Chapter Twelve: Fresh Start
The pressure of a cheek on the top of her head. A slow, steady pulse on her temple. A hand on her neck. Another entwined with hers, just beneath her breasts. A leg between her owns. The slow, deep breaths. The warmth of her body. The imperceptible movements of the fingers of her hand in her owns, and the other one on her neck. The pressure of her thigh on her own groin.
Jen inhales slowly, paying attention, as she does every morning, to her own lung capacity, -much, much better!-. She brings a hand to her healing ribs, ventures another deep breath.
"Babe... Are you okay?", Judy asks in a sleepy voice, before kissing her softly in the hair. The hand on her neck barely tightens its grip and her thumb begins to slowly caress her skin.
In response, Jen wraps an arm around the brunette's waist and gently pulls her to herself.
" Easy, I don't want to hurt you"
"I don't care, come closer" The blonde soothes her by resting her lips on her neck.
"Maybe those fucking supplements are good for something after all", she mutters anchoring her lips on Judy's neck, who giggles, partly at the words and partly at the tickle.
"Um… well, that's good news", she states surrounding her with an arm and getting even closer.
Jen resists the faint discomfort, she's tired of being in pain, she's tired of being careful how she moves. But most of all, she's fucking tired of waiting until she's in perfect shape! She's had enough of all the fucking caution!
"I still haven't given up on the idea of getting some fucking revenge on that neurosurgeon though, just saying! I don't know if I feel like going back to the hospital, though. How about I just mail it to him, you know. The underworld puts bullets in threatening letters, I could put a nice used tampon in there, how about that?"
The two continue to hold each other as tight as possible while giggling together. -Yeah... I'm really tired! I'm fucking done!-
—
"Judy! Are you making pancakes?", Henry asks hugging her around the waist.
"Good morning honey!", the woman kisses him lovingly on the top of his head. "No Boop! Cheese omelets this morning! Sound good?"
"Yummy!", the child exclaims enthusiastically.
"Hey Boop! Good morning kiddo", his mother approaches him hugging him tightly from behind.
"Hi Mom! How are you feeling?", he asks in a squeaky voice.
"Much better love!", she responds cutting the cheddar into slices.
"'Morning Ma', 'Morning Judy!", Charlie, still sleepy, joins the rest of the family.
"'Morning Char!", the two women echo.
"Did you get your things ready? Grandma will be here any minute", Jen asks setting the table for five.
"Wow, Ma', are you going to invite Grandma over for breakfast?", the eldest asks in amazement.
"Why not?", the blonde replies, then turns to Judy, intent on the stove, pan in hand. "Do you mind making an extra one, Jude?", she asks, smiling.
"We're in a cheerful mood this morning!", the other comments playfully, watching her roll her eyes but with a smile on her lips.
"Do we really have to stay at Grandma's tonight anyway?", Henry asks with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Come on Boop, we'll have fun, I'll take you with me to the skatepark in the afternoon, huh?", Charlie consoles him.
"I think Mom and Judy need some alone time", the boy adds making the whole family hear him. He watches the two women exchange an amused look, a knowing smile and just a hint of embarrassment in their eyes.
"I think your brother's right, Boop", the mother confirms, gently placing a hand on Judy's shoulders, who deposits the first steaming omelet on the tray.
The ringing of the doorbell half interrupts the little one's enthusiastic smile, as he rushes to open it.
"What's on your mind, Harding?", Judy inquisitively asks in a whisper, turning the pan over to spread the egg and bring it closer to Jen so she can lay a slice of cheese in the center.
"A lot of things, Hale. Do you trust me?", she asks raising an eyebrow. She's actually not quite sure how she wants the day to go, but she wants it to be a special day, especially for Judy. For both of them, to be fair.
"Oh God, why does that sound like a trap?", the brunette teases closing the second omelet. She's not sure what's going on, it's like there's a different energy between them today. An energy that makes her hands shake slightly as she cooks, and makes her legs feel limp, and her head feel muffled. Jen seems full of light today. And she's fucking more adorable than usual!
"I'm serious, Jude", Jen retorts chucking.
