CHANGE  OF  PACE

Short Story
Sequel to Next of Kin

By

JAE

Change of Pace
Short Story - Sequel to Next of Kin

Copyright © 2008 By Jae  
All rights reserved.

ISBN:  978-1-934889

First Edition
eBook Format
November 2008

This electronic book is ePublished by
L-Book ePublisher
La Quinta, Ca.  USA
Email: info@ L-Book.com
Web Site: http://L-Book.com

Editor:  Judy Underwood

Cover Design by Sheri Halal

*  *  *

This work is copyrighted and is licensed only for use by the original purchaser and can be copied to the original purchaser's electronic device and its memory card for their personal use. Modifying or making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, without limit email, CD, DVD, memory cards, file transfer, paper print out or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions.

*  *  *

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

*  *  *

Acknowledgments

A big thank-you to Pam for her competent beta reading and her continued support.

I'd also like to thank RJ, who's been a patient test reader and an honest provider of feedback.

And thanks to Margot, who convinced me to tell readers whether the shelf was straight.

*  *  *

Dedication

To my mother. For being nothing like Sophie Matheson – not that there would have been anything wrong with having a rich mother, of course.

*  *  *

Author's Note

To fully enjoy this story, it would be best to read it after reading Next of Kin.

CHAPTER 1

"OF ALL THE TIMES to hold a motion hearing she had to choose today!" Kade closed her office door with more vigor than necessary and strode over to her desk. She put down her briefcase and sank onto her desk chair to slip out of her high-heeled pumps for a moment.

When she glanced up, she jumped and hit her knee on the edge of the desk.

She hadn't noticed the silent visitor sitting on the sofa against the wall of her office until now.

"Del!" She rubbed her knee and glared at the other woman. "Would you stop doing that!"

Del stood and circled the desk. "Oh, come on, admit it. You love being surprised by me." She grinned down at Kade.

Kade always found that smile irresistible but took care not to admit it. "I've had enough surprises for today, thank you very much," she grumbled even though seeing Del considerably improved her mood.

Stepping even closer, Del bent down to kiss her.

Heat shot through Kade, part a physical reaction to being so close to Del, part nervousness about this public display of affection in her office. She quickly pressed her hand against Del's shoulder, stopping her movement. "Del," she said. "Not here. Not now." She softly squeezed Del's shoulder before settling back down behind her desk.

Del sat down across from her without comment. She had always respected Kade's boundaries. "So what's going on?" Del asked. "Your day not going well?"

"It was – until Judge Linehan decided to have a last-minute motion hearing this afternoon," Kade said.

Del canted her head. "Why's that a problem? You usually love motion hearings."

Even after two months of dating Del, Kade was still surprised how well Del had gotten to know her. "I do," she said. "But I also had a call from my mother this morning. She decided to fly in two days earlier than planned. I promised to pick her up at the airport this afternoon, but now I'll be stuck in a motion hearing."

"Then let another Deputy DA handle the motion hearing," Del suggested.

"Beth Lawrence could probably take over, but she doesn't have a lot of experience." Kade sighed.

Del gave her an affectionate smile. "Control freak." She managed to make it sound like an endearment, so Kade decided to let her get away with it for the moment. Del studied her. "If you want to handle the motion hearing yourself, call your mother and tell her to take a cab. By the time she makes it downtown, the hearing will be over, and you can pay your respects to your mother."

Kade put on an expression of exaggerated shock. "Sophie Thayer Matheson doesn't do cabs."

"What about a car service?" Del suggested. "I've heard they have very nice limos. Maybe that'd be more to your mother's liking?"

Kade would have gladly paid for the car service but knew her mother wouldn't be content with it. "It's not about the car. My mother told me in no uncertain terms that she doesn't want to have to deal with a stranger picking her up."

"And what about your brother?" Del asked. "Can't he pick her up?"

That had been Kade's first thought too. "No." She sighed. "He has back-to-back surgeries all day."

"Hm. Do you want me to pick her up?" Del offered.

Kade stared at her. "You want to volunteer to pick up my mother from the airport?"

"Sure." Del smiled bravely. "We met when we stayed in Ashland, so I'm not a stranger."

Kade didn't point out that their one meeting hadn't ended in a very positive way when Sophie caught them kissing. "You're volunteering to be alone with my mother for thirty to forty-five minutes or possibly even longer, in a small, closed space, during rush hour, with no way of escaping? Are you sure?" Kade looked at her doubtfully.

Del laughed. "It won't be so bad. I'll pick her up and take her to dinner."

"Really?" Kade was caught between relief and guilt.

"Really," Del said. "Call me on my cell when you get out of the hearing, and I promise to keep your mother entertained until then."

Kade wrote down the details of her mother's flight. She picked up the note but hesitated to hand it over. "You're sure you don't mind?"

"Hey, you know I like doing little favors for my girlfriend." Del plucked the note out of her fingers.

"Oh, you really enjoy calling me that, don't you?" Kade wagged her finger at Del, but she actually didn't mind – and she was sure Del knew it.

Del stretched unrepentantly. "Yep. I sure do. So, should I drop off your mother's baggage at your apartment, or where is she staying?"

"No, she's staying at a hotel, thank God!" Kade had been relieved when her mother told her that she had already made reservations.

Del glanced at her watch. "Sorry. If I want to leave early to pick up my future mother-in-law, I have to go now and get started on my to-do list."

"You better not call her that to her face," Kade warned. She knew Del was only teasing, though, since they were taking it slow and were nowhere near the level of commitment that would make Sophie Del's mother-in-law. Kade watched Del stride to the door, enjoying the confident gait and the play of lithe muscles under the black slacks. An unexpected wave of emotion rushed over her. "Del?" she called.

"Yeah?" Del turned back around and looked at her expectantly.

Kade bit her lip. "Um... thank you." It wasn't what she had wanted to say, but since she couldn't find the words, it would have to do.

Del smiled – not the polite smile that Kade saw all day from assistants, defense lawyers, and acquaintances of her family but an affectionate grin that lit up Del's face and made her dark eyes sparkle. "You're welcome," Del said warmly. With another smile, she turned back around and reached the door in two more steps.

"Del!" Kade called at the very last moment before Del could open the door and leave.

Del turned back around, chuckling. "You don't want to let me go, do you?"

"Not without this." Still not wearing shoes, Kade hurried around her desk and wrapped her arms around Del, pressing their bodies together as she gave her a quick kiss.

"Mm-hm." Del hummed in appreciation as the kiss ended and Kade stepped back. "I thought you said no hanky-panky in the office?"

Kade tried to look indignant but couldn't hide her smile. "I couldn't let you go without a thank-you for picking up my mother."

"If that's how you thank me for spending time with your mother, she might become my new best friend," Del said.

A knock on the door made them quickly move apart. Del stepped away from the door as Kade reached to open it.

"See you later," Del said and stepped past Kade's assistant into the hallway.

*  *  *

Del had secretly hoped that Sophie's flight would be delayed, reducing the time she'd have to spend alone with Kade's mother, but of course fate had other ideas. The flight arrival monitor announced that Sophie's flight had landed right on time.

Del was craning her neck, trying to pick Sophie out of the crowd of travelers outside the security checkpoint. She couldn't just stay back and wait until Sophie found her because Sophie was expecting Kade, not her. Two businessmen hurried past Del, and a noisy family with three kids followed, but there was no trace of Sophie Matheson.

Jesus, don't miss her! Del admonished. Kade wouldn't be happy if you lose her mother at the airport.

Finally, as the very last traveler to leave the plane, Sophie appeared and walked past Del without even noticing her.

"Mrs. Matheson!" Del caught up with her in two quick steps.

