Page 94 of Just For Her

“If you want your money back, I’m sure we can treat it as an interest-free loan in the spirit of helping family. But I can pay you back with the profits from this place. Because there will be profits.” Tove faced her aunt with the confidence of a woman who had made it halfway to one hundred, still intact. “Unless you don’t have faith in me?”

“It’s not your faith I worry about. It’s that woman’s.”

“I suppose time will tell, Aunt Kiersten. We Fredriksson women have a renowned history of falling in love and not seeing it through.” She included her mother in that – and her aunt, who was now pale in the Scandinavian face. “Perhaps I can be the first to break that cycle, but don’t worry. We’re not eloping anytime soon.”

Kiersten placed her hand on her chest. “Why would I think of such a thing?”

Tove shrugged.

Kiersten asked her niece to stop by her house that upcoming Tuesday, and Tove knew it wasn’t about Thanksgiving in Hood River, which she was skipping that year.I can’t get out of Christmas though.Hell, being expected at Fredriksson Christmas was a relief… it meant the rest of the family was willing to overlook her strange behavior. With the preparations for a late winter wedding in the works, all the intense focus was on Elias and Isabella, and Tove was happy about it.Anything to take the attention off me.She was fifty. She didn’t need attention!

Kayla might like a little, but that was Tove’s job to provide.

No, what Kiersten wanted to talk about was the money. Tove already vowed to go by herself and have a frank discussion with her aunt about everything.If I act like an adult, perhaps I’ll be treated like one.For once, she contented herself with that thought.

Besides, there was so much to do here in the shop. They would be closed the next day, and Tove had to catch up on accounting work, but for a few minutes… she was happy in her world. She had made customers happy. She kept her cool and stood up for herself in front of her aunt.

As soon as she closed up for the day, she went home to her new favorite person.

Big things were happening back at Tove’s place. While she had to work most of the day because of Trudy’s schedule, Kayla was up to something else entirely.

As expected, the living room and bedroom were a mess, covered in boxes, suitcases and God knew what. She caught her girlfriend in the middle of unloading something from her car, and they both had to enter the house with lead feet to keep Nemo from darting out into the yard.Keep back, coyote bait.No cats outside on her watch!

“This should be the last of it.” Kayla plopped the box onto the couch and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. “I honestly didn’t think I still had so much stuff. When everything fits perfectly in your car, you think it’s not that big of a deal…”

Tove went into the bedroom to take off her watch and earrings. Strewn across the bed were T-shirts, leggings, and dresses that attempted to find a place to live. Kayla picked up her Kate Spade dress and audibly dithered about hanging it up in Tove’s walk-in or the “overflow” closet in the office.

Because it was move-in day, and such things had to be decided to maintain harmony.

It had been over twenty years since Tove last lived with a woman, and her first time cohabitating since buying her house. The cats were not impressed. Tove was, though. Her heart was proud of her for taking the chance on something new, and her soul? It sang to see new life brought to her humble house.

“Oh…” Kayla pulled her wedding dress out of a suitcase. “I can’t believe I kinda forgot about this. That it was in here, I mean.”

Tove felt nothing, but it was clear from Kayla’s countenance that she was conflicted by the biggest symbol of the day they broke up. “You should hang on to it,” Tove blithely said.

The setting sunlight caught the brown in Kayla’s hair. Was it gold? Amber? Did she know that her hair changed colors in the natural light?

“You think so?” Kayla asked.

Tove stood at the end of the bed. “It’s gorgeous on you. When the time comes, you’ll be so radiant that I’ll cry.”

“Come on. I don’t want you to cry.”

“Think of the photos. I’ll beglistening.”

Kayla crumpled her dress when she laughed. “I’m glad we can joke about it now.” She took her dress to the walk-in closet and created a space that would give the dress room to breathe. “But depending on how long it takes, I’ll be paranoid about fitting into it. You know I’m gonna getfatnow that we’re living together.”

“Don’t care.”

“Hmph.” Kayla’s fake pouts did something to Tove, who tried her best to not succumb to such cunning seductions. “Sounds like you’re buttering me up for a life of bonbons.”

“Problem with that?”

Kayla emerged from the closet, letting the door swing shut behind her. “My only problem is how you suck me in by being sosweet.Rude.”

Before their flirting could get any more unbearable, someone honked a car horn in the driveway. The only reason Tove heard it was because a cat darted out of the room and Kayla squealed in excitement.

“By the way!” she called over her shoulder as she followed Nemo down the hall. “I invited Chrissy and Huey to dinner! Hope that’s okay! I was gonna cook, anyway!”

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