation, and she and Denise had been sitting in the kitchen catching up when Ellen toppled over onto the toy. Jody pushed the memory away.

This is sick, she chided herself. This is Ellen. She's practically family. Never in her wildest dreams had Jody antic.i.p.ated being attracted to Denise's daughter. And that is precisely who she is, Jody reminded herself as she took a long sip of wine.

She tried to partic.i.p.ate in the conversation, but afterward she couldn't remember a single thing they had discussed. All she could remember was Ellen.