Sophie turned and looked at her with a glance that clearly said "Who are you to talk to me, and what do you want?" before recognition finally showed on her face. "Oh. You are..." She stopped and hesitated, clearly at a loss at what to call Del.

"Yes, it's me, Del Vasquez," Del said. "Kade is stuck at a motion hearing, so I'm here to pick you up. I hope that's okay?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Sophie said with the automatic politeness she had drilled into Kade.

Del knew that it could mean either "I'm pleased to see you; lead the way" or "Go to hell, you stupid bitch; I won't go anywhere with you." She decided to go with the first interpretation and led Sophie over to the baggage claim area. "Which one is it?" she asked, pointing at the suitcases and traveling bags on the baggage carousel.

With a diamond-ringed finger, Sophie pointed at one of the suitcases. "The black suitcase. And the red one."

Del tried hard not to stare. Two big suitcases just for staying over the weekend? She said nothing and dutifully piled the suitcases onto a baggage cart.

Without even having touched one of the suitcases, Sophie followed her to the short-term parking garage. It was obvious that she always had people around who took over more arduous tasks for her, and she thought nothing of enlisting Del's help in the same way.

Del steered the cart toward her car and watched Sophie take in her red SUV. Del winced a little and gave a self-mocking grin behind Sophie's back. Great. Now she'll probably think the old stereotype is true and every lesbian drives a SUV. At least there's no baseball bat in the back of my car.

While Del loaded the suitcases into the SUV, Sophie stalked around the car and over to the passenger side.

Del followed and opened the door for her, suppressing a smile as she watched Sophie climb in. Del's choice of vehicles was clearly not the stylish black luxury car Sophie had expected.

Del settled behind the wheel and started the car.

Awkward silence ruled for a few minutes.

Turning on the blue light on her dashboard became a temptation. "So," Del finally said, "how was your flight?"

"It was pleasant, thank you," Sophie answered.

Silence again.

Del glanced with dread at the slow-moving rush-hour traffic ahead of them. Oh, Kade, she thought with an internal sigh, you owe me more than one kiss for this. "Are you hungry?" she asked, remembering her promise to take Sophie to dinner.

"I worked up an appetite," Sophie said even though how she'd done that while doing nothing was a mystery to Del. "And we all know the service is abysmal on airplanes. They are not even offering small morsels of food these days."

Was she really this snobbish and formal when we first met? Del tried to remember while she nodded politely. Or is she uncomfortable because she saw me kiss her daughter when we last saw each other? "Then let's have dinner, and Kade can join us when the hearing is over. What are you in the mood for?"

"Oh, I'll let you make the decision," Sophie said.

I don't think she'd like the beer and chicken wings in my favorite corner bar, and pizza is probably out too. For a few moments, Del thought about taking Sophie to the expensive French restaurant where Kade had taken her for their first date, but then decided against it. The restaurant was not really her style, and it held mixed memories for both Kade and her. "Have you ever tried Mexican food?" she asked.

"Of course," Sophie said.

Del bit back a grin. This is exactly the tone of voice Kade always uses when she doesn't want to admit that she has absolutely no clue about something. "Do you like it?" she asked.

Sophie hesitated, but she had maneuvered herself into a corner. "As far as I remember," she answered cautiously.

"Great," Del said with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Then let's go to a Mexican restaurant. Kade loves Mexican food."

"She does?" Sophie clearly hadn't known.

Del nodded. "Nothing can be too hot for Kade." She coughed when she realized her words could be interpreted in another way too. "She likes spicy food," she hurriedly added.

"I see," Sophie said.

*  *  *

Kade waited until the door to Judge Linehan's chamber had closed, then she quickly reached for her cell phone, waving dismissively at the defense lawyer who had just wasted two hours of her time. She pressed number one on her speed dial and waited impatiently for Del to pick up.

"Vasquez," came Del's voice, barely audible over the noise in the background.

Kade furrowed her brow. That didn't sound like one of the sedate restaurants her mother usually preferred. "Where are you?" she asked without greeting.

Del's laugh filtered through the receiver. "Oh, at a lively little Mexican restaurant. Your mother is having the time of her life. She's drinking margaritas and singing karaoke, and if you don't arrive soon, I'll have to stop her from dancing on the table."

"You're joking?" Kade couldn't believe it. She had seen her mother sip expensive wine or maybe a classic martini but couldn't believe she would chug down margaritas and have a good time with the lowly guests of a simple Mexican restaurant.

"Well, actually..." Del laughed. "I am. Your mother went to the restroom."

Kade's world righted itself. "So where are you really?"

"We really are at a small Mexican restaurant. No karaoke, though," Del said with a chuckle.

"How did you get her to go to a Mexican restaurant with you?" Kade asked. She knew her mother preferred the French and Italian cuisine.

"She said she likes Mexican food."

Kade quickened her steps. Something fishy was going on, and she wanted to get to the restaurant fast. "My mother has never tasted even a single crumb of a taco in her life!"

"Maybe you're not the only Matheson woman to try out new things in her life," Del suggested.

"Give me the name of this restaurant," Kade demanded. "Leaving you alone with my mother is dangerous."

Del laughed and relayed the restaurant's name.

*  *  *

Del put her cell phone away just as Sophie returned from the restroom.

Sophie settled stiffly onto her chair and gave Del a formal nod. "Was that Kadence?" she asked.

"Yes. Kade just finished her motion hearing," Del answered. She refused to use Kade's full first name because she knew Kade preferred the shorter version.

The waitress came by before an awkward silence could once again arise.

Del ordered the pork burritos for herself and the chicken fajita for Kade, and then waited with curiosity to see what Sophie would order from the menu she had eyed so skeptically.

"The sea scallop tostada, please," Sophie said.

"Nothing else?" the waitress asked. "Tostadas are usually served just as an appetizer."

"It will suffice," Sophie told her.

The waitress nodded. "What would you like to drink?"

Del gave Sophie a smile. "I'll defer to you. Kade always chooses the wine we have with dinner."

Sophie's eyebrow rose, but she said nothing and smoothly ordered the most expensive bottle of wine on the menu. "So you're Mexican?" Sophie asked, gesturing to the departing waitress with whom Del had spoken Spanish.

Is she really interested in learning more about me, or is she just making polite conversation? Del wondered. "No," she answered. "My parents came from Puerto Rico, but I was born in Sacramento. Puerto Rican Spanish is different from the Spanish that is spoken in Mexico, but it's still similar enough for me to order the food and exchange a few pleasantries."

Thankfully, it wasn't very long until the waitress returned with their wine and then the food.

Sophie watched as the waitress set down two plates of food on Del's side of the table. "It seems you worked up quite an appetite carrying my suitcases," she said.

Del knew the women in the Matheson family were encouraged to eat only dainty morsels, and in her opinion, it had caused Kade to skirt dangerously close to having an eating disorder a few years ago. "I'm pretty hungry," she said, pulling over the plate with the burritos, "but even I couldn't eat both of these, especially since I plan on having their to-die-for caramel flan for dessert. The chicken fajita is for Kade. The courthouse is just five minutes from here, so I know she'll be here any minute."

"Very considerate of you," Sophie said.

Del couldn't tell if it was a compliment or criticism. While she had learned to read Kade and hear what she didn't say, Sophie had perfected the polite mask over the years.

"Hi." Kade rushed into the restaurant, making a few heads turn – Del's included. Kade bent down to peck her mother's cheek.

Del was used to the warm interaction between Dawn and her mother, and this formal greeting made her sad for both of them.

*  *  *

"Hello, Mother. How was your flight?" Kade asked as she sat down next to Del.