"Then of course I trust you", Judy confirms smiling at her.
"Good", Jen slips an arm around her waist and places a kiss on her temple just as she feels her mother-in-law approaching.
"Jennifer, good morning! Good morning, Judy, dear! You have no idea what a mess this is! Yesterday's storm wreaked havoc!", the elder chirps, squaring them head to toe.
"Good morning Lorna! Yes, we took a look at the bulletin. What a day today, though! Do you like omelets? I hope you have a half hour to have breakfast with us", Jen greets her with sincere participation.
The redhead is caught off guard by such a welcome, but with a smile she willingly accepts the polite gesture.
—
"So, when do you plan to resume work?", the elderly woman asks delighted by the omelet in her plate.
Jen lets Judy speak first, looking at her as if it's the first time she's heard the news too.
"I'll be resuming on Monday, I can't wait, I miss my oldies!", she declares excitedly.
"Good, good! But I wonder, why don't you support yourself by selling your paintings, dear?", the woman casts a glance at Jen, aware of the veiled provocation, but Jen, after a couple of deep breaths, falls silent, convinced that Judy is perfectly capable of defending herself.
"Well, I love to paint, my paintings also have a good market, we're talking about between nine thousand and twenty thousand dollars each", the brunette declares, leaving out the small detail that those amounts referred more to what was on the back of her paintings, when Steve was selling them to launder money.
Jen internally exults at the brilliant comment, enjoying Lorna's stunned face with extreme satisfaction.
"But who would I be helpful to by just painting? Older people need goals, they need entertainment. I love my work, I would never leave it even if I sold one canvas a week. Besides, at the moment I'm getting interested in other subjects, for my paintings, I'm not sure how much of a following they would have, and I'm not very interested in finding out", Judy concludes sipping her juice.
After recovering from her shock, the elder Harding turns to Jen.
"I currently hold several properties, I'd like to relinquish a couple of them, Jennifer, to help you get back on track", she says in a modest tone.
"I appreciate that, Lorna, but we've already talked about it, I can't work for you anymore", the blonde replies tactfully.
"Oh, no, Jennifer, that's not what I meant. I'm giving you the sales like you gave me the Wood's property. Consider this a gift. Well, it's not twenty million dollar property, but I'm sure it's enough to start over", the woman retorts by harmoniously raising a hand and gesturing gracefully.
"Mom, let's go get our stuff", Charlie declares as he gets up, spurring his little brother to anticipate him up the stairs as he clears the table of his and his brother's plates. Grandma watches in amazement, finally alternating her gaze between Jen and Judy.
She is struck by the ex-mother-in-law's gesture, has no idea how to interpret it, but thinks about What Would Judy Do, and decides to respond in good faith. "In that case, I'll gladly accept, Lorna. Thank you, really, it's a great gesture. I appreciate it", Jen smiles openly at her.
"Look, Lorna, I know it's really short notice, but I was wondering if you could bring the kids back tomorrow in the early afternoon and join us for a little poolside party. There won't be many of us, but there will be a nice cherry pie, good wine, and if we can work it out with the dealership, Charlie's gift 's something that just popped into our heads this morning, how about it, can it be done?"
—
"You really don't mind that I didn't tell you about this earlier?", Jen asks Judy as the brunette pulls into the road from their driveway.
"Of course not! You seem to be full of ideas today, I'm curious, but I can wait!", she replies enthusiastically while exchanging a smile with her.
"Oh, stop by Karen's for a minute!", she hastens to say for fear of forgetting.
"Well... I don't know how much longer I can wait...", Jen says before getting out of the car, a little bit ashamed by her own statement, she glances at Judy, who's adorably blushing.
As she gets out, she faces the window, "Come on, get out!", she enthusiastically urges her. She waits for Judy to reach her and extends her hand.
When Karen opens the door, she greets them with a smile, which widens further when her gaze falls on their intertwined fingers.
"Girls! What a surprise! How are you Jen? Come on in! Would you two like some coffee? Or maybe, something stronger? How about a-"
"Hi Karen, we're in a hurry, sorry about that. We were wondering if you'd like to join us tomorrow for that thing, you know… Jude's Blood... Cherry Pie...", Jen gesticulates crisply.
