Love's Someday (31 page)

Ashleigh turned and noticed a short stocky man with a head full of thick black hair sprinkled with silver speaking with one of the busboys.

“When I used to come in here, his hair was completely black. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve been here,” Erica said with a smile.

“I guess the food’s still good then because this place seems to do the business.” Ashleigh looked down at the menu and decided to take the gamble. “I’m going to try the specialty since this is a night of firsts.”

“Good and I’ll get the pancakes just in case you don’t like it, we’ll trade.”

But when the food arrived, Ashleigh second-guessed her decision and eyed Erica’s pancakes with longing before taking a timid bite of her own dish. “Oh, my God, this is delicious.”

“Try this.” Erica held out her fork and Ashleigh took a bite of pancakes that melted on her tongue.

“Mmm, dating you is going to do irreparable damage to my waistline,” Ashleigh said after she swallowed. “But I have to admit that I’m enjoying it.”

“Really?” Erica asked. “You’re really enjoying yourself?”

She looked so vulnerable that Ashleigh felt her insides quiver. “Yes, this is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

After they’d eaten their fill and Erica had consumed enough coffee to keep her awake for the drive home, they made their way back to Baton Rouge. Ashleigh sat straight up in her seat despite Erica’s suggestion to recline and catch a nap. She didn’t think it fair that Erica had to stay awake while she slept. Nevertheless, her head bobbed with the rhythm of the road as she fought to keep her eyes open.

“Ash,” Erica said softly, causing Ashleigh to sit up and look around.

They were back in Baton Rouge and parked in front of the LSU lakes a mile away from Vicki and Chantal’s place.

Ashleigh scrubbed at her face, feeling disoriented and deeply disappointed with herself. “I’m so sorry, Erica, I didn’t want to fall asleep, but I guess I did.”

“That’s okay. I’m wide awake enough for the both of us.”

Ashleigh reached over and squeezed Erica’s hand. “I don’t want you to drive all the way up to St.
Francisville
. You’ve got to be exhausted.”

Erica smiled and stroked her face. “I’m wide awake, and look.” She pointed toward the eastern sky that had already begun to brighten.

“Is that the sunrise?” Ashleigh looked at her watch. “You did keep me out all night.”

“Watch it with me.” Erica pulled Ashleigh close.

Ashleigh moved as close as the center console would allow. And though it poked her in the ribs, she stayed as close as she could to Erica as the sun peeked out. She sighed, thinking it was the perfect ending to a perfect date. The only thing that would’ve made it sweeter would have been to curl up next to Erica in their bed and sleep the day away. She hoped that’s where this would eventually lead.

Sleep was struggling to claim Ashleigh once again when Erica kissed the top of her head and shifted so that she could sit up again. Ashleigh thought of things to say as Erica slowly made her way closer to Vicki and Chantal’s house, but when they pulled into the driveway, she didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you for the most memorable night I think I’ve ever had.” Erica shifted the car into neutral. She pulled up the emergency brake and got out before Ashleigh had time to respond. Erica opened the passenger’s door and held her hand out for Ashleigh to take.

As Ashleigh walked with her to the front door, she thought her heart would break at the prospect of Erica walking away. But since she had left the car running, Ashleigh knew she had no intention of staying. Ashleigh swallowed around the lump in her throat as they stopped at the front door. “When I said this was the best date I’ve ever had, I meant it.”

Erica looked at her for a second as if she were going to say something, then Ashleigh watched as her head tilted and she moved in for a kiss. Ashleigh’s heart hammered in her chest as if this was the very first kiss that she’d ever received from Erica. When their lips met, Ashleigh pulled Erica as close as she could and clung to her, never wanting to let her go. When they parted, her lips tingled, and she craved more than she knew she could ask for at that moment.

“Call me when you get home. I need to know you made it safely.”

Erica smiled and ran a fingertip down the side of her face. Ashleigh closed her eyes, reveling in the tender touch. “I don’t want to wake you up.”