Del moved a plate of chicken fajita, Kade's favorite Mexican dish, in front of her. Her stomach growled in appreciation, reminding Kade that she hadn't eaten all day. "Thank you," she said. She wanted to say so much more, wanted to kiss Del hello, but under the watchful eyes of her mother, she settled for giving Del's thigh a soft squeeze under the table.

Del's fingers covered hers and squeezed back, starting a silent conversation of squeezes and gentle caresses while Kade made small talk with her mother.

"Dessert?" Del finally asked when the waitress returned to collect their empty plates.

"No, thank you," Kade answered automatically. She almost never ordered dessert but for the last few months had always ended up sharing Del's.

Sophie critically appraised the caramel flan the waitress set down in front of Del a few minutes later.

For a moment, Kade envied the undaunted way in which Del enjoyed her caramel-custard-covered dessert.

Del looked up and met her gaze. "Want some? It's really good."

Kade knew that, in the privacy of their apartments, Del would have offered her a bit of the flan by holding the spoon to her lips. Then she would have kissed off all the imaginary traces of caramel. In more public settings, Del had always respected Kade's unease with open displays of affection. It wasn't only that Kade was still getting used to being in a lesbian relationship and working on being more open about it. She had never been a fan of public displays of affection, even when she had dated men. "No, thanks," she said. As much as she didn't want to admit it, it was hard not to seek her mother's approval even in things like her eating habits.

"So I thought we could visit the Portland Art Museum tomorrow and PICA on Sunday," Sophie continued to announce her plans for her stay in Portland.

That finally got Kade's attention. "Tomorrow?" She exchanged a quick glance with Del. "We already have other plans tomorrow."

"Certainly nothing that couldn't be postponed," Sophie said with determination.

Kade allowed her anger to surface a little. "We promised to help two friends move into a new apartment. I don't think they want to postpone moving just because you decided to visit two days earlier than planned."

Sophie set down her wineglass. "I came all the way from Ashland, and now you don't even take the time to spend a few hours with me?"

"I would have taken the time. I cleared my schedule to spend time with you – on Sunday and Monday, when you said you would visit," Kade said, trying hard to keep her voice low and calm. "Now you inform me that you're coming two days early and just expect me to cancel all my plans? I have other obligations too, Mother!" She hated the way her mother still tried to control her life and her time.

"Other obligations?" Sophie repeated. "Does that mean you consider spending time with your mother an obligation?"

Kade swallowed the angry "yes" with a gulp of too expensive wine and just stared at her mother.

She felt Del lay a calming hand on her knee. "Why don't you come with us tomorrow?" Del suggested. "I know Kade would love to introduce you to her friends."

Oh, don't bother, Del, Kade thought. She has never really been interested in me, much less my friends.

Sophie gave Del an appreciative nod. "At least your friend has the manners not to expect me to spend the day on my own," she said to Kade.

My friend? Del is much more than my friend, and you know it! Kade said nothing, though. After a day of nerve-racking arguments and legal fights, she just wanted to spend a quiet evening and not start World War III with her mother.

"So you'll come with us?" Del asked. How she managed to sound so sincerely pleased was beyond Kade.

Even Sophie blinked, clearly caught a little off guard by Del's enthusiasm. "I'll come with you," she finally said.

Great. Kade took another sip of wine. U-hauling a lesbian couple... Mother is going to love it!

CHAPTER 2

"JUST A LITTLE to the right. Use the other hand too," Dawn instructed. "Yes, yes, that's good."

"There?" Aiden asked.

Dawn pressed closer against her. "That's it... just a little more... Yes! There!"

"What are you doing in there, girls?" Dawn's mother called from the hallway.

Dawn chuckled as Aiden hit her head at the unexpected interruption. She peered over Aiden's shoulder and saw the cat move even deeper under the bed. "Still trying to get Kia into her transport box," she called back. "Aiden is trying now since she has longer arms, but so far, Kia has managed to outsmart us both."

Aiden turned around in the cramped space halfway under the bed. "She probably thinks I'm in here having my way with you," she whispered and nipped Dawn's ear.

Aiden's lips on her ear caused pleasant shudders to race up and down Dawn's body. "My mother is thinking no such thing," she protested.

"No?" Aiden trailed a line of openmouthed kisses down Dawn's jaw and neck. "You mean she won't suspect a thing if I actually do?"

"Hey, you two!" Grace called through the still closed door. "Get a move on! Cal will be here any minute with the moving van! You can make out later."

Aiden jerked back, making Dawn laugh. "No, honey," Dawn said, patting Aiden's cheek, "I'm sure she won't suspect a thing."

*  *  *

When Dawn finally carried the transport box with its loudly complaining inhabitant out of the bedroom, her mother was just saying hello to Laurie and Evan. "Hey, you two," Dawn said. "Good to see you."

Laurie, Kade's sixteen-year-old niece, came over to give Dawn a hug, and Dawn embraced Evan too, despite her halfhearted protests. Dawn knew that she was the only adult whom Evan allowed to hug her. "I really appreciate you taking the time to come and help us move," Dawn told the two teenagers.

"I only do it because I'm bored," Evan claimed. "There's nothing on TV..."

"...and you ran out of weed?" Dawn finished what Evan had once told her almost four months ago when Dawn had still been her therapist.

"Well, I gave that up. Maybe that's why I'm so bored that carrying moving boxes all day sounds like a nice change of pace, huh?" Evan grinned, never one to admit that she had volunteered to help just for the sake of helping someone she liked.

Laurie casually hooked her fingers through the belt loops of Evan's jeans, obviously at ease with that little sign of belonging together now that it was just Dawn watching them. "I thought Aiden said she'd move in with you?"

Dawn looked around her little apartment. She had just moved here nine months before, and she had been reluctant to give it up, but she knew getting a new apartment together would make both of them feel more at home. "We talked about that, yes, but we finally decided that a bigger apartment would be better," she answered. Aiden needed a room of her own, where she could retreat whenever she needed a little time to herself. "It'll be nice to have an extra room, and if we decide to have a baby one day, my little apartment would be too small."

Evan groaned at the word "baby."

Dawn gave her a gentle nudge. "No groaning about your future niece or nephew, please. Once you're an aunt, your days of boredom will be over." She knew that Evan, growing up in foster care, had twice been replaced by a baby being born into the foster family, so she wanted to let her know right away that any future plans of family included her too.

Aiden came out of the bedroom, carrying a large moving box. "Who's bored?" she asked.

"No one," Evan said a little too quickly.

"Come on," Aiden said. "You can help me dismantle the bed."

"I said I wasn't bored," Evan protested but followed Aiden and Laurie into the bedroom.

Dawn chuckled and went to help her mother pack up the last few items in the kitchen.

*  *  *

"You're humming," Grace said as she closed the last moving box. Dawn had hummed and whistled all morning.

Dawn looked up and smiled at her. "I am? Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It isn't bothering me," Grace said. "I love seeing you so happy." After everything that had happened to Dawn last year, Grace had feared her daughter would never again be truly happy.

"I am happy," Dawn agreed, smiling even brighter.

"Oh, just wait until she starts to squeeze the tube of toothpaste from the wrong end," Grace warned playfully.

Dawn laughed. She abandoned the moving boxes and walked over to Grace, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Thank you, Mom," she whispered. "Thank you for all your support and for welcoming Aiden into the family."

"Hush," Grace said, feeling tears threaten. "You're my daughter. You'll always have my support, no matter what. And Aiden is a wonderful addition to the family. I know your father would have thought so too."

"He would have kicked your butts for standing here chatting while there's still so much work to do," Del's voice came from the doorway.

Grace slowly let go of Dawn and turned to her best friend. One glance showed her that Del's dark eyes were a little moist too, but she ignored it with a smile, not wanting to embarrass her friend. "That's what you're here for," she answered.

