Moonlight Dancers, Part Three

“Kelly?”

“Sorry,” Kelly said, with a little laugh, “you-you look amazing.”

Even with Vicky’s warning, Kelly hadn’t been ready for Becky in her slinky red dress. The fashion designer must have met or seen a picture of Becky and was inspired to make this dress because it couldn’t have fit her better.

It had to be the one Vicky had mentioned in her office a couple of days ago, the one that was supposed to signify her mom wanted to sleep with Kelly if she got to see it. It was short and snug and showed off that becoming a mother and riding a desk for years hadn’t taken away her lovely figure.

Even as a kid, Becky had been leggy, and she has only become more so with age. Kelly has only seen her in her professional businesswoman attire, and, while Kelly had to admit she looked pretty good in a pantsuit, she hadn’t been trying to impress. Dressed to the nines now, it was a wonder how she didn’t have potential suitors tripping over each other to get her number.

How are you still single, Becky, Kelly thought, still trying to recover from the shock.

Kelly didn’t know if Vicky was right about the dress meaning Becky wanted to get laid, but it definitely helped her odds. When she had opened her door to the woman, she had almost been floored by how good she looked. She had just stood there, gaping at her.

“Me?” Becky said, looking Kelly up and down, “you look beautiful. That dress!”

Looking down at herself, Kelly wondered if Vicky would give her grief for wearing the little black dress she had picked out even after swearing up and down this wasn’t a date. She really hadn’t intended to wear it, but Becky’s comments in the kitchen and on the porch as she went to leave Thursday had made her reconsider. All day Friday and this morning and afternoon, she had tried to figure out what to do about Becky, and she still didn’t know. She had worn the dress just in case.

“You said wear something nice,” Kelly said.

“You did,” Becky said, smiling at her, “in spades.”

“Um, come in. I’m almost ready,” Kelly said, stepping aside so Becky could enter.

“You aren’t going to pretend to do your makeup or hair for twenty minutes and make me wait, are you?” Becky asked, smiling at her.

Laughing, Kelly said, “No. I hate when women do that to me.”

“Yeah, we are the worst,” Becky said.

“It’s funny how often some of them still try it, even though we all know the tricks,” Kelly said, as she headed down the hall to the bathroom.

“I bet,” Becky called from the kitchen.

Kelly did check her makeup in the mirror, which spoke volumes about where her head was at since opening the door and seeing Becky in her red dress. Meeting her eyes in the mirror, she had to smile and shake her head.

“She looks incredible,” Kelly told her reflection. The Kelly in the mirror didn’t disagree.

Taking a deep breath, Kelly left the bathroom. In the kitchen, she grabbed her purse off the counter, and smiled at Becky, said, “I’m ready.”

“You really do look amazing,” Becky said, opening the door.

“You, too,” Kelly said, catching a hint of perfume as she moved passed Becky. Her hand was shaking a little as she dug her keys out of her purse to lock up. She wasn’t sure if Becky noticed.

“I got us some reservations at The Garden,” Becky said.

Pausing with the key still in the door, Kelly looked at her, asked, “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Jesus, Becky,” Kelly said, laughing, “do you know how expensive that place is?”

“Did I mention the new position comes with a salary hike?” Becky said, smiling at her.

“Must have,” Kelly said, shaking her head as she pulled the key out of the lock.

“Can’t I splurge a little on an old friend? Show my appreciation for watching Vicks?” Becky said.

Kelly looked at her a long moment, then laughed and said, “Is that what this is?”

“Mostly,” Becky said, the corners of her mouth turning up.

There’s that smile, again, Kelly thought, her heart racing, and she’s definitely flirting with me.

“Mostly, huh?” Kelly asked. With an inward groan, she realized she was flirting back.

“About seventy-five percent,” Becky said, inclining her head toward the car, “come on.”

