Page 5 of Nothing Heals Me Like You Do

“Largest mug I can find?” Darrel said.

“Thanks so much, D. You’re a saint.” Justine was hardly in the habit of asking the shelter’s staff to pour her a cup of coffee—they had far better things to do with their time—but Darrel couldn’t help themself. If Justine remembered correctly, Darrel’s shift had ended a while ago.

“Do you want some more coffee, Sienna?” Darrel asked.

Sienna shook her head. “No thanks.”

She was probably used to complicated lattes that cost an arm and a leg, but Justine had long ago stopped holding other people’s privilege against them. It served no purpose. And she needed people with money, like Sienna Bright, and their families to fund the shelter.

Darrel handed Justine an extra-large mug and Justine closed her eyes as she sipped. The shelter’s coffee was bulk-bought run-of-the-mill fare, but it tasted exquisite right now. But why was she thinking about the quality of the coffee, anyway? Did Sienna Bright’s presence really have that effect on her? Justine wouldn’t have any of that.

“Did Darrel give you the tour?” she asked.

“Excuse me, ladies, but I have to run,” Darrel said. “My evening class starts soon.”

“Break a leg, D.” Justine paid for Darrel’s management course out of her own pocket because she wanted them to follow in her footsteps one day and run the shelter.

Darrel hugged Sienna goodbye as though they’d known each other much longer than the hour they’d just spent together.

“I hope you don’t mind I’m still here,” Sienna said. “I just… I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m queer that being here does something to me. It’s, um…”

“Hard to fathom?” Justine pulled her lips into the warmest smile.

“Exactly,” Sienna said. “I feel like I’m living the life of a princess when I’m here.”

“Well.” Justine chuckled. “You would be to any of the kids here. You were to Darrel. I could tell. They like you.” Darrel was an excellent judge of character, Justine knew that much. They’d had to be to make it this far in life in their circumstances.

“They did say they admire my mom a lot.” Sienna leaned back in her chair.

“Oh yes. Maxine Brewster, right? Darrel loves her stuff.”

“Yeah.”

From how that single word was spoken, Justine could tell that Sienna and her mother were thick as thieves, which reminded her of the mental note she’d made earlier.

“Can I ask how your parents reacted when you came out?”

“I didn’t, not to my mom, at least. From when my sister and I were kids, she always referred to potential love interests as boysandgirls. All options were our normal.”

“And you’re how old again?” While this was how it should be, it was not a tale Justine heard very often.

“Thirty-six and three months.” Sienna grinned and she might as well have said twenty-six because the skin of her face was as smooth as anything.

“Please tell your mother from me that she’s a rock star.”

“That’s high praise coming from the likes of you.” Sienna slung one jeans-clad leg over the other, while flinging a braid over her shoulder.

“Yeah, and it really shouldn’t be in this day and age, yet it is, and this shelter is still needed now more than ever.”

A shadow crossed Sienna’s face. Perhaps Justine had laid on the depressing side of the Rainbow Shelter a bit thick—she tended to do that. She was well-trained in tugging at the heartstrings of the rich and famous, but that’s not why Sienna was here.

“All of that being said, I’ve seen so many kids blossom after passing through here. Take Darrel. They’re thriving.”

“They spoke very highly of you.” A funny kind of smirk appeared on Sienna’s face.

“Is that why you’re grinning like that? Because of all the lovely things Darrel said about me?”

“They did also warn Alexis that you’re a piece of work.” Sienna obviously took great delight in sharing this information. The corners of her mouth tilted all the way up, making the windowless break room feel as though the sun was beaming inside nonetheless.

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