Chapter Nine
I stand in front of my closet, trying desperately to put an outfit together. Suddenly, nothing I own seems right for the occasion.
How exactly should you dress for a secret date on Valentine's Day with your best friend?
Instinctively, I reach for my black strapless dress, one of my favourite seduction outfits.
Definitely too racy.
Back in the closet it goes.
Next, I pull out one of my power suits, the navy one with pinstripes.
Too formal: this isn't a business meeting.
Finally, I settle on comfortable dark jeans and a white collared shirt with a charcoal blazer. It seems like something I would wear normally if I was going out for a casual, friendly dinner with Natalia. In fact, I think I have worn this outfit with her quite a few times before.
Oh god, maybe she's tired of seeing me in this. Am I becoming predictable?
I check the clock beside my bed and groan. Predictable or not, this outfit is going to have to do.
I've spent the last forty-five minutes searching through my wardrobe, and now I barely have time to get dressed. I toss my clothes on and give my hair one last tousle before rushing downstairs. I feel nervous, but also more than a little giddy about the prospect of a date with Natalia, even if it is a secret date.
I walk into the kitchen just as Natalia steps inside the door carrying a small bouquet. She smiles and hands me the flowers with a little flourish.
"Happy Valentine's Day."
"Did you go all the way to the florist's to get these?"
Her grin widens. "I'll never tell."
"Mmmm, I like mysterious women."
I lean down to capture her lips in a fleeting kiss. When I pull away, I smile at her still-closed eyes and the contented half-grin lingering on her mouth.
"I haven't been given flowers since I was in the hospital," I confess. "God, does that make me sound pathetic?"
"No," she laughs. "I haven't been given flowers since my wedding, so what does that say about me?"
I see her eyes darken at the memory, but she quickly masks it with another smile.
"Well, let's end that streak right now."
I pull out the most beautiful flower in the bouquet – a bright orange tiger lily – and hand it to her. She brings the flower to her nose and breathes deeply, her eyes shining happily at me over the top of it.
"Thank you," she says softly.
Her glance lingers on my lips, and that's all the invitation I need – I toss the flowers on the table and pull her into a kiss. The force of my movement knocks her slightly off-balance, and I take advantage by pushing her back against the nearest available barrier, which happens to be the fridge.
"Wait," Natalia mumbles against my lips. Ignoring her, I turn my attention to her neck.
"Olivia, stop," she insists, pushing me back so that I'm forced to meet her stern gaze. "We have reservations," she points out breathlessly. "I practically had to sell my soul to the hostess at Towers to get their last table for two."
Her words are barely registering in my mind. All I can think about right now is getting her upstairs.
"Reservations can wait," I tell her, pulling her toward me again.
"That's kind of the whole point of reservations." She slips out of my arms with a laugh. "They don't wait – not on Valentine's Day, at least."
"Okay, okay," I sigh. "So, who's driving?"
Instead of answering, she pulls me wordlessly toward the door. I look through the glass and see a sleek black town car parked in the driveway with the engine running. I gape at her, utterly charmed.
"When did you find time to order a car?"
"This afternoon. While you were plotting ways to kill Phillip, I was plotting our date."
I grin slyly. "What makes you think I wasn't plotting our date, too?"
Right on cue, I see another car pull into the driveway. Natalia peers at it curiously, and she beams at me when she sees Jane step out of the vehicle.
"Jane's staying with Emma tonight?"
"No, I don't feel safe leaving Emma here, even with a sitter," I explain. "Phillip won't be behind bars forever, and I'm still not sure where Alan fits into all of this. So, I asked Jane to come take Emma out to the new Ice Age movie. That way, she'll be right in town where we can reach her if she needs us. Jane will bring her back here once we're home from dinner."
Just then, Emma runs into the kitchen to tell us all about how the kids at school said Ice Age 3 was a million – a billion, in fact – times better than the first two films. In a few minutes, we get her organised and out the door with Jane. Then Natalia and I grab our coats and jump into the backseat of the waiting town car.
As soon as the driver pulls out of the driveway, I take Natalia's hand and lean toward her.
"I still can't believe you did this."
"I'm full of surprises," she smiles.
"Yes, you are."
