Chapter 26

JJ opened the front door. "We’re back!" She shouted.

The truck parked in the driveway had told her the pair was back. However, JJ had made an excuse to the others about warming the house up before letting the kids out of the vehicle. She wasn’t sure how intimate Jace and Taryn’s relationship had become. When nobody had come out to greet them, she had wanted to give the couple as much warning as possible. She waited a few moments. When there was no answer to her call, she looked at the half open bedroom door. Unsure of whether to look inside or not, she waited a few more seconds, before her better judgment kicked in. It was better for all if she found the pair naked rather than one of the kids. Plus, she couldn’t leave everyone out in the cold, especially with the snow beginning to fall. Please, please, please be dressed. She poked her head through the doorway and let out a relieved breath as she took in the two very clothed, but sleeping women. She rapped loudly on the door, "Wakey-wakey!"

Jace’s heart nearly hammered out of her chest when she heard the knocking on the door. She opened bleary eyes and saw JJ’s shit-eating grin. She held up a hand and waved to her. "Hi."

"Hey. I just wanted to give you the heads up. Not to state the very obvious, but we’re back. I’ll go and help the others with the kids."

JJ walked back through the living room and out onto the porch area. She gave Jo and Helen the thumbs up and walked back to the RAV. "The house is nice and warm."

Cory climbed out of her side and opened the door for Taylor. "Is everything okay? You were longer than expected."

JJ mirrored Cory’s actions and helped Josie out of the vehicle and then unbuckled Tom’s child seat. "Everything looks good. Jace and Taryn were asleep."

"I take it by the past tense that they were asleep?"

"Yep, but they’re not any more!" she grinned as she carried Tom into the house.

***

Jace tapped Taryn’s shoulder. "Hey, sleepy. The kids are back. We really should reclaim our charges before we really abuse our friendship with the others."

Taryn stretched her arms and legs out. She loved afternoon naps and did not want to relinquish this one so quickly. "Did it begin to snow?"

Jace stood up and copied Taryn’s stretching actions, before picking up her discarded clothes from earlier. "I think so. Take your time, I’ll go and meet the kids."

"I’m up." Taryn rubbed her eyes and looked at Jace. She was pleased that the older woman seemed to be back to her old self.

Jace opened the bedroom door and couldn’t resist smiling when she saw the bundled children pile in. The quiet of the house disappeared as the children shouted to their waiting guardians about what they had seen and done.

Jace held her arms open to Tom who squealed with delight when he saw her. "Hey, buddy. Did you have a good time?" She watched as he nodded his head in response. "Did you do some painting?"

Taylor took both Taryn’s hand and Jace’s. "Look." He pointed at the pictures. "Cory said we could send them to Mom and Dad. I drawed us at the house."

"You drew us at the house." Taryn corrected his speech. "The picture looks great. What else did you do?"

"They ran us ragged." Cory butted in and began tickling the younger boy, who returned her tickling advances with a huge grin. Soon a tickling contest ensued.

Jace shook her head and smiled at Jo and Helen. "Hi. It’s good to see you. I hope you didn’t mind us dumping three kids on you?"

Jo shook her head. "They were little angels. We timed it just right and arrived just at the end of the art session. We had a good meal in Plymouth and managed to get the replacement piece for the boiler."

"Did the guy come out and look at the heating system?"

JJ dropped down onto the couch, happy to watch the cavorting of her girlfriend and Taylor. "Yeah. Some of the bolts weren’t tight enough and we needed to buy a few parts. He said they were simple to replace. I’m going to do that now and then the upstairs should heat up pretty good."

"I’ll help. It’s the least I can do for you taking the kids. I owe you."
The two women made their way down the rickety cellar steps. JJ held onto the side of the wall. She felt for the light switch with her fingertips, and flicked it upwards when she found it. After a couple of minutes surveying the boiler, JJ concluded that the maintenance guy had been right; the parts were easy to change. After replacing the bolts, both women watched as the arrow on the pressure gauge began to move slowly.

JJ wiped the grease off her hands. "At least we’ll be able to sleep upstairs tonight. I’m going to add some more wood to the other stove just in case. If we keep the hall door open, the combination of heat should be sufficient." She looked over at Jace. "Where did you and Taryn go today?" She was curious to find out how the other woman’s day had gone.

Jace leaned against the wall and watched as JJ threw log after log into the fire. "We drove around the mountain roads for a while and then parked on one of the viewing points. I didn’t want to drive too far in case we got lost. The cell phones didn’t have a signal and with the storm coming in, we played it safe."

"You look a little more rested. They’re good kids, Jace, but they definitely wear you down. I know my mind was constantly on alert and Josie can ask a question a minute!"

"Tell me about it." Jace chuckled. "Taryn and I really did appreciate the time alone."

***

The snow had fallen steadily for six hours. Taryn looked out at the drifts that had gathered around the front of the house and on the vehicles in the driveway. The porch light cast an eerie gloom over the winter landscape. Peace had settled over the house as the children had reluctantly gone to bed. Tom had been the most difficult. The youngster had missed his afternoon nap and his routine was unsettled. Taryn had left Jace to read to him. Josie and Taylor had fallen asleep as soon as she had kissed them goodnight. She looked away from the window and to the four women snuggled together in pairs on the sofa. She glanced back to the freezing conditions outside. She hadn’t had a cigarette all day and the craving was becoming very hard to resist. She placed a finger inside her mouth and began to chew on the nail.

Jace closed the bedroom door quietly and gave the thumbs up sign to the others. She saw her girlfriend looking wistfully out of the window and didn’t hesitate to go to her. Instinctively knowing what was wrong, she reached out and touched Taryn. "You’ve done really good today." She whispered.

Taryn felt Jace’s hands on her shoulders and stifled a groan as she felt nimble fingers massage her stiff muscles. "I know. I’m standing here debating whether to go out into the cold and have just one or whether I can resist until morning. I’m doing much better than I did when I tried to give them up before."

"I’m sure it’s because you’ve not really given your body a chance to get addicted. Sometimes it’s a matter of mind over body. Your body probably hasn’t had the opportunity to get used to the nicotine, but your mind has. What we need to do is to take your mind off the cigarettes and onto something else. JJ’s putting on the video they grabbed this afternoon. Want to come and watch it with me?"

Taryn looked over to the packed sofa. "Can I sit with you?"

Jace smiled. "That’s exactly what I hoped to hear. But I can do one better than that, you can sit on my lap. I miss you when you’re not near me." She kissed Taryn’s neck lightly.

They walked over to the others and traded smiles as they settled into the chair. When neither Jo nor Helen made any kind of remark about their nearness to each other, Jace assumed the others had filled them in on their developing relationship. Her initial nerves about openly displaying her affection for Taryn were soon subdued when she felt Taryn’s fingers stroke up and down her forearm. She relaxed into the seat and wrapped her arms tightly around the smaller woman. She felt Taryn nestle further into her body. It felt good to be this close to someone and a feeling of complete contentment made her want to grin like a Cheshire cat. She couldn’t stop caressing Taryn’s head with her fingertips, and every now and then she would kiss the top of it. She flicked her eyes toward the others to make sure she wasn’t putting on a show. She needn’t have worried as she watched the subtle ways that the others displayed their own feelings for their partner. Her eyes settled on JJ and Cory. JJ was holding Cory in her arms. Her hands entwined with her partners. Jace watched, as every now and then either JJ or Cory would lift the joined hands and kiss them. This would cause them to make eye contact and some kind of unspoken message was passed between them. She then moved her eyes off her friends and onto the other pair. Jo appeared to be laying half on Helen and half off. Her hands were lazily tracing their way over her partner’s upper legs and lower torso. Helen’s response to the actions was to run her fingers rhythmically through Jo’s hair. Jace looked back at the woman in her arms. For once in her life, she felt part of something. She was no longer an outsider. She now knew what it was like to be in love and she had the opportunity to display that love without any worries of it being rejected. She pulled Taryn even closer and switched her attention to the movie.