"Yeah, and I even brought help," Del said. "Kade and her mother are in the living room."

"Her mother?" Grace repeated. She had barely gotten used to the fact that Del had a girlfriend, and now it seemed there was a whole family involved.

Del nodded. "She came to visit Kade two days early, and now she's giving Kade a hard time about not bending over backwards to spend time with her."

"So you brought her with you to help us move? Del, really!" Dawn shook her head. "I doubt that was what she had in mind when she came to spend time with Kade."

Del shrugged unrepentantly. "She has a big chip on her shoulder, and she's less than supportive of Kade, so I thought it would be good to introduce her to family interaction 101."

"And you want us to teach that course?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, no. Just be yourself. If Sophie is as clever as her daughter, she'll learn just by watching," Del said.

Dawn's expression made it clear she was less than convinced. "What if she's also as stubborn as her daughter?"

"Well," Del said, "then anything could happen."

CHAPTER 3

"HEY, KADE." Aiden couldn't help staring as Kade entered the living room. She could count the number of times she had seen Kade in anything but custom-tailored power suits on one hand. Kade Matheson in jeans, an old T-shirt, and with her red hair pulled back into a ponytail was a rare treat.

Their working relationship had slowly developed into a timid friendship over the last few months, so Aiden stepped forward and hugged Kade for a moment.

She was amazed by a sudden realization. This feels so... wrong. Well, no, not really wrong, but... It wasn't that she felt guilty for hugging Kade. Dawn had always encouraged her to build a friendship with Kade, and Aiden knew she would be fine with her hugging Kade. Aiden embraced Kade for a few seconds longer while she tried to figure it out.

Looking down at the red strands, she noticed that Kade was a few inches taller than Dawn's familiar five-four. Her less obvious curves met Aiden's body in all the wrong places. Aiden suddenly realized that she had been comparing everything in her life, every woman she met, with Dawn on an unconscious level for some time now. The cooking of Ray's wife was not as good as Dawn's, the eyes of SAD's new detective not as expressive as Dawn's gray-green irises, and Kade's confident elegance was no longer more attractive than Dawn's gentle warmth.

With a laugh, she let go of Kade. Only then did she realize that they were not alone in the living room.

*  *  *

Sophie stopped in the doorway and watched as the stranger greeted Kadence. The warm embrace surprised her. She had never seen anyone greet Kadence in such a way. Are they...? Is she...? She let her analytical gaze slide over the tall, short-haired woman. Isn't she one of the officers working with Kadence? She had only met Kadence's colleagues once, so she wasn't sure.

Finally, Kadence and the stranger separated and turned toward her, but at the same moment, the doorbell rang and half a dozen more moving helpers arrived while others came in from the bedroom. Suddenly, the noise level went up as all around Sophie hugs were exchanged, jokes were thrown back and forth, and children chattered excitedly. Sophie suppressed the urge to cover her ears. What is this – moving day or a wild party?

"Hi, Grandmother Sophie," a young voice said behind her.

Sophie turned around and came face-to-face with her granddaughter. "Laurel? What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping them move. Aiden is Evan's sister," Laurel explained, pointing at someone within the throng of laughing and hugging people.

"Aiden? Evan?" Sophie still didn't understand what Laurel had to do with this group of adults.

Laurel nodded and tugged on the sleeve of someone right next to them. "Grandmother, this is Evan – my girlfriend."

Sophie stared at her granddaughter's face, noticing the pride and nervousness in Laurel's expression. Then her glance wandered to the teenager next to her. She felt her eyebrows rise higher and higher as she took in the worn leather jacket, the tattoo peeking out of the neck of a black T-shirt, and the very short hair of the tough-looking girl. Oh, good God! No wonder Laurel broke her arm when she was with this... this... She shook her head. How could her parents allow this? I need to have a serious talk with Douglas!

The girl wiped her hand on her jeans and offered it to Sophie. "Hi," she said.

"Hello," Sophie murmured, and only her good manners made her shake the girl's hand.

"It's really super of you to come and help them move," Laurel said. "Has anyone introduced you to Dawn? I know you'll love her. She really is the coolest woman. She's even letting me ask her all these questions about becoming a psychologist."

Sophie stopped her granddaughter's rambling with a raised hand. "Becoming a psychologist?" She frowned.

"Yeah. That's what I want to do. My grades are good enough," Laurel said defensively.

"I think it's great," the girl next to her said.

Sophie shot her a quick glance but didn't bother to answer the irrelevant remark. "Your grades are good enough to do anything," she emphasized. "Why would you want to become a psychologist?" Never before had a Matheson made her living dealing with other people's problems and inadequacies.

"I want to help people and make a difference in their lives, just the way Dawn did for Evan," Laurel explained earnestly.

"Mother," Kadence interrupted them at just the wrong moment, "would you mind riding in the moving van with Cal and Dawn? We need the space in Del's SUV to transport a few more moving boxes."

Riding in a moving van... Sophie sighed. I wonder what the rest of the day will bring.

*  *  *

Sophie cleared her throat and gave the blond woman who had introduced herself as Dawn Kinsley a pointed look.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ms. Kinsley said, finally noticing that she had hummed along with some rock song for the last five minutes.

Sophie breathed a sigh of relief as Ms. Kinsley turned off the moving van's radio. She glanced at the man behind the steering wheel, and then studied Ms. Kinsley, who was practically bouncing in her seat. While Sophie normally didn't approve of such wriggling and fidgeting, she gave the younger woman a lenient smile. It was good to see a young couple so happy about moving in together. Sophie couldn't remember ever being so overjoyed during her marriage.

"So, this is the big day," Sophie commented, trying to be nice to Kadence's friend.

Ms. Kinsley beamed at her. "Yes."

"Needless to ask if you're looking forward to it," Sophie said.

"Yeah," the man behind the wheel growled. "I can't remember you being this excited when we moved in together."

Sophie looked from one to the other in confusion.

"Cal," Ms. Kinsley said. She reached over Sophie and squeezed his arm for a moment. "We talked about this. It has nothing to do with you."

Sophie tried to understand what was going on. "So you are not moving in together?" she asked.

"Been there, done that," the man named Cal grumbled.

"No." Ms. Kinsley shook her head. "We're divorced."

"Oh." Sophie refrained from saying anything more. She's barely thirty and already divorced? She and Douglas Sr. had always stuck together, through good and bad times. Neither of us cried for a divorce at the first sign of trouble!

"I'm moving in with Aiden," Ms. Kinsley explained.

Aiden... Sophie knew someone had mentioned that name before, but during the chaotic introductions, she had lost track of all the names and faces. Well, it can't be too hard to guess. All but three or four of Kadence's friends seem to be women. She discounted the tall, black detective and the older Asian man, so that left only their younger colleague. Sophie wasn't sure, but she thought his name was Rufus or Ruben or something similar. "Oh, so it's that dark-haired detective with the nice smile."

Ms. Kinsley nodded happily.

"Then I'm happy for you," Sophie said generously.

For a moment, Ms. Kinsley blinked in surprise, then her smile brightened. "Thank you."

Why is she so surprised by a few polite words? Sophie wondered. She tried to catch a glimpse of the red SUV behind them in the outside mirror. Kadence has some weird friends.

*  *  *

On legs that felt a little rubbery, Sophie let herself be helped down from the cabin of the big moving van and looked around the new neighborhood. Just across the street was a park that looked nice enough but was a little too busy for Sophie's taste. Children were screeching on a tire swing, the players on a basketball court were shouting at each other, and dogs were barking. From somewhere, Sophie could hear the familiar plopping of tennis balls.