When we reach Towers, Natalia holds the door open and motions for me to enter ahead of her. It's dark inside the restaurant, and it takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the soft light. But, once they do, I'm immediately startled by the scene before me: Towers has been completely transformed for Valentine's Day. The whole place is almost entirely lit by candles, along with a few strategically placed lights. There are red and pink heart-shaped balloons and ribbons hanging from every available spot on the ceiling, and the bar is covered in a variety of love-themed decorations and red roses.
Looking around, I am instantly reminded of every junior high school dance I ever attended.
"Oh god," Natalia murmurs beside me. We glance at each other nervously and she grimaces. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."
"Why not?" I retort. "Like you said, we're just friends having a nice meal together. We do this all the time."
Natalia nods, but her eyes are still locked on the unspeakable tackiness surrounding us.
"Yeah, but… look at this place. It's like…"
"Cupid exploded in here?" I finish, and I'm pleased when my comment draws a laugh from her.
"I didn't expect it to be quite so… over the top." She meets my gaze again. "You know that anyone who sees us here will assume that we're on a date, right?"
"Does that bother you?"
"No," she says with a firm shake of her head. "I told you last night: I don't want to spend my life being afraid of what other people think. But you said you were worried about Alan trying to find ammunition to prove that we're together." She gestures at the restaurant. "There's a whole lot of ammunition here."
I scan the place quickly. "Well, I don't see Alan anywhere. In fact, I don't see anyone we know, so I think we're safe. Besides, this place is so dark that I doubt someone could find us even if they tried."
"That's true," she laughs. "So… we're good?"
I grin. "We're good."
We meet the hostess, who guides us through the restaurant toward a small table in a quiet corner near the back. But just as we pass the bar, a familiar voice calls out to me.
"Well, if it isn't Olivia Spencer."
With all the drama of a cartoon villain, Doris Wolfe slowly spins around on her bar stool to face us. A half-empty martini glass sits on the bar in front of her.
"And Natalia Rivera… hello." She gives me a shrewd smile, her eyebrows lifting knowingly. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No, we're just having dinner," I reply coldly. "What are you doing here, Mayor Wolfe? I assumed you'd be busy in your office, thinking up more ways to destroy children's lives for your own political gain." I feel Natalia grip my arm warningly.
"Actually," Doris laughs, "I decided to stop by Towers for a quick victory drink. I just got my poll numbers back, and it seems that the people of Springfield have responded very favourably to my speech yesterday."
"Really," I deadpan, working hard to keep my emotions under control. Natalia's fingers are almost painfully squeezing into my arm.
"Yes," she smirks. "Look, Olivia, let's bury the hatchet, shall we? I mean, whatever the two of you think about what I said on television, it's pretty obvious that I was right about you." She leans a little closer and lowers her voice conspiratorially. "You two are on a date, right?"
"Oh, why don't you just shut up, Doris," Natalia snaps, surprising both of us with her vehemence. "You have no idea what you're talking about, and you have no right to sit there making judgments about us."
Doris stares at her for a moment, her face full of surprised respect. "Maybe not," she finally admits. Then, she meets my glare with a sardonic grin. "Now I see what you were talking about in my office yesterday, Olivia. She's a real spitfire."
"Let's go," Natalia insists, pulling on my hand. "Don't let her waste any more of our time."
"Oh yes, please don't let me waste your time," she calls out after us, unwilling to let Natalia have the last word. "You two have a pleasant evening."
I follow Natalia up the stairs to our table where a waiter is laying out our menus. I can practically see the rage sparking around Natalia's head, but she remains quiet until we're alone.
"That woman is infuriating," she fumes as we settle into our seats.
"She sure is," I chuckle. "You know, I thought I'd be the one going for her jugular, but you beat me to it."
"Where does she get off, pretending that she's the moral compass for the whole town?" she continues. "All those things she said on television… she acted like us being together would corrupt Emma in some way. Like it means we're bad parents."
"A lot of people probably think that," I point out. "After all, Emma's already had to deal with Derek's parents cancelling their play date, and you saw how Becky and Owen's mothers were talking about us yesterday. Unfortunately, they're not the only narrow-minded bigots in the world. Not that it excuses anything, but I think Doris is just doing whatever she can to get their votes."
"But it makes no sense," Natalia insists. "I mean, we're good parents. No, we're great parents. And Emma is so happy living at the farmhouse with both of us. So what if we're a couple? What's so wrong with that?"
I smile as she unconsciously repeats the argument I made to her yesterday. "There's nothing wrong with it. But some people will try to use it against us."
"Like Alan."