***

"Snow! We get to play in the snow!" Taylor shrieked as he looked out of the bedroom window.

Josie grabbed one of the pillows off her bed and threw it in the general direction of her brother. "Shut up, peanut breath, people are trying to sleep!" She pulled the cover over her head.

Jace listened to the squabbling children, reluctant to rise from her wonderful slumbering. She could feel the warm body pressed against her back and a grin formed on her face. She had missed sleeping side-by-side with Taryn. She felt Tom wriggle in her arms and opened her eyes. "Good morning, Tom." She kissed the boy’s cheeks and felt him giggle against her.

"Snow, Auntie Jace." The young boy echoed his brother’s words. "Snow."

"Don’t I get a kiss good morning?" Taryn mumbled against her girlfriend’s back.

Jace rolled over and kissed Taryn gently on the lips. She pulled away when she remembered the other children were in the room. She looked up and caught the hurt look on Taylor’s face. Her eyes lifted further and she was at least thankful that Josie was still under her covers. "Aren’t you going to give your cousin a kiss?"

Taylor’s confused expression only lasted a few moments, when he saw Taryn lift the bed covers and invite him in. He soon forgot about being mad and jumped on the bed. He snuggled up to his cousin and kissed her on the cheek. "It’s stopped snowing, Ryn."

"Yeah?"

"There’s snow on the ground. Lots of it."

"I know, buddy. I heard you shouting. Tay, we’re really going to have to work on your morning skills. Some of us like to be woken very slowly." She felt Jace’s hand on her hip and had to stifle a groan when she felt the hand rub gently up and down the curves of her hip and legs.

Josie lifted her head from under the covers. "I agree. Mom and Dad are forever telling him to be quiet in the mornings." She sat up and rubbed her face with her hands. "Can we go out and play in the snow?"

"Can we? Please?" Taylor whined.

Jace sat up and pulled Tom into her lap. "Soon. We need to shovel the snow out of the driveway first and it depends how many adults want to play. Let’s have breakfast first and see what’s happening. Okay?"

"Okay."

She saw the sad looks and tried to think back to when she was a child, but she couldn’t. She hadn’t encountered snow until her move to Massachusetts so she really didn’t have a reference to go on. She caught Taryn’s eye and shrugged.

Taryn decided to rescue Jace from the glares her cousins were giving her. "If you give us a chance to get up, fed and sorted out, I’m sure we’ll be out and playing in the snow before you know it." She ran her fingers through Taylor’s hair. "Does that seem fair?"

Taylor nodded. "I suppose so."

"Good. Taryn, I’m going to take Tom for a bath. There’s no way I’ll get to run in this weather. Plus, Mr. Stinky didn’t get to have a good wash yesterday." She pretended to sniff Tom and hold her nose. The action caused Tom to giggle and wriggle in her arms.

"Taylor, bath with me?" Tom implored.

Jace lifted her brows to Taylor. "You could do with a wash, too. I’ll go and take his diaper off."

Taryn watched Jace walk out of the room, carrying a wide-awake and bouncing child. "Come on, Tay. Let’s get your clothes for today." She saw the glum expression on the young boy’s face. "What’s up?"

"Nothing." Came the response.

"Taylor, we didn’t say you couldn’t play in the snow. We just said you need to be patient." She watched as the expression on Taylor’s face didn’t change. "Look, your sister isn’t sulking and she wants to go out just as much as you."

"I know."

"So, what else is wrong?"

Taylor lifted sad eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Auntie Jace kissed you like Daddy kisses Mommy. Is she your new girlfriend?"

The comment gained Josie’s attention and she turned her eyes onto her cousin. "You kissed Auntie Jace?"

Taryn blushed. Great! How did I end up explaining this to my little cousins! "Yes."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Josie jumped on the bed, eager to get all the information.

"Yes." Taryn felt like she was on trial. She saw the grin on Josie’s face, but Taylor didn’t look too happy. "Jace and I are girlfriends."

"Wow! Wait until Mom and Dad find out!"

Taryn ruffled Josie’s hair. "They already know." She was happy that Josie didn‘t seem to mind. "Josie, can you go and see if Jace needs some help with your brother?" She waited until Josie left the room and then turned her attention back to Taylor. "Taylor, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Are you mad that Jace kissed me?"

When there was no answer, Taryn pushed on. "Taylor, do you have a problem with me being with Jace?"

The young boy shrugged his shoulders again and looked down into his lap. "I don’t want you to go away again."

Taryn put her arm around Taylor’s shoulder. "Where did you get that idea from?"

"I don’t know. When you were with Marti, you never came to see us."

"That wasn’t Marti’s fault, Tay. No matter what happens, I promise I won’t go away again. You like Jace don’t you?"

"Yeah."

"And she’s always around your house, isn’t she?"

"Yeah."

"So, that would give me even more reason to be there. Not that I need another reason, as I love you guys way too much. Can I tell you secret?"

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah."

"Tay, I’m going to tell you something that not even your Mom or Jace know. Are you sure you can keep a secret?"

The young boy nodded enthusiastically. "I can keep a secret."

"Good. Well, I’m thinking of moving back into the house with you and your family. Tay, you know that I only stayed away from the house because of Uncle Patrick. But he isn’t going to be coming home, so there’s nothing to stop me from being around all the time. How do you feel about that?"

"You promise you’ll be around?"

"I promise."

The young boy pulled at the bottom of his pajama legs and twirled the material through his fingers. "Do you love Auntie Jace?"

"Yes."

"More than me?" came the quiet response.

Taryn hugged Taylor to her. "No! I love you both very much in your own unique way." She saw the confused expression on her cousin’s face and realized her language was too complex. "Tay, it’s a different kind of love. You will always be a part of my life, no matter what. You are my family, but Jace is also very special and I hope to be with her for a long time. If that doesn’t happen, Tay, then she will always be part of my life because she’s a part of yours. Do you understand?"

"I guess so."

"Can I get a smile?" She kissed her cousin as he beamed up at her. "Are you still willing to keep Tom company in the bath?"

"Yeah. Mom says I’m a big help when I take a bath with Tom."

"Good boy."

Taryn followed Taylor out of the bedroom and into the bathroom where Jace was putting Tom into the bathtub. "Hey, Taylor. We were beginning to think this was a solo adventure for Tom."

"Auntie Jace, I’m a big boy. I can look after Tom in the bath."

Jace looked over at Taryn. She didn’t like the idea of leaving the toddler unguarded. She saw Taryn frown at the statement and shake her head.

"Tay, we’ll turn our backs so you can get undressed and into the bath, but Jace or I need to stay in the bathroom." She saw the boy scowl. "We are not your parents and if anything happened to either you or Tom we’d be in big trouble. We’ll just sit over here until you’re ready to wash your hair and then we’ll turn the shower on. Deal?"

"Okay."

Jace and Taryn reluctantly turned their backs on Tom while Taylor took off his pajamas.

"I’m in the tub."

Jace placed the lid of the toilet seat down, and then took a seat. She never took her eyes off Tom and smiled when she saw the brothers playing with the few bath toys.

Taryn took a seat on the hamper. "They look so cute together. Where’s Josie?"

Jace glanced to her side. "She wanted to go and see JJ and Cory. I tried reasoning with her, but I think she has a little bit of hero worship going on with JJ."

"Really? Well, I hope she at least knocked on their door before entering."

Jace nodded. "I threatened her with no activities today if she didn’t."

Taryn met Jace’s eyes. "I told Josie and Tay about us."

"I know." She raised her eyes and then smiled at Taryn. "Josie made a comment about me smooching with her cousin. How did Taylor take it?"

Taryn lowered her voice. "He was worried I wouldn’t be around and that I loved you more than him."

