Epilogue 3 - God's Good Grace
And now some different stories. Don't worry. We'll get to Holly next.
The Gay Divorcees
"I hate being divorced," said Matty, throwing himself on the couch. His housemate didn't reply, so Matty craned his neck. Vivian was in the kitchen, looking into the cabinets and refrigerator, making notes. "Jesus, Viv, are you planning shopping?"
That got a reply. "The boys are with Moms for the week, so I can cook something not childish."
"God, you are such an adult," complained Matty. "Come on. Order out tonight, watch something stupid on TV with me. Complain about our lack of sex. Ooooh, we should go to a bar!"
"Can't," replied Vivian, absently. "I have a date."
Matty stared. "You have a what?"
"Date. Gail set me up, which is depressing but that's my mom." Vivian sighed and closed the fridge door. "Okay. Add whatever you think we're missing to the list."
"You're boring and mundane, Vivian."
"Thank you." She shoved his head as she walked by. "Want to pick out my clothes?"
Matty jumped up. "I thought you'd never ask. Shall I rescue you after an hour, in case she's a bore?"
Vivian laughed. "No, Moms are pretty good at picking out decent dates. I'm just..." She trailed off as they reached her room. "I don't know. I don't really want to date."
That had been the case since her divorce, and Matty had noticed. Vivian seemed entirely disinclined as to dating. And since she was apparently incapable of one night stands, she'd been the great celibate single mom for the past few years.
Frankly, he took the fact that she was even going on a date, set up or not, as a good sign. "What'd your therapist say?"
His oldest friend sighed loudly. "He asked if I was still interested in sex, which yes, thank you."
"But you suck at one-night-stands," pointed out Matty.
"Oh, I know. I can't bring 'em home because I have the boys, and I can't go over there and spend the night because boys." She grimaced. "Help me pick out clothes?"
That was, after all, his forte. "You know they'd understand," he said, opening her closet with the everlasting feel of dread. Vivian's clothing choices were, as always, limited. At least she let him go shopping for her now.
"Ty would. Lane…" She shook her head. "He gets mad enough when Jamie goes on a date if he's there."
"I think that's more because he doesn't see her as much." Matty pursed his lips and sorted through Vivian's shirts, reordering them. "I mean, I was like that with my Dad for a while too. I didn't get to see him a lot, and him fucking off for a date when I was there just hurt."
There was a whump as Vivian flopped onto her bed. "You're probably right."
"So why don't you tell Uncle Matty what's really going on in there?" Ah. The plum shirt. He pulled it out and held it up to his friend. It would work if she was going to dress up. "Also where are you going?"
Vivian tapped on her watch. "The new Spanish place? The one that was in the paper for the dead body last month."
"I actually hate you sometimes," muttered Matty, remembering that. "Is it sanitary?"
"It was a body dump in the back." She sounded dismissive, so it probably was.
"And what's the real problem in your head, girlfriend?" He had to rethink the clothes situation. The restaurant was somewhat casual. Plum was too dressy.
Vivian was quiet for a while. Matty glanced over and saw her staring out the window. "Sometimes I think I fucked up my one big chance," she muttered.
Aha. Matty selected a deep burgundy shirt and hung it on the doorknob. "You two were miserable at the end, sweetie," he pointed out, and sat beside her.
That was the god's honest truth, as well. The last year of their marriage, Vivian and Jamie had been incredibly bad for each other. They'd diverged in a way that wasn't going to magically reconcile. Jamie was done with civil service, and Vivian just wanted to do more. Neither was a bad thing, but they couldn't figure out how to be a them while they did it.
"I know, but … I … You know, Matty, I really fucked up." Vivian covered her face with her hands. "And how the hell do I date other people knowing I'm this big love life failure?"
His poor friend. She'd never really had it easy when it came to romance. Falling for their BFF, which had ended sooooooo so badly, and then her brief relationships with Skye and Pia and whatever that woman's name was at the computer store… Matty hadn't liked her. And then there was the big one with Jamie, whom Vivian had absolutely adored. Combine it with growing up in the shadow of her moms… Ugh.
He sighed and lay down across her legs, offering some physical comfort. Vivian would never ask for it, certainly not from him, but Matty knew she needed it from time to time. "Sweetie. Vivian. Sister of my heart," he said softly. "We're both fuck ups."
She snorted. "Enrico cheated on you, Matty. You didn't fuck that up, he did. Literally."
"I'm not blameless, sweetie."
To that, Vivian didn't reply.
Matty couldn't fault her. He knew a part of Enrico's straying, as it were, was due to him being distant. Not that the cheating was at all his fault, but Matty knew he'd not been invested in his own marriage for a while. It was, he felt, better that Jamie and Viv had divorced before that happened. Better for everyone. He shuddered to think of how Vivian would have handled being cheated on.
Besides. Both of them being divorced meant he could move in with Vivian and help with the boys. And that had really been a great joy for the last few years. He adored Tyson and Lane, for different reasons, and being a part of the family made him honestly happy.
When Matty had started dating again, the boys had been his wingmen. They'd go to the park and would look for cute men for him. Lane, whom Vivian had privately speculated was bisexual, had been remarkably good at it. Tyson was great at up-selling his awesome Uncle Matty, though.
And to him, both boys had lamented that they felt it was their fault Vivian didn't date.
"Look. You were married for a decade, right?"
Vivian eyed him. "Yes."
"And now you're this famous Inspector—"
"Yeah. About that…"
Oh? Matty sat up. There was no way Vivian was quitting. But that meant… "You're getting promoted?"
She nodded. "Yeah." Vivian looked a little sheepish. "Is that crazy? I didn't say no, but I didn't say yes yet either…"
Matty shoved her arm. "You've wanted this for, like, ever. Vivian Peck, you take this promotion and you totally outrank your mom!"
Vivian laughed. She actually laughed. "I will never outrank Gail, and you know it."
"True, but ..." He grinned. "Superintendent Peck?"
His best friend of a million years, since they were six, blushed. "Superintendent Peck. Head of IA."
"Dude!"
"They already gave me Elaine's old office."
"See now you have to do it!"
She blushed and looked away. "I think ... I mean. Matty. This means this is me. For... forever. I'm gonna be the cop."
"Sweetie." He threw an arm around her.
It was so easy to read her sometimes. Vivian was deep and thoughtful but often so, so transparent. She was scared that the cop with two kids was going to scare off everything and everyone. That in the end she'd be alone. Because one day, they would inevitably outlive Gail and Holly, and the boys would move out, and then where would she be?
"I don't want to be just that," she whispered.
"If she's worth having around, she'll be okay with it," he said gently.
"But—"
"You're not alone, Viv." Matty held her close. He knew she hated it, being hugged, being held. But just then, Vivian allowed it. She didn't squirm or argue she just let him hug her. "You have me. Okay? As long as you need me."
Vivian nodded and said nothing.
At least Matty knew she knew he meant it.
Summer Lovin'
Having a crush on someone for the better part of twenty years, from the time both parties were teens and well past the stage where they were divorced, was embarrassing. And Kate Jones knew it. But seeing Vivian Peck, alone, in the five and dime store in town never failed to kick Kate in the teeth and make her feel like a gawky teenager again.
She'd known Vivian since they were nine or so, and they'd been casual summer friends. Even then, Vivian had always been serious and self contained. As a teen, the quiet, small, girl blossomed into a stunning, quiet, athlete whom boys and girls in town drooled over. Vivian was obvious to it all.
Today, Vivian was a quiet woman in her forties, divorced, with two kids. She was still stupidly fit and attractive, which Kate felt wasn't fair at all. Kate was struggling with middle age and a beer belly though, by all accounts, her own divorce had been way worse than Vivian's.
She and Cobie never should have gotten married in the first place. They'd been each other's first big loves and they had never thought about what a future was going to look like or be. Not that a person had to, but when they didn't, it was harder to adapt when the other made changes. They'd tried to make things work...
No. Kate had tried. Cobie had slept with a woman from the electric company.
So here she was. Single, struggling with a middle age spread, somewhat depressed about the whole mess, wondering what was next in her life, and there, sauntering through like she'd hardly changed, was a woman she'd crushed on as a girl.
Talking to her.
"Hey, Sheriff Jones," said Vivian, startling Kate out of her head.
