Casa Parisi (18 page)

"I've upset you," Juliet said gently.

Lucia swallowed her tears. "No, I just--"

"What? You can tell me."

After a steadying deep breath, Lucia said, "Grief is like a cancer. It eats away at you destroying you cell by cell until there's nothing left. I'm full of scars and wounds that won't heal and I feel like the best parts of me are gone forever."

Juliet kept Lucia's hand in hers and moved closer. "You're not destroyed and you're going to be all right. You have to believe that."

"Do you really think so?"

"I think so because I know it's true," Juliet said. "I won't ask questions, but I want you to know I'm here to listen if you need to talk. As long as you know it's your choice and we don't have to talk about anything that causes you pain."

"Let's not, okay?" Lucia let go of Juliet's hand. She wanted to keep holding it, but didn't know if Juliet would be uncomfortable. "Could we just enjoy being together?"

"We can do that. What would you like to do?"

"I don't feel like going out."

"I don't either. I'd rather stay here with you," Juliet said.

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

"That would be nice. Are you hungry?"

"Not after all the food we had today," Lucia said.

"Me either, but I could go for a cup of coffee."

"They have coffee in the lobby." Lucia got to her feet. "I'll go get us some. Want anything else while I'm down there?"

"If they have cookies or apples, bring me one of each in case I should happen to get hungry later on."

"I suppose we both will, eventually. I'll be right back."

"Take one of the key cards with you. While you're gone, I'm going to hop in the shower and put my pajamas on."

"I'll do the same as soon as you're through."

WHEN LUCIA RETURNED, Juliet was emerging from the bathroom holding a towel over her bare breasts. She wore nothing but a pair of panties. Lucia set the coffee and other things on the dresser, making a concerted effort to conceal the stolen glances she was enjoying whenever she could. With her heart at a full gallop, she sat on the edge of the bed and tried to keep her eyes on something other than Juliet's body.

Juliet's flat abdomen, firm thighs, and toned shoulders and arms were proof of the physical nature of her occupation. She wasn't muscular, merely firm, and yet she still had a feminine softness with curves in all the right places.

Lucia picked up the binder of hotel information and pretended to flip through the pages, a ploy intended to keep her from staring at the swell of Juliet's breasts or the lines of her adorable backside. Lucia pictured herself going over to Juliet and pulling the towel away. Her breasts would be the perfect size and so soft. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to imagine how they would feel pressed against her own.

"I couldn't wait to get my bra off," Juliet announced.

"That always feels good." Christ. Lucia was astonished she could form words.

Juliet went over to her suitcase which she'd left open on her bed. Facing away from Lucia, she threw the towel onto the bed and slipped a sleeveless cotton top over her head. Quickly, she pulled on a pair of baby-blue pajama bottoms.

"Juliet, I--" Lucia's mouth felt as dry as the cotton in Juliet's pajamas. What in the world had led her to this place of madness? Juliet not only worked for her, she was not a lesbian and as if that wasn't enough, she had a boyfriend. Out of nowhere, Lucia was struck by a revelation. This wasn't about her being a lesbian who was reacting to the sight of a physically attractive woman. She wasn't in Georgie's bar and Juliet was no stranger. This was someone she cared about.

"You have a weird expression on your face." Juliet was staring at her.

"Do I?" Lucia scrambled to grab her suitcase which she threw onto the bed. She took out clean underwear and a pair of pajamas. "I should take a shower. This coffee's too hot and I'll be done by the time it's cool enough to drink."

ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES later, Lucia emerged from the bathroom with her pajamas on. Her cheeks were flushed as she walked past Juliet on the way to her suitcase. Juliet studied her as she folded the clothes she'd worn that day and neatly put them away. She seemed flustered and in a hurry.

"There. I feel better now," Lucia said.

Juliet was at a loss for words. Objectively, anyone would agree that Lucia was a very attractive woman, but what astonished Juliet was how beautiful Lucia appeared to her at that moment. She was in her pajamas, fresh and clean, and her hair was damp and wild. Juliet had never looked at anyone in quite the same way and she had never seen a more breathtaking sight.