Sophie followed Ms. Kinsley over to a three-story house. Just as they reached it, the front door opened, and an older woman stepped outside. "Oh, new neighbors," she said when she saw the moving van. She looked at all the people walking up with moving boxes. "Which one of you is moving in?"

"That would be me," Ms. Kinsley said with a bright smile, "and her." She grabbed the arm of the tall woman next to her and held on to it for a moment before she let go to shake her new neighbor's hand. "Dawn Kinsley and Aiden Carlisle."

Sophie couldn't help staring. She is Aiden? Not he? She looked at the young, dark-haired man who stood in the second row, waiting with a moving box in his hands. Ms. Kinsley is moving in with a woman. Good God, has the whole world suddenly become gay? She turned to look at Kadence, who just stared back and raised a challenging eyebrow, daring her to say something. Oh, no, Kadence Matheson! My parents taught me better than to make a scene, but that doesn't mean I approve of this circle of friends you suddenly cultivated!

The new neighbor looked a little startled too but held open the door for them while the group of helpers moved past her with boxes and furniture.

Sophie was the last one to remain outside.

The neighbor looked at her expectantly, and with a sigh, Sophie followed the others.

CHAPTER 4

GRACE PUT DOWN a potted plant in the only corner of the living room that was free of moving boxes. When she turned to make the trip downstairs again, she realized Sophie Matheson was lingering in the doorway.

Among all the jeans- and T-shirt-clad moving helpers Sophie looked out of place in her elegant slacks and expensive blouse. Tim, Jamie, and Ray's four daughters were running around the still mostly empty apartment, and the adults were busy assembling furniture or carrying moving boxes up the stairs. Everyone knew his or her place and task. Everyone but Sophie Matheson.

Grace walked up to her. "Mrs. Matheson," she said, "why don't you come with me and give me a hand in the kitchen?"

Kade's mother seemed more than happy to escape the chaos in the living room and followed her willingly.

Grace began to unpack various cold beverages, coffee, and paper plates they would need later.

Sophie stood by and watched, clearly not used to doing much in the kitchen. She glanced into the living room, where her daughter and Del were struggling to put Dawn's bookcase back together. Del handed Kade a screwdriver and said something that made both of them laugh.

"She's a good woman," Grace said.

"Kadence?" Sophie asked distractedly, still watching Kade and Del.

Grace smiled. "Kade too, yes, but I meant Del."

Sophie turned back around. "I'm sure she is," she said diplomatically.

Grace heard what she didn't say. "But?" she prompted.

"Well... I just don't understand why Kadence would... She is not... My daughter isn't..."

"Gay?" Grace helpfully supplied, and when she saw Sophie flinch, she decided to answer her own question. "No, technically she isn't. Bisexual would probably be a better description. But that doesn't mean she can just choose to stick with men, marry, and make you a happy grandmother. She can't choose who she falls in love with."

"I'm not talking about love," Sophie protested.

Grace smiled. Sophie was going through all the stages of denial, and Grace knew them only too well. She had experienced them firsthand when she had first learned about Dawn's relationship with Maggie. "No? Look at them." She pointed at Del and Kade.

Slowly, Sophie turned and watched as Kade held one of Del's hands in both of her own, cradling it tenderly while she tried to remove a splinter from Del's finger. "I'm Kadence's mother. I'd know if she was... gay," Sophie labored to utter the word, short as it was. "This is just a phase. People don't just turn gay overnight!"

"No, they don't. I know it's not my place to say this, and you should really talk to Kade about it, but I suspect Kade has known she's attracted to women for a long time. She just never wanted to admit it to herself – and certainly not to you," Grace said frankly.

"You don't even have the faintest idea!" Sophie cried. The iron self-control slipped for a moment as she stared at Grace, obviously bewildered that a stranger was interfering with family matters. "You don't know how it feels to see your own flesh and blood descend into..." She trailed off, probably searching for a word that could describe the awfulness of the situation.

Grace had no intention of letting Sophie get away with this self-pitying, homophobic attitude. "Yes," she said with determination, "I have more than just a faint idea. Do you think you're the only mother of a gay child?" She wanted to tell Sophie to get over herself but stopped just in time. If she wanted Sophie to listen, she had to keep this polite. "Dawn is my daughter."

Sophie's stare told her that she had guessed right – Sophie hadn't even known who she was when she had pulled her into the kitchen.

"I said all the same things about Dawn just a few years ago," Grace said. "I told her it was just a phase, she was confused or lonely, or had been hurt by men one too many times. As you can see," she pointed at Dawn, at Aiden, and at the whole apartment, "I was wrong."

Sophie looked at her in astonishment. "How can you be so calm about it? Didn't you ever dream of a big wedding, a good husband, and children for your daughter?"

"What I dreamed about doesn't matter," Grace answered. "Dawn will have a commitment ceremony, a good wife, and she can still have children." It had taken years, but she could finally say it without any feelings of disappointment, guilt, or resentment.

Sophie was still shaking her head.

If she were a child, she'd be covering her ears, crying "la la la la la, I can't hear you." She doesn't want to listen. "Dawn already had the big wedding and the husband," Grace said. "It only made her unhappy. How can I wish for something for my daughter that will make her unhappy?"

"You don't think it would be better for your daughter if she were... normal?" Sophie asked with a frown.

"Normal?" Grace echoed. "Believe me, Dawn and Aiden are more normal than most of the heterosexual couples I know."

Sophie still didn't look convinced. She ran manicured fingers through her perfectly coiffed hair. "I don't know. My parents taught me that it's wrong, abnormal... unnatural."

"Even parents make mistakes," Grace said and smiled meaningfully. "When Dawn told me she was gay, I thought it was a catastrophe... the end of the world. I got all tangled up in ifs, buts, and whys – until Del finally helped me to understand that it doesn't matter, that nothing matters except for the fact that I love my daughter. As a mother, it's not my job to judge my daughter but to support her."

"Excuse me," Sophie said and stiffly strode into the living room.

*  *  *

"Mom?" Dawn asked when she saw her mother standing stock-still in the kitchen. "Everything okay? Do you need help?"

Grace jerked and forced a smile. "Oh, no, I can manage unpacking a few beverages on my own. Thanks, sweetie."

"I thought Mrs. Matheson was helping you?" Dawn had seen Kade's mother head into the kitchen, but now there was no trace of Sophie.

"Not a lot of help there. I have a feeling Mrs. Matheson only finds her way into the kitchen to compliment the cook." Grace chuckled, but Dawn could tell that she was thinking about something else.

Dawn covered Grace's hand with her own. "You didn't have a fight with her, did you?" She was a little worried about Kade's mother, who was clearly uncomfortable with Kade's friends.

Grace snorted. "It's hard to fight with someone who's too aristocratic to show any emotion. But I think I upset her a little when I gave her 'the talk.'" She formed quotation marks in the air and grinned sheepishly.

"'The talk'?" The term made Dawn smile. "You're not talking about 'the birds and the bees' talk, right?"

"No. More like 'the bees and the bees' talk."

Dawn stared at her mother. "You didn't make her unpack the moving box with The Lesbian Kama Sutra, did you?"

Grace didn't even blink. "You don't own that book," she said. "I know because I packed all of your books."

"All right. So what kind of talk did you give her?" Dawn asked.

"The 'get over yourself and support your gay daughter' talk Del gave me five years ago and then again when you met Aiden," Grace said. "I perfected it when you came out to your grandmother this year, and I thought I was ready to go on tour with it, but it didn't work so well on Mrs. Matheson."

Sometimes, Dawn couldn't believe the progress her mother had made. Less than a year ago, Grace had still hoped that Dawn's next relationship would be with a man and had struggled to accept her relationship with Aiden. And now she's giving a talk to Kade's mother! "What did she say?" she asked.