"Superintendent Peck," she replied, nearly by rote. Hopefully she wasn't blushing.
"Ugh, my moms were here, weren't they?"
Kate laughed. "They were. Gail was bragging about you. Youngest Peck to make super. Ever."
"They gave me my grandmother's old office, for extra levels of creep," said Vivian, somewhere between amused and annoyed.
"Shoulda moved out here," teased Kate.
Vivian flashed a smile. It was brief, but it was the most honest, real smile Kate had ever seen on the woman's face. And it was stunning. "You'd be out of a job if I had."
"Oh you've got an ego."
"Youngest Superintendent in a million years." Vivian grinned. "Of course, you're the first female sheriff 'round here. So don't knock yourself short."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Kate glanced around. "Where are your hoydens?"
"Mississauga with Jamie. Six whole weeks." Vivian shook her head, a bit bewildered. "Well, four left."
"And you didn't come up here sooner?"
For a moment, Vivian's face fell. It took on the closed off expression she normally wore. Not because she didn't like people, though Kate had caught on to the fact that Vivian didn't really like most people. No. This was a memory of something not great.
"Busy with work," was the brusque but polite reply. "But hey, just me and the cabin for a couple weeks. Heal the soul."
"Honest? Sounds hella lonely. Too much time with your thoughts. You still don't have Internet up there."
Vivian shrugged. "I have things to keep me busy. Don't you worry, Sheriff. I won't be your next serial killer."
The conversation left an odd taste in Kate's mouth, though. Something harder than a divorce had happened. And that had been pretty odd in and of itself. Most of the town had been surprised to hear of Vivian and Jamie's divorce. They'd liked the girl, and the woman Vivian had become. And by extension they'd liked Jamie. She was nice, funny, and a lot more open than Vivian was. Though who wasn't.
But then, one day, Vivian and the boys came up alone and when Davey at the store had asked about Jamie, Tyson had explained his parents were divorced. Back then, Kate had made a point to visit the family, check in on them, and was surprised to see it was perfectly normal. Vivian was watching her sons play as if nothing had changed.
This time Vivian was up here alone. And combined with that facial expression, Kate was sure something bad was going on. If she'd been anyone else, Kate might have worried about a suicide. But like Gail, Vivian was a little too vain for that. Still, a few days later, Kate went a bit out of her way to pay a house call.
The Peck cottage, as everyone called it, was one of the more beautiful lake houses in the area. Pristine woodland, actually owned by the Pecks themselves, kept the area safe from development. As Kate understood it, they'd set up a lot of binding legalities to prevent even future Pecks from selling the land for development. It was meant to be wild forever.
And yet, as with all aged forests, it felt comfortable. Homey. The house had grown some in the decades and centuries of residence. It remained a two story affair, though the front deck was relatively new. Old Harold Peck had built that; he was not well remembered in town. Solar power and a new well were Elaine and Gail's contributions. Holly had been the brain behind the swamp cooler and hot tub. No doubt Vivian would add on something of her own eventually.
Kate quietly walked up the steps to the front door. It was wide open, only the screen acting as a buffer to the summer critters. Through the house, she could see out the back, where a familiar form was ... doing something. Oh. She was sanding. Jesus, the woman was sanding the back deck. By hand.
Instead of walking through the house, which felt like an imposition, Kate walked on the trail that led to the back and called out. "Hello the house."
"Out back," replied Vivian.
"You know, usually your moms are making out back here."
Vivian laughed and tossed the hand sander to the side. "If you've only caught them making out, count yourselves lucky. Even the boys have walked in on them having sex."
"That's actually terrifying. They're, like, in their 80s!" Kate held up a six pack of local beer. "Time for a break?"
"Longhams? Hell yes. Just gimme a second." Vivian kicked off her shoes and, much to Kate's surprise, jumped right into the lake to rinse off.
It made sense, though. In a ratty T-shirt and cargo shorts, Vivian would dry off pretty fast. Summer was hot and dry out here. "Convenient," said Kate, holding out an opened beer.
"Incredibly." She pushed her hands through her hair before taking the beer. "Damn, that feels better after sanding all day."
Kate looked around the back deck. It was nearly all sanded, too. Vivian would likely be done in a day. "I forget what colour it used to be."
"Brown. I'm just going to replace some of the boards and re-seal it," said Vivian, sitting on the edge. "Then I need to sort out the dock. It's getting rickety."
"Those boys are rough on it."
Vivian laughed. "Lane is rough on it."
"He's half a man now, isn't he?"
"Getting there. Ty's driving." Vivian shook her head. "He's probably making Jamie regret the trip."
"Don't tell me you let him drive!"
"All the time. He has to practice." Vivian smirked. "Remember when your uncle caught me driving without a license?"
Kate chuckled. "Oh god. He loved telling that story. You just borrowed the car! I still can't believe your parents didn't care."
"Well. Holly sure did. I got an earful after you all left."
Had Kate not been in the car with her uncle at the time, she'd never have known. But she and her cousins were being driven to a town dance, and Vivian had apparently taken it upon herself to drive herself, in Gail's car. At fourteen.
"You were so short, too," teased Kate.
"Hey, look, it was totally legal!"
"For residents!"
They both laughed. To be fair, it was a perfectly understandable mistake. The town allowed children over 12 to drive under certain circumstances. Most kids knew that meant 'around the farm' or homestead. Some drove into town on errands for parents. And Vivian … well. She'd driven to town to go see the other kids.
"Technicality." Vivian leaned back on her elbows. "This is why I hide my keys."
"Hah. I bet your hoydens can jumpstart."
Vivian laughed. "Lane can. Gail taught him."
"Yeah? Not Ty?"
"He figured that out on his own," she admitted. "I locked the ice cream in the car last month and the asshole used my phone to hack my damn car." Vivian shook her head, rueful. "I knew that phone app for cars was a dumb idea."
Kate smiled. "I can't imagine having two boys."
"At this point, I can't imagine not." Vivian put the beer down and lay on the deck, eyes closed and hands under her head. "It's funny, y'know. Life. You plan and plan and plan… and then it does what it wants."
That sounded like it was something deeper than just a divorce and single motherhood. So Kate asked. "What... ah. What happened?"
Vivian didn't answer for a moment. "I had to investigate a death."
She was IA. That meant someone, a cop, killed another cop. "Someone you knew? I mean ... well?"
"Yeah. He was kinda one of my TOs. I stole his car once, speaking of that." Vivian exhaled. "Duncan Moore. We called him Gerald because ... well. Gail. And ... he was an idiot. A sweet guy but god, he was mediocre. And one of the rooks shot him."
Kate winced and put her beer down. "Jesus, I'm sorry."
"It was an accident. But. I had to dig to be sure." Vivian opened her eyes and looked up. "Sorry. I'm all. Me."
"Yeah, I've seen you get in your head before," said Kate, and she touched Vivian's knee. "I've never had to deal with anything like that. Can't even... yeah. That's fucked up, Peck."
Vivian smiled wanly. "A bit."
So Kate went for the bad joke. "So hey. Congrats on that promotion?"
There was a moment and then Vivian laughed softly. Then she laughed louder. Then she really, honestly, truly laughed. "Oh. God, I needed that, Kate."
"You've always been super serious, Viv," drawled Kate. A fact which, admittedly, Kate found incredibly endearing.
"Well. I'm also super hungry. Want to stick around for dinner?"
Kate hesitated. She did. But not just for Vivian's sake. Yes, the other woman clearly needed a friend right then, but Kate did too. Someone who maybe understood the job. "Yeah. I've heard a lot about your cooking."
She could sit on her dumb crush. She had for years, after all.
The visit heralded the start of a different kind of friendship. Kate came over regularly. At the end of her shift, or her normally quiet workday, she'd come by the Peck cottage. Sometimes with food and drink. Sometimes not. Vivian seemed happy to see her at least. And to be honest, every day was pretty quiet.
"Okay wait, when was the last homicide in town," asked Vivian, swirling the wine in her glass.
It was Friday. They'd been doing dinners and hanging out for a week. It had been one of the most pleasant weeks Kate had enjoyed in years.
"You were here for that," Kate replied. "Misadventures with jet skis."
Vivian laughed. "Oh god, Gail was so pissed off that your boss only wanted Holly."