“You have to. I won’t sleep if you don’t.”

“Okay, I promise.” Erica leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “Good night and good morning.” She took a step back and walked to the car.

Ashleigh went inside when Erica flashed the headlights at her but watched Erica drive away through the window with her fingertips against her still tingling lips.

Erica stopped and contemplated turning around twice before she merged onto the interstate feeling like she’d left her life on Vicki and Chantal’s doorstep. She could see it in Ashleigh’s eyes, felt it in her kiss that all she had to say was, “come with me,” and she would’ve gone in a heartbeat. Despite the pain in her heart, she knew they needed this time with no interruption of the mundane things of life. It would be too easy to slip back into old ways, and she was determined to show Ashleigh that nothing would be the same. They would begin anew…if it killed her.

She knew she should’ve been exhausted when she tossed her keys on the kitchen counter and snatched up the phone, but knowing she would hear Ashleigh’s voice kept her wide awake as she dialed the number.

“You’re calling me from the house phone, that means you’re all tucked in safe and sound,” Ashleigh said when she answered.

“I am, and I’m not going to keep you long. I just wanted to say…that I love you, Ash.”

Ashleigh was silent for a second, then said, “I don’t think you’re supposed to say that on a first date.”

Erica smiled. “Did I jinx myself?”

“No. I love you, too.”

“Sleep well, love,” Erica said, missing her more than she thought possible, but filled with hope.

“You gonna sleep all day?”

Ashleigh kept her eyes closed as Vicki moved around the bedroom, opening the blinds and making as much noise as she could.

“You’re not gonna be able to sleep tonight if you sleep all day, then your internal clock will be all out of kilter.”

“You just want to know what I did last night,” Ashleigh said with a smile as one eye opened. “I’m surprised you didn’t come in here sooner.”

Vicki flopped on the bed. “Chantal wouldn’t let me. I made a break for it when she went into the bathroom, so talk quick.”

“I had a wonderful time.”

“Then why are you still here? Not that I mind. I wish we could keep you permanently, but if it went so well, why aren’t you waking up with her?”

Ashleigh stretched and sat up. “When she said she wanted to date me, she meant it. We had to pretend that we were going out for the first time last night,” Ashleigh said with a smile. “It was kind of silly, but sweet.”

“So no talk of where the relationship is headed?” Vicki shrugged. “Nothing?”

“We’re starting over. We date, get to know each other again, then it progresses from there.”

Vicki’s voice was hesitant as she posed the next question. “And what happens if…after getting to know each other again, you don’t like what you find or if she doesn’t?”

“I pack up my stuff and find a place of my own.”

“That simple, huh?”

“Right.” Ashleigh’s eyes
teared
at the thought. “I know she loves me. We’ll work it out.”

“Do you love Erica? Is she what you want?” The absurdity of Vicki’s question stunned Ashleigh into silence for a second. “Don’t look at me like that,” Vicki said with a slight smile. “You remember Chantal’s friend, Rachel. Her partner dumped her for someone else, and Rachel fought tooth and nail to get her back. But once she did, she woke up one morning wondering why she wanted her back in the first place. She got so caught up in what she lost that she forgot they had major problems in the relationship that she was extremely unhappy with. They broke up again two weeks later.”

“Our relationship wasn’t perfect, but I was happy, I…” Ashleigh could hear the uncertainty in her words as they left her mouth. Vicki raised a brow but said nothing. “I love her with all my heart, and yes, it wasn’t perfect. No relationship ever is.”

Vicki nodded and stood. “Ash, you were unhappy enough to walk out on her.” She held up her hand to forestall Ashleigh’s interruption. “Yes, you regret it, but you left, and you’ve stayed away. The dating idea was a smart one. You should go into this with your eyes wide open.”

“I know what I want,” Ashleigh said defiantly as Vicki’s words took root somewhere deep in her brain.