Kelly shook her head as she followed Becky down the steps to her car. She didn’t even try to kid herself this wasn’t a date anymore. Catching the tick of Becky’s backside in the red dress, she decided she didn’t care what it was.

If Vicky is right about what that dress means, then God help me, Kelly thought, her heart racing in her breast, I don’t think I could say no.

———————————————

“You said this place was expensive, but Jesus!”

Laughing, Kelly said, “It’s not too late to go to Olive Garden.”

“We are staying,” Becky said, then snorted, “might have to let the light bill slide this month, but I want to know what a hundred and seventy-five dollar steak tastes like.”

“Cow,” Kelly said.

“Smartass,” Becky said, smiling at her affectionately, “order whatever you want.”

“Even a hundred and seventy-five dollar steak?”

“Even that,” Becky said, then laughed, “although I’d probably just have to steal a bite of yours. Three hundred and fifty dollars is almost a car payment.”

“I thought you were a high roller now.”

“I can afford to eat here now and then,” Becky said, then shook her head, “having money to waste will take a while to get used to. Before the promotion, things were pretty tight.”

“Can’t be easy being a single mom,” Kelly said.

“Yeah,” Becky agreed, then smiled, “but I lucked out with Vicks. She only gives me the minimum of grief.”

“Minimum of grief?” Kelly asked.

“She’s a teenager now- something that still blows my mind. Kids grow up so fast,” Becky said, then seemed to remember her original train of thought, “teenagers are required by law to give their parents a minimum of grief.”

“By law, huh?” Kelly said, amused.

“You know- exasperated sighs and eye-rolling, the occasional ‘stop embarrassing me’ or ‘so and so’s parents let them do it’s,” Becky said, smiling.

“And Vicky lets you off the hook with the minimum, huh?” Kelly asked.

“Some months, she’s dangerously close to not meeting her quota at all,” Becky said, fondly, “she really is a great kid.”

“She is,” Kelly agreed, smiling at her, “you should keep her.”

Laughing, Becky said, “I plan to.”

The waiter brought their wine and took their orders, disappearing with the menus to put their selections into the kitchen. Left to sip their wine, they made small talk. At one point, Kelly noticed Becky giving her a funny look and had to ask, “What?”

“It’s crazy, running into you here after all this time,” Becky said, shaking her head, “the odds of it… I mean, if I went back home and ran into you, that would be one thing, but this is a new city for both of us.”

“Just dumb luck, I guess,” Kelly said, with a little shrug, “or maybe fate realizing it shouldn’t have separated us in the first place.”

“I like the second option,” Becky said, with a warm smile, “I’ve been thinking about us a lot since we ran into each other. You know, how we were back then… Do you think we would have ended up together if I hadn’t moved?”

“Maybe… Probably,” Kelly said, meeting her eyes, “I think if our emotions caught up with our bodies, we might have.”

“Yeah,” Becky said, then laughed, “we sort of went into it ass-backward.”

“We were just young. By the time we figured out how to feel about what we were doing, it was too late,” Kelly said.

Raising her glass, Becky said, “Well, here’s to second chances.”

“Second chances,” Kelly said, clinking her glass to Becky. Meeting the woman’s eyes, Kelly wondered just what Becky meant by that. When she saw a mix of desire and affection in them, Kelly thought she had her answer.

I think she means a second chance at us, Kelly thought, feeling a burst of warmth for the woman.

If Becky hadn’t moved when she did, Kelly thought they would have ended up together. It wasn’t until her best friend and lover had moved halfway across the country that she realized her feelings for the girl were starting to blossom into something more than just friendship. Telling Becky over the phone how she felt about her seemed mean, somehow. In the end, she had kept to herself, but now…

Seeing Becky again after so long had stirred up some of those old feelings and, apparently, she wasn’t the only one feeling the draw. Becky’s toast suggested this might be more than just a date, hinted that she might be interested in being more than just friends.