"Of course she was. She's like a thirteen year old boy."
"A horny one," Vivian agreed.
"God, they are." Kate laughed and put her empty glass down on the deck. "Your moms are crazy."
"Love 'em though." Vivian picked up the wine bottle. "Top off?"
"No, no thanks. I have to drive home."
"Ah." Vivian sipped her glass. "Wouldn't look good if the sheriff was pulled over for drunk driving."
Kate grinned. "Sharp as always."
"That's me, sharp as a tack." There was a pause. "Kate, why are you here?"
Flippantly, Kate replied, "The grilled hanger steak."
It was a lie. A small one, the food was really good. And so was the company. But if she was being honest, the errant dream of dating Vivian was just that. A dream. Vivian was an important police officer in Toronto. She had a big job. People depended on her.
And Kate was a small town girl. A sheriff, yes, but the town population wasn't even three digits. Vivian probably had more people on her block. The scale of responsibility couldn't be measured.
Not to mention Vivian had a degree. Two of them. Criminal justice and something science related. Kate had heard Holly brag about it once. She was educated and erudite and all those things Kate never was. Hell, she probably even liked classical art. Kate had heard classical music playing when she came over a few nights prior.
Face it, Vivian Peck was way the hell out of Kate's league.
"You know, you don't lie very well," Vivian remarked.
"Says the self-proclaimed not a people person."
Vivian smirked. "It's a different kind of reading people. I spend a lot of time wondering about the motives and means of professionals."
Screwing up her face in amusement, Kate asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Vivian exhaled loudly, put her glass down and leaned over. Leaned in.
Oh.
Kate startled. She'd been smiling when Vivian moved in, and she was still smiling when Vivian's lips found hers. It was soft. The way a first kiss should be. Soft and delicate. A little nervous. Totally uncertain.
Don't miss the opportunity. The nagging voice of her uncle spurred her forward and Kate returned the kiss.
It was positively tame. Just a kiss. As if they were shy teenagers.
"That was nice," said Vivian, her voice soft.
"Unexpected."
Vivian laughed. "Liar. I told you, you're bad at that."
"Oh shut up." Kate rolled her eyes and hesitantly leaned in. She was met halfway by Vivian.
The second kiss was less tame. It wasn't wild and crazy, but it was a serious kiss with obvious intent. Vivian wanted to be kissing her. And Kate wanted it too. They were on the same page and, god, it was nice.
Kate stopped thinking about time. She ignored the late setting sun and the temperature cooling down. There was just her and a girl she liked.
It was like being a kid again.
"I should go," Kate finally said. She didn't want to. But she really couldn't stay out all night. Kate had work, damn it. Not a lot but enough that she had to get some done.
"You could stay over," suggested Vivian, almost casually.
Almost.
It was good to know Vivian was a little awkward too. Comforting.
"I don't know, first date." Kate grinned and kissed Vivian again. "Maybe tomorrow."
"Oh, tomorrows not good. I have a date with Stacey from the bakery tomorrow."
Kate smothered a laugh. "You're an idiot."
"Probably." Vivian's lips curved and they kissed again.
It was very easy, very comfortable to kiss her. "If I finish some filing tonight, then I don't have work tomorrow," she said at their next pause. Or the rest of the weekend. Best not to get presumptuous.
"Cheeky way to get breakfast," teased Vivian.
But they did agree that Kate should come by in the morning, after she'd made sure her department wouldn't lose their minds if she was out all weekend. It was a normal summer weekend, with nothing much happening, so town should be fine without her. The next weekend was fireworks. Bah.
Kate was thinking of fireworks of a different sort when she knocked on Vivian's door the next morning. "Hello?"
No answer. Odd. The car was there, a normal crossover suv. It was weird that Vivian's vehicle of choice was a normal mom car, but she did have two sons. Kate put the groceries on the porch and walked around back. Nothing. Not even a drying swimsuit or someone sacked out on the couch inside.
Curious and curiouser.
As she rounded back to the front of the house, Kate heard thudding feet. Rhythmic. Steady. Nothing like a run in fear, just a more common, casual, disturbingly fast pace of a runner.
And lo, Vivian came down the trail. Short shorts, a sports bra, and all that body.
"Crap," muttered Kate as she realized the woman had abs. And legs. And muscles. And suddenly this whole possibility seemed like a stupid, stupid idea, because Jesus H Christ, Vivian was in as good a shape as she'd been in their twenties. And Kate was very much not. "How the hell are we the same age?"
Vivian laughed. "It's mostly luck."
Kate almost made a snappy remark about the food they'd eaten, and was struck by a thought. In all the time she'd spent with Vivian, which wasn't much admittedly, the woman had never had seconds. Not once. She had reasonable portions. Two glasses of wine at most, and a small desert.
"Jesus, have you been dieting your entire life?"
"More or less," said Vivian and she opened the front door. "It's not locked, y'know."
"Dangerous."
"Eh. What are they going to rob? There's nothing valuable here except memories."
"Your guns come to mind."
"Safely locked away. Good luck on that front."
"Laptop and phone?"
"Phone was with me, laptop is in the gun safe. I try to ignore it."
Kate looked around the cottage. As beautiful as it was, the wealth was not within the four walls. "Someone could come in and kill you in the middle of the night."
The taller cop canted her head to the side. "I have glass sliding doors. It wouldn't be hard." She shrugged and put her shoes on the rack. "At some point, you have to have a little faith in the universe and your local constabulary." Vivian patted Kate's cheek. "Make yourself at home. I'm going to shower."
Alone in the kitchen, Kate sighed. "What the fuck am I doing?"
But she put away the groceries she'd brought and started coffee. Vivian was back as the coffee finished, dressed a little nicer than she usually was. The shorts weren't raggedy and torn, the shirt didn't have slogans or logos. She was barefoot, but that was normal for everyone in summer.
"So what do people do for dates up here?"
"What do you do in the big city?"
Vivian laughed. "Bars. Coffee shops. Dinners. Gym if you're me."
"You took a date to the gym?"
Pouring her coffee, Vivian nodded. "She wanted to go rock climbing."
Kate had to sit on a stool to laugh properly. "Jesus, you have not gotten any better at flirting, have you?"
"Mmm. Nope." Vivian smiled and sipped the coffee. "We could go for a walk."
"You just went running!"
Vivian shrugged. "Make breakfast?"
"You're impossible."
They started with breakfast, something Vivian ate a moderate amount of in volume. Then they sat on the dock with coffee and watched nothing. At some point, their hands touched and Kate blushed. Just touching hands. How silly, and yet it was fitting.
After that, they took a lazy walk around the shoreline. Vivian showed Kate her favourite tree to climb as a child. Kate pointed across to a rock outcropping that, while technically on Peck land, every teenager had jumped off. Vivian confessed she did as well and scared the hell out of her mothers. They joked about how much land the Pecks had, how it was all Vivian's now. Land Vivian truly loved, and refused to consider changes. Like a fence.
"As long as your deputies keep on vigilantly arresting drunk hicks, I don't mind them," she insisted.
"What if they accidentally burn everything down?"
Vivian laughed. "You worry too much. And coming from me, that's rich."
Suddenly there were fingers lacing through her own, though, gently making it known that yes, this was still a date.
"Always the self deprecating humour," said Kate, and she squeezed the hand in hers.
"Weird is as weird does."
Kate laughed and stopped walking, tugging Vivian towards her. The taller woman looked quizzical until Kate's free hand went around the neck of her neck. Then, with a soft 'ah,' Vivian leant down.
The kiss by the lake that afternoon was just as nice as the day before, but this time it felt different. They were adults. Adults didn't have the same rush and fearful panic that came with first kisses. They didn't worry about parents walking in. Well. Maybe kids. And maybe Vivian's parents.
Okay, fine, there was a whole host of other worries to be had as adults. But the kissing wasn't some mad, frenetic grab. It was just... It was a kiss. It wasn't chaste or anything. It wasn't ravenous. It was just...
Good. It was good. Vivian's hand let go of hers, finding better purchase on her waist, pulling her close. Kate wrapped her arms around Vivian's neck, holding her there.
"You're very tall," muttered Kate after a while.
"Ate my veggies," Vivian replied. "But ah, it works better if we sit."
