Page 17 of Just For Her

“What game is that?” Kayla asked, knowing the rules well.

“More and more gold diggers have shown up in town since it became the hot spot for affluent people to move. My family is on high alert since we have several bachelors. If you know any women like that, let them know that not everyone has the kind of money people associate with my family. It’s a real crapshoot with who has how much. A lot of us contribute to and withdraw from a family coffer, so to speak. Me and one of my uncles keep track of it. Guess I’m the guardian of the Fredriksson funds.”

So you’re the one I should get with, then.That became more apparent the longer Kayla listened to this woman talk.This woman who might as well be in my crosshairs now.Kayla still wasn’t sure if she should go with it. Yet if that had been Thomas sitting next to her? She wouldn’t think twice about it. Golden opportunities so rarely presented themselves!

She knew a thing or two about looking for gold. Tove had surmised it herself.

“I hope you don’t think that about me,” Kayla softly said. “To tell you the truth, I’m not interested in the men of your family. I don’t swing that way at all.”

It was the first full lie she dropped that night. Did she feel bad about it?Surprisingly… no.Maybe that’s how deep she was in denial. Or perhaps that was how she rationalized her need to secure her future.I’m one woman, navigating how to get into another’s pants.Then again, was that the practice with Tove? Kayla had assumed sex was immediately on the table when seducing men since God knew that’s what a lot of them expected from her. Was a fifty-year-old woman the same way?

Kayla was completely out of her element, but she had to try.

“Is that so?” Curiosity marked Tove’s voice.

“Maybe it’s dramatic to say that,” Kayla course-corrected. “Technically, I’m bisexual, but I greatly prefer the companionship of women.”There I go. Plausible deniability if she ever sees me flirt with a guy should this crash and burn.Kayla had never called herself bisexual before. While logically she knew such women did not behave differently from their heterosexual peers, Kayla was at an impasse regarding what she should say or do next. She couldn’t immediately give herself away as a gold-digging imposter. Tove was already on high alert! “I understand where the confusion might come from. I’m sure this whole thing has been suspicious from the start.”

“I don’t doubt for a single second that my idiot cousin did what he did. It’s not like he’s denied it at all.”

“Still, you are very generous to offer your help. Even if it’s technically your family’s help, and notyours.Then again, you’re offering to put me up here tonight.” Kayla leaned in closer, on high alert for a negative change in Tove’s body language. “You’re so kind.”

“I mean, I don’t know what other choice there is. Even if I weren’t a hospitable person, you can’t go out there. Not without all-wheel drive or chains, for God’s sake.”

Tove had not pulled away. Kayla now sat right up against her, offering some of the blanket to Tove’s lap. Although it did not immediately drape across its intended destination, Tove took one corner and held it close to her stomach.

“I made this quilt.” Was that a squeak in her voice? Because she was either proud of her crafty talents or having Kayla so physically close to her after declaring a shared queer affinity had set her on edge.

“Really?” Kayla turned her whole body toward Tove.She smells nice.Kayla hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge it until now. That sweater Tove wore? Soft. High-quality. While not quite cashmere, it suggested a refined taste that Kayla now associated with anyone holding the last name Fredriksson. “Wish I could see it better. I’ve never done something like make a quilt.”

“Lots of people in town do fiber arts. I learned when I was young…” Tove held her arm up between herself and Kayla. Yet while Kayla almost took that as a sign to back off and abandon ship, Tove used the opportunity to press the quilt down around both of their laps. The tender touch was sweeter than anything else she said that night – and gave Kayla the confidence to continue with the new plan. “I grew up most of my life in Bend, not Frederik. Both of my parents worked, though, so when I got out of school, I’d visit my Aunt Sofie at her craft shop. She ran quilting circles twice a week. It’s surprisingly easy to pick up. Just time-consuming to complete.”

“Your family sounds so fascinating. How have I never heard of you guys before?”

That was an honest question. One that Tove was slow to answer. “We like to stay under the radar. Family politics makes us wary of outsiders.”

“I’m an outsider. Are you wary of me?”

Tove’s hands disappeared beneath the quilt. “You seem harmless. I mean, you didn’t jump in front of my cousin’s car, did you?”

At least Kayla could answer that honestly. “God, no! It was terrifying.”

“I bet.” Tove wetted her lips before looking away. The nape of her neck was completely exposed, her tight bun fraying, the thin hairs close to touching Kayla’s nose. “I’m sorry this has been your introduction to my hometown. I didn’t know things could get so hairy around here. You always think about it being safe, you know.” She was rambling, and Kayla found it both endearing and a bit off-putting.Do I have some effect on her?Kayla had expected to find that… exhilarating.I’ve never influenced a woman before. Not to my knowledge.Perhaps this was exciting, after all. “Times change, I guess. Listen to me. I sound like an old woman. I always promised myself that I wouldn’t turn into one of my aunts, yet here I am, talking about the good ol’ days before all the transplants arrived. I make it sound like it was sunshine and roses. Bend was a rough town before it became what it is now. Used to be that Frederik was the one yuppie zone around here for the rich folk who wanted to ski on Mount Bachelor. Maybe that’s why my family is so insular. We’re still not used to having people around. Did you know that the country club tripled in membership size in the past three years? They added a whole new wing to the main building and are putting in a second golf course this year… something about pickleball, too. Do you know what the hell pickleball is?”

Kayla had barely caught all that. Her attention was on the side of Tove’s hip. Her leggings were as soft as her sweater, and Kayla was jealous – she should have worn leggings that evening.Or maybe it’s fate once again.She allowed the blanket to drop from her lap and did not pull down her dress. Even in the dark, Tove couldn’t miss the exposed skin that shivered in the insulated living room.

“Am I making you nervous?” Kayla sweetly asked. “You changed once I mentioned that I was not into your cousin ‘like that.’”

An awkward giggle erupted from Tove’s lips. She clasped her hand over her mouth.

When she lowered it again, Kayla was there, going for the lean in.

“Thanks for being so hospitable, Tove.”

Was it Kayla’s imagination, or was the woman hesitating to kiss her?

She would never know. The fat black and white cat leaped up on the couch, darted across their laps, and scared them both half to death.

“Nemo!” Tove hung over the arm of the couch, her heart in her throat and her skin bristling from the shock of her life. “Why?”

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