Sapphic Voices Romance

Tea For Two

Conclusion

This Story is rated 'Adults Only' for its sexual content and contains depictions of rape.

Five

Del walked Stella back to her car across the street from the shop. She had come to meet Del and Jake for lunch at the deli next door. Del had honored Jake’s request of a meeting after the third date. It wasn’t something she objected to anyway, as she had already been eager for the two to be introduced. Lunch went well, despite the two women ganging up on Jake and teasing him mercilessly about asking the red-head at the deli out.

Del stood at the car door. “Thanks for agreeing to meet us for lunch. I appreciate you indulging me so soon. Now I can get Jake off of my back.”

“Oh please, it was fun. He seems like a great guy.” Stella gave Del a peck on the cheek before she got in the driver’s seat. “I’ll be over around seven-thirty this evening. Is that good for you?”

“It’s great. Earlier is fine too - whenever you can make it. Bye sweetie.” Del pushed the car door closed and Stella gave her a wave and a smile as she drove off.

When Del turned to walk back to the shop Jake was waiting in the doorway, grinning. Del knew she was in for some shit as soon as they both got inside.

“What are you grinning about?” she asked, as they walked back into their workplace.

“Damn woman, when you get back in, you do it with both feet,” Jake exclaimed. “If you let that one get away, I’m going to personally beat you silly.”

“I take it you like her?” Del asked, smiling broadly.

Jake feigned a disinterested look, shrugged his shoulders and said, “She’s alright I guess.” Then he smiled. “Hell yes, I love her. What’s not to like? She’s smokin’ hot, funny, and perfectly charming. Plus, she actually eats her food. She’s not one of those women who peck around and then waste most of it. Why can’t you find me a straight woman just like her?”

“We both tried to get you to ask the red-head out,” Del reminded him.

“Let’s not start that again,” Jake protested.

“Okay, no more about the red-head. I’m glad you like Stella. Let’s get to work.”

~~~~

Del opened the door. “What’s for dinner?” Stella asked, walking into the apartment.

“Wow, that’s my greeting?” Del teased. “This must be the fifties and I’m the dutiful little wife waiting for her hubby to arrive home for dinner. Let me go get your slippers dear.”

Stella laughed. “Sorry. That was kind of rude. I don’t know why I’m so hungry all of the sudden.” She walked up behind Del in the kitchen and grabbed her ass. “Hungry for food and for other things,” she growled.

Del turned and raised a lascivious eyebrow at her. “Which would you like first?”

“Food,” Stella answered immediately. “I need energy for the other.”

Del brought plates to the table. “I decided on something healthy since we both had some pretty high calorie sandwiches for lunch.” She retrieved a large Caesar salad from the refrigerator with grilled chicken breast cut up into it. She looked at Stella. “Don’t worry, it isn’t totally healthy. The dressing is full fat.”

“Looks good to me, a salad is just what I need.” She took a large bite and chewed, closing her eyes. She swallowed and smiled. “Del, once again, this is delicious. The dressing is perfect.”

“Thanks. I can’t take much credit for the dressing. I bought bottled, but it is my favorite. I’m glad you like it too.”

When they finished cleaning up in the kitchen, Stella took her hand and led her to the couch. “Now you’re going to serve up some dessert,” she said. She sat Del down and straddled her lap, facing her. She leaned in and kissed her. “Mmm, always so sweet.”

“Better than the main course?” Del asked, giving her another kiss before she could answer.

“Better than anything I can think of. One sweet kiss from you can make my day.”

Del blushed. “Now you’re really swelling my head.” She moved down to Stella’s neck and barely brushed her lips against the skin below her earlobe.

Stella sighed and shuddered slightly. She dug her fingertips into Del’s scalp. “That’s perfect baby, keep doing that to my neck.”

“Slip off the blouse and I’ll work on some other areas too,” Del whispered in her ear. “I’m pretty good at using my hands and lips at the same time.”

Stella sat back and had her blouse and bra off in two seconds. She leaned back into Del. “I noticed your considerable skills the other night. Is this enough to work with for now?”

“Perfect.”

Del pulled her in and began kissing her while she ran her hands down Stella’s back, tracing her spine and then back up, running her fingers through her scalp. She leaned back against the sofa. Stella went up on her knees in order to lean into Del, giving her perfect access to tease her breasts with her mouth. She reached around with both hands and squeezed Stella’s ass through the fabric of her slacks while she traced a nipple with her tongue and then sucked.

Stella threw her head back and thrust her hips forward. “Take them off,” she demanded, while unzipping her pants. “I need to feel you on my skin. Help me get them off.”

Del could only pull them down so far, and the waistband was now stuck against Stella’s parted thighs. She turned herself awkwardly around in Del’s lap and then planted her feet on the floor to pull them down, sitting again on Del’s knees to completely pull them off. As she flung them away, Del pulled her back in, facing away from her, she began to kiss her neck and put her hands all over Stella’s body.

Stella leaned back against her, moaning while Del reached her right hand between her thighs and her left hand to Stella’s left breast. Del used her knee to nudge Stella’s legs a bit further apart and when she ran her finger through the wetness and then over Stella’s clit, she felt her stiffen a bit and then the same familiar whimper escaped her lips. As Del matched her rhythm, Stella’s moans became louder, and she twisted her head around to find Del’s lips.

Del sensed her urgency and kissed her deeply. She felt Stella tense and begin to jerk. She moved from her mouth to her neck just as Stella cried out in ecstasy. She held Stella in place as her spasms subsided and her panting returned to normal breathing. Her orgasm had seemed even more intense than before. Stella turned to the side and curled into Del’s lap. After a couple of minutes, she started giggling a little.

“It’s hard for me to believe that you might be embarrassed,” Del said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Stella laughed out loud. “I know you think I’m shameless, but that’s not totally true. I’m certainly not ashamed of having an orgasm. But I do have to admit to feeling a bit on the selfish side. You didn’t even remove a stitch of your own clothing. That was all about my pleasure and I just went along because it felt so good.”

Now Del laughed. “If you don’t think I got some pleasure out of that, then you have a lot to learn. Anyway, you’re the one who needed her dessert right away. I was happy to wait a while. I’ve also always thought that taking turns and concentrating on one person’s pleasure at a time is far more satisfying all the way around.”

“I agree,” Stella said. “I take it back; I’m not ashamed of my selfishness. Let’s get to the bedroom so you can be selfish.”

“Yes ma’am,” Del said, standing up abruptly and carrying Stella with her.

“Baby, you’re gonna hurt your back.”

“Not likely, I’ve hauled lumber heavier than you. And just for the record, I love it when you call me baby.”

“Okay baby, just don’t bang my head on the doorjamb on the way to the bedroom.”

They were both laughing when Del almost dumped her onto the bed. “Damn. Sorry, I was trying to be gentle. Guess I started to give out a little.”

“It’s a mattress, Del, it gives. You’re always gentle with me and that turns me on more than you could ever imagine.”

Del stood at the side of the bed and undressed. She looked directly at Stella as she watched. She had lost any amount of shame she had about her own body being on display. Stella was certainly not looking at her with anything remotely resembling a critical eye. All she saw in those eyes was love and acceptance. She hoped she reflected it back in her own eyes.