They both glanced around at the empty land around them. "Short on chairs out here," Kate said with her best hick drawl.
Vivian laughed, kissed her once more, and took her hand. The cottage was, after all, right there around the lake. Maybe as teens they would have run back. Instead they walked slowly, holding hands, stopping to kiss here and there. And then they were back at the cottage, making out on the lounger on the deck.
It was a delightful sort of lazy summer thing. There was casual way two people who had a shared end goal, but no rush, moved. Hands found skin, but not in any great pressure. Slow and calm and with pauses when wild animals made noises.
When something growled, and Kate teased Vivian's stomach for sounding like a bear, they went inside and ate a lunch of leftovers turned into sandwiches. There was no television nor internet, but Vivian had wired the place for music, and quiet instrumental sounds filled the cottage as they relaxed in the shade.
Once food had settled, Vivian gently ran her fingers on Kate's arm. That led to Kate brushing the thick pelt of hair away from Vivian's face and kissing her neck. And yes, that led to Vivian asking if Kate wanted to go upstairs.
It was the middle of the day.
It really didn't matter.
They did come up for air, as it were, around sunset, when Vivian insisted they eat dinner. But then, after a lounge in the hot tub and a quirked eyebrow, they went back upstairs.
Her phone woke her up many hours later. "Hello?"
"Boss? You okay?"
Kate blinked in the darkness. It was her deputy. He sounded a little worried, and Kate abruptly wondered if her house was on fire. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
There was an odd hesitation. "Well. You're not at home."
"Oh. No. I'm out. Why, is something wrong?"
"No! No, just. Well, Tony drove by and noticed your car wasn't there 'round dinner. And I was driving by just now and it's not there. And it wasn't this morning either, and …"
It was sweet, in a way, for them to wonder if she was alright. "I'm fine. I'll be in Monday, same as always. Alright?"
The deputy didn't sound all that certain. "If you say so."
"Good night, Bob." Kate flicked her phone off and wondered if the event had woken up Vivian.
"That," said Vivian, sleepily, "is why I won't live up here and steal your job."
"Sorry." Kate grinned and rolled over, reaching towards Vivian's bare shoulder. "They worry."
One hazel eye opened to peer at her. "Did you go on a bender when you and Cobie broke up?"
Kate winced. "I did. A small one. I got sorted out pretty fast."
The other woman made a noise of understanding and closed her eyes again. "I don't mind if you tell them."
"Uh…" That was not what she'd expected. Actually Kate wasn't sure what to expect. She hadn't really expected the sex, to be honest. "Tell them … what, exactly?"
With a yawn, Vivian rolled over. "We're having sex? You're staying here sometimes?" Then she paused. "You really want to have the what are we doing conversation in the middle of the night?"
"Want? No, but … apparently we are."
Vivian sighed. "Okay. Uh. I'm shitty at one-night-stands, but I live in Toronto and have a full time job and two idiot sons. One of whom is a bit sensitive."
Kate blinked. "You mean Lane, right?"
"Yeah. He doesn't take Jamie dating all that well," grumbled Vivian.
"Oh." Kate sat up. "So … Is that why you don't date?"
To her surprise, Vivian shook her head. "No. It's… So no one's really been super keen on being second fiddle to my kids and my job."
Without meaning to, Kate snorted. "Oh, Jesus, I know that one."
"Yeah, you would, huh?" And Vivian's face broke into a smile.
It was actually heart stoping. There was no doubt about it, Vivian was incredibly attractive all the time, but she was beautiful when she wasn't so closed off. God. Maybe it was because she was so self-contained all the time that made the difference so stunning. Which was probably why Kate had harboured a crush on her for so long. Once in a while she saw that smile.
Kate sighed and leaned over to kiss Vivian again. It was the only possible reply. "Okay, city girl," she muttered after a while, lying against Vivian's chest. "What do you want?"
"Oh. A lot," said Vivian airily. "My last long distance thing really ended badly."
"Was she too needy?"
"Mmmm. Not really. I was 19, and … I have issues."
Kate tried to parse that. Have, not had. What little she knew about Vivian's background could fit in a thimble. But the implications were pretty clear. Things had happened in her childhood, probably before her adoption, that had messed her up. Well. That made sense. The woman was so insular sometimes, she was probably bottling it all up.
And that was probably what had happened, in the end, with her and Jamie.
Huh.
"Well. Are those issues gonna come up here and scream at me when I'm in my altogether in your bed?"
Vivian stifled a laugh. "Unlikely. And Gail would just hoot and take pictures."
"Your moms are seriously screwed up, you know."
"I know. Love 'em for it." Vivian chuckled. "I sleep for shit, Kate."
"That's alright. I might get called outta bed." She looked at the city cop's face. "How about this. We try out a summer thing."
The woman beneath her snorted. "Isn't that kind of shit for twenty year olds?"
"It is," agreed Kate. "But you were thick as a plank when I hit on you when we were kids."
"I'm not much better now."
"Maybe not," she mused. "But we're here now."
Vivian huffed a laugh. "Alright. I'll try a 'here for now' thing with you, Kate."
It rather quickly became a here when available thing. Vivian, obviously, had little to do when she was in town. Kate had a job. So their arrangement was simple. Kate would call, Vivian would ask her to come by for dinner, and then. And for two and a half weeks, it worked out incredibly well.
Kate had forgotten how nice it was to have someone to talk to about cop stuff. And to have someone to sleep with on the regular. Even if they didn't have sex, they had 'hanging out' and god, that was nice. Vivian wasn't much of a cuddler, but she seemed to be perfectly content to lounge on her finished deck or dock, watch the stars, and have Kate lean on her.
But for once, Kate had a girl who liked her and wasn't too hung up on the job. A job they could talk about. Kate would tell Vivian about the shenanigans the town got up to, and Vivian would tell her some stories from the city.
And yes, there was lazy summer sex. The kind where a person got distracted by the sound of an animal in the woods, or a shooting star, or a beautiful woman. Where they had hours to just explore and savour. When it got hot, they could swim in a lake. When there was a storm, they sat inside and watched the rain beat the deck. They even fished one day.
It was pleasant. It was a textbook summer romance, until that last week.
The phone picked up on the fourth ring, and it was by a woman, but it wasn't Vivian. "Hello, Peck Murder Cottage."
Kate knew that voice. That was Jamie Peck ... no. Jamie McGann. "Oh. I'm sorry," she started, trying to awkwardly back out of her original intention.
"Is that you, Kate?" Jamie sounded delighted. "I haven't seen you in years. Can't wait. Vivian said to ask you to bring beers."
Yep, it was officially weird. Everything about being around Pecks was weird, but being asked by one's kind of girlfriend's ex wife to bring beers over? That was taking the cake. "Beers?"
"Yeah, she's making beer battered fish." Jamie snorted. "Always good, but I actually like drinking the stuff."
"Okay. Uh. Beers then." Kate really felt like the world was standing on its ear. "Anything else?"
"Maybe root beer? Just two, though. The boys do not need any more sugar."
Oh. The boys. Of course. "Right. Root beer. Can do."
"Great! See you soon. It'll be nice having adults outnumber the kids for a change."
Kate stared at her phone after she hung up. So Vivian's ex-wife was looking forward to dinner with ... What was she? The summer fling. That had been her own idea, too. Ugh.
Kate put her head down on her desk. What the hell was she doing?
Yet. Doubts aside, she showed up with the drinks as well as the cheese from the local dairy. Vivian had loved it the week prior, though as usual she'd only had the one serving.
Tyson, gangly and teen, met her at the door. "Oh cool! Mom said the cheese was awesome." He took the bags and held the door for Kate, a proper little gentleman. Then he ruined it by shouting, "Moms! Kate's here!"
"Mom said not to shout!" Lane, naturally, shouted from the back where the boys' rooms were. But then he ran out of his room, in nothing but sports shorts. "I'm going swimming," he announced.
"You're helping with dinner," said Jamie, catching him by the back of the neck. "Go help your brother set the table."
"But it's getting cold!"
"Would you rather help your mother with the fire?"
"Duh!" And Lane wriggled out of his mother's hold, bolting for where Vivian was about to pick up a sack of charcoal. "Moooooooooom, I got it!"
Jamie just sighed. "Ty?"
"I'll set the table. Five?"