The only thing that kept her from being ecstatic was her burgeoning feelings for Vicky. She knew it was stupid to be involved with a thirteen-year-old girl, but she couldn’t deny Vicky had found a home in her thoughts. So much so that Kelly felt a little guilty being on a date with her mother. Vicky gave her permission to have fun tonight, but still…

If only Becky hadn’t worn that dress, Kelly thought, with an inward groan, or wore it before Vicky and I danced under the stars. That would have made things simpler.

———————————————

“I don’t know about the steak, but this cheesecake is worth every penny.”

Kelly laughed, “Must be. You and that spoon need to get a room.”

“Jealous?” Becky asked.

Caught off guard, Kelly gaped at her. When the woman blushed, Kelly said, “Wow.”

“I don’t drink much anymore,” Becky said, fiddling with her empty glass. It was her third.

“So, it’s the wine talking?” Kelly asked, meeting her eyes.

Becky looked at her a long moment, then said, “Not really. Just wanted to see your reaction, I guess.”

“My reaction?” Kelly repeated.

“I’m a little out of practice at this,” Becky said, with a little laugh, “you’d be shocked just how long.”

“Ah,” Kelly said, nodding, “I guess you don’t wear a dress like that without wanting to get someone’s attention.”

Almost shyly, Becky asked, “Did it work?”

“You have every guy’s attention in here,” Kelly laughed.

“I wasn’t trying to get their attention,” Becky said, her eyes holding Kelly’s.

“I know,” Kelly said, smiling at her.

“I have the babysitter until eleven,” Becky said, hesitant in her nervousness, “we could go back to your place…”

Kelly had figured this moment was coming, but up until right now, she hadn’t known what her response would be. She found herself smiling at Becky and nodding. Spotting their waiter over Becky’s shoulder, she waved him over. Sexual tension sizzled in the air between her and Becky as they waited for him to settle their tab. Kelly could see the woman’s excitement every time their eyes met, and Kelly tried to will the guy to work faster.

Finally, their tab was settled, and they hurried out to Becky’s car. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Becky floored it. This part of the city was notorious for cops pulling people over, but that didn’t seem to phase her. Barring a traffic stop, they’d be back at Kelly’s place in record time.

“We have until eleven, remember? No point in getting a speeding ticket,” Kelly teased.

Laughing, Becky let up on the accelerator a little. Offering Kelly a sheepish grin, Becky said, “I guess that’s true.”

“It would have been amusing seeing you try to explain why you were driving so fast,” Kelly said, with a playful smile.

“I’d just point to you in that dress, and he’d probably understand,” Becky said, glancing away from the road, “might give me a police escort back to your place.”

“Mm,” Kelly said, risking causing a fiery crash to give the woman a kiss, “keep saying things like that, and you might have to speed up again.”

Shaking her head, Becky laughed and said, “It feels weird flirting with you… Fun, though.”

“I guess we really didn’t flirt with each other back then, did we?” Kelly asked, smiling.

“Not a lot of pillow talk, no,” Becky said.

“It amounted to ‘You want to’ or ‘take your pants off’,” Kelly said.

“We were kids,” Becky said, laughing, “it didn’t take much to get us going back then.”

“It didn’t take a whole lot this time, either,” Kelly said, smiling at her fondly.

“I guess it didn’t,” Becky said, returning the smile.

It wasn’t quite record time, but they made it back to Kelly’s as quickly as the law would allow. Becky’s arm was around Kelly’s waist as they walked up the steps to the front door, her hand on Kelly’s hip. It was a less than subtle reminder of why they had rushed back here, and Kelly’s hand was shaking a little as she fished her house keys out of her purse. It rattled around the front plate of the lock a moment before finding the hole.

Then they were inside, and Kelly barely had time to close the door behind them before Becky was in her arms. She had dreamed of holding her again for a long time, to fill this empty spot in her arms the thirteen-year-old girl had vacated when she moved. They didn’t fit together the way they used to when they were kids, but Kelly couldn’t deny she liked how Becky felt pressed against her now.

