Page 33 of Just For Her

“Are we fighting? I can’t tell if we’re fighting.”

“No!” Chrissy lingered in the doorway. “I’m trying to help. Seems like you’re determined, though, so I won’t say anything else.”

Within seconds, Kayla was alone in her room. Mostly ready but rattled, she existed in a frustrating liminal space between chasing after what she had always wanted and having a deep heart-to-heart talk with herself.

Ultimately, she had to get ready for her date. Tove would be there in twenty minutes, and she had made it clear that their reservation was at one.

I’ll decide after I meet her family.Or whoever would be there that day. Kayla didn’t know the plan, and she honestly didn’t care. There were more important things to consider. Like where she wanted to be in life when she was Tove’s age.

Chapter 10

Fromthemomenttheystepped onto the premises, Tove’s head was on a swivel. The host of the reception area in West County Country Club did not outwardly care that one of the Fredriksson clan was here with a new lover, but Tove trusted the man with a handlebar mustache as far as she could throw him. Everyone had a price when they worked for a Fredriksson-owned entity.All it would take is a few hundred dollars, and William here will sing like a canary.He saw everything that happened. Wasn’t he the one who leaked that Thomas was dating Polly? Honestly, Tove struggled to keep up.

There was nothing to leak here, though. Aside from Kayla’s impeccable appearance, most of the family must have known of her existence by now.Thanks, Aunt Gretchen. Thanks, Aunt Kiersten.The two biggest gossip mongers in the family… that was how Gretchen stayed on her sister-in-law’s good side. While Gretchen hadn’t been as big of an outsider as some Fredriksson spouses, Kiersten had hazed her back in the day. Now they were best buds in the way only a queen and her biggest sycophant could be.

Kayla took in the sights as they walked to their table on the patio, the one overlooking the third hole of the award-winning golf course. Khaki pants and collared shirts drove by in a cart, a thousand-dollar golf bag hanging from the back. A strapping young high schooler jogged after the elderly men. Two of the women at the table next to Tove commented that the “view” was nice as they openly stared at a teenager’s muscles. Tove made sure to sit in the seat closest to some of her more distant cousins. Kayla pressed up against the railing, watching the world go by.

She was stunning in her spring green dress with a heart-shaped neckline, brown hair falling in riveting waves over her petite shoulders and more impressive chest.Is she wearing the bra I gave her?A hint of wild red poked from the green and yellow neckline. Maybe that was why Tove’s eyes had gone straight to the cleavage busting out of Kayla’s dress. Every warm shadow in its depths said to Tove,“Come put your face in this, honey. You know you want to.”

Maybe later…

Tove was almost sad that her girlfriend fixed up her half-sweater to make her breasts more presentable for the country club. While Kayla would be far from the only woman sporting some cleavage on this lovely day, Tove appreciated the propriety when meeting some family for the first time.Wherever my family is.Sure, they were surrounded by Fredrikssons, women with the maiden name Fredriksson, and outsiders who had been adjacent to the family for decades if not actual members themselves. Except none of them were in Tove’s regular life. Few were even clients of hers. No, unfortunately for Tove – and to the jealousy of most of the people sitting around them – Tove was associated with the “main family” of Gustav's descendants. Like Aunt Kiersten, of all people.

“So many people are looking at us…” Kayla sheepishly said as she primped for their devotion. “You must be a popular woman around here.”

“Hardly,” Tove muttered. She blocked her view of Kayla’s angelic face with the cocktail and seasonal cider menu.God, I could sure use a cider right now…Blackberry? Huckleberry? Marionberry? How Oregonian did she feel that day? “By the way, feel free to get whatever you want from the drink menu. I think they have a lunch special right now where you get two salads for the price of one. We should take advantage of that.”

“Ooh. Drinks.”

Tove passed her the menu. “Are you a vodka woman? Rum? Tequila?”

“Mmm.” Kayla placed the menu on the table and gazed upon it with the discretion of someone who only cared about one thing, and that was showing off how cute she was. “I’m looking at these ciders, actually.”

“You like cider?”

Those beguiling brown eyes looked up at Tove. “Doyoulike cider?”

“It’s my favorite drink besides beer and wine.”

Kayla’s grin was bigger than the breeze fluttering her hair behind her. “Turns out that I love cider too. Why don’t we get some to share? Morebangfor ourbuck.”

Tove had to let the way Kayla said those salaciousb’ssettle into her sinew.Great. Horny at the country club.It was the time of the month when Tove proved to herself that she still desired sex, regardless of the signs of menopause that liked to play with her head.I can deal with hot flashes and irregular periods.What she couldn’t stand was losing out on that monthly thrill when her hormones were nuts enough to make her ornerier than an alley cat. Now that she had an outlet for those feelings? Kayla better watch out. Tove was in the same phase of her cycle she had been when they first hooked up and started this random relationship.

“How about the blackberry cider? It’s always a safe bet here.”

Kayla pressed her lips primly together. “Sounds great.”

As soon as a server stopped by, Tove placed the order. “Seems like we have a lot in common,” she said to Kayla.

“You think so?”

“We both like the same kind of drink. You’re also vegetarian. You like Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys…” That last one had surprised Tove more than Kayla claiming to be vegetarian as well.I didn’t think people her age knew who the Pet Shop Boys were.Depeche Mode, sure, but Pet Shop Boys felt wholly Gen-X to Tove, who got crap for liking them back in high school.Back when everyone around here wanted more Beastie Boys or burgeoning Garth Brooks.Rarely anything in between.

“‘Enjoy the Silence’ remains my favorite alarm ringtone,” Kayla said.

“You like skiing, we both want to see Athens before we die, and neither of us like pink.”

“Soooo girly. I mean, I can be girly, but there are some associations I don’t need, yeah?”

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