Page 12 of Just For Her

She brought Kayla a glass that remained untouched on the coffee table. Tove sat on the other couch.Project confidence.She recited the lessons her great uncle Gustav II had instilled into her generation.You can control any situation if you are confident and in your element. Always bring your adversary to your domain. Surround yourself with invisible allies.

Well, she was in her home. She didn’t know if Kayla was an “adversary,” but anything was possible. Allies? Nemo and Chance. That’s what she had.

Wherever those stranger-danger goofballs are…Probably hiding in her bedroom. Or behind the China closet, which was where Chance liked to squeeze his fat butt when he knew death was imminent.

“You have a beautiful home.”

Kayla initiating the conversation caught Tove off guard. Whatever she had tried to say right before that moment was now lost to the rainy night. “Th… thank you.”

“Do you have cats?” Kayla looked at the wand toys propped up against the couch.

“Yes. Two. I don’t know where they went. They don’t like strangers much.” Uncle Gustav II’s memory was in Tove’s brain, reminding her to rein in control of this situation. “I take it that you are doing well since we met? You seemed to be carrying yourself well when we saw each other this weekend. Your phone call came as a surprise yesterday.”

Kayla’s shoulders tensed slightly against the back of the couch. Her hands wadded together into loose fists. All it did was make Tove painfully aware of the keyhole collar that showed a hint of cleavage beneath Kayla’s tight bodice.You are a fifty-year-old woman. Contain yourself.Tove hated it when she felt this way, even after all this time of casually lusting after women. Even if she admired the way that dress fit Kayla’s curvy body. Even if she acknowledged the perfect use of natural makeup – a far cry from what she wore Friday night in a bar.

Tove really did have to be on her toes. Not only was Kayla good at dressing for any occasion, but Tove was attracted to her. That never ended well for a woman with a history of falling for beautiful straight girls.

“To tell you the truth, I was sore that night, but I thought it was nothing.” Kayla kept her demeanor demure and her eyes flitting in Tove’s direction when she spoke.Uncle Gustav would say she’s a practiced liar.Stay sweet but maintain eye contact. Powerful tools of a manipulative woman who wanted sweet, rich Fredriksson money. Tove steeled herself for a bigger test coming her way. “Not until this weekend when I tried to do some yoga and right here…” She pinched her side, where her hip met her waist. “I’d never felt such tight pain before. It's on the side I fell on last week.” She showed Tove her palms. “These are healing up fine, but my hip… maybe I’m a hypochondriac, but I’m not in my twenties anymore. I must be careful about injuries now, right? They can turn into anything that debilitates me later in life. Hips seem pretty important. I don’t have good insurance…”

Tove almost ignored that last bit. She was too hung up on“I’m not in my twenties anymore.”“May I ask how old you are, Ms. Smith?”

“Oh, my God. Please call me Kayla. I hate my last name.” Flustered, Kayla uncurled her hands and pressed them against her chest before swallowing a lump in her throat.Here I am, staring at her bit of cleavage again.Maybe it wasn’t best to do this here in Tove’s living room on a dreary Wednesday night. The bright fluorescent lights of her office were much better for staying on focus, even if they did induce the occasional migraine. “I’m…” She sighed. “I’m thirty-three.”

You’re kidding.She was only seventeen years younger than Tove, who swore this girl – no, woman – couldn’t be older than college-aged? “Really?”

Kayla’s eyes attempted to stay focused on her nails but were soon incredulously locked on Tove’s face. “Is it hard to believe?”

“No… I… I’m realizing some things about my own age right now.”

“How old areyou?”

Tove was taken aback by that enough that she almost refused to answer based on sheer principle. “I recently turned fifty. I’m the first to tell anyone what it’s like to feel your body change as you get older. I… I suppose you should be careful. It’s not a bad idea to listen to your body if it’s saying something’s wrong. Nip it in the bud before it gets worse.”

“It would be hard to work if I couldn’t walk well.”

“What do you do?”

“Oh… I have a long history in the restaurant industry. Waitressing, hostessing, and some management… was training to be a bartender when the state of the world changed. I recently moved here because the place I was working at in Portland burned down last month and it was a good chance to start over.” A fierce desire for Tove to take her seriously burned behind Kayla’s eyes. “I have a job lined up here, by the way. I haven’t started it yet.”

“That’s good. I hope Bend has otherwise treated you well.”

“That’s what I’m hoping. Anyway, both you and Thomas said that I should contact you guys if I’m not feeling well as a result of the… accident.” She scratched her throat with baby pink nails. “I’m telling the truth when I say I rely on walking well to do my job efficiently enough to make tips. Also, my insurance sucks. I haven’t been here long enough to establish care. So whatever you can do to help is great.”

They were back in Tove’s territory, the place she knew they would be from the moment Kayla called her and they set up this casual meeting.Casual enough to be in my home after hours. Serious enough to potentially put a dent in the family coffers.

“Oskar tells me you didn’t seem to sustain any lasting injuries, except for the superficial ones on your hands.”

“I looked up your cousin Oskar.” Kayla’s chuckle was a song. A parody. “He lost his medical license a good while ago. So why should I believe him? He didn’t run tests or take X-rays. How could he? Your cousin drove me to his house, and he felt me up in his Oregon State gear. No gloves. Very professional.”

“Hefelt you up?”

“Simply a turn of phrase. What I’m trying to say is that it’s not exactly comforting to know this is how your family operates. Your family, by the way, that I hadn’t heard of until I met Thomas under such strange circumstances. He’s had a string of DUIs?”

Tove almost couldn’t speak.She’s done her homework.Of course she had. She was in her thirties, and not likely to go with whatever flow a stranger dictated on her behalf.

“What would you like my family to do for you, Kayla?” Tove asked with an even voice, the same tone she took with family members who panicked about how much they owed in taxes every year. “I’d appreciate it if you were direct and honest. I’m not a fan of games. I’m becoming a tired old woman.”

That last bit had been more tongue-in-cheek but said in the same serious tone. Kayla had taken notice, too. “I’m not asking your family for anything it can’t spare, all things considered,” she sweetly said. “I’d like to be properly looked over by a licensed medical physician. Someone neutral to your family’s name. You know, not likely to gloss over issues to save you money.”

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