"The usual." Grace shrugged. "She wants the big wedding and the son-in-law."

Dawn felt a tiny stab of guilt. "I know after losing Brian, you were looking forward to having a son-in-law too," she murmured.

Grace didn't even try to deny it. "Yes, I did. But when I had one, I realized that he always remained a stranger in some ways. Aiden, on the other hand, goes jogging with Del every week; Jamie and Tim adore her, and just last week, she brought me dinner when I had to pull that double shift."

"She did?" Aiden had never told her that.

Grace chuckled. "It was Chinese takeout, but still, it's the thought that counts."

Dawn glanced over to Aiden, who was just tackling the new CD rack with her cordless screwdriver. Dawn wanted to stride over to her and kiss her but decided it could wait.

"I never thought I'd one day have a second daughter-in-law, but now that I have one, I'm pretty happy with it," Grace said.

Her mother had told her something very similar just an hour ago, but Dawn was speechless anyway. She swallowed, and then cleared her throat. "You really should go on tour with this talk."

CHAPTER 5

SOPHIE HAD a headache. She rubbed her temples and stepped into the hallway.

A toddler raced around the corner, screeching and laughing as a girl with dreadlocks chased him.

Sophie's temples pounded as she quickly sidestepped them to avoid a collision.

The boy didn't even notice that he had almost run into Sophie.

Her headache was close to turning into a full-fledged migraine. Sophie retreated to the bathroom. Someone had unhinged the door, probably to give them more space to navigate with the furniture, but she was thankful for the momentary retreat anyway.

Through the doorframe, she glanced into the living room and shook her aching head as the little boy collided with the older Kinsley woman on his wild chase around the apartment. Neither her nanny nor I would have allowed Kadence to do that when she was that age! Running in the house had been strictly forbidden.

Grace Kinsley, however, didn't scold the boy. Laughing, she bent down and began to tickle him. When the boy squealed and ran away, Grace straightened and said something to her daughter next to her that caused the younger woman to let out an outraged "Mom!" and give her a playful slap on the arm.

For a moment, Sophie thought the interaction between mother and daughter disrespectful, but then both Kinsley women laughed and hugged each other.

Sophie knew Kadence would have never done either. She couldn't remember the last full-body hug she had gotten from her own daughter, and she couldn't even say when they had last laughed with each other.

She hadn't allowed herself to dwell on it, but Sophie knew she didn't have the best of relationships with her daughter. We've become so estranged from each other that I only learned about her... about that lesbian phase when I found her kissing a woman, for God's sake! I never should have let it come to that. Still, she didn't know what to do about it. She knew she couldn't try to emulate the relationship Grace Kinsley had with her daughter. Neither Kadence nor I would feel comfortable with that.

Kadence's laughter echoed through the still mostly empty apartment.

At the sound, Sophie looked up.

Kadence was kneeling on the floor, not caring if her pants became dirty.

Well, there's not much to ruin anyway. Sophie eyed the worn blue jeans. She hadn't even known Kadence possessed a pair.

She watched as Kadence bent over a shelf board, her slender fingers wrapped around a screwdriver. Delicia Vasquez knelt next to her and took hold of the shelf, so that Kadence now had both hands free for the screw and the screwdriver. With competent movements, Kadence fastened the screw.

Sophie looked at the other young women in the room. The friendly Dawn Kinsley, who was joking with Grace; a slender brunette who was patiently showing a maybe ten-year-old girl how to fold the empty moving boxes, and the intense Aiden Carlisle, who was lifting the top of a large cabinet onto its base with the help of a plump woman whom Sophie had never seen before.

She realized that her screwdriver-wielding daughter seemed to fit right in. Kadence appeared more comfortable in this overly relaxed atmosphere than Sophie had ever seen her.

Then her gaze fell on Delicia Vasquez and the way her shoulders were touching Kadence's while they knelt next to each other. I do want her to feel comfortable and have friends but not this. Why does it have to be this?

*  *  *

"That shelf isn't straight," Aiden said.

Kade turned away from the newly hung shelf and glared at her. "It's perfectly straight."

"No, it's not," Aiden insisted.

Kade narrowed her eyes at Aiden. Sometimes she wished for the old times when she had still been known as the "ice queen" and none of her detectives had ever dared to question her judgment. "Del? Tell her the shelf is straight."

Del glanced from her to the shelf, and then to Aiden. "Um..."

"Told you so," Aiden said with a grin.

"Give me a level," Kade demanded.

Aiden searched through her toolbox. "I don't have one." She turned to her partner. "Ray? Do you have a level?"

"No." He glanced at them. "Is there a problem with the shelf?"

"The shelf is fine," Kade said.

Evan stepped closer. "I could drive over to the hardware store and get a level."

Aiden gave her a sisterly pat on the shoulder. "Nice try."

"What?" Evan tried her most innocent expression – which wasn't very convincing.

"You don't have your fifty hours of supervised driving yet, and you think I'll just hand over my car for you to take it out on your own?" Aiden shook her head. "Forget it. Not without supervision."

"I can go with her," Laurie offered.

Aiden gave her a gentler version of the pat Evan had received. "I meant adult supervision."

"I'll go with them," Sophie offered unexpectedly.

Kade stared at her mother. Then she understood. Sophie was taking the first available opportunity to escape the situation. At the same time, she made sure that her granddaughter, sole heir of the Matheson family, wasn't left alone with her lesbian girlfriend. As glad as she would be to be without her mother's disapproving glances for a while, she felt bad for Laurie and Evan. "I can go too," she said.

"No," Aiden said. "I need you to explain that color-coding system you made Dawn use again. I need a dish towel, and I have no idea where in these innumerable moving boxes they could be."

Evan shot her half sister a less than friendly glance, obviously not pleased with having Sophie for a chaperone. "Keys," she demanded.

*  *  *

"Oh, no, you take the backseat," Sophie Matheson said when Laurie reached out to open the passenger side door. "I'll sit next to your... friend."

Evan rolled her eyes. What does she think I'll do to Laurie if she lets her sit next to me? She got into the car and fumbled with the keys for a moment before she got them into the ignition.

"Are you sure you should drive?" Sophie asked her. "We could have your sister –"

"No," Evan growled, angry at herself for showing any sign of nervousness. It wasn't the driving that was making her nervous; it was having Laurie's grandmother sit next to her. She could practically feel Sophie's disapproval every time she came within a five-foot radius of Laurie.

She started Aiden's car and pulled out onto the road, taking care not to exceed the speed limit. Sophie Matheson seemed to be a stickler for rules. This is no fun. Hope the old battle-axe goes back to wherever she came from soon!

Evan had been to the hardware store with Aiden before, so she found the store and the aisle with the levels in record time. She didn't plan on spending one second more than absolutely necessary in the company of Laurie's grandmother.

"Evan! Wait a minute," Laurie called on the way back to the car. She gestured at an old man who was struggling to heave a big sack of potting compost into the trunk of his car.

Evan sighed. This was typical for Laurie. She was the nice girl next door who helped old ladies across the road and climbed on trees to get down a child's Frisbee.

"Oh, no! Laurel!" Sophie protested when Laurie made her way over to the old man. "Are you out of your mind? That sack has to weigh at least forty pounds! Leave this to –" She glanced at Evan and stopped herself.

To whom? Evan wondered. She had a feeling Sophie hadn't finished her sentence because she had suddenly remembered that Evan was a girl and not Laurie's boyfriend. She probably thinks I'm the "man" in the relationship. Evan rolled her eyes.

"To whom?" Laurie asked. "To Evan? Grandmother, she's not the hired help just along to do the heavy lifting. She's my girlfriend, and it would be nice if you treated her accordingly."

