Rough Drafts (5 page)

“You’ve been quiet all
night,” Melanie observed.

Michelle
groaned. “Sorry.”

“Want
to talk about it?” Melanie asked.

“Mom
offered me a job,” Michelle said.

“You
have a job,” Melanie replied in confusion.

“Yeah,
I do,” Michelle said. “That’s the thing.”

“Should
I be following this?” Melanie asked. “Because I am completely lost.”

Michelle
sighed and shrugged. “She offered me the chance to take on the role Gollum
left.”

“No
shit! She wants you to manage her campaign?”

“Only
if that’s what I want to do,” Michelle answered.

 
“Do you? Want to?”

Michelle
nodded. “I think so. I just…it’s a big step, Mel. I don’t know. What happens…”

“She
wouldn’t have asked you if she didn’t think you could handle it,” Melanie
interrupted Michelle.

“It’s
not that.”

“What
is it then? Your students?”

Michelle
sighed, “Partly, yes. What happens after?” she looked at Melanie helplessly.

“What
do you mean?” Melanie asked. “Shell, you could do anything you wanted to. Teach
again or move into your mom’s world a bit.”

“Yeah,
I guess. She’s my mom, Mel. To get another job? It won’t be so
easy
in that world. It might not pay all that
well either.”

Melanie
scooted across Michelle’s sofa and took Michelle’s hands. “We’ll figure it
out,” she said. “If you want to do this, do it. Whatever happens, we’ll figure
it out.”

Michelle
smiled. “Oh? You really want to support my unemployed ass in a year?” she
joked.

Melanie
took a deep breath. She and Michelle spent a good deal of time laughing and
just enjoying their time together. Sometimes, Michelle used humor as a way to
avoid her emotions. Melanie had learned that in that last year. She looked at
Michelle thoughtfully. “If you want to do this, I want you to do it,” Melanie
said. Michelle closed her eyes. “I love you, Shell,” Melanie told her. Michelle
opened her eyes. “I guess I should say that more often, huh?”

Michelle
shook her head. “I don’t want anyone to have to take care of me.”

“Well,
too bad,” Melanie responded. “That sort of comes with the territory.”

“Mel…”

“You
do what you want to do. Just don’t decide not to do it because you’re scared of
what might happen,” Melanie said flatly.

“When
did you get all grown up?” Michelle chuckled.

“I’m
serious,” Melanie said.

“I
don’t even know if I’d be any good at
it,
”
Michelle admitted. Melanie laughed. “What’s so funny?”

“Seriously,
Shell? You could sell a desert dweller a pile of sand.”

“A
desert dweller?” Michelle arched an eyebrow at her girlfriend.

“Sounded
good in my head. Anyway, you get my point,” Melanie replied.

Michelle
leaned in and kissed Melanie tenderly. “What could I sell an architect?”

“Why?
Looking to make a buck off of J.D.?” Melanie quipped.

Michelle
pushed Melanie back on the sofa. “Not exactly my style,” she said as her hands
traveled down Melanie’s chest.

“Be
careful. Look at what happened with your brother,” Melanie smirked. “You know,
I expect to remain an honest woman.”

“Is
that so? I’ll make you
an honest
woman
and you’ll keep me—kept? Is that your proposition?” Michelle asked playfully.
Melanie closed her eyes. She was desperately searching her brain for some witty
retort. Michelle’s lips were traveling over her neck and she failed to form any
coherent words. “What was that?” Michelle asked. Melanie sighed. “Mm. That’s
what I thought,” Michelle said. She pulled back and looked at Melanie. “I have
no problem making an honest woman of you,” she said.

Melanie
looked at Michelle quizzically. “You know, a less worldly woman might take that
as a proposal,” Melanie said.

Michelle
leaned in again and whispered in Melanie’s ear. “And a worldly woman?” she
asked.

“Would
wish you would stop taking and kiss her.”

Michelle
nodded. “Wish granted,” she said with a passionate kiss.