"Thank you." Jamie shook her head. "It's my own fault. Keeping Lane cooped up in the car all day."
Kate grinned. "Oh you drove here today?"
"Got in right when you called." Jamie gave her a chagrined look.
"Didn't let me drive at all," muttered Tyson as he walked outside with the plates.
Jamie mimed strangling her son. "I love him to pieces, and I may kill him. He wants a car."
"He's sixteen, right?"
"Just. He got his license on his birthday." Then Jamie added, "Gail taught him."
"She means Mom took Ty on the driver's course at the academy, and I still have the top score, thank you." Vivian looked highly amused. "You need to let Ty drive more."
"He's just sixteen," muttered Jamie. "What's Lane doing?"
"Waiting for the coals to be right. I told him he could swim after he put the meat on."
The exes shared a look that spoke of telepathy. "It's getting dark."
"He's fine. He won't go past the tree, and if we can weed out that energy by dinner, we might actually get some sleep." Vivian rolled her eyes. "I'm going to take Ty driving tomorrow."
Jamie didn't look like she was thrilled about that, but nodded. "Your house."
"My rules," agreed Vivian. "Okay. Meat's been marinating since this morning. Want to do the salad or the bread?"
Kate lifted a hand. "I can do the salad, if you want a break."
"I've got the bread," said Jamie. "What's desert?"
"Oh fine." Vivian laughed and helped dole out the components for everyone.
It felt incredibly weird, being a part of a three way conversation about how the summer had been, what the boys had gotten into, what Jamie was doing, how her flower shop was getting on, how her mother was, how Kate was, the town etc etc. They didn't talk about why Vivian was hiding up at the cabin, though, and Kate started to wonder if Jamie even knew.
That said, both Jamie and Vivian made sure to include Kate on all the various topics. They rewound long stories to make sure Kate had a grounding in why Vivian was bragging about her score on the driving course. In return, Kate told Jamie all about Vivian's grand theft auto at fourteen. They all agreed not to tell Tyson, who was setting up fireworks with his brother by the shore.
When it was time to eat, Vivian and Jamie took the heads of the table and Kate sat next to Lane and Vivian. The boys gave each other shit all meal, but from that place of actual love. Vivian didn't try to stop it until Ty made a dig about Lane nearly failing French. There were limits, apparently.
For her part, Jamie didn't intervene. She let Vivian be the lead, as if this was some part of their arrangement. When Lane started to get angry that Vivian didn't want them to go to the fair the next town over, and argued Jamie would let him, Jamie spoke up and pointed out Lane could either come with her back to Mississauga or stay with Vivian.
Eventually conversation wound down. The boys plowed through dessert and launched fireworks over the lake. And when they were done, Vivian gestured to the table. "Come on, boychicks. We'll toss these in the wash," said Vivian, oblivious as often to any possible awkwardness, leaving an ex with a current ...
Now she was alone with Jamie. What did one tell someone else's ex wife? What did they talk about?
"So." Kate toyed with her empty bottle.
Jamie, thankfully, laughed. "Yeah. Well." She took a long pull off her beer. "Sorry about the boys."
"Oh. I have a brother and a sister. I get it." Kate grinned. "My sister moved in with our mom after the divorce. Summer was always like that."
To her surprise, Jamie winced. "It's funny. Viv totally gives them more freedoms than I do, but..."
"But they're kids. If they can get you two on opposite sides, they win."
"Ugh, they didn't start this shit until after the divorce either. Hell, not even until the last year or so."
"It's a phase. They'll get through it."
"I hope so. I don't know how Viv deals with it all the time. But ... she does." Jamie sighed. "So hey, Viv said you'd been coming around all summer."
Danger! "Oh. Yeah. She looked like she needed a friend." Right, that was safe.
Jamie nodded. "She does. She liked Duncan, I think. But it's... you know. He was one of the last cops who trained her."
So Jamie did know about the case. That was interesting. "Last on the Force you mean?"
"Yeah, not last-last. Thank god." Jamie made a face. "She doesn't like to talk about what she's feeling. Ever."
Kate snorted. "Good to know that hasn't changed."
"Was she like that as a kid?"
"Oh yeah," said Kate with a nod. "Totally. I could never tell if she was intentionally ignoring us, oblivious, or what."
"All three," said Jamie, dryly.
There was an abrupt thudding from inside, a slammed door, and then a young voice shouting out for a Mom. Jamie did not get up.
"Her turn?" Kate glanced inside and saw Vivian crossing the living room.
Jamie looked surprised. "No, that was her mom call. Mine sounds different."
"They call you both mom?"
"And their grandmothers are both Grandma. Somehow we always just know."
Vivian's annoyed voice cut across from a downstairs bedroom. "Lane, I don't care if you went swimming. Shower. Tyson, stop it. You're both acting like children."
Two boys carolled as one. "We are children!"
That seemed to dispel the tension.
"Come on, let's get the dishes for her while she wrangles goofus and doofus." Jamie finished her beer and got up.
For wont of anything else to do, Kate followed, making sure to pick up the rest of the trash. They were nearly done (just pans left) when Vivian emerged from Lane's room. "Oh, You didn't have to," she said, surprised.
"I ate the food," sang back Jamie. It sounded like a well worn patter.
"I meant Kate, asshole." Both Vivian and Jamie laughed, still so comfortable around each other.
Jaime elbowed Kate, ushering her away from the dishes. "I'll get the rest."
Vivian smiled as Kate approached her, as if it was any other night in the last few weeks.
"So. I should go," said Kate quietly, watching Jamie do the dishes.
"Oh." Vivian frowned. "You don't have to."
Good lord. Sometimes Vivian was so obtuse. "Viv. Your kids are in their rooms and your ex wife is here."
"Yeah?" The city cop tilted her head, looking incredibly like her mother, Holly, for a moment. "She knows."
What? What!? "I'm sorry... you... what?"
"Jamie," said Vivian a little louder. "I told you about Kate, right?"
"Yup." Jamie lifted a hand, making a thumbs up. "Promised not to tell the brat though."
"She means Gail," explained Vivian. "Ty knows. Lane... eh." She shook her head.
"Lane," said Jamie, walking back to the living room with a towel on her shoulder. "Lane's sensitive. I can't believe you're okay with his stupid idea."
Vivian sighed. "It's not my choice, Jamie." To Kate she added, "He wants to be a cop."
Reflexively, Kate winced. "Well that's a shitty job."
"Thank you!" Jamie sat on the couch. "That idiot won't stop him."
"Pretty sure I can't," Vivian muttered. "He's going to be his own person, Jamie. We can't stop that any more than you could stop Ty from being a scientist. It's who they are."
"Tyson won't get shot at," said Jamie, firmly. "I'm sorry, but I can't be … cavalier about our son doing the shit you did."
Before Vivian could reply, Kate cut in. "Maybe I should go…"
Both women stopped and shared a look. Jamie's was pointed. Vivian's was chagrined. "It's an old argument," admitted Jamie, reluctantly. "You staying tonight, Kate?"
Okay, that was officially weird. "You two are crazy, you know that, right?" Kate pointed at Jamie and then Vivian.
And Vivian laughed. "Never had a girl's ex tell you to stick around? It's late, Kate. If you want to crash here, it's fine."
"Yeaaah, no." Kate shook her head and picked up her hat. "I'm going back to my place."
"Okay," said Vivian, a little sad. It didn't look like Vivian was going to do anything else, but Jamie coughed. "Oh. I'll… walk you to your car?"
Kate didn't miss Jamie's thumbs up. "Sure. Night, Jamie. It was nice to see you again."
"Same, Kate. Viv, I'm going to use your shower."
Vivian nodded and held the door open for Kate. "Sorry," she muttered as Kate passed by.
"For your ex-wife being your wingman?" Kate smirked. "You two are weird."
"Well. We're still friends. Family," admitted Vivian. "I mean, she's my kids' mom, too." She hesitated. "I do still love her, but not like that."
The funny thing was Kate understood that. She still loved Cobie but not like that. They'd been good together, after all, right up until they weren't. And more than likely, Jamie and Vivian were the same way. Except Kate hated Cobie a lot at the moment, and she was pretty sure Vivian never hated Jamie. And that? That was weird. "She went back to McGann, huh?"