The first kiss broke the dam of memories in her, and Kelly couldn’t help but get a bit of deja-vu as she kissed the woman back. Kelly felt like she was back in Becky’s bedroom, nervous and excited as she pressed her lips to Becky’s under her Britney Spears poster.

Without breaking the kiss, they shambled through the living room and kitchen, then down the hall to the bedroom. As they tumbled onto the bed, Becky suddenly pulled back from the kiss and offered her a hesitant smile.

“What’s wrong?” Kelly asked, meeting Becky’s eyes.

“Nothing… It’s just I haven’t done this in a while,” Becky said, with a little laugh.

“This?” Kelly asked.

“Make out with a girl,” Becky said, then snorted, “or anyone, for a long time.”

“Do you want to stop?” Kelly asked.

“I didn’t say that…” Becky said, smiling at her, “I’m just a little out of practice. I haven’t done this since… Well, since we did it last time.”

“Just follow my lead,” Kelly said.

Laughing, Becky asked, “Was that a dance pun?”

“Not intentionally,” Kelly said, kissing her, “but we are doing the horizontal mambo, so…”

“Ugh, really?” Becky said, making a facing and laughing.

“Too much?”

“A little,” Becky said, her hands running down Kelly’s back to grab her buttocks, “but I guess it’s what I get for sleeping with a dancer.”

Kelly kissed Becky’s neck, then hooked her fingers in the spaghetti strap of her dress. Pulling the strap down her arm, she kissed Becky’s shoulder, then the pale slope of her breast. Seeing something lacy just poking out the top of the dress, Kelly pulled the dress down further, revealing the lingerie underneath. It appeared to be a strapless bustier.

Meeting the woman’s eyes, Kelly raised her eyebrows.

Becky gave her a smile, said, “I kind of thought we might end up here.”

“Did you now?” Kelly asked.

“I was hoping, anyway,” Becky said, propping up on her elbow to kiss Kelly.

“If I knew you were wearing something like this, we could have skipped dessert,” Kelly said, smiling at her.

Kelly pushed the bustier down, baring Becky’s breasts. Becky moaned as Kelly’s lips trapped her straining nipple, teased it with her tongue. For all of her nervousness and hesitation, Becky responded quickly, her breathing fast and shallow as Kelly moved to her other breast. Finding the little zipper under Becky’s arm, Kelly ran it down. When Becky arched her back off the bed, Kelly pushed the dress down around Becky’s waist. Getting to her knees, Kelly wriggled the dress off Becky’s hips, then down her long legs. It ended up on the floor next to the bed.

It has been two decades since she saw Becky naked, and she took a long moment to drink her in. Gone was the skinny girl she had fallen in love with, but the Becky lying in front of her was just as lovely as that thirteen-year-old had been. A little fuller in the hips and buttocks and a little heavier up top, Becky had filled out since the last time, become a beautiful woman. The lingerie accentuated rather than hid that fact, clung to Becky’s lovely body in all the right places.

Lingerie tended not to last past the foreplay stage of making love, but Kelly was in no hurry to get Becky out of it. She left a trail of kisses on the sheer material, working her way down Becky’s taut stomach. Becky sighed as if Kelly’s lips had found bare skin, nothing lost on the intimacy of the moment. By the time Kelly placed a kiss on the sliver of belly left bare between the bottom of the bustier and the tiny matching thong, Becky was barely breathing, her inhalations fast and shallow in her excitement.

She hooked her fingers in the thong, pulling it down, then off. She met her friend’s eyes, saw a hint of nervousness, but mostly excitement in them. Kelly realized she was a little nervous, too. It had been decades since the last time they were together, and they had just been kids back then. They had been good together back then, so there were certain… expectations, Kelly guessed. A little added pressure to perform. At least, that’s how she felt.