"Sure! I'd love to, can I bring anything? Maybe I'll make a lasa-"
"No, no... no... it'll be early afternoon, but hey... if you had another bottle, we could use it, you know, we were thinking of celebrating Charlie's birthday again, there won't be many of us, but I doubt one bottle will be enough," interrupting her is Judy, this time.
—
"You were fucking sassy, Jude, you know that?", Jen exclaims bursting into a loud laugh as they climb back into the car.
"Hey, I saved your face, Harding! Admit it, you were going to ask that!", the other justifies.
"Touché", the blonde declares leaning out of her own seat to kiss her on the neck. "You know me so well!", Judy chuckles in response. "Um... apparently I found a sensitive spot, here", Jen whispers playfully, brushing her skin with her lips again. "You know me so well!", Judy retorts, continuing to chuckle delightedly.
After almost an hour of bargaining, they finally come to an agreement with the owner of the dealership, who, for a little extra over and above the insurance check, agrees to have the car delivered the next day, even though it is a Sunday.
"Where to now?", Judy asks as they walk back to the car.
"It's a surprise! I'm driving!", Jen replies winking and extending a hand in waiting for the keys. Judy smiles, sits in the passenger seat, and as soon as Jen pulls into the road, she reaches for her hand, as if seeking some reassurance.
The feeling that something important is about to happen is so powerful that it takes her breath away as she thinks about it. In the previous weeks, both of them have been interacting practically guided by instinct, naturally, and it has been wonderful to discover this new way of being together, surrendering to it without reservation. But today there's something beyond instinct, there's thoughtfulness, in Jen's gestures and consequently in her own. In a remote part of her consciousness, Judy forces herself not to speculate on Jen's intentions, any step forward will be enough. The very course of the day is a step forward.
Jen brings her hand in his to her lips and kisses it, holding it on his mouth for a long time. "Are you okay, honey?", she asks sensing the brunette's brooding.
"Yeah, yeah...I'm just a little excited," Judy confides to her shamelessly. "Me too, Jude", the smile that widens on the blonde's face immediately conveys serenity to her and slowly her soul calms down.
—
"How did you know I was intrigued to try this place?", Judy asks surprised in front of her plate of cevice.
"You told me about it the first time we went out", Jen reminds her, avoiding mentioning that Judy had complained that she'd never been able to go there with Steve and that going there alone would seem too lame.
"I don't remember", the brunette declares after thinking about it for a moment.
"Fuck, if I had imagined it I could have taken you somewhere cheaper!", Jen jokes making her laugh. She lifts the margarita glass waiting for Judy to join her.
"To our fresh start, Judy", Jennifer Hardin smiles sweetly at her.
"Here's to our fresh start, Jen", Judy Hale happily returns.
The sun is pleasantly warm as hand in hand they leave the restaurant and slowly stroll down the boardwalk.
"Thank you, for this special day, Jen", Judy tells her after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
"I'm not sure you're the one to thank, here, Jude, but, anyway, it's only the middle of the afternoon", Jen looks at her with a serene smile. "I want this to be a special day, for us", she adds giving her a gentle shove just to find a little more contact.
The brunette smiles, delighted by that vaguely embarrassed gesture, "Every day is special, with you, Jen"
"Well yeah, I can't argue with that, I'm fucking amazing", the blonde jokes, blushing. "Well, I want today to be more special", she points out, loosening their hands and surrounding Judy's shoulders in a hug. When the woman's hand laces around her waist, she pulls her closer kissing one of her temples softly.
"You're the one fucking amazing, here, just so we're clear, and I'm not kidding right now", she whispers in her ear and Judy can't hold back the shiver that the gentle breath of Jen's words caused her.
"So this was always it, our destination? Since we got out of the car before lunch?", Judy asks touched.
"Since we got out of the car, Jude", the blonde confirms her sinking her shoes into the sand still wet from the previous day's storm. "Let's go", she grins stretching out her hand.