***

Jameson
crawled into the bed beside Candace and kissed her on the cheek. “What was that
for?” Candace asked.

“Just
wanted to,” Jameson said.

“How
was your talk with Jonah? He seemed in better spirits when you came inside.”

“Kind
of strange,” Jameson said as she laid her head on Candace’s chest.

“Strange?
Strange how?”

“I
just didn’t expect him to care what I think,” Jameson said. “As far as the
other thing goes
, I believe
he’s just
trying to make sense of it. He’ll be okay.”

“I
hope so,” Candace said. She felt Jameson release a heavy sigh. “What is it?”

“Nothing.
He asked me how I would feel in his situation,” Jameson told Candace.

“That
would be a neat trick,” Candace laughed.

“Yeah,
I sort of pointed that out,” Jameson said.

“I’ll
bet you did.”

Jameson
laid quietly on Candace’s breast, tracing circles with her finger on Candace’s
shoulder. “I told him I would be happy.”

Candace
ran her fingers through Jameson’s hair. “Second thoughts about parenthood?”

“No,”
Jameson chuckled. “I think all these babies your kids are adding are enough for
me, thanks.”

“Feel
old?” Candace poked.

“When
your twenty-four-year-old son tells me he thinks of me as his other mom? Yes.”

Candace
looked down at Jameson. “He said that?”

“Yep.
I really didn’t know what to say.”

“Did
that bother you?” Candace wondered.

Jameson
pulled herself up. She detected a touch of insecurity in Candace’s voice. “No,”
she said definitively. “Surprised me. I think I know what he meant. Sometimes,
I’m not sure how I am supposed to act with them, Candace.”

“Jameson,
you’ve been a good friend to all three of them. They respect you. You are a bit
protective at times,” Candace observed with a smile.

“They
are part of you,” Jameson said. Candace looked at her inquisitively. “Geez, I
feel like Jonah. Maybe I’m not saying this right.”

“No,
go on,” Candace encouraged her.

“I
never really wanted kids, Candace. Not because I don’t love them. It just was
never something I longed for.”

“I
know that.”

“I
sure as hell never expected to find myself with three kids who are almost my
age,” Jameson admitted.

“Does
that bother you?” Candace asked.

“No,”
Jameson said assuredly. “It’s just strange. Sometimes being with them is like
being with my brothers. Sometimes? Sometimes, I could swear they were ten years
old.” Candace laughed at the observation. “Sometimes, I wish I could have been
there to see them when they were,” Jameson said softly. “Weird, I know.”

Candace
smiled at her wife. “Not weird,” she said. “Just proves why I love you so
much.”

“Yeah,
well. How many people skip Mom and head straight for Grandma?” Jameson rolled
her eyes. Candace laughed and kissed Jameson’s lips. Jameson smiled. “He’s
really worried
that this will hurt your
campaign somehow,” Jameson shifted gears.

“It’s
just a campaign,” Candace said. “It will be fine.”

“What
are you going to do about Gollum?”

“Funny
you should ask
that,
” Candace replied. “I
asked Shell to come on board.”

Jameson’s
surprise was evident. “What did she say?”

“She’s
thinking about it,” Candace answered softly.

“You
sound disappointed.”

“It’s
her decision,” Candace said.

“But,
you want her to,” Jameson guessed.

“I
guess, I do. I need someone I can trust.”

“She’ll
do it,” Jameson said as she collapsed back onto Candace.

“You
think so?”

“Yep.
She just needs to roll it around in her brain. She’s a lot like you, you know?”

“Is
that so?” Candace asked playfully.

“Yep.
Smart, funny, and has an answer for everything. Not as addicted to the Chinese
food, though. I think that gene skipped through to Jonah somehow,” Jameson said
seriously.

“You
are nuts,” Candace laughed.

“What
do you mean? It’s true. As soon as Shell left, he asked to order Chinese! The
minute I got back with the bags, you both went fishing for the fortune cookies.
It’s genetic. And, Jinx followed him into his old room. What’s up with that?
He’s always by your feet unless Jonah is here. Traitor,” Jameson grumbled.