Lowering her mouth to Becky’s clit, she flicked her tongue across it and waited to see how Becky would respond. The first time with a new lover was like playing twenty questions, figuring out what they liked by trial and error. This wasn’t hers and Becky’s first time but had been twenty years since the last time they fooled around. A lot of things could change in that amount of time. They were both adults now, and tastes changed with maturity. Still, she thought she remembered what Becky had liked back then. She knew some more advanced tricks, but Kelly thought she’d give it a try. When the woman moaned thickly, and her hips started to move with a mind of their own, Kelly smiled.

“God, you were always good at this,” Becky said, her back arching off the bed.

Unable to resist, Kelly said, “I’ve learned a few new tricks since then.”

“Yeah?” Becky asked, her eyes flashing with interest.

Winking at her, Kelly showed her what she had learned since the last time they were together. She had Becky clutching at the sheets and writhing in pleasure in no time.

“Jesus,” Becky said, with a moan that was half a laugh, “what are you doing to me?”

Smiling at her, Kelly eased her fingers into her slick pussy, found that magic button inside. She laughed when her friend’s eyes got wide, and a startled moan escaped her. With her fingertips, she massaged Becky’s g-spot, the pressure on that sensitive spot forcing more cries from the woman. When Kelly lowered her mouth to her clit, again, Becky was in real trouble.

“Now- now you are just… just showing off,” Becky said, making Kelly laugh, “God, this feels so good!”

“You are just hard up,” Kelly teased.

“True,” Becky said, laughing around a moan, “but this would be amazing even if I weren’t.”

Kelly lowered her mouth back to Becky’s clit, caressing it with her tongue. She smiled as she watched Becky’s body try to deal with all the lovely things happening to it. It didn’t look like she was doing too good. Her back was arched, and her fingers clutched at the sheets, her hips pushing her pussy against Kelly’s mouth eagerly.

“Fuck, I’m going to come!” Becky said, her eyes snapping open, “Fuck! FUCK!”

With that last expletive, Becky hit her limit, her whole body shaking as she climaxed. The intensity of the pleasure washing through her seemed to take her off guard, her eyes wide in surprise as she lost control of her body for a moment. Even in the wake of the orgasm, she seemed almost confused about what had happened to her.

Smiling her dazed friend, Kelly asked, “Do you always curse like a sailor when you are coming?”

“No,” Becky laughed, trying to catch her breath, “but it was the only thing my brain could come up with. Jesus, Kelly!”

Kelly leaned in and kissed her, said, “It’s a good thing we didn’t have to be quiet like we used to when we were kids.”

“We’d be so grounded right now,” Becky agreed, kissing her, again, “we are just lucky you weren’t this good at that back then. We’d have been busted that first time we tried it.”

“I don’t know how we didn’t get caught as it is,” Kelly said, stretching out next to Becky, “your parents had to be the deepest sleepers ever.”

“Yeah,” Becky laughed, hooking her fingers in the spaghetti straps of Kelly’s dress, “let’s get you out of this.”

Kelly showed Becky the little zipper on the side, her heart beating faster as her friend ran it down. She watched as Becky got to her knees next to her, then slipped the straps from her shoulders and down her arms. Moving between Kelly’s legs, Becky started working the dress down Kelly’s prone form. The dress was snug, so it took some doing, but Becky got her out of it, then the panties she wore.

Naked, Kelly held her breath and waited for Becky’s reaction. It had been two decades since the last time she had looked at Kelly like this, and part of Kelly wondered what was going through the woman’s head. While their early sexual experiences had sent Kelly down a road toward being a full-blown lesbian, she didn’t think Becky had followed her down it. Becky had turned off that particular road when she moved away, had gotten married, and had a kid. As far as she knew, Becky hadn’t looked back, but here she was traveling alongside Kelly, again.

Becky smiled at her, said, “You are still skinny… At least you grew into your knees.”