Jace averted her eyes and checked on the kids. She didn’t want to see the look on Taryn’s face when she asked her question. "What did you tell him?"

Taryn rubbed Jace’s back. "I told him that I loved you both, but in different ways. I also reassured him that we would always be around even if we split up."

"Oh."

"Jace, I wasn’t saying we would split up. This is a four-day relationship and a seven-year-old boy. Please don’t read too much into this."

Jace nodded but there was a definite glower on her face, "I guess so."

"What’s wrong?"

Jace watched the boys for a few moments before answering Taryn’s question. She smiled reflexively as Taylor poured water over Tom’s head, causing the toddler to giggle and splash his brother. "Five more minutes, guys and then we’re coming over to wash your body and hair." She looked back at Taryn. She wanted to say so much, but words and nerves failed her. "I was just struck by your comment of the relationship being four days old. From my point of view, I’ve had an emotional attachment to you since the summer…" She faltered unsure of whether to say what she was really feeling. "For six months you’re all I’ve thought of and dreamed about."

Taryn thought about the comment. "I’m sorry, Jace. I didn’t mean to trivialize our friendship or our relationship. I don’t think of my feelings for you as a four-day thing. I was just trying to comfort Taylor and show him he was important to me." She could tell her words were not penetrating through to Jace. "If I’m honest with myself, I would say that we’ve probably been involved with each other emotionally for a long time. I started to need and rely on you even before Thanksgiving. It just took me a long time to realize it."

"Okay, I understand." Jace stood up and turned to walk toward the boys, but Taryn’s arm on hers held her back.

"Jace, please don’t make more of this than it is."

Jace kissed Taryn lightly on the forehead. "I won’t. Now let’s wash the kids before they turn into prunes."

***

The foot of snow seemed to have blanketed the entire outside world. Jace shoveled the snow that lay around the RAV. She couldn’t resist a smile every now and again, as she watched or heard Cory and Taryn chase Josie and Taylor around the yard. To her left, JJ and Helen were busy clearing the driveway. Jo appeared to have lucked out with the easiest job. She was helping Tom create a small snowman. Earlier, the snow had dwarfed the toddler, so Jace and JJ had helped to clear a play area for him.

"We should have this cleared soon. Are we eating here or down at Dunkin’ Donuts?" Helen asked, as she wiped snow off the top of her head. She looked up at the tree branches above her head. "Damn tree. It keeps dropping snow on me!" After making sure the snow was off her head, she went back to the monotonous task of shoveling.

Jace grinned as she watched JJ surreptitiously tap the base of the tree with her foot. She shuddered when she saw the snow hit Helen’s back and slide down the neck of her jacket.

Helen shook the snow out of her jacket and turned around just in time to see JJ kick the tree for a third time. "Matthews, I am going to kick your skinny ass!" The athletic trainer charged at her friend and soon both hockey players were jostling around in the piles of newly shoveled snow.

"Helen, don’t be mean. No! Please. I’m sorry. Don’t put snow down my…please…not the bra!" Pleaded JJ, as Helen shoved snow down her jacket and in her face. "Jace, help me!"

"No way. I’m not taking sides. You got yourself into this mess…"

"Cheers, buddy! No more dating tips for you!"

Unsure about how serious JJ was with her threat, Jace dropped her shovel and went to help her friend out. As she reached the pair, her foot slipped on a patch of ice and she fell awkwardly onto Helen and JJ, pushing piles of snow onto the already soaked couple.

"Ow!" came a loud cry of pain from the pile of bodies.

The cry gained Josie and Cory’s attention.

"Pile up!" Yelled Josie, who headed straight over to jump on top of the writhing adults.

Taylor followed his sister’s action and grabbed a fistful of snow, which he sprinkled liberally over Jace’s hair and back.

"No! Stop!" ordered Jace. She had tried to get off JJ’s legs, but her ankle hurt and Taylor’s persistent hands prevented her from looking up.

Cory and Taryn watched the fracas for a few moments until Taryn sensed the urgency in Jace’s voice. "Okay, guys, timeout!" Realizing that the boy’s attention was focused only on his intended victim, she grabbed the back of Taylor’s jacket. "Tay, I mean it. Leave Jace alone!"

When the children were off them, Jace, JJ and Helen began to assess their injuries.

"I’m sorry. I slipped." Jace felt her ankle.

JJ wiped the water off her face and neck. "No worries. It was my fault."

"Too right, Matthews. My ass is soaked." Whined Helen.

"Hey, I wasn’t the one who launched myself across the driveway like a torpedo!" The tall woman grinned at her friend. "Truce?"

Helen pretended to think about it for a moment. "Let me have first dibs on a hot shower and you have a deal!"

"You strike a hard bargain!" She looked up at her girlfriend and shrugged her shoulders. After seeing Cory nod her head, JJ stuck her hand out toward Helen. "Deal." She then turned her attention to Jace, "How’s the ankle?"

Jace leaned on Taryn’s shoulder. She attempted to put her weight on the slightly swollen ankle. She blew out a relieved breath when the ankle held out and only throbbed a little bit. "It’s okay. I think it just got a little twisted." She kissed the top of Taryn’s head. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"You’re welcome. I didn’t realize you were hurt. We heard someone cry out, I just didn’t realize it was you."

Jace called the two older children over to her and handed each one of them a shovel. "You have way too much energy. I think a few minutes of shoveling snow should calm you down." She saw Taylor open his mouth to argue back. She quietly pointed to his snow tube and drew her finger across her throat, indicating that if he moaned she wouldn’t take him tubing. She smiled as she saw him close his mouth and take the shovel out of her hand.

JJ winked at her. "You are going to make a great parent one of these days."

***

The family of five ate their lunch at the small restaurant by the side of the tube run. Jace had grabbed a small table by the window. Taryn, Josie and Taylor had been left to get the pizza and pasta. Jace rubbed her hands against Tom’s ruddy cheeks. "Did you have fun?"

"Auntie Jace went fast. On tube. Whoosh." The boy excitedly reenacted the actions with his arms.

"It was fast. We can go out again after lunch."

Tom nodded his head and pointed at Taylor. "Tay! Tay, go sliding now?"

Taylor placed the tray he had been carrying onto the table. "Ryn said we could share this pizza, if you want, Auntie Jace?"

"Sure, buddy. Where are the girls?" Jace looked around the serving section of the restaurant, a little concerned that she couldn’t see the other two members of her group.

"Josie wanted soup and Ryn said it was too hot for her to carry on her own. The man was getting us hot chocolate, so Ryn sent me here to ask if you would go and help."

Jace couldn’t help but be impressed at Taylor’s detailed description of events, although she could only imagine how impatient Taryn was feeling. "Keep a close eye on him, Taylor." She pointed to Tom and made sure Taylor was listening to her, as his eyes hadn’t left the pizza since he’d delivered it. "No food until we all get back."

Jace wove her way around the tables and chairs. Once she was past the soda machine, she spotted Taryn and Josie easily. The lunchtime crowd was beginning to fill the restaurant and Jace didn’t want to leave the two boys unattended for long. "Hey."

Taryn turned frustrated eyes to Jace. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, Taylor was being very thorough with his message delivery. I’m here now. I’ll take the tray of hot chocolates. Josie can mange the pizza and you can bring the soup. Have you paid?"

Taryn nodded and followed Jace back to the table. "I should have organized things better. I forgot what it’s like when you’re dressed like the Michelin Man and have limited movement. Carrying things isn’t the easiest task in the world and I didn’t want the kids to get scalded."

"I think we’re both realizing how hard it is to do things with three kids when you’re not used to it. I have no idea how Jane manages it."