Her whole life, Evan had always taken care of herself. She never needed a champion to defend her. Still, having the usually timid Laurie stand up to her strict grandmother because of her felt unexpectedly good.

Sophie stared at her. "Don't talk to me in that tone, Laurel Matheson!"

Laurie stared back, clearly surprised by her own daring words.

Evan stepped next to Laurie. She shoved her clenched fists into the pockets of her jeans, trying to control her rising anger. "If you want some respect, you better give us some too!" she said. She had wanted to be polite to Sophie for Laurie's sake, but enough was enough.

"She's right about that," the old man said. He gave a grateful nod to Laurie, who had heaved the sack into the trunk of his car.

Sophie shot him a stern glance. "I suggest you mind your own business. This is a family affair."

The old man patted Laurie's arm and got into his car.

"That was rude, Grandmother," Laurie murmured. She glared at Sophie for a moment before she looked away.

She got you there! Evan grinned. Guess that refined Matheson politeness only goes as far as it serves your purposes, huh?

Sophie said nothing. She was strangely quiet on the way to the car.

For a moment, Evan allowed herself to fantasize about leaving Sophie behind in the parking lot, but she knew Aiden had entrusted the car to her and that included being responsible for all the passengers, as annoying as one of them might be.

*  *  *

By the time they reached the apartment, Sophie was exhausted, confused, and ready to take the next plane home. Every member of her family was suddenly rebelling, and Sophie felt as if her whole world was crumbling.

When she entered the living room, yet another female moving helper had arrived. A slender, elegantly dressed woman with flowing black hair was hanging an oil painting of sunset over the Willamette River on its new place over the couch.

Sophie stared at the woman and the painting. "Isn't that Maggie Forsyth?" she asked Mrs. Kinsley, who was walking around, giving out pizza on paper plates to the helpers.

Mrs. Kinsley offered her a paper plate, but Sophie shook her head. "Yes. She came over to bring a moving-in present for Dawn and Aiden." Mrs. Kinsley nodded at the painting.

Sophie knew the painting was one of Ms. Forsyth's own. She had seen it at a gallery opening and knew it was worth a few thousand dollars. "That was certainly nice of her. How do you know Maggie Forsyth?" Sophie asked. She hadn't thought the Kinsleys were supporters of the arts.

"She's Dawn's ex-girlfriend," Grace Kinsley said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Maggie Forsyth is a lesbian?" Sophie said louder than she had intended.

Maggie Forsyth turned around and smiled at her. "Yes, I am," she said with a wink and turned back around.

Sophie blinked, mortified. "Everyone here seems so at ease with it. Even your daughter's ex-husband is here to help her move in with a woman!"

Mrs. Kinsley smiled. "Well, Cal wasn't exactly happy to find out his ex-wife is a lesbian. He gave her a hard time about it at the beginning. But he was my son's best friend, almost a second son to my husband and me, and a great friend to Dawn for a lot of years before they ever were together as a couple. Deep down, he knows their marriage was a mistake, and he also knows Dawn is still the same, loveable person. She was there for him when his mother died, and she deserves a little help from him now."

It all sounded plausible, but still... Sophie shook her head.

"It didn't happen overnight," Mrs. Kinsley told her. "For me, once I got over the shock and confusion, it was an easy choice. I've lost one child to a terrible crime, and I knew I didn't want to lose the other to prejudices or stupid pride."

She lost a child? Sophie hadn't known that. She realized there was a lot about these people that she didn't know.

"Just give yourself a little time," Mrs. Kinsley advised. She patted Sophie's arm. "And now take a slice of pizza and sit down for a moment while we wait for them to decide if the shelf is straight or not."

Straight or not... That seems to be the crucial question these days. With cautious fingers, Sophie took the paper plate Mrs. Kinsley held out to her. "Thank you," she said politely.

Mrs. Kinsley smiled. "Anytime."

*  *  *

"Give me that thing!" Kade demanded, extending her hand in Evan's direction.

Aiden stepped between them. "Oh, no. I'll do this. You stay back."

Kade folded her arms across her chest. "You trust my integrity in the courtroom, but you don't trust me to use a level without cheating?"

Dawn walked up to the group that had gathered around the shelf. She casually wrapped her arm around Aiden's waist, getting her to relax. "No arguing on moving day," she said to both of them.

Grinning, Del wrapped her arm around Kade's waist.

Dawn watched as Kade stiffened for a moment. She knew Kade still wasn't used to having her personal space invaded and being casually touched on a regular basis. It wasn't just her hesitation to openly commit to her relationship with a woman. Kade wasn't used to showing affection, romantic or otherwise, in public.

After a moment, Kade visibly relaxed and wrapped her own arm around Del.

Dawn exchanged a quick glance with Aiden and gave her a silent squeeze. "Give me the level," she said to Evan.

"Let a neutral person do it," Kade protested. "You're on her side." She pointed an accusing finger at Aiden.

Dawn wrapped her other arm around Aiden too and enjoyed their closeness for a moment. "I'll always be on her side," she said and felt Aiden's arms pull her even closer. "But in this case, I'm on the side of the tenant who wants to have a straight shelf." She pointed at herself.

"Tenant? Singular?" Aiden smiled down at her. "I live here too, remember?"

"I know." Dawn couldn't forget that for a moment. It was what had made her happy for weeks – and also a little nervous. She hoped Aiden would like sharing her life and her home with her and wouldn't feel cramped.

"So I'm also interested in having a straight shelf," Aiden said, letting go with one arm to stroke Dawn's cheek.

Kade snorted. "Yes, and you're also interested in winning the bet."

"Bet?" Dawn looked from Kade and Del to Aiden. Sometimes it was hard to believe how competitive this bunch of cops and lawyers was. "You bet on whether the shelf is straight?"

"Sure," Aiden said with a grin. "Kade can afford to lose the money, right Kade?"

"Oh, you can never have too much money," Kade shot back. "Which is why I'll be sorry to take your money from you... but I'll do it anyway." Her expression was stern, but her eyes were twinkling with amusement.

Dawn realized that Kade had gotten much more comfortable with being teased in the last few weeks.

"Jesus Christ!" Evan finally had enough. "No one will get to take any money from anyone if you just stand there and discuss it!" She strode over to the shelf and laid the level down on it.

"I knew it!" Aiden laughed and spun Dawn around in enthusiastic circles.

Kade stood staring at the shelf. "I could have sworn it was straight," she murmured.

Del grinned down at her. "Well, just a while back, you would have sworn that you were straight too."

Kade pinched her, making Del yelp. "That's hardly the same thing."

"You're right," Del said and gave her a quick kiss. "There's a big difference – I didn't care about the shelf."

CHAPTER 6

"I HOPE YOU enjoyed your stay in Portland," Kadence said, raising her voice a little to be heard over the hustle and bustle in the airport's ticket lobby. She sounded like a dutiful hotel manager, not like a loving daughter.

Dawn Kinsley wouldn't have said good-bye to her mother like this, Sophie thought. She realized she had a big part in establishing the distance between them – and it was up to her to bridge it. "Well," she said, "it was a nice change of pace." After a moment's hesitation, she stepped closer and hugged Kadence, pulling her closer and embracing her longer than she usually did.

She felt Kadence stiffen in surprise. "Nice change of pace?" Kadence murmured, visibly shocked. "This feels more like a revolution!"

"Oh, no. It's not." Sophie knew she had to be honest with Kadence if she hoped to ever have a better relationship with her. "I don't want you to think I'm completely at ease with... with your sexual orientation. I'm not Grace Kinsley." She knew she would never be happy about having a lesbian daughter, but for the first time, she was starting to think the problem might lie with her, not with Kadence.