Laughing, Kelly said, “Hey!”

“I always thought you’d be stunning when you grew up,” Becky said, her eyes meeting Kelly’s, “and I was right.”

“We turned out to be two sexy bitches,” Kelly said, making Becky laugh. Sitting up, she gave her a lingering kiss, said, “I’m glad you wanted to come back here. I didn’t think you were interested in… this, anymore.”

“Kind of surprised me, too,” Becky admitted, kissing her again. It lingered until they both had to come up for air. Smiling, Becky husked, “Definitely interested, though.”

“Yeah,” Kelly said, unable to argue that point after the kiss.

Becky was kind of looking at her like she didn’t know what came next. Raising her eyebrows, Kelly gave her a curious look. Noticing, Becky blushed, said, “It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”

Smiling at her, Kelly asked, “Do you remember where everything is?”

“Yeah, smartass,” Becky laughed, kissing her, “I also remember you were ticklish.”

“Don’t you dare,” Kelly said, giving her a look. It didn’t stop Becky from tickling her, and she squirmed and laughed.

“Rib cage, right?” Becky said, her fingers finding just the right spot to set Kelly to giggling, “do you yield?”

“Okay, okay,” Kelly said, still laughing, “I give up.”

“I just remembered something else, too,” Becky said, leaning in and kissing Kelly’s neck, just behind her ear, “this used to make you shiver.”

“Still does,” Kelly said, shivering when Becky did it again.

Like Kelly, Becky seemed to be remembering what used to turn Kelly on back when they were kids. Most of it still worked, twenty years later, it would seem. Each sound of excitement Becky coaxed from Kelly seemed to settle her nerves, bolster her confidence. Kelly had intended to moan whether it felt good or not to encourage the woman, but she didn’t have to pretend.

“This okay?” Becky paused to ask.

“Yeah,” Kelly said, smiling at her, “like riding a bike, huh?”

Laughing, Becky said, “It’s nothing like riding a bike.”

“I guess not,” Kelly said, still smiling at her.

“What did you do to me earlier?” Becky asked, holding up her fingers.

“You don’t know where the G-spot is?” Kelly asked.

“That’s a real thing?” Becky asked, meeting Kelly’s eyes, “not just something made up in magazines?”

“Felt pretty real a minute ago, didn’t it?” Kelly teased.

“Huh. I guess I’ll have to start believing in Big Foot, too,” Becky said, making Kelly laugh, “you’ve apparently picked up a few moves since we were kids. Teach me.”

“I don’t know…” Kelly said, playfully, “we lesbians like to keep a few tricks up our sleeves to impress straight women.”

“Don’t do it for me,” Becky said, grinning at her, “do it for you.”

“For me, huh?” Kelly said, sitting up to kiss her, “when you put it that way…”

Kelly took Becky’s hand, slipped it between her thighs. She sighed as Becky’s fingers slipped inside of her. She laughed when Becky made a face, asked, “What? You’ve never had your fingers in a pussy before?”

“Not someone else’s,” Becky said, moving her fingers inside of Kelly.

“I really am your only one?” Kelly asked, smiling at her fondly.

“Only girl I ever wanted to be with,” Becky said, kissing her.

Her heart a little funny in her chest, Kelly said, “Well… The-the g-spot is located on the stomach side. You should feel a spot that is… different.”

“Different?” Becky asked, raising her eyebrows.

“You’ll know what I mean when you find it,” Kelly said, then moaned as Becky’s fingertips brushed against the very spot she was talking about. She saw Becky’s eyes widen a bit, and she nodded, “Yeah, that’s it. Now, sort of massage it like you were trying to call someone over. Do you know what I mean?”