"Like Alan," I confirm. "Look, I doubt that Alan has any real, honest objections to us being together. It's not about that for him. It's all about finding something that he can latch onto to prove that I'm an unfit mother. I know him: he'll try to twist this into something it isn't. And, now, with Phillip back in town…," I sigh heavily. "I just don't know what they've got up their sleeves."
"I hate not knowing what they want from us," Natalia says, slumping back in her chair. She scans the restaurant again and frowns. "This was a dumb idea. We should have just stayed home."
"Hey, no way," I object. "I'm so happy to be here with you, Natalia. Besides, after everything that happened today, I think we both deserve a nice meal, don't you?"
"But now Doris knows…"
"Who cares? She outed us to the town before we were even together. Let her assume whatever she wants."
Natalia nods, but she still looks anxious. "So, what was Doris saying about what you told her yesterday? Did you go see her after her press conference?"
My face reddens and I glance down at my menu.
"Um, yeah…" I say, trying to be nonchalant. "Hey, did you see these specials? The salmon sounds great, don't you think?"
"Olivia," she presses. "What did you say to her?"
"Nothing," I reply, but my unnaturally high-pitched voice immediately gives me away. I sigh and drop the menu onto the table. "It's just… I was so mad about her press conference, about how upset it made you. I had to confront her about it. So, I went to her office and I told her that she had no right to say those things – to insinuate that we're bad parents."
"She said she understood what you'd told her… was that about me?"
I nod. "I told her about our history, about how you gave me Gus's heart even after all the awful things I'd done to you. I told her what a wonderful person you are: warm, decent, kind, beautiful…" I trail off and laugh softly. "I guess I confessed my feelings about you to the mayor of Springfield before I ever said anything to you."
Natalia gives me a thoughtful smile, clearly touched.
"I can't believe you said all those things to her. That you stood up for me – for us – like that."
"It was nothing," I reply, waving off her compliment.
"It wasn't nothing," she insists. Her gaze turns inward for a moment, and I can tell she's working something out in her mind. "Olivia, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." I sit up straighter, suddenly a little anxious.
"If I hadn't broken up with Frank last night… what would you have done?"
"Honestly?"
She nods, and I can see that she's equal parts nervous and curious about my answer.
"I was going to move out of the farmhouse."
She gasps quietly and covers her mouth with her hand. "You were?"
"Yes," I admit. "After our fight yesterday, I knew I couldn't keep living there, pretending that I only wanted friendship from you. So I convinced myself that moving out was the best option for both of us. It nearly killed me to even think about it, Natalia."
I blink back sudden tears, and she reaches for my hand.
"You know," I continue, "I was thinking about it this afternoon, and I honestly believe that if you hadn't told me how you felt about me last night, I would have just sat back and watched you be with Frank. It would have been torture, but I would've done everything I could to avoid getting in the way of that relationship – including moving out of the farmhouse. Hell, I probably would've agreed to be the maid of honour at your wedding."
I mean it as a joke, but suddenly the thought that my words could easily have become reality hits me like a punch in the stomach. We exchange faint smiles across the table, both of us grateful that we never had to face that awful scenario.
"I don't think I ever would have had the courage to do what you did last night," I add, squeezing her hand in mine.
"Well, I had a little help from a big ol' glass of wine before I talked to you," she confesses. Her playful laughter instantly lightens the mood between us.
"Oh, really?"
"I was pretty nervous."
"Well, however you did it, I'm just glad you worked up the courage."
"Me too," she replies softly. Then she reaches for the drinks menu. "Hey, speaking of wine, let's order some."
A little while later, we've finished our meals and the waiter returns to hand us the bill. I reach instinctively for it, but Natalia grabs my hand and shakes her head.
"I'm paying." Sensing my objection, she grips my hand tighter. "Olivia, this is my treat, okay? Let me pay for a change."
I consider insisting, but the no-nonsense look she's giving me tells me I won't win this argument.
"Only if you let me pay you back when we get home," I say, lowering my voice suggestively. My grin widens at her reddening face. Wordlessly, she nods her agreement and grabs the bill from me.
"Alright," I concede. "I just have to run to the washroom before we go."
Natalia checks her watch. "Our car should be here to pick us up in a few minutes, so I'll just meet you at the main entrance."