"Good," Kadence said, surprising Sophie, "because I'm not Dawn."

"What does that mean?" Sophie asked.

Kadence shrugged. "I'm not as at ease with my sexual orientation as Dawn is with hers. That doesn't mean I'm unsure about it. I know that I'm bisexual and that I... have strong feelings for Del. It's just that openly admitting to something that I've denied for so long is still new. I don't expect you to join PFLAG or to introduce Del as your daughter-in-law at the Matheson clan gathering."

PFLAG? Sophie thought but didn't ask for an explanation. "Good," she said. "Because I won't do that anytime soon."

"But," Kadence continued, "what I do expect is a little respect. I won't let you continue to treat me like some immature teenager who's just going through the latest fad and will soon change her mind. And I don't want you to make me feel like the black sheep of the family who is doing this just to spite you."

For the first time in years, Kadence had told her what she wanted from her. "I'll try," Sophie promised.

*  *  *

"This was the last one." Aiden folded up the empty moving box and looked around the new apartment. It had been two days since they had moved in, but it was still a little hard to believe that she now shared a home with Dawn.

"Yeah," Dawn said. "Let's christen the new kitchen."

Aiden raised a suggestive eyebrow.

"Not like that." Dawn laughed. "I'm hungry and still a little unsettled in the new apartment, and I know cooking always calms me down, so let's cook something."

Good to know that she's feeling a little off balance too. Moving in together had been a big step for Aiden, and she was glad she was not the only one who was a little nervous about it. "If you cook, I'll clean up," Aiden bargained. She wasn't a good cook but didn't want Dawn to do all the work either.

"No. Let's cook together," Dawn insisted. "It'll be fun, and maybe it'll have a calming effect on you too."

Aiden doubted that, but she nodded. "What are we making?" she asked.

Dawn opened their mostly still empty kitchen cupboards. "Looks like it's spaghetti with tomato sauce."

"Good. Even I can do that." Aiden took the can of tomatoes. As she positioned the can opener, she looked up and paused. Transfixed, she stood and watched Dawn move around the kitchen.

Dawn's hips were softly moving to the sound of the radio in the background while she filled a pot with water. She threw an onion into the air and caught it smoothly. Her slender hands handled the cutting knife with ease. As she bent down to search for a frying pan, her faded jeans tightened, giving Aiden a good look at Dawn's ass.

Aiden felt her heart beat a little faster. Dawn's confident movements had an unexpected eroticism.

Finally Dawn turned toward her and reached for the can of tomatoes that Aiden held in her hands, still unopened. She gave Aiden a smile when she saw her lean against the kitchen counter. "See? Didn't I tell you cooking had a calming effect?"

"Calming effect?" Aiden growled. "Not on me!" She pressed Dawn against the counter and kissed her passionately.

Dawn wrapped one arm around her, returning the kiss, while her other hand reached behind her to turn off the stove. "Let's try for that calming effect a little later," she said breathlessly when they finally came up for air.

"Not hungry anymore?" Aiden teased, sliding her hands up Dawn's sides.

"Dinner can wait," Dawn decided. Still holding on to Aiden, she directed them out of the kitchen. "The bedroom needs to be christened first."

The End

About The Author

I GREW UP AMIDST the vineyards and gently sloping hills of southern Germany. I spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book, earning me the nickname "professor" before I even finished elementary school. The writing bug bit me at the age of eleven. The very first piece of fiction I ever wrote was a thirty-page western story that I still have somewhere (well-hidden because it alternately makes me cringe and laugh when I read it today). I wrote two dozen mostly novel-length stories (westerns, adventure stories, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction - you name it, I've probably written it) in my "baby years" as a writer, but no one but my poor twin sister ever got to read them.

That changed when I discovered the Internet and the wondrous world of FanFiction and online-stories. My parents belatedly got their wish - I took my nose out of my books and started to spend my time glued to the computer screen instead. Soon after, I wrote my first FanFiction, a Star Trek: Voyager story. Don't bother to search for it on the web; even if there was still a copy in circulation somewhere, it's in German. Back then, I would have taken a thousand oaths that I would never, ever be able to write more than a grocery list in English. Then I took an intensive, free online language course - almost eight years of constant fanfic reading. Let's just say that I learned some words I later had trouble explaining to my friends why I would know such expressions.

So in the beginning of 2006, I finally put my newly acquired knowledge of the English language to good use and wrote a series of three Law & Order: SVU fanfics in English. As my confidence grew, I wrote a longer FanFiction and then my first English historical fiction. In some ways, I've come full circle, because "Backwards to Oregon" takes place on the Western Frontier. Other than the setting I promise that it doesn't have much in common with my first childish attempt at writing.

I still live in Germany, where I work as a psychologist. When I'm not working or writing, I like to spend my time reading, cooking for a bunch of friends, spending time with my nephew and niece, and watching way too many crime shows. I also enjoy learning new languages (Russian is my latest project. I haven't found any lesbian online stories using the Cyrillic alphabet to help me learn though).

Other Titles By This Author

Backwards To Oregon – Lesbian: Historical Fiction, Romance

Summary

"LUKE" HAMILTON has always been sure that she’d never marry. She accepted that she would spend her life alone when she chose to live her life disguised as a man.

After working in a brothel for three years, Nora Macauley has lost all illusions about love. She no longer hopes for a man who will sweep her off her feet and take her away to begin a new, respectable life.

But now they find themselves married and on the way to Oregon in a covered wagon, with two thousand miles ahead of them.

*  *  *

Conflict of Interest – Book I – Lesbian: Romance, Crime

Summary

WORKAHOLIC detective Aiden Carlisle isn't looking for love... and certainly not at the law enforcement seminar she reluctantly agreed to attend. But their first lecturer is not at all what she expected.

Psychologist Dawn Kinsley has just found her place in life. After a failed relationship with a police officer, she has sworn to herself never to get involved with another cop again, but she feels a connection to Aiden from the very first moment.

Can Aiden keep from crossing the line when a brutal crime threatens to keep them apart – before they've even gotten together?

*  *  *

Next of Kin – Book II – Lesbian: Romance, Crime

Summary

SEX CRIMES Detective Aiden Carlisle is slowly getting used to being in a committed relationship with Dawn Kinsley — a relationship that isn't always easy since Dawn is not only a psychologist but also a former victim in one of Aiden's cases. Aiden’s private and professional lives collide when Dawn's newest patient gets in trouble with the law. Will she be able to stay objective enough to solve the case without pushing Dawn away?

The same case also throws Deputy District Attorney Kade Matheson's well-ordered life into chaos. In the last few years, Kade has taken case files and law books, not lovers, to bed. She has been focused only on her career and fought hard to win cases like Dawn's, but now the case forces her to finally face her attraction to women. She suddenly finds herself with two secret admirers — but which one is more dangerous, the threat to her life or her heart?

*  *  *

Second Nature – Lesbian: Shape-Shifter Romance

Summary

NOVELIST JORIE Price doesn't believe in the existence of shape-shifting creatures or true love. She leads a solitary life, and the paranormal romances she writes are pure fiction for her.

Griffin Westmore knows better — at least about one of these two things. She doesn't believe in love either, but she's one of the not-so-fictional shape-shifters. She's also a Saru — an elite soldier, investigator, and if need be an assassin with the mission to protect the shape-shifters' secret existence at any cost.

When Jorie gets too close to the truth in her latest shape-shifter romance, Griffin is sent to investigate — and if necessary to destroy the manuscript before it's published and to kill the writer.

*  *  *

Thank You for Reading this short story by Jae.

Table of Contents

Change of Pace

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

About The Author