Becky did indeed know what she meant, her fingers massaging that sensitive spot in little come-hither motions. Becky beckoned, and pleasure came to Kelly, washing through her. With her back arched off the bed and her fingers clutching at the covers, she thought she knew why Becky had cursed like a sailor when she was doing this to her. It felt so good that it short-circuited the brain and almost gave her ecstasy-induced Tourette Syndrome. She bit her lip to hold back whatever her pleasure addled brain wanted to cry out.

It only got worse when Becky lowered her mouth to Kelly’s clit. The hot caress of her tongue finally broke the seal of her lips, and Kelly said, “Fuck.”

Becky laughed and gave her an ‘and you gave me shit’ look. Kelly could only shrug because she deserved it. Her heart skipped a couple of beats when Becky just winked at her and returned her attention to what she had been doing. When it decided to start beating again, her heart was off to the races because of the wink. No costume or lingerie, whether lace or leather, was half as sexy as the confidence in a lover’s eyes, and that wink said Becky’s confidence was returning to her.

She has every reason to be confident, Kelly thought, biting her lip to hold in more expletives, God, she’s going to make me come!

Then she did. She was trying so hard not to curse, again, that she came without a sound. Without an outlet, all those pent up words and sounds seemed to intensify the aftershocks of pleasure her climax set off inside of her. She couldn’t remember ever shaking so hard from an orgasm, or feeling so limp when it finally let go of her. She felt like she didn’t have a bone in her body.

Becky gave her an amused look, said, “You can say fuck if you need to.”

Laughing, Kelly said, “Fuck.”

“Feel better?” Becky asked, smiling at her, “you were trying so hard not to say it, I thought you were going to bite your lip off.”

“You saw that?” Kelly asked.

“Yeah.”

Kelly managed to sit up and give her a lingering kiss before saying, “I’m going to have to call bullshit.”

“Bullshit? On what?” Becky asked.

“That you haven’t done that in twenty years,” Kelly said.

“Do I get a gold star, then?” Becky asked, her lips turning up in a playful smile.

“You can have all the stars,” Kelly said, kissing her, again, “you are pretty good, at that.”

“Maybe it is like riding a bike, after all,” Becky said, laughing. She sobered up some, said, “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever come like that before.”

“That’s the benefit of being with a woman,” Kelly said, running her hands up Kelly’s arms, “we all have the same bells and whistles.”

“Maybe I joined the wrong team,” Becky said, with a little laugh.

“You wouldn’t have had Vicky if that were the case,” Kelly said, smiling at her, “she’s a great kid.”

“Yeah, she is,” Becky said, pride in her voice, “the best.”

“She reminds me of you when you were her age,” Kelly said.

Snorting, Becky said, “You have no idea how true that is.”

“What does that mean?” Kelly asked.

“She had a friend before we moved- Alexis… My daughter is a lesbian,” Becky said.

“Um… How- how do you know?” Kelly asked, her heart racing. She wondered if she sounded as guilty to Becky as she did to her own ears. Luckily, the woman didn’t notice or attributed the quaver in her voice to being surprised by the comment. Kelly was definitely surprised. She hadn’t thought Becky knew about Vicky.

“They weren’t as sneaky as they thought they were,” Becky said, smiling.

“Sneaky?” Kelly asked, even though she already knew what Becky was talking about. She flashed back to the conversation she had had with Vicky in the kitchen just before they ended up dancing naked in the backyard.

“They used to sneak out of the house to go skinny dipping,” Kelly said, laughing and shaking her head, “among other things, I’m sure.”

“You think… You think they were fooling around?” Kelly asked.

“Oh, I’m sure they were,” Becky said, then snorted, “I’m pretty sure I was supposed to freak out when I figured it out, but I didn’t.”

“No?” Kelly asked, a little surprised.

Smiling at Kelly, she said, “I remember the good times we had and… I guess I didn’t see the harm in it. If it was some boy, I might have handled it differently, I think. Does that make me a hypocrite?”

“Probably,” Kelly said, laughing when Becky gave her a look, “I get it, though. You are too young to be a grandma.”