Taryn agreed. Her respect for her aunt had tripled since she’d spent all week getting nothing done on her own study schedule. She helped Taylor rearrange the food on his plate and cut up his pizza. Josie was very self-sufficient and Taryn was grateful for all the help she’d provided Jace and her over the week. Taryn felt a leg rub against her own, she looked up and felt her heart flutter as she looked into Jace’s smiling eyes. The morning had been great fun, Taryn had seen Jace relax more in their time on the mountain than she had witnessed before. The pure pleasure of riding on the snow tube had given Jace a more youthful appearance and Taryn was sure the director was reliving some of her childhood, replacing sad memories with happy ones. "We can spend another couple of hours on the slopes. The others are going to meet us later and then we can all head back. Did JJ say when they are leaving tomorrow?"

Jace chewed her pizza. She hadn’t asked JJ about the departure time. Her thoughts had focused on trying to work out the schedule for the rest of the week. There was no way she could take any time off from work and look after the children. She shrugged her shoulders. "I haven’t asked. There’s no rush for us to get back. I’ve been trying not to think about next week, as I can’t work out how we’re going to manage the kids and work. I’ve got a full workload. The week before spring break usually means meeting after meeting and getting ready for the pre-registration advising sessions. I need to meet with certain departments to see if I can get any of the faculty interested in another learning community."

"What do you have in mind?" Taryn hadn’t given the upcoming week much thought. She had assumed they would take alternate days off work to cover the needs of the children.

"The data from the past few semesters have indicated that students on probation struggled in their behavior science and writing classes. I was hoping to provide some structure for the first college writing class and link it with the first psychology class. The class size would be smaller and they’d be with the same people for both. The professors I’m hoping to convince are supportive and very computer literate. I want to try and get the class web-based so the students have laptops and constant contact with each other and the professors. If they agree to my suggestions, then I can do a similar project with the second writing class and sociology. Therefore, students who you and Cory deal with in the freshmen skills class could be plugged into these communities if they end up on probation at the end of this semester. Does that make sense?"

"Sounds like a good idea. How many meetings do you have?"

"Two a day. I have to present the plan to the Dean of Schools and if I get the go ahead, then I present it to the faculty. Then if people agree, I have to meet with the Registrar and block off the seats for Jane to use over the registration period and summer. We’re thinking of having some be for probation and some for new freshmen who place higher on the tests than our usual cohort, but who indicate they would like support during their first semester."

"Good luck! I could talk to Cory and see if I can miss some of the support groups this week."

"I thought about that, but I’m going to need you in my office at least half the time clearing out my day-to-day crap. I need the midterm analysis done on the current targeted students. I need to know how well they’re doing in the target class compared to their other classes. We’re going to have to project what grade they’re on at the moment with the posted quiz grades and assignments, so we can give them a target midterm exam grade and future estimated grades."

"What about the kids?"

Josie yawned rather loudly and attracted the attention of the two adults. "You’re supposed to talk mushy to each other if you’re going out together, not boring work."

"Sorry, Josie, were we ignoring your needs for a few minutes?" Taryn retorted sarcastically. "We’re actually trying to work out what to do with you scallywags next week."

"What’s a scallywag?" Taylor asked innocently.

Taryn laughed. "It’s just a name my Mom and Irish grandparents called me when I got into mischief, which I’m sure would fit you three if we left you alone for too long." She poked her tongue out at the kids. "Your ideas sound great, Jace. So, Josie, you want Jace and I to get mushy? I’ll have to remember that when your friends visit you next week." She saw the young girl’s mouth drop open and decided it was payback time for Josie teasing her and Jace.

Jace watched the cousins tease each other mercilessly. Taryn had great interaction with the kids and knew exactly how far to push the boundaries between being a friend and a role model to them. Jace had never been able to relax around the children and express her inner child. Taryn, on the other hand, could behave just as crazy and foolish as the kids. The light-hearted Taryn was so different to the deep, brooding character she had shared the house with in the early part of the week. She knew from Tom’s comment that something else had upset Taryn that week. Taryn had promised to tell her and Jace wanted to know what demons tormented Taryn in her sleep. The older woman hadn’t been aware of Taryn having any sleeping problems since they’d begun sharing a bed, but she still wanted to know what Taryn had on her mind. She just hoped they’d get a chance to talk about things. She hadn’t even asked Taryn how she felt about Patrick being ill. For the time being, Jace liked seeing this side of her girlfriend and tried to join in with the fun and games.

Chapter 27

Jace pulled the SUV onto the Weston’s driveway and turned confused eyes to Taryn. "Bill’s truck is here."

Taryn was having the same thoughts as she took in the red pickup truck. "He didn’t say he was coming back here. You spoke to Jane last night, did she mention anything to you?"

Jace shook her head. "We talked about the kids and how we were going to cover the vacation, but she never said anything. Maybe, Bill got the week off?" She shrugged her shoulders.

Taylor leaned forward in his seat, catching sight of his father’s truck. "Daddy’s home!" He squealed.

"Daddy! Daddy!" cried Tom, even louder than his brother.

Jace opened the passenger door and helped Josie down. Josie didn’t waste any time as she ran toward the house. The front door opened and everyone turned when they heard Josie scream her mother’s name at the top of her lungs.

Taryn looked at her aunt. The reunion of mother and child was sweet to watch. Josie had jumped into her mother’s arms and was kissing her face. She could see Taylor scrambling out of his seatbelt and shot past her legs. "Mommy!" The young boy charged up the steps and tried to climb up his sister’s legs to get to his mother.

Jace unclipped Tom’s car seat belt and helped the young boy down to the floor. There were tears in the boy’s eyes as he saw his mother again. "Mommy. Go to Mommy." The small boy wobbled on his legs as he tried to run faster than they could carry him.

Jane untangled herself from her older children and passed them onto their father. "Tom. You’ve grown!" She met her son half way and swung him into the air. "I’ve missed you."

"Tom missed mommy." The youngster planted wet kisses on his mother’s lips.

Jace watched the reunion from the side of the car. The last people she had expected to see were Bill and Jane. She felt Taryn’s presence beside her. She looked down into frightened eyes. "Are you okay?"

"A little shocked. Jane said she wouldn’t be home until…"

"Until Patrick died." Jace finished the sentence for Taryn. She placed her arm around her girlfriend; unsure of what Taryn was feeling. "He was holding his own last night. I don’t think she’d have left so soon. How about we go and find out what’s changed, rather than guess?"

Jane handed a reluctant Tom over to his father and opened her arms to the two women walking her way. "My heroes." She hugged the two women to her. "The kids look great."

Jace hugged Bill hello and kissed him on the cheek. She then returned to give Jane the once over. "We’re a little in shock. We weren’t expecting you."

Taryn placed her hand in Jace’s needing the reassuring touch her partner’s presence always gave her. Her dislike for Patrick hadn’t changed over the past week, but her need to have answers to her questions had. She wasn’t sure how’d she’d feel if he had died before she’d gotten a chance to find out those answers. "I mean, we’re glad to see you, but why didn’t you tell us?"

Bill led the confused adults and very happy children into the house. "We can unpack the cars later. How was the drive back?"

Jace pulled out a chair for Taryn and took the seat next to her. "It was okay. The snowplows had cleared up a lot of last night’s dusting. The weather forecast doesn’t predict any more for a while. We got caught in a bit of traffic around the Big Dig, but once we were past that it was plain sailing. So, what happened?"

Jane patted Jace’s arm. "Nothing’s happened. Patrick’s doctors were pleased with how the drugs have managed to stabilize his condition. When he arrived there, he was a mess and they didn’t give him very long. They still don’t, but when Bill spoke to them on Saturday, the initial prognosis was changed and they now aren’t sure what his chances are." She saw Taryn’s eyes narrow and she wanted to clear up any misconceptions. "His illness is still terminal, they just can’t give us a time and day." She shrugged her shoulders. "I did what I could this week and my presence helped Mom and Dad out. Patrick’s mood swings were a little much to bear, but Bill talked to him on Saturday. There were things Patrick wanted with him from the house and after our talk on the phone last night, we decided it was better if I came home for a while."

"It’s good to see you." Jace added.