“Good, now let me tell you what I want.” Vicki opened the door. “Get your ass up, join me for lunch, then we’re gonna take a swim because it feels like July outside. Then we rehearse.”

“Did you wake her up?” Ashleigh could hear Chantal’s voice in the hall. Vicki closed the door muffling her defense.

Ashleigh clutched a pillow to her chest as bits and pieces of their conversation played through her mind. Vicki’s voice of reason was like a wet blanket smothering the high of the previous evening. Self-introspection wasn’t on her to-do list, not today
anyway.

“Shit, she’s still on the couch.”

“It was their first date, remember? They’re not gonna do
it
until at least the second or third date.”

“We did
it
on our first date because you’re a slut.”

“Technically, that makes you a slut, too.”

“You couldn’t control yourself you wanted me so bad.”

“I’m awake, you two idiots.” Erica watched as Kaitlyn and Drew peeked over the back of the sofa. “It’s mornings like this that make me rethink giving y’all a key.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t be getting these fat-free apple fritters then.” Kaitlyn held up a white bag.

“Nothing that makes grease stains on a paper bag is fat-free.” Erica untangled herself from the blanket wrapped around her feet.

“That’s precisely why they’re fat-free,” Kaitlyn countered. “The bag has sucked up all the grease, hence the fat-free.”

“Kaitlyn, go make coffee. Erica, go wash your face, and I’m gonna put these on a plate so you two will shut the hell up.” Drew tugged the bag from Kaitlyn’s hand.

Kaitlyn grinned down at Erica and mussed her sleep-tangled hair. “You heard the woman, get a move on.”

When the coffee was brewed and Erica was cleaned to Drew’s satisfaction, they gathered around the table. Drew and Kaitlyn sat side by side, holding their steaming cups and looking expectantly at Erica, who nibbled on a fritter and sipped her coffee. Drew was the first to break.

“What time did you get in?” The irritation was apparent in her voice, bringing a smile to Erica’s face.

“About eight this morning.”

Kaitlyn slapped her hand on the table. “They did do
it
.”

“I spent the night with her, but we didn’t do the
it
you two keep referring to.”

Drew and Kaitlyn exchanged glances. “Then what did you do?” Drew asked before her partner could.

Erica took another bite of her fritter and chewed slowly, unable to keep the smile from spreading across her face. “I took her to dinner, well, actually, for appetizers. We never really had a meal, we snacked most of the evening.”

“No wonder she left your ass, you’re cheap.” Drew rolled her eyes.

“Belle Terre’s Secret is not cheap,” Erica said, taking another bite, chewing even slower.

Drew’s eyes widened. “Okay, I take back the cheap comment. Was it good?”

“Excellent, they have these seafood crepe things that are—”

“Enough with the menu, on with the story,” Kaitlyn said impatiently.

“We went to New Orleans, and ended up at Ivy’s, where we danced until they ran us out of there. Then I took her to breakfast, we watched the sun rise over the lakes near Vicki and Chantal’s, and I took her home.”

“You mean you took her to their house because this is her home,” Drew corrected. “And by the way, when is she coming home?”

“You two came up with the dating idea,” Erica said, waving her coffee cup at them. “Now I’m not moving fast enough?”

Drew nodded vigorously, and Kaitlyn gave her a playful thump before turning her attention back to Erica.

“What was it like seeing her again? How did it make you feel?”

Erica could feel her face warm and knew her cheeks were growing red as she remembered what it felt like when Ashleigh opened the door. “She still takes my breath away,” Erica admitted as she stared down into her empty cup. “She was happy to see me, I could see it in her eyes, and it made me wanna cry with relief.” Just talking about it then formed a lump in her throat. “She’s it for me, you know? There’s no one else.”

Drew shook her head and looked at both of them. “Let’s go get her right now.”

“No.” Erica shook her head with a wistful smile. “It’s not time yet. But I’m thinking about asking her if she wants to go four-wheeling next weekend. You two up for it?”