"You're awfully quiet all of a sudden." Lucia closed her suitcase and wheeled it to the other side of the room. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Juliet said. "The coffee's good. Sit down and enjoy it."

"The girl at the desk said they just brewed it." Lucia retrieved her cup of coffee and sat on the loveseat. "I was thinking."

"Uh, oh. Is that good or bad?"

Lucia laughed. "It's good. My friends aren't expecting us for dinner tomorrow until six. Why don't we take in some of the sights before we go to their house? I'd like to take you to see Underground Atlanta."

"What's Underground Atlanta?" Juliet asked.

"Back in the 1920's they built a new city right on top of the old one. Now the old city is underground and full of shops and restaurants. I know a great place where we can have brunch providing it's still there. If not, there are plenty of other places. After that we can walk around and do a little shopping."

"I'd like that very much."

"We'll go over to Paula and Kristen's from there."

"Tell me how you met them, if you want to, that is."

"They were our next door neighbors. We met them the day after we moved in."

"How long has it been since you've seen them?" Juliet asked.

"I haven't seen them since I left Atlanta."

Juliet recognized the fleeting pain in Lucia's face. That pain was an integral part of Lucia, woven into the fabric of her essence so tightly that Juliet felt she knew it as well as she knew Lucia. "I'm looking forward to meeting them."

"You'll like them." The pain on Lucia's face disappeared, replaced by a mischievous smile. "You must feel surrounded by lesbians. I hope it's not too much for you."

"I can handle it. It's not contagious, is it?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then I have nothing to worry about."

Lucia laughed. "This is fun, being here with you. It makes me appreciate how being alone most of the time can mess up your mind. I'm a perfect example of that."

"I don't see you as messed up."

"That's a relief." Lucia grabbed the remote control. "Let's see what's on tonight. If there's nothing good on the regular channels we can pay for a movie."

Juliet put her coffee on the night table, climbed on top of her bed and propped her pillows behind her back. "I'm ready. Start surfing."

ON SUNDAY AT ten minutes before six, Lucia pulled into the driveway of Paula and Kristen's house. They'd made a few changes to their house since she'd last seen it. A new red door with a large wreath of artificial flowers and four red rocking chairs on the front porch were the items that caught her attention. Otherwise, it looked the same. She switched off the ignition, her eyes drawn to the house next door. Their house, the house she and Devin had lived in. This was the moment she had dreaded ever since their plane's landing gear touched the ground in Atlanta.

Lucia's former home stood where it always had and aside from some changes in the landscaping, it appeared fundamentally unaltered. Houses always carried on, unmoved by the events that had happened to the people who once dwelled within the embrace of their walls. All the love and happiness they'd once shared, all the heartaches and sorrows, all the anger and unkind words, were retained within those walls for eternity. To the casual onlooker, this house was merely one of many standing in a row. But for her it held the soul of a life, a soul and a life that used to belong to her.

It seemed to her that she had lived there only yesterday and in another way it seemed like she had never lived there at all. As scenes from her life flickered through her mind like a shuddering silent film, she sat frozen behind the wheel. In one, she and Devin were kissing at the front door the day they made settlement. Devin had been filled with joy that day, but Lucia was unable to bring to mind a clear image of Devin's face.

The next scene was about the day their new furniture was delivered. They had argued over something too stupid to remember and later that night, despite being exhausted, they apologized and made love in their new bed. The memory of making love with Devin was as clear to Lucia as if it had occurred last night.

"Lucia? Do you want to go in?" Juliet touched Lucia's arm.

Lucia shoved her memories aside and came back to the present, unsure of how long she'd been sitting there. She turned in her seat to face Juliet. "Sorry about that. I got lost in my thoughts."

"Are you okay about being here?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just hard." Lucia unbuckled her seat belt.

"If it helps any, you're not alone. Try to remember that."

"It does help. Let's go in."