"I missed the children so much this week and didn’t realize the pressure I’d put you two under."

Jace looked at Taryn, she hadn’t said anything to Jane about them feeling pressured. She saw Taryn’s facial expression and knew it mirrored her own confused one. "What pressure?"

Jane laughed. "You two did an excellent job, but Josie told me last night that you had a lot of work to do this week and I should come home."

Jace dropped her head into her hands. "We’d have managed, Jane."

"We had a plan, Auntie Jane. Josie really shouldn’t have said anything to you." Taryn was cursing herself for leaving her young cousin alone with the phone.

Jane took Taryn’s hand and gave it a tiny reassuring squeeze. "Don’t blame Josie. She just answered my questions when I asked her. I don’t even think she knew what she was saying. She told me how busy Jace is next week and that she needed you to help at work, too. I talked with Dad and Bill, and we decided that I should be with the kids." She could still see the downcast looks on her friends’ faces. "She did me a favor. I’m actually relieved. Last week, I felt it was my duty to be with Patrick, but as the week went on, I began to wonder if I was doing it for the right reason. When the doctors said it could be longer than a month, I knew I’d never be able to miss that much work or be away from the kids for that long. It was time to come home and be where I’m needed the most."

Jace relaxed in her seat. She was very relieved to see her colleague and friend. Her worries about the upcoming week were receding and she actually felt the knot of nerves at the nape of her neck untangle. "Well in that case, you’re a sight for sore eyes."

Jane opened her arms and let Tom climb on to her lap. "How was New Hampshire, Thomas?"

"Lots of snow. We went sliding and builded snowman." The boy clung to his mother’s torso and cuddled close to her afraid that if he let her go, she’d leave him again.

"Were you good for Auntie Jace and Taryn?"

"Tom always good. Taryn say good boy Tom." He smiled up at his mother.

"He has some color in his cheeks. Taylor was so excited after you’d taken him to the slopes. They didn’t interrupt JJ and Cory’s weekend, did they?"

Jace snorted. "Who are you kidding? The girls loved them. JJ and Cory even kicked Taryn and I out on Saturday, so they could have the kids to themselves. I think your daughter has developed a little crush on JJ. She insisted on waking the pair up yesterday, and this morning she crawled into bed with them. Jo and Helen think you have three wonderful children. As much as I’ve enjoyed being a hands-on aunt this week, I sure am pleased to see you. How’s your mother holding up?"

"Now that the shock has worn off, she has set her mind to making peace with Patrick. She’s of the mind that no one should die without penance. It’s given her something to focus on, but she’s not happy about burying a second son. She says it’s not right for a parent to bury a child."

Jace nodded. She could see Taryn’s shoulders slump and didn’t want her girlfriend to get upset. Jane and Bill’s homecoming was a time to resettle the children into the house and transition the parenting back to Bill and Jane. "I’m going to unload the trunk and then you can have your car back."

Taryn’s eyes followed Jace out of the room. She returned her attention to her aunt. "I should go and help her."

Jane sensed that her comments had made Jace feel uncomfortable, but there was a conversation she needed to have with Taryn at some point and there seemed no better moment than the present. "Taryn, we need to talk about Patrick."

"There’s nothing to say." Taryn pushed her chair out from the table.

Jane caught hold of her niece’s sweater, causing Taryn to stop in her tracks. "Taryn, just listen to me before you storm off. What I have to say isn’t what I personally think. I’m not sure I even like what I’m about to say." She could sense from Taryn’s body language that she had the blonde’s attention. She continued, hoping that she could convince Taryn to at least hear her out. "The message is from your Gram. I told her you wouldn’t want to hear what I have to say, but she made me promise I’d tell you." She looked into storm filled eyes and shrugged apologetically, "You know how persistent she is."

Taryn turned her attention to her aunt. She did not want the weekend ruined by thoughts of Patrick, but she also understood how determined her Gram was when she had something on her mind. She nodded her agreement to Jane. "Go on."

"Anyway, she feels that you and Patrick need to bury your differences. She wants you to forgive him so that he can die in peace." She felt the muscles in Taryn’s arm go stiff. "It’s not my opinion, Taryn. She said if I didn’t talk to you, she would and she’s not a well woman. I’m scared if she does try to convince you that she’ll die trying, literally."

Taryn collapsed into the chair. "How bad is she?"

Jane kissed her son’s head and placed him on the floor. "Her blood pressure has risen and her doctor’s worried about her heart palpitations. Dad had to give Patrick an ultimatum about dying alone or making sure he didn’t upset his mother. Dad said he wouldn’t let Mom visit Patrick if she was going to get upset. Even someone as hard-hearted as Patrick couldn’t bear the thought of losing his mother. They actually talked quite a bit this week. I think the medicines take the edge off Patrick’s feelings. Anyway, she got onto talking about you. She wants you to visit them over Spring Break."

Taryn felt crushed. Her grandparents were very important to her and she knew she owed them a lot. Their faith in her mother had assured that Taryn had everything she had ever wanted as a child. Her mother had told her how thankful she had been for the Walton’s love. Taryn knew that if her grandparents hadn’t taken her mother in, then she might not have survived her first year as a sickly baby. "I’m not sure I could ever look at him again."

"I know. I tried to talk her out of it. She said your forgiveness was the only chance Patrick has of going to Heaven. She’s hoping your Mom can forgive him when he gets there, but she wants you to at least try and show him remorse."

Taryn blinked back tears. "I have wanted to see that man in hell for so many years. I’ve wished it for so long and my one chance of sending him there is being blocked by the one person who saved me."

Jane brushed her fingers across Taryn’s cheek. "I know. Taryn, I would never put you in this position if I didn’t think it would make Mom happy. You don’t need to make any decision today, just think about it. Maybe talk it over with Jace."

At the mention of Jace’s name, Taryn’s mood brightened. "No promises. Tell Gram I’ll think about it."

"Thank you. You’ve made me very proud, Taryn."

Taryn winked at her aunt. "I try. I was actually going to ask you if you still want me to move back in?"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I talked it through with JJ and Cory and they were very supportive. My moving in with them was temporary and I think it’s time I let them have their house back."

"What about Jace?"

Taryn looked blankly at her aunt. "What about her?"

"How does she feel about you moving in here?"

Taryn shrugged. "She said it was a good move, if I could get rid of the memories. I was thinking I’d move into my old room first. Then maybe after Patrick’s death, I could redecorate the annex and make it my own."

"Taryn, we’d welcome you back with open arms. When were you thinking of coming home?"

Taryn smiled. "I think I’ve begun to move things in already. I have most of my clothing here and I rearranged the bureau the other day. I thought the weekend would be good. Since I’m on vacation, I’d have time to really move things around. Is that okay?"

"Sure. It’s going to be so good having you home."

"I hope so. I better go and see what Jace is up to."

***

Jace patted Bill on the back as she listened to him recall his weekend in Florida. "You did the right thing by bringing her home. It’s where she wants to be and it’s where she’s needed. The answer to my prayers was on your doorstep this afternoon."

"Thanks, Jace. I can’t express how much you and Taryn have done for us this week. Whatever you need and whenever you need it, you just ask, okay?"

"I will." She smiled when she saw the familiar figure walking towards them. "At least one great thing came out of my week here." Her eyes twinkled with love.

Bill turned his attention to Taryn and then back to Jace. "I’d never have guessed. I’m happy for you. In the time I’ve known you, I haven’t seen this side of you and you look really happy." Realizing that Jace’s attention was no longer on him, he made an excuse to leave. "Well, I’ll go and take these bags up to the kids. I think you’ve worn them out, I’ve never known them to be so quiet!"

Jace transferred her bag to the back of her Jeep. She then walked around to where Taryn was standing and handed the blonde her bag. "You look miles away. What’s up?"

"Nothing. I guess I’m a little shocked to see Jane home." She looked at the Jeep. "You just put your bag in your car. Does that mean you’re going home?"

