Page 39 of Rett

“Well, what if we did magnolia and hibiscus on the tables but bougainvillea, plumeria, and angel trumpet in the bouquet?” said Claudette.

“I like that idea,” smiled Casey.

“Alright then,” nodded Erin. “Now for my favorite part. Cake tasting.”

“Oh, just let me know when they’re available, and I can taste them,” said Casey. The woman all laughed, shaking their heads. “What? What’s so funny?”

“Sweetie, we have a dozen cakes all ready for you to taste now,” grinned Alexandra. “We don’t mess around here.”

“Holy cow, you really don’t. Alright, bring it on.”

Dylan and Sara smiled as they carried the trays of cakes out to the women. They knew what Rett’s favorite was, but they weren’t sure what Casey would like. They’d made German chocolate, lemon, vanilla, dark chocolate, Italian cream, carrot, almond, strawberry, cinnamon, pistachio, chocolate lavender, and red velvet.

With each bite, the women moaned as if experiencing an orgasm for the very first time. Sara winked at Dylan, knowing that they’d knocked it out of the park with the cakes.

“Well, what do you think?” asked Sara.

“I think I could eat them all,” smiled Casey.

“Well, then. We can make one of each. We have to have several, so we’ll just do one of each flavor,” said Dylan.

“That’s too much! I know it’s easier to only do one flavor.”

“Honey, this isn’t about easy. It’s about what you like,” said Irene.

“I like them all! Geez, I’m going to be big as a house,” she laughed.

“No, no, you’re not,” smirked Faith. “We do a lot of walking and physical work around here. There’s always something to be done, and we support one another. Besides, each woman here looks different and unique in her own way. You’re no different, sweetie.”

“That’s true,” she nodded. “I’ve been trying to walk around the paths every morning, but there are a lot of them, and some are really long.”

“A lot of us get up early and walk while the men are running,” said Grace. “It makes us feel better to know they’re nearby, even though no one can get on the property. We have paths and gardens on Belle Île, but if the guys are running over here, we’ll come with them.”

“Oh, maybe I’ll get up early and walk with all of you.” The women nodded, talking about the cakes. “Can I ask something else?”

“Casey, you can ask anything you like,” said Faith.

“Well, the other night, I woke up, and Rett was still in town. Claudette, the ghost Claudette,” she said, smiling at Claudette, “she kept me company. We had a lovely conversation, but I got the impression that she’s feeling lonely. She misses her mother terribly and said that she often forgets what she looks like. She said there was a painting of her in the island mansion, but that was all she had of her.

“I was wondering if there weren’t more paintings of her or if there was a way to turn a painting into a photograph. Rett mentioned people turning photos into paintings, so we just wondered if it couldn’t be done the other way.”

“Let me text Ivy.”

While Ivy was on her way, the women polished off what was left of the cakes, laughing about wedding nights and girlfriends.

“Did Rett have a lot of girlfriends?” asked Casey. Liz smiled at the young woman, shaking her head.

“If he did, I never met one of them. Not one. The triplets stuck together. They were their own best friends. Of course, they had the other kids here as well, but we didn’t get a lot of others on the property. Somewhat by design, but also, they just didn’t want to get serious about a woman.”

“Rett said that he’d had one-night stands before but was always honest with the women and always protected,” said Casey.

“Yes,” nodded Erin. “You’ll hear that from most of the men. It’s very hard to think about long-term relationships when you’re constantly being shipped out or sent to another base. I think the thing to hold close to your heart is that he brought you home, Casey. No one else.”

“I know. And I know he loves me, and I love him. Everything just moves very quickly around here.”

“Let me give you some advice,” said Erin. “It’s been a while for me. Usually, Ajei and Kate give the new girls advice now. But this is from us old girls.” The women chuckled, shaking their heads.

“These men, these men protect so fiercely, so devoutly it’s all-consuming. And they love the same way. All-consuming. It’s remarkable to watch and a blessing to be a part of it. If you want my advice, don’t question anything. Just let yourself feel. These are special men, and if you don’t mind me saying so, it will sound a bit conceited on my, on our part, but it takes special women to be with them. Rett sees you as that special woman, and we completely agree.”

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