"IT'S REALLY YOU." The timbre of Paula's voice seemed higher than usual as she opened the door and greeted them. She hadn't changed much in the last two years, just as tall, willowy and handsome as ever. Her salt and pepper hair seemed to have acquired no added salt and her level of excitement was as elevated as ever. She sounded breathless as she spoke. "I can't believe it's you. We've been waiting all day for this."

"It's me," Lucia said. "You look good. Your hair is shorter."

"Yeah, it's a lot shorter. Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's very flattering."

"Thanks. Kristen likes it, too. I did it on a whim last summer when it was scorching hot and then I got used to it. You look good yourself." Paula grabbed Lucia into a hug. "I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see you."

Lucia allowed Paula to hold her for as long as she wanted. She knew Paula couldn't possibly think she looked good. At the very least, she was tired and it showed. Even last night in the hotel room with Juliet, after that long exhausting day at the wine and food exhibition, she'd had trouble sleeping. "It's wonderful to see you."

Paula let Lucia go and moved to the bottom of the stairs. She yelled to the top, "Hey, honey, Lucia's here! Hurry up and come down."

Several seconds later, Kristen came bounding down the stairs. She hadn't changed much either. Paula's opposite, she was shorter and wider with glasses and medium length brown hair. Her coloring was light where Paula's was dark and it wasn't hard to see that her feet were planted firmly on the ground whereas Paula's were bouncing all over the place. After giving Lucia a huge hug she held her at arm's length. "It's about time you came to see us. We've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Lucia said. "You may not believe me, but I'm sorry it's been so long. I've had--I mean, it's been--"

"Don't." Paula took hold of Lucia's arm. "You don't need to explain a thing. We can't imagine how hard the last two years have been for you."

"I wanted to see you, I really did, and I thought about you a lot," Lucia said. Paula had agreed on the phone that they would not get into anything distressing unless Lucia chose to and Lucia was relieved that they hadn't forgotten. She took the opportunity to re-direct the conversation by introducing Juliet.

"Let's not stand in the foyer all evening," Paula said after all the introductions were completed. "We'll be more comfortable in the living room. We aren't having dinner right away, so we can have a drink and talk."

In the middle of the living room, Lucia let her eyes roam around the room. "Your house is just about the same as I remember it."

She and Devin had spent many evenings in this home, having dinner, celebrating a holiday, or simply hanging out. Being here then was easy, but today Lucia did not find it so. Everything triggered more memories and forced her to face what distance had helped her to ignore. She tried to shake the past from her mind and assured herself she would get through this.

"That picture over the fireplace is new," Paula pointed out. "We bought it at an art fair last summer. And we bought that leather chair over there in the corner a few months ago. The rest is the same."

"The picture looks good there," Lucia said. "Isn't their house nice, Juliet?"

"Yes, it's very cozy," Juliet said. "I love the light in this room."

Paula leaned forward in her chair. She asked about Luke and his family and then she asked about the winery. "We were so happy for you when you bought the winery. How are things going? Are you doing well?"

"We're doing extremely well, better than I ever thought we would. It's a beautiful place to live and it's a good life," Lucia said. She spent some time telling them about the winery and the story about how Juliet joined them. "Business is booming since Juliet came to work for us."

Paula turned her attention to Juliet. "Have you ever been to Atlanta?"

"This is my first time. Lucia showed me around a little today, before we came over here. It's an interesting city and very appealing." Juliet proceeded to tell them how she and Lucia had spent their day.

"Lucia mentioned that you're from Montreal," Paula said. "We've never been there, but we heard it's a beautiful city."

"You should see it at least once," Juliet said. She talked with them about Montreal and answered questions about her background.

Lucia paid attention as Juliet conversed with Paula and Kristen about her life, even though she'd already heard most of what Juliet was telling them. Juliet was carrying the conversation and when she talked about being a winemaker and transitioned into telling them about the wine competition, Lucia let her take the lead. Any topic that didn't center on her was a welcomed diversion.