Jace shuffled on the spot. She hadn’t thought to consult with Taryn before she’d made her mind up to go home. "I thought Jane and Bill would like to spend the evening with the kids. Bill has to go back to New York tomorrow. I wasn’t going to leave just yet. Bill wants to get Chinese as a way of saying thank you. I need to fill Jane in on what’s been happening this week. I know she won’t be in the Center, but she may be able to do some of the paperwork from home."

"Oh." Taryn was disappointed that Jace hadn’t asked her what she was going to do that evening.

"Let’s go back inside. It’s a little chilly out here."

***

Later that evening, Jane walked out onto the deck and gathered her cardigan around her body. "What are you doing out here? I thought you’d left with Jace."

"No. I just walked her to her car."

"Why didn’t you go home with her?"

Taryn dropped her shoulders a little and rested her head on her hands. She gazed out into the dark back yard and sighed disappointedly. "She never asked me."

Jane nodded in understanding. "You could have asked."

Taryn turned around and flicked the ash from the end of her cigarette. "I know. But then again, a girl likes to be asked. I didn’t want to force myself on her. If she’d wanted me there she would have asked."

Jane stared at the cigarette. "I thought you’d given that nasty habit up?"

"I had. This is my first since Friday. I just needed something to help me relax a bit."

Jane bit back her comment about Taryn’s smoking and the risks. She could tell from Taryn’s posture that it would not be well received. "Do you want to be left alone?"

Taryn motioned no with a slight shake of her head. She sucked in her bottom lip and looked at her aunt. "No. I’m actually feeling a little lonely. I miss her."

Jane went and stood by her niece. "Taryn, give her some time. She probably had things she needed to do. She hasn’t been home in over a week. You used to live here and have all your things where you’ve always had them. Jace has a long week ahead of her. She’s not used to thinking about another person. I bet she’s sitting at home wishing you’d call her and invite yourself over."

Taryn shrugged. "Maybe. But if she did want her space, I’m not going to be the one to smother her. I’ll be okay."

Jane kissed Taryn’s cheek. "Good to hear that. I’m here if you need me. Taryn, this is your home and I am not your mother." The fumes from the cigarette lingered and she knew she needed to make one point clear. "However, I am a mother and I have to ask that if you’re going to smoke you won’t do it in the presence of the kids."

The blonde took one last drag on the cigarette. "I understand and I’m working on it. This was just a lapse in confidence. I am trying to break the habit."

***

Jace carried the coffee, her files and the cold bagel into the Center. She hated meetings that dragged on. She had missed lunch and her stomach had begun to growl fiercely during the third meeting. The arrow on her telephone messages was flashing and she just wanted one moment alone to eat her food and maybe call her girlfriend. She hadn’t heard from Taryn in twenty-four hours and she missed being with her. The temptation to call the previous evening had been too much and Jace had dialed the blonde’s cell phone only to reach the voicemail. It had been too late to call the house phone and Jace hadn’t wanted to chance waking the children. She had hoped that Taryn would invite herself over, but when the younger woman had made no attempt to want to spend the evening with her, Jace hadn’t pushed. In the end, she had gone home and done laundry. Her loneliness had been intensified when she had found Taryn’s sweatshirt mixed in with her own washing. The mere essence of her girlfriend had invaded her nostrils as she had breathed in all that was Taryn.

Jace checked her phone messages and was disappointed to find that none of them were from Taryn. She ate her bagel, nearly choking on it, as her mind thought of all the reasons why Taryn hadn’t contacted her. When she couldn’t stand the uncertainty any longer, she reached long trembling fingers toward the phone and dialed Taryn’s cell. Yet again, she was directed to the voice mail. She banged on the desk in frustration. "Where are you, Taryn?"

She tried the Weston number and was pleased to finally get a human rather than a machine. "Hey, Jane. How’s it going?"

"Pretty good. We went to the cinema this afternoon and watched the new Disney film. Bill got to New York okay. We’re busy baking cookies now. There’s never a dull moment in the Weston household. How’s work?"

"It’s going okay. I managed to swing the English Department to agree to the learning communities, but they put a cap on the enrollment. They will only agree to fifteen students in each section of the communities. They were worried about us tracking the students, but I showed them the statistics and they have faculty that are interested in working with each other. Tomorrow, I have to convince the Psychology Department."

"That’s good news. Did Jessie give you all the current probation paperwork?"

"Yes. She was very efficient. You have a good grad assistant. Is she interested in staying on next semester?"

"Yes. I have definite answers from Jessie and Cory. Speaking of graduate assistants, have you been in touch with yours?"

Jace shook her head and then realized that Jane couldn’t see that. "No. I’ve been trying her cell, but no answer. Is she there?"

"No. She left early this morning. She mentioned a project and helping out a friend. She was miserable last night after you’d gone."

"She was?"

Jane banged her phone on the counter and then lifted it to her ear, laughing as she did so. "What am I going to do with you two? She missed you." Jane decided to let Jace know that Taryn had things that they needed to discuss. "Look, Jace, I gave her something to think about yesterday afternoon concerning Patrick. I’d hoped she would have discussed it with you. You are a couple, aren’t you?"

Jace pouted, not happy with what Jane was implying about her relationship with Taryn. "Yes, we are a couple; however, we’re just having a little adjustment issue. Jane, I don’t know what’s expected of me and I’m not sure how we move forward from here. We’re not exactly your everyday couple. Last week, we had a ready made family and lived together. Today, well I don’t know what we have today. Do you think she’d have gone to Cory’s?"

"It’s possible. Did she tell you she was moving back in here?"

Again, Jace pouted. There were too many unknowns between Taryn and her. "She mentioned it. I didn’t realize she’d made the actual decision. When is she moving in?"

"This weekend officially. She’s just using her room until Patrick passes away and then I think she’ll take over his apartment. It’ll give her a place of her own, but she can still be part of the family. Look, try Cory and JJ’s number. If I hear from Taryn, I’ll tell her to call you. I have to go before Taylor pokes Tom’s eye out with a spoon."

"Bye." As soon as Jace put the phone down, it rang. She grabbed it, hoping that it was Taryn. When she heard Terri’s voice, she tried to hide her disappointment. She threw her half eaten bagel into the trashcan and concentrated on the list of concerns Terri had gathered over the day.

***

Taryn turned down Marti’s offer of dinner. She checked her watch and wished she’d agreed to meet her ex somewhere else. After deciding to move back home, Taryn had wanted to collect the rest of her belongings from Marti. The redhead had stored her bike, books, and a few furnishings that Taryn couldn’t take to Cory and JJ’s small apartment. "I appreciate you looking after my things, Marti."

"You’re welcome. I kind of kept them because I always hoped you’d change your mind, but I guess I was wrong."

Taryn nodded. She felt awkward and didn’t know how much to tell Marti. She didn’t want to lie to her ex-girlfriend, but she didn’t want to hide her new relationship. She had yet to meet up with Marti at the Country Club, but it would only be a matter of time. And if Marti found out she was seeing Jace from someone else, Taryn knew their lines of communication would be broken forever. No matter what had happened in the past, Taryn owed Marti the truth and she knew it. "I’m going to go home for a while. Patrick’s not well and he has moved to Florida to be nearer to my grandparents. Therefore, I can start to work on building up a savings account. The monthly expenses at the house are minimal and when I move into the annex, I really will have a certain amount of privacy."

"The house is definitely big enough. So, err, how have you been otherwise?"

Taryn took a deep breath. Here goes nothing! At least she can’t ruin your stuff; it’s all packed away in JJ’s truck. "I’m doing okay. I’ve taken a little time to look at my life. You were right about one thing, Marti, Jace does like me."

"I knew it! Did I not tell you that?"

"I know. What I didn’t know was how much I like her."

Marti dropped the cup in her hand. "But you said she was your boss and you’d never fall for her."