“Oh God,” Becky said, laughing, “that’s not funny… Kind of true, though.”

Kelly looked at her friend a long moment, then had to ask, “How did you figure it out?”

“What? That they were sleeping together?” Becky asked, then went on when Kelly nodded, “It’s kind of hard to explain… If you and I hadn’t done what we did, I might not have noticed it.”

“You recognized the signs,” Kelly said.

“Yeah,” Becky said, smiling at her, “I think Vicks has a new… friend.”

“You- you do?” Kelly said, her heart hammering. Becky was way too observant for her tastes.

“She’s not a moody teenager- thank God, for that- but she’s been down since we moved here,” Becky said, sighing, “probably missing Alexis. I know I missed you like crazy when I moved… These last couple of days, she’s been all smiles, dancing around the house… You know how it is.”

Laughing, Kelly said, “Yeah. I’ll probably be smiling and dancing tomorrow.”

“Mm,” Becky said, kissing her, “me, too. You have no idea how much I’ve needed this.”

“Any idea who the new ‘friend’ is?” Kelly asked, trying not to seem too interested.

“No,” Becky said, then shrugged, “I’m sure I’ll meet her soon enough… Probably when Vicky has another ‘sleepover’.”

“You going to let her?” Kelly asked, relieved that Becky didn’t suspect her.

“Maybe. Depends on the girl. Alexis was a good kid, so…” Becky said, shaking her head, “I’m definitely a hypocrite.”

“You are just a cool mom,” Kelly said, laughing.

“I lucked out with Vicks,” Becky said, fondly.

“There still time for her to become a surly teenager,” Kelly said, then couldn’t resist, “this new girl of hers could be trouble.”

“Bite your tongue,” Becky said, giving her a look.

“I’m kidding,” Kelly said, although she had to admit a thirty-six-year-old woman would be classified as ‘trouble’ for a thirteen-year-old girl. Part of her wondered what Becky’s reaction would be if she found out she was ‘the new friend’. Would she get the seal of approval like Alexis had to sleep with her daughter?

Kelly figured she could make a case for either answer, but she doubted Becky would see the positive in the situation.

“You want to hear something funny,” Becky said, breaking out in a smile, “I think Vicks has a crush on you.”

“Me?” Kelly said, trying to sound surprised. It actually wasn’t hard because the comment had caught her off guard.

“You haven’t noticed her flirting with you?” Becky asked.

“Um, maybe,” Kelly said, a little uncomfortable with where the conversation had gone. If Becky had noticed Vicky’s interest in her, then what about Kelly’s attraction to her daughter? Vicky had picked up on it pretty quick, so was it only a matter of time before Becky did, too?

Kissing her, Becky said, “Must be something in the genes. I have a crush on you, too.”

Kelly smiled at her, thinking, Whatever it was, it went both ways. I mean that for both of them.

————————————————

Kelly walked Becky to her car, but the woman didn’t immediately get behind the wheel. Leaning against the door, Becky smiled at her and said, “We should do this again.”

Leaning against the car facing her, Kelly said, “You already showed your appreciation for watching Vicky, and I’d say we are pretty much ‘caught up’ after that.”

“It’ll just have to be a date, then,” Becky said, with a smile.

Nodding, Kelly said, “A date, then.”

“We can figure it out next week,” Becky said.

“Okay,” Kelly said, moving so Becky could open the door.

Becky leaned in and kissed her instead. She was smiling when she finally pulled back, and she said, “See you Thursday.”

“Tell Vicky I said hi,” Kelly said.

“I will,” Becky said, getting into the car.

Watching the woman drive away, Kelly thought about Thursday. Vicky was staying the night after practice. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t looking forward to being alone with her again. With an inward groan, Kelly turned back toward the house. She was no closer to knowing what to do with the two Winters’ girls. Mother or daughter, she didn’t think she could pick one over the other.

Continue to Part Four

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