"Oh yeah, ages ago." Vivian sighed and tugged the screen door closed. They walked to Kate's jeep in silence. "Y'know. When I said you should stay the night, I meant sleeping. Not sex." When Kate didn't reply, she added. "The sex is great."
It was impossible not to laugh. Kate leaned in and kissed Vivian softly. "You're adorable, Viv."
Vivian wrinkled her nose. "People don't usually say that about me. Except my Moms."
"Well. I say it too." Kate smiled and kissed her again. "When do you head back?"
"Thursday." The city girl gently took hold of Kate's waist, pulling her close. "I'll be back up next month. Got a couple long weekends due me."
"With the boys, though," mused Kate.
"I'll talk to Lane," she replied, thoughtfully. "Matty thinks he gets so touchy about Jamie because he sees her less."
"You're going to tell your boys about us so you can have weekend sex?"
Vivian gave her that smile, the one that Kate felt in her bones. "No. I want to tell them because I like you and I like hanging out with you. And even if this isn't forever, I don't want to end early just because I'm nervous."
Kate blinked. "You're nervous? I make you nervous?"
The city cop nodded. "You do. Always have."
Oh! So Vivian wasn't as obtuse as Kate had thought. Kate grinned a little shyly and ducked her head. "Well. Let's have a summer, huh?"
"I'd like that."
Merry Christmas
Christian almost called out when he realized the living room was incredibly quiet. Peeking his head around the corner, he spotted Vivian sprawled out on the floor with her sons on either side. They were all positioned to see the Christmas tree lights. Actually, their heads were under the tree.
Long and lanky, teenager Lane was curled up as close as he could get. Tyson, an adult now and fully bragging about going to go to UoT just like Holly, was actually resting his head on Vivian's shoulder.
And the woman herself was smiling with her eyes closed.
Oh, Gail was going to love that.
Christian smirked and carefully took a photo.
"Asshole," said Vivian, not moving an inch.
"I'm sending this to your Moms."
"Double asshole." She paused and then carefully extracted herself from the pile, leaving her sleeping sons. "Finally wore 'em out. Only took me 17 years."
Christian chuckled. "I didn't think Lane ever actually slept."
"Honestly I'm not sure he does," admitted Vivian, and she winced as she stretched. "I really hate this getting old bullshit. What are we drinking?"
"Hot Rum Toddies."
"Perfect." Vivian grinned. "And apple cider for the young 'uns." She looked over at the boys. "Sorry about that, by the way."
Christian shook his head. "You know I love 'em, Viv."
The original plan had been for a grown-up Christmas, where Vivian had actually agreed to go out dancing and enjoy a party for a change. Instead, Lane had bitched that he didn't want to spend Christmas with Grandma Angela, Tyson took his brother's side, and Vivian ended up being Mom. Again.
"I know, but it…" She trailed off and sighed. "It's always a fuck up. I don't know why we keep trying to have them see Jamie for Christmas. They hate it."
"At least she stopped blaming you," he pointed out.
Vivian snorted and took her drink. "Well. That too. I can't blame her for being pissed. It's what it is."
Every year was much the same. Vivian would try to plan for the boys to see their other mom. It had only worked twice. Ever since the second time, they actually cried and begged not to go. And even though Vivian constantly invited Jamie over to spend the holidays with all of them, it didn't work. This year it was because Jamie's boyfriend was not really enamoured of the idea of spending Christmas with his girlfriend's ex-wife. He'd not been fond of Jamie spending a few days at the cottage with Vivian and the boys that summer either though.
"Eh, I don't actually like him either," said Christian, pointedly. He knew Vivian would know who 'he' was.
And she did. With an eye-roll that spoke of Gail, Vivian replied. "Well. That's what it is too."
"They don't mind Kate."
Over the summer, and into the autumn, Vivian had casually dated Kate, the sheriff up at her cottage.
"Well," muttered Vivian. "That's what it was."
"What happened anyway?"
Vivian shrugged. "That new baker in town? Margie? They hit it off." She paused and grinned. "It was kind of funny, actually. Kate freaked out when she told me."
It was odd to think of Vivian as having a successful casual relationship, but somehow she'd done just that. "What'd you do?"
"Not much. I went up to town, turned on my gaydar to make sure, and told Margie that Kate had a crush on her, and to ask her out." Vivian flashed a smile that was pure Gail Peck at it's heart.
"They better invite you to the wedding," decided Christian.
His friend just smiled. It was a weird, knowing smile. Like she held on to a secret he'd never been made aware of. She often seemed like that. Like Vivian actually knew the answers to life's deepest mysteries. That she understood the meaning of life. Love. All of it.
She didn't always smile like that, or act like it. When they'd been younger, teens and then rookies together, Vivian had kept her thoughts to herself and her heart well guarded. It wasn't until years with Jamie that anything had really changed. When Christian found out they were getting divorced, he worried he'd have that Vivian back.
Instead, he got an older and wiser and more emotionally level Vivian. Oh sure, she was still shitty at dating, but she kept smiling and engaging more with the world. She talked, a little, about things and how she was feeling. She had friends and she didn't just lock it all up inside.
Most of the time Vivian talked to Matty, which made a lot of sense. They had an understanding that went beyond friendship. Not that Christian felt excluded. He was a different friend. And that was okay too.
"I didn't know you had a functional gaydar," he teased.
Vivian laughed. A real laugh. "Asshole."
They both laughed.
It was nice having this friend back. "I missed hanging out with you," admitted Christian.
"Wanna move in? You could drive the kids around."
"Hah, no thank you." Christian paused. "Do you need help?"
Vivian startled. "What? No, Jesus, it's a joke. C, I'm good. We're good."
"You're a single mom with two teenaged boys and a super stressful highly important job. In what universe are you good?" When his friend looked concerned, he continued, "You're awesome. But you need to take a break."
"That," said Vivian firmly, "is why my moms are awesome. They're taking the boys on Spring Break."
"Where are they now?" Normally Holly and Gail's house was holiday central.
"France. Gail's probably halfway through eating their weight in cheese." Vivian smirked.
"Holly will have to roll her back on the plane."
"One day her metabolism will give up."
They both chucked. It hadn't yet. "So hey, I have a serious question for you."
Vivian blinked. "Oh dear. I'm not in charge of promotions, C."
"I know. I'm thinking I'll buck for Inspector of Fifteen though. Would you back me?"
His friend, his oldest friend, frowned a little. Yes, she had rocketed ahead of him in their careers, but really he didn't care. The frown didn't look like unhappy or disappointed. It looked thoughtful.
"You sure?"
That was it. That was all she asked.
And Superintendent Peck knew how deep a question it was. She'd taken Duncan's death earlier that year before really hard. And so had Christian in his own way.
"Yeah, I am. I want to help make sure what happened to Duncan doesn't happen again."
"Ah," she replied. "Yes, absolutely."
Christian smiled. To have her friendship, her loyalty, was something he cherished. He could have no truer friend in life than Vivian.
A Wondering Son
"Think they're hooking up?"
Tyson smacked his brother in the back of the head. "Shut up."
"I think they are," said their grandmother, sipping her coffee.
Their other grandmother snorted. "Kate has a girlfriend, you idiots," Holly said firmly.
"So?" Gail smirked and kissed Holly's cheek.
Tyson rolled his eyes. Jesus, they were at it again. "You get how we can't hear anything with you all hissing, right?"
There were muffled giggles from his family, but they did shut up. Just in time for Vivian to look back at the cottage with an amused and tolerant expression. Gail ducked behind Holly, who laughed. Vivian ignored the antics and asked, "Ty, can you grab my boots from my room, honey?"
He blinked. "Sure, Mom." Boots. Kate was in uniform. Something serious had happened. Of course his grandmothers were still tittering. "Honestly, you'd think you were the grandkids," he said, chastising them, and went to find the boots.
Thankfully his mother's room was nothing like his brother's. Even with Gail and Holly staying in it, Vivian made sure it was clean and organized. She insisted on sleeping on the couch (or on the back deck) when all five of them were at the cottage. But she still kept her clothes in the main bedroom.
By the time Tyson had found the boots and his mother's phone (and gun and badge) he heard Gail ask if Vivian wanted the latter items. "I got 'em, Grandma!" He returned downstairs with the items in hand.