Taryn chewed on her lip as she waited for the eruption to come. When Marti paused, Taryn stepped in. "I know. I was wrong."

Marti mopped up the mess she had made with the spilt coffee. She didn’t want Taryn to see how upset the news had made her. "When did this happen? Is this why we ended?"

Taryn shook her head vehemently. "No! I promise you, I had no idea how she felt or how I felt. New Year’s Eve was when she told me and I still didn’t believe her. Last week, we decided to try going out with each other."

Marti threw the wet paper towels into the trashcan and turned furiously to Taryn. "You lied to me."

Taryn threw her hands in the air. "I did not. I’m still not sure what is going on between Jace and I, but I never lied to you. God, I came around to apologize to you. I now understand what it’s like to date someone like me. I must have infuriated the hell out of you!"

Marti calmed down and listened to what Taryn was saying. "So, you’re finally getting a spoonful of your own medicine?"

Taryn smiled and rolled her eyes. "You could say that. It’s hard sometimes to know what she’s thinking and I know I have a similar problem. I really want things to work out between Jace and I, but I also want to keep my friendship with you. I should go." She turned and hurried out of the kitchen, eager to get out of the awkward atmosphere.

Marti walked Taryn to the door. She couldn’t get the image of Jace and Taryn hugging each other at the Country Club out of her mind. "Look me in the eyes, Taryn, and tell me the truth. Did you finish with me because of Jace?"

Taryn reached for the door handle. She was angry that Marti couldn’t see her part in their separation. She could tell that Marti’s mind was only on one thing. She looked into Marti’s eyes and without blinking delivered her statement. "Marti, we ended because I didn’t feel comfortable opening up to you. I didn’t trust you and you used our love making to hurt me physically." She watched as Marti blanched. "We had a destructive relationship which fuelled my need for control and the more you pushed the faster I ran. I did not end our relationship because of Jace. I ended it because I didn’t love you anymore." With the words out of her mouth, she turned and opened the door. When it shut behind her, she knew another part of her past was a closed book.

***

Jace was relieved when she saw the gold Camry parked outside Cory and JJ’s. She had tried the apartment earlier, but had only reached the answer machine. She pressed the buzzer and waited for the intercom to buzz before announcing her arrival. "It’s Jace."

"Hey, Jace. Come on up."

JJ opened the door to a frustrated Center Director. "Hi. What brings you this way?"

Jace looked blankly at her friend. "I came to see Taryn. Isn’t that what couples do when they date each other?"

JJ grinned. "Usually. But the other person has to be there in order for you to see them."

"She’s not here?" Jace asked, feeling her voice break just a little out of sheer disappointment.

"No." JJ indicated that Jace should take a seat on the sofa. "She swung by work earlier and asked if she could trade vehicles with me. She’s moving into Jane’s this weekend and needed to collect her things from Marti’s." She looked at Jace’s changing expressions. "Didn’t she tell you?"

Jace shook her head. "No. I think we’re back to playing guessing games with each other. Jane’s unexpected arrival kind of threw us both off line. I went home to prepare for the week and I haven’t been able to get hold of Taryn since. Her phone’s switched off. Is she avoiding me?"

JJ held her hands up in an I-don’t-know gesture. "After spending the weekend with you two, I’d have to say no. She’s crazy about you, Jace. I’d ask Cory, but she’s in class. Look, she has to come back here to switch vehicles. Why don’t you wait for her?"

Jace checked her watch. It was getting late and she hadn’t had time to eat or prepare her things for the next day. She really did want to see Taryn, but the niggling doubt in the back of her mind kept telling her that Taryn was trying to avoid her. "Look, I need to get back to my house and sort things out. I have a crucial meeting tomorrow and as I found out just before I left, the predicted numbers for summer orientation have changed. Can you ask Taryn to give me a call?"

JJ stood up and walked with Jace to the door. "Sure. Drive safely."

***

Taryn lifted the bike out of the bed of the truck and wheeled it up to the garage door. She then went back and collected the boxes, storing each one beside the bike. When the truck was empty, she opened the garage door and proceeded to pile the items into a corner she had cleared earlier. She was just placing the final box in position when she heard the connecting door open. "Hey." She smiled as she greeted Jane. "Step one of my moving back home completed."

Jane shook her head. "You scared the living daylights out of me. Why didn’t you call? I would have come out and helped you."

"Sorry. I guess once I’d made my mind up to move in, I needed to begin the process."

"Have you spoken to Jace today?"

Taryn bent down and pretended to check the pressure in her tires. "No. I was going to call her after dropping the truck back at the apartment. Why?"

Jane shook her head exasperatedly. "Because she’s been trying to contact you all day. Taryn, you can’t treat Jace like you did your other girlfriends. She doesn’t deserve that."

"I’m not!" Taryn shot back.

"Then why haven’t you answered your cell phone and why didn’t you tell her you were moving back in here! I was the one who broke that news to her! What’s going on?"

"I’m not ignoring her, my cell phone is in my car. I left it in there by accident. Anyway, she was the one who wanted her space. She left last night. She could have stayed."

Jane sat down on the step. "She sounded very concerned about you earlier. She missed you last night, Taryn."

"She did?"

"Yes. It hurt her to hear me telling her things that you should be talking to her about. Taryn, I don’t think she knows what she should be doing. Have you even considered that she may have been giving you space last night?" She saw Taryn frown. "I mean, you two do actually live at separate addresses and last week was a unique situation. Jace has her own house and doesn’t live here. Maybe, she felt like she was invading our privacy."

Taryn pondered Jane’s words. "Okay. I’ll drop the truck back and then call her."

"Why don’t you go and see her? I’m sure she’d love that?"

"Okay. Say hi to the kids for me."

"I will."

***

Taryn drove the few miles to Jace’s house; disappointment flooded through her when she saw the Jeep was gone. She checked her watch. Yep, she’s missing me so much; she had to go out at eight o’clock! She waited a few minutes, but a gnawing sensation in the pit of her stomach wouldn’t settle. She kept thinking back to the last time she had been waiting for Jace. That time Jace had arrived home with Vanessa. Taryn didn’t think she could stand seeing Jace with another woman. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. Shit! Where’s a cell phone when you need one! She turned the truck around and headed for the apartment complex.

***

Jace drove around for a little while. She didn’t like the idea that Taryn was out there visiting Marti. Jace could still see images of Taryn dancing with and kissing Marti. They were permanently burned in her mind. She hated the fact that Marti knew Taryn so intimately; that Marti had explored Taryn’s body, and done things that Jace was too scared to do. She didn’t know how they were back to this position. Things had been great over the weekend and the future had seemed so clear. However, Taryn’s words from Sunday kept haunting her. It’s only a four-day relationship! Jace had been hurt by the comment. A four-day relationship implied that there wasn’t much invested and Jace had given Taryn her most precious belonging: her trust.

***

Jace pulled onto her driveway; disappointed that Taryn wasn’t waiting for her. Did you really expect the girl to wait around for you? She probably had to go and visit Marti to get some action. Face it, Xanthos, you’re a loser and you always will be! She flung her keys on the counter top and sprinkled a little food into the fish tank. She checked her watch for the umpteenth time. Quarter past eight! What the hell can she be doing until now?

***

Taryn parked the truck next to her Camry. She used her spare key to open the door and retrieved her cell phone. She pressed the on button, but could only see the flashing battery symbol on the display. "Give me a fucking break, will you?" She opened the door to the complex and climbed the flight of stairs. She opened the door and came face-to-face with two very pissed roommates. "What?" She asked as she shut the door.

"Don’t what us?" Cory replied. "You’ve been AWOL for nine hours. Do you know how many people are looking for you?"

Taryn dropped down on the couch. "Now you’re exaggerating."