As I turn to weave my way through the crowded restaurant toward the restrooms, I'm conscious of the goofy grin stretching across my face. I feel like I'm on a permanent high from this evening with Natalia. It's hard to believe that it was only yesterday that we were arguing right here in this very restaurant. Now, not only are we on a date, but we're also about to go home together.
My mind is still trying to process all the changes that the last twenty-four hours have brought into my life when I push open the door to the restroom. I haven't taken more than two steps inside before I stop in my tracks, surprised to discover two women kissing passionately against the wall directly in front of me.
I'm about to turn back around to give them some privacy when I notice something peculiar about the woman whose back is facing me: she's wearing a jacket with a distinctive red, white, and black splashy pattern on it.
I'd recognise that hideous outfit anywhere.
Doris Wolfe, the mayor of Springfield, is kissing another woman.
"Holy shit."
As soon she hears my voice, Doris pulls away from the other woman – who I can see is at least ten years younger and wearing a Towers uniform – and spins around. When she recognises me, all the colour drains from her face and she puts out a hand to steady herself against the counter.
"Dor?" the other woman asks tentatively, shooting me an anxious look.
"It's okay, Jamanda," Doris says softly. "But you should probably go."
Wordlessly, Jamanda squeezes Doris's arm before pushing past me. As soon as the door closes, Doris starts talking.
"Okay, this is not what it looks like."
I laugh harshly. "Right, Dor, so you weren't just making out with… um, I think her name was Jamanda?"
"No," Doris insists weakly. She casts a furtive glance sideways and clears her throat. "We were just talking. She's, uh, one of my constituents. I am mayor to all the people."
"I can't believe this."
"What?" she asks, clearly deciding to give up the act. "Just because I was married to Alan Spaulding? Please! You were, too."
"Yeah, well, that's not what I'm talking about," I reply. "I'm talking about that speech you made, that awful little speech about my daughter's paper: My Two Mommies? You made it sound like it was bad, like it was wrong. How could you do that?"
Doris looks down guiltily before meeting my challenge head-on. "For the same reason that you denied you were in a gay relationship when you stormed into my office."
Briefly I consider explaining myself, but then I realise I have no idea what I'd say. Instead I just sigh, quietly conceding the point.
"Look, people don't like to be different, okay?" she continues. "Trust me. I come from a small town. Nobody wants to be different. People are afraid of different. Do you really think I would have been elected mayor if people thought I was a lesbian? Absolutely not. My own daughter doesn't even know." She swallows hard and changes the subject. "So, what's it going to take for you to keep this a secret? What do you want, a tax break for the Beacon?"
I stare at her in disbelief, my anger instantly evaporating. All I feel for her now is pity.
"I can't believe how you lead your life. Like it's one big secret, like there's something to be ashamed of."
"And yet," she counters defensively, "your daughter wrote a paper called 'My Two Mommies,' and you swore up and down that you were not a lesbian. And, here you are, at Towers, on Valentine's Day, on a date with Natalia. Are you a lesbian, Olivia?"
Her question renders me speechless. Is that what I am?
"That's what I thought," she smirks when I don't answer right away. "So tell me, what's so honest about the way you live your life?"
With that parting shot, she pushes by me and storms out the door. As soon as she disappears, I walk to the mirror and lean against the counter, Doris's words still echoing through my head.
Suddenly I realise just what a coward I'm being. All the questions that I've struggled with rage through my mind at once: Why can't I take my own advice and just be honest about my relationship with Natalia? Why does Phillip's return have to mean that we can't be open about what's happening between us? I've never let other people dictate my life before, so why start now?
After a minute, I look at my reflection determinedly, making a decision. Then, I turn and walk to the small area just inside the front entrance to Towers, where Natalia is waiting for me. She hands me my purse and jacket with a smile.
"The car should be here any minute," she says.
Instead of responding, I reach for her and cup her face gently between my hands.
"Olivia?" she asks, clearly surprised by my sudden public gesture. "What are you…?"
I swallow her question with my kiss, pouring every unspoken word, every hidden emotion between us into it. As soon as her initial shock disappears, I feel her lips melt against mine, and she reaches for my waist to pull me close. At that moment, I don't care who sees us: I want the whole world to know that we belong together – that I'm hers, and she's mine.
But then a loud, unwelcome voice shatters the moment between us.
"Well, well, well…"
I spin away from Natalia to see Alan Spaulding standing a few feet away, glaring at us. He takes a step closer and smiles menacingly at me before he speaks again.
"What have we here?"
tbc