Only Vivian did not seem surprised at his initiative. "Thank you, Ty. Mind keeping an eye on the children today?"
He arched an eyebrow at his mother. "I don't mind. What's... who died?"
Kate looked shocked. "How the hell..."
"He's the bona fide genius," Vivian pointed out, changing her shoes. "Double homicide at the Millers, down on the other side of town."
"We don't know it's a homicide," Kate remarked, acerbically.
"It's suspicious enough," countered Vivian. "And I apologize for how big an asshole Gail's going to be about it, Ty."
He looked back to where Gail was cheerfully doing something with Lane. "Why?"
"Because no one asked the great detective for help," his mother replied.
Under her breath, Kate muttered, "She's retired. And Holly would kill me."
"I imagine the latter is of greater import," drawled Vivian. "Okay. I'm off. Call if you need anything."
"Tranqs for Grandma?"
"I'm sure Holly has something." She kissed his forehead and drove off with Kate to solve a mystery.
Tyson sighed. His mother worked way too hard, all the time, for everyone but herself. She'd always been like that, though. Even when his moms were married, Vivian was always putting herself behind the needs of others. Holly had admitted it was their great failure as parents, not being able to teach Vivian how to care for herself first. All they'd managed to do was get her to try a little.
Apparently his mother had not been very trusting as a child. Something to do with her biological parents. Not that he or Lane had heard one word about them. It wasn't until Tyson was eight that he learned Vivian was adopted as a child, not an infant. That she even knew her birth family.
He didn't know his. They'd all died when he was just barely not a newborn. And Lane had been dumped on Vivian the day he was born. Lane probably could know his, but Vivian had only asked a few times if he wanted to, and seemed okay to let that go. Tyson didn't get that. He'd give anything to know a little more about his own birth parents.
All he knew was what his family had gleaned from the police reports. Young parents, not married, living in a cheap apartment building. Nothing on them in the system. No IDs survived, and a strong suspicion they were illegal immigrants. They were just another couple who died in a tragic fire following a plane crash due to high winds, that had killed forty-six people thanks to shitty insulation and a sparked wire. He was one of a handful of survivors, which was damn impressive. He wasn't the only one orphaned from the fire. He was just the lucky one.
"Hey, Big Brain," said his grandmother Holly, holding out a mug of tea. "Gail made it."
Tyson smiled. "You really suck at tea, Grandma." Everyone knew Gail made the best tea.
Holly snorted and sat down on the front steps. "I'd be offended, but you're right."
After a moment, he sat beside her. "Is Grandma being a pest?"
"No. She's showing your brother where Steve broke his arm."
"Moderately safe," conceded Tyson.
His grandmother laughed and leaned into his shoulder. "Want to talk about it?"
He hesitated. "Is Mom happy?"
The older woman sighed. "I think so. Hope so."
Tyson nodded. "She works a lot. And now we're not home all the time."
"Your laundry argues otherwise," Holly pointed out.
He couldn't help but smile. "I just. I don't want her to be alone."
Holly wrapped an arm around his shoulders and tugged him close to kiss his forehead. "Honey. She's the grown up."
"She's my mom," he replied, but stayed still in Holly's hug. She gave great hugs. The world was safer, better in his grandmother's hugs. "I wish Moms were still married sometimes." Before Holly could comment, Tyson added, "Except they weren't happy at all."
"You know they love you boys. And each other," said Holly, gently. "It just didn't work out the way they thought it would."
He sighed. "Were they happy before me?"
"Oh honey. They were happy before and after you. And before and after they were married."
It took him a minute to parse the sadness in his grandmother's voice. "Oh god, Grandma, I know it's not my fault!"
Holly looked relieved. "You just sounded..."
He had to laugh. "Yeah, probably. Sorry." Tyson sipped his tea and smirked. "I just want Mom to be happy in more things than just us and work, you know?"
There was an odd look that crossed Holly's face. It implied there was a long story behind things. "Well. For your mom, having a family ... me and Gail, you boys ... I think that's more important to her. To see you boys become the wonderful men you are." There was a crash in the kitchen and Holly sighed. "Even seeing Gail being the eternal twelve year old she is."
Tyson leaned back and looked. Inside, Gail was waving raw bacon at Lane, who was roaring with laughter. "They're so alike..."
His grandmother turned to look. "I used to think that of Viv and Gail."
"Mom?" That sounded weird to Tyson. While Gail and Vivian (and one day Lane) were all cops, Vivian was so much more like Holly. Eternally patient and gentle. Kind. Loving. Serious, but with a wry humour. Gail was ... "Grandma is a goofball."
"She is," said Holly, fondly. "But growing up, Gail showed Vivian how to walk through fire and come out alive."
"That's a hell of a metaphor, Grandma."
The older woman smiled. "Ask your mom about it. I think she'll tell you."
Tyson thought about it, and decided he wouldn't. Oh he lied to his grandmother, nodding seriously at her, but no doubt the secrets his mother harboured were for good reasons. And no doubt it was somehow related to his brother's difficulties. And maybe why Lane was so stuck to Gail's hip.
A woman who taught Vivian to walk through fire.
Yeah, his baby brother needed that help. Poor Lane. His birth mother had shown up a few times in their life. Every time, she would show up in the hospital. Every time, Vivian would drop everything to help her. And every time, Maisie skipped out.
It fucked Lane up every single time. The first time, Lane had been a toddler. It was also the first time Tyson remembered his moms fighting. The second time, Lane had been thirteen and went and got drunk. Tyson had expected to see his mom mad, but Vivian had just sat with Lane while he vomited and held him when he cried.
Oh there were words the next day about how Lane couldn't do that, but they were said with heartfelt sincerity. Vivian took Lane's hand and explained to him, and Tyson, that because Lane was an addict baby, he needed to stay away from those things. Lane needed to know. Tyson was his brother. Family.
Of course that wasn't the only time Maisie had shown up. The last time was just that year. New Years. She'd shown up at their house, drunk. Probably high. She'd refused to come in and just asked for money. Tyson wasn't sure what his mom had given her, but Uncle Christian had driven her somewhere, and Vivian had been quiet most of the rest of the night.
If Grandma Gail had taught his mom how to survive all that, then definitely Grandma Holly taught her how to keep loving. Maybe his grandparents didn't see it in themselves, but he did. They were the bones of the things he loved most in his mother.
Tyson sighed and leaned against Holly, resting his head on his grandmother's shoulder. He didn't have anything to say, but he knew she'd understand.
The Women In Her Life
"Oh."
Olivia stopped putting the plates down. She knew the voice too well, and she wasn't happy about it. She wasn't mad about it, but at the same time, Jamie McGann wasn't someone she liked spending a lot of time with.
"I should have guessed the other person Holly wrangled into this was you," she said, turning to see Jamie holding a large cake. "Did Gail make that?"
"No, I got it from the bakery Gail's not allowed to visit."
They both paused and laughed. That was fair. "Who's keeping the birthday girl busy?"
Jamie put the cake down and brushed snow out of her hair. "She's with the boys. Lane has a hockey game."
That would work. "He better not get hurt."
"Not my skinny Gretzky," said Jamie firmly.
"Can't call him mini anymore, can you?"
Young Lane was already as tall as Jamie, and looking to grow more. "He was such a tiny baby, too." Jamie looked fond. "Thank you for doing this."
"Hey, you drove up from Mississauga." Olivia put the cake to the side and went back to making sure she had enough plates.
Jamie didn't say anything to that, and went about making the fruit salad and other non sugar treats for people who were not Gail Peck. But the silence dragged on a little. "Okay, this is awkward, right?"
Personally Olivia was fine with the silence. "Uh, ex girlfriend and former BFF, plus the ex wife? A bit. Yes. Worse if we'd dated."
The florist (and wasn't that weird?) snorted. "No offence, you're not my type."
"Oh?" Olivia picked up the banner Gail had bought. It had to be Gail. Holly would not have picked the one that boldly reminded Vivian of her age. "I can't tell if I'm insulted or not."
Jamie smirked. "Vivian is not the only dedicated professional I've had a relationship with. Learned my lesson. Find someone with a more amenable work/life balance."
Alright, Olivia had never thought of it in quite that way before. "Viv's a workaholic?" Yes, Gail and Holly (and her own parents) were dedicated to their work, she didn't think of them as workaholics. They didn't work to the exclusion of all else.