"Really? Let me see…there was Jane. She called three times. Then there was your advisor. He needs to speak to you urgently about your thesis. Your ex-girlfriend has called twice in the last half an hour and she sounds pissed with you. Oh…and your current girlfriend was here looking for you!"

Taryn tried to butt in several times, but the final statement made her speak up. "Jace was here?"

"Yeah, Jace was here and she looked pretty upset." JJ commented. "What happened?"

Taryn grabbed the phone. "Hold on, I’ve got to call Jace." She dialed the number and tapped her foot impatiently on the rug. When she heard Jace’s voicemail she wanted to scream. "Jace, if you’re there, can you pick up the phone! It’s me. I’m sorry. I left my cell phone in the car. I stopped by your house about thirty minutes ago, but you weren’t in. JJ says you were here. Err…I’m not sure where you are, so I’m going to stay here until I hear from you." She pressed the end button on the phone and dropped down onto the couch. "When did she leave?"

JJ checked the clock on the cable box. "I’d say about an hour ago. You two must have passed each other!"

"I didn’t see her. Maybe she had an accident! Oh my God, what if she’s hurt?"

Cory waved her arms in the air. "Whoa, slow down. She probably called into Jane’s or went for a drive. J said she looked pretty upset."

"About what?" Taryn asked.

"That was going to be my question to you!" JJ responded. "She doesn’t understand why you’re ignoring her, although I understand now about the cell phone. She was a little upset to hear you’d gone to Marti’s and hadn’t told her, and I’m taking a guess that she was pissed about you not telling her you were moving out."

"Oh."

JJ sank down on the sofa. "Taryn, she’s really into you. Whatever is going on inside your head, please don’t do anything stupid to mess up what you’ve got."

Taryn turned hurt eyes JJ’s way. "There’s nothing going on inside my head and I know how special she is. It’s just a misunderstanding and lousy timing." Taryn bit back a comment about everyone always defending Jace. Instead she turned away, glancing briefly over her shoulder to mutter to Cory. "I’ll be in my room if she calls."

Cory followed Taryn’s movements and waited until she heard the slam of the door before she turned on JJ. "That was a little harsh. Jace doesn’t need you fighting her battles."

"I know. I just feel so protective of Jace. She looked so vulnerable earlier on."

"J, I am going to have to invite you into one of our staff meetings one of these days. Vulnerable is not a word that the staff associates with our dear Director. She can cut you down with a knife and spoon out your insides with just a look and a few words. Remember what we promised, we’d stay out of their relationship and not let it harm ours. I need some space, I’m going to the bedroom."

JJ watched as her girlfriend walked away from her. She put her head in her hands and moped. The day was turning out to be a true bitch and it wasn’t over yet.

***

Jace wrapped the towel around her head and switched off the portable stereo that she had placed in the corner of the bathroom. The bath had helped her to relax and the large glass of wine had helped even more. She had tried to block out all her problems and concentrate on enjoying the Jacuzzi bubbles that had swirled around her muscles. The activities of the weekend had left a small ache in some of her muscles. Her ankle hadn’t given her too much trouble, but the bubbles and aromatherapy oil had definitely worked out some of the kinks.

She carried the empty glass into the kitchen and saw the flashing answering machine light. She clicked play. She was relieved to finally hear Taryn’s voice, albeit a little frayed and frantic. She could tell from Taryn’s rambling and urgent plea that things were okay between them. She smiled the first true smile of the day and grabbed the phone off its base. She lodged the phone between her head and shoulder while she waited for it to connect, and went to the fridge to refill her glass. She definitely had something to celebrate.

"Hey, JJ. Is Taryn there?"

"Yes. In fact, I have two women who at the moment seem to have a very common problem in that they’re both pissed with me. Would you like to take them both?"

"Err…no! I’ll just take the American blonde! What’s the problem?"

"Nothing. I may have been fighting your battles a little too hard. Cory had to remind me that in the real world you’re a fierce warrior."

"Oh. Well for what it’s worth, I appreciate the effort."

"No worries. Hold on and I’ll pass the phone to Taryn." She walked up to Taryn’s door and knocked lightly, "Taryn, it’s Jace." She waited for Taryn to open the door and then passed the phone through.

"Thanks." Taryn muttered before putting the phone to her ear and closing the door on her roommate. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself."

Taryn sank onto her bed. "It’s good to hear your voice."

"Same here." Jace took the towel off her head and combed her fingers through her wet curls. "I missed you today."

Taryn closed her eyes relieved that Jace was okay and that things really were all right between them. She took a few moments to compose herself before she spoke. "I missed you, too. I’m sorry if I made you worry."

"Just a little. I was a little upset you never called me." Jace admitted. She wanted Taryn to know how she’d felt. She didn’t want them to have to guess how the other was feeling.

"Well, I was a little upset that you didn’t hang around last night." Taryn pouted. "I missed having my body pillow with me."

Jace was beginning to see where all the confusion had begun. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know whether you’d want me to stay there and I really did need to get home and check on things. I figured if you wanted to be with me, you’d ask."

Taryn shook her head. "No. I thought you wanted your space and you didn’t know how to tell me."

"I tried calling you last night, but your phone was off."

Taryn picked up her cell phone and threw it across the room. "The phone is a pile of shit. The battery holds it’s charge for about an hour and then it’s dead. Plus, I left it in my car today. If I’d have known you were so worried, I swear I would have called. I did stop by your place, but you were here. I feel like I’m living in a French farce."

"I know. So, how was Marti?"

Taryn winced at the question. "I’m sorry, Jace. I made the decision about moving back in with Jane on Sunday. I’d been mulling it over all week. Yesterday when I spoke with Jane, she looked so depressed that I wanted to cheer her up and give her some good news. I never meant to keep it from you. With the decision made, I decided I should collect my things from Marti and tell her about us."

"You told her about us?" Jace ran the comb through her hair and checked the time. She looked at the glass of wine that she had swallowed quite liberally while talking to Taryn.

"Yeah. It went about as good as if I’d told the Pope I was gay and wanted to get married."

"Ouch!"

"Yeah. I didn’t want her to run into us in the club. It’s a small world in terms of where lesbians hang out. How was your day?"

"Truth or lie?"

"Truth!"

"It went okay as far as the meetings, but then it sucked because I was worried about us. We have to begin to talk more. I have to stop guessing what you’re thinking and just ask you."

"I know and I have to realize that this is all new to you and I shouldn’t assume you know what I’m expecting."

"Now we have that settled, would like to come over here?"

"I’d love to, but it’s late and I didn’t sleep very well last night. I don’t trust myself to stay awake on the journey."

"Nightmares?"

Taryn rolled onto her side and looked at a small photo she had smuggled out of Jane’s house. The photo was one of Jace holding Tom at Christmas. The pair looked adorable and both were beaming at the camera. "I don’t know if it was nightmares exactly. I couldn’t settle and kept waking up." She took a deep breath and decided to ask Jace to stay the night. "You could come over here?"

Jace banged her head on the counter. "I would, but I’ve drunk some wine. I needed to unwind so I took a spa bath to relax myself."

"You lucky thing." She desperately wanted to see her girlfriend. "Look, I’ll drive over to you."

Jace’s mind debated what was best for her and what was best for Taryn. "No, babe. You just said you were tired. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to you. How about we have breakfast together in the morning?"

Taryn smiled as she replayed the term of endearment over in her mind. "You just called me babe. It sounded really good coming from you."

Jace felt a flush rise up her neck. "I did, huh? Well, it felt good calling you that." She felt a little self-conscious discussing her feelings. So, she smoothly changed the subject. "Tomorrow morning, I’ll bring the coffee."

"And I’ll bring the donuts." Taryn didn’t want the phone call to end, but she really was tired and knew the sooner she got to sleep, then the sooner she’d see Jace in person. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too." Jace pressed the off button and stared at the phone. "I love you, Taryn." She uttered the words that she hadn’t been able to verbalize while on the phone.

Next part

Return to the Academy