Candace
bit back a burst of laughter. “Do you miss Jinx kneading your breasts?” she
asked.

Jameson
looked up at her wife. “Hey, don’t knock it. You’re gone most of the week. I
take what I can get.”

“Oh?”
Candace arched a brow. She dropped a hand to Jameson’s breast and cupped it
gently. “Should I be worried?” she asked as she allowed her thumb to brush over
Jameson’s nipple.

Jameson
closed her eyes. “Worried?”

“About
Jinx,” Candace asked. She repeated her gentle caress over Jameson’s other
breast.

“Jinx?”
Jameson asked. Her eyes were closed in surrender and Candace smirked.

“If
you would rather, I can go retrieve him from Jonah’s room,” Candace offered.
She slipped her hand under Jameson’s T-shirt and toyed with Jameson’s nipple
gently.

“Huh?”
Jameson asked breathlessly.

Candace
moved slightly and began kissing Jameson’s neck. “Last chance,” she whispered
in Jameson’s ear. Jameson moaned.

Candace
continued her lips’ tender assault over Jameson’s throat. Her fingers caressed
and teased Jameson’s breasts as her mouth wandered in a painfully slow descent.
Jameson had become lost to the sensations that Candace’s touch evoked.
Candace’s hands roamed freely and attentively. They wandered lower and grabbed
hold of Jameson’s T-shirt, removing it in one swift motion. Jameson sucked in a
ragged breath when she felt the warmth of Candace’s tongue circle her nipple.
She moaned and threw her head back.

“You
feel so good,” Candace said as her hands made their way to the top of Jameson’s
shorts and lowered them.

“So
do you,” Jameson replied. She looked down and captured Candace’s gaze. Candace
smiled and moved to hover over Jameson. Jameson
lifted
her hands to Candace’s face. “You take my breath away,” Jameson confessed.

Candace
smiled lovingly. She leaned in and captured Jameson’s lips with her own.
Tenderly she coaxed Jameson’s lips to part. Their tongues met in an erotic
dance, a languid exploration that left them both breathless. Jameson reached
down and lifted Candace’s night shirt. She threw it aside and allowed her hands
to leisurely fall down Candace’s sides. She never tired of the woman above her.
Candace flowed through Jameson. That was the only way Jameson had ever thought
to describe it. Even when they were apart, Jameson felt close to Candace. At
first, she had tried to explain it, even for her own benefit. That was human
nature, and that was definitely Jameson’s nature. Over time, Jameson had come
to accept that there was no way to explain and no need to justify what coursed
between them. Jameson learned to
just
accept
it. She committed to herself that she
would never take what she shared with Candace for granted. Every moment with
Candace was a gift in Jameson’s mind. The world fell away when they made love.
It was a delicious contradiction, lost and found in the same instant. Jameson
had never considered herself someone with an addictive personality. Candace was
addictive.

“I
love you,” Jameson managed to tell
Candace
through a heavy sigh as Candace’s lips brushed across her stomach.

Candace
kissed the skin beneath her and lifted her eyes. “I love you, Jameson,” she
promised.

Steadily,
Candace let her kiss rain down over Jameson’s body, so softly that it felt to
Jameson as if Candace were whispering promises as she journeyed on. Jameson
grabbed the sheets to steady herself when she felt the first warm breath rush
across her center. Candace faintly caressed Jameson with her tongue. Jameson
shivered in response. “Mm,” Candace moaned her approval. “I’ve missed you,” she
said.

Jameson’s
heart was skipping erratically as Candace continued to tease her into a frenzy.
She could feel the goosebumps erupting over her skin in spite of the fire that
was raging within her. Hot and cold. Desperate for release and yet longing to
feel Candace forever. Candace’s touch was commanding and still so tender that
it produced an ache in Jameson’s soul. She reached out and allowed her hands to
travel over Candace’s shoulders, gently urging her on. “Candace,” she called
helplessly. “Please.”