"Yeah. She doesn't ever stop being a cop." Jamie shook her head. "She's always thinking about cases or people or weird politics stuff now."
"I heard Gail complain about that at dinner last night," admitted Olivia. "Vivian into work politics. That's so weird."
"Shit, I watched it happen. One day she just had enough with cops being stupid and started to wrangle them." And Jamie paused. "I suppose that's why she's a better parent than I am, actually."
An odd confession. And that was really weird too. "Why did you—Why did the kids stay with Vivian, anyway?"
Jamie eyed her. Clearly she caught that Olivia was trying to ask why Jamie had left her kids. "You don't talk to Viv about this?"
"No," she replied. "It's ... complicated."
The other woman picked up one end of the banner and without a word, started to help hang it. "So was ... My mother was not good for the kids. Not when they were little. When my dad died, it was either I take care of her, or I put her in a home."
Okay, Olivia definitely hadn't heard that before. "Huh. All she said was it didn't work out, and the kids didn't want to change schools."
"Well. She's good people." Jamie lowered her banner end a little and shoved in the thumbtack. "And that isn't wrong. Just incomplete."
"Revisionist history, eh?" Olivia pushed in her own thumbtack. "Okay. Banner. Food. Dishes. When are they due here?"
Jamie looked at her watch. "Gail and Holly will be back in half an hour. Viv and the boys will be here in an hour and a bit. She's going to make Lane shower."
"That sounds like a story."
"He's a teenaged boy. Everything is a production." Jamie smiled though, as if she didn't mind the drama. "Now what?"
Olivia sighed and opened the fridge, finding some craft beer. Probably from Chris Epstein. They'd inherited their father's love for the overpriced crap. "If it wasn't February, I'd say sit outside and wait." She waggled a beer at Jamie, suggestively.
They settled at the kitchen table and talked about nothing important at all. Jamie politely inquired about Olivia's job. Naturally Olivia reciprocated. They both liked the same basketball teams, so that ate up a little time.
But the ex and the ex in a room had a lot of elephants that just hung around, awkwardly, uncomfortably.
Instead of addressing them, Olivia asked, "How come you don't ask me if I regret not having children? Literally every other mom I know does."
"Viv too?"
"Well. No." Then Olivia asked, "Did she tell you something?"
Jamie shook her head. "No, it just didn't sound at all like her." She sighed. "As the mom who moved away, I don't ask people that one. And besides, it's not my fucking business."
The directness amused Olivia, and explained a lot about why Vivian had liked Jamie so much. She didn't much care for people who beat around the bush, and a girl who said what was on her mind was up Vivian's alley.
It had always surprised Olivia that Vivian had gotten married at all. When they'd been children, it hadn't been a consideration. Their parents were married, but Olivia's father had three ex wives, and her mother had sworn to never marry. Which clearly hadn't lasted. On Gail's side, Holly had once mentioned she'd never considered marriage only because she was a lesbian and it wasn't permitted when she'd been young. Gail was just Gail and it was never worth trying to get a fair answer out of her.
As far as she knew, Jamie came from a married until they'd died parental set. Having not attended Vivian and Jamie's wedding, Olivia had never met the McGanns. In fact, had it not been for Lane's adoption, Olivia doubted she'd have been all that close with Vivian again at all.
Originally, Olivia had studied cancer treatments and care. It was important to her and her mother's family. On the journey, she'd been working in California and found how terrible recuperation was the survivors. How the drugs introduced to their system caused terrible withdrawals and agony. The side effects... Over time, they'd managed to make it better, safer treatment, but just as that was happening, Olivia found herself drawn to pain management and withdrawal assistance.
And then her childhood best friend adopted an addict's baby.
"I never thanked you," said Jamie, clearly thinking the same general thoughts. "For Lane."
Olivia smiled. "Technically he has my middle name."
"Oh so you are named for Oliver?"
She shrugged. "One presumes. Mom always gets cagey about it."
Jamie grinned. "At least Viv was up front about that."
"Elaine and Oliver. Poor kid, he hardly has a chance."
"Oh god, that too." Jamie rolled her eyes. "Asshole wants to be a cop."
Olivia winced. "Seriously? I thought ... god. I'm sorry."
"Thank you. Everyone else is just resigned." The former firefighter shook her head.
"Even Holly?"
"Alas. She thinks it's inevitable and I should let him live his own life."
"Now see that sounds like Holly." In fact, that sounded like Holly defending Olivia's move to California. "That shit is why I'm not a parent, though. Raise 'em up and they run off and do crazy stuff like strap on a bulletproof vest."
"Not helping," muttered Jamie.
"Sorry. That's the other reason. No filter."
To her surprise, Jamie laughed. "I was a really terrible parent. Still am."
"Your kids are amazing. I mean ... you've heard Tyson talk. He's a goddamned genius."
"He did that on his own."
"You nurtured it."
And Jamie shook her head. "No. Vivian did. I was terrified from the minute that kid spoke a full sentence. And don't even start with Lane. I adore my boys, but Jesus I am out of my league."
"And Vivian isn't?"
"She doesn't let it show if she is."
Ah. "Which is part of why you two... yeah, she really is all up in there, isn't she?"
They exchanged a smile. Two people who had dated and loved, in their own ways, an incomprehensible girl. "I still love her," admitted Jaime. "But not like that."
Vivian had said the same thing, trying to explain her continued relationship with Jamie, beyond just coparents. They loved each other, deeply and probably forever. But it wasn't the love that Gail and Holly had, where they would move heaven and earth for the other.
"I understand," said Olivia, sincerely. "But I think you loved her more than I did."
"Well you were teenagers."
"And I bet she told you why she can't sleep."
Jamie looked surprised. "Oh, that was a ... yes." She made a face. "This is worse than when she left me and Kate in the same room."
"Who's Kate?"
"Ever go up the to murder cabin?"
Olivia nodded. "Sure, Gail would drag us up, sometimes with Christian and Matty, in the summers."
"She's the sheriff up there."
Olivia had to think hard. Then she remembered the gangly local girl, Kate, who had a clear crush on oblivious Vivian. "Wow. Did she hit Viv over the head with a brick?"
"Apparently Vivian kissed her first." Jamie looked amused. "They went out that summer Duncan died."
Oh right. "That was a while ago... we need to set her up."
"Gail tries. Hang on," Jamie snickered and pulled out her phone. "This is from last month." And she handed her phone over.
"Please send in air support. Mom set me up with a woman who works on a reality TV show about housewives. What even?" Olivia snorted. "She still texts with perfect grammar and spelling?"
"It's annoying, but it's consistent. Look at the one just before that."
That one came with a picture of a menu that looked horrifyingly hip and trendy. "How on earth..."
"They're all perfectly nice women, but ... I think Gail's trying to convince her to put herself out there again."
"It worked for her and Holly," mused Olivia. "Did you know about Elaine setting Gail up on terrible dates?"
"Elaine told me," said Jamie, smirking. She took her phone back and fiddled with it. "You know, she should though."
"She's always been slow off the mark there." Olivia had known for ages that Vivian had a crush on her, and had been waiting to see if that crush became more than a crush. "I seek to recall her mentioning you were engaged?"
Jamie flinched. "Was. We broke it off."
And there she did it again. "Hey, I'm divorced twice," said Olivia, trying to extract her feet from her mouth.
"Oh, it's not that. Lane didn't like him. And when I asked Vivian how she felt, she said she didn't trust him."
That was a strange relationship. To still rely on each other like that. "Vivian does not trust men easily."
"She does," corrected Jamie. "Men who actually are who they say they are, like Oliver and even Dov. Your dad. Steve. She trusted them. And she's a lot better than she was at like twenty five. She knows when it's her and when it's them."
In other words, Jamie trusted Vivian's barometer. "But you got engaged."
"He proposed. I ... before that, Vivian didn't mind him, but she pointed out how controlling he got after I said yes."
"Ew."
"Right? And Lane absolutely was not cool with it. I trust them."
"Maybe I should ask her to vet the next person I marry."
"Better than asking Gail," said Jaime dryly, and they both laughed.
Which of course was how the rest of the Peck/Stewart clan found them.
And now you know a little more from some other people.
Next up, Holly.