~~~~

Del rolled over and turned off the nightstand lamp. As she turned back, Stella moved as closely into her as she could.

“It’s still early. Are you tired or sleepy?” Stella asked, stroking her fingers down the length of Del’s arm.

“No, but if you keep doing that I’ll be lulled to sleep in no time. Stella, are you sure you don’t want to sleep at your place – see what happens with the dreams? I want you here, but I also want you to be okay with telling me if you need to be alone.”

“I don’t want to sleep alone. Plus I need to make a confession about something I did today.”

“Uh oh,” Del said. “Might as well get it over with – spill the beans.”

“I talked to my mother on the phone before I came over this evening. I told her about us – about you.”

“That’s nothing to confess,” Del said. “I mean, you told me your parents know you’re gay, right?”

“They know, but that isn’t it. I kind of told her we’d both come to New Orleans for Thanksgiving this year.”

“You’ll have to clarify ‘kind of’ for me.”

“In another two months I’ll have a week off from work. I have to be there six months before I earn any vacation time. I had already promised my parents I’d come home for Thanksgiving. Plus, since I have no seniority, getting a whole week around Christmas was impossible. My mother said to bring you with me if you were able to make it. I promised I’d try, but I told her I had no idea what your plans would be.”

“I think I could manage to get away that whole week. It might mean putting in some overtime to catch up on orders, but I can do that. You’ll just have to miss me for a few nights. There is one …”

Before Del could finish Stella started squealing and hugging her. “Oh Del, thank you. I know you’ll enjoy it. My parents will love you and …”

“Stella, let me finish, please.”

“Sorry baby, go ahead. I got too excited.”

“I have no doubt I’d enjoy visiting with you and your parents and seeing New Orleans. My concern is how you might react to going back there after only six months away from what drove you away in the first place. Stella, you need to tell me exactly how and why things got so bad that you had to leave. I need to know before I go back there with you.”

Stella became very subdued and quiet for a few moments. “You’re right. I know I need to tell you. My mother said the exact same thing. She said you needed to know what I went through in case things get weird for me when I get back home. She said it wouldn’t be fair to bring you home with me and not tell you what happened.”

“The truth is, Stella, I’ll go with you whether you tell me or not. But your mother is right, you should tell me. The sooner you tell me the better. The longer it takes you to tell me, the more difficult it will be. That’s the last thing I’ll say about it. You have to decide when and what to tell me.”

Stella took a deep breath and turned on her side, looking away from Del. “Then I’ll tell you now. But I can’t look at you and talk about it, not yet.” She reached over for Del’s hand and pulled it around her waist, holding it snugly. “Just hold me while I talk about it. I don’t know how much I can get through without breaking down. This may take several evenings.”

“It’ll take however long it takes. I’ve got the rest of my life to listen to whatever you have to tell me.”

Stella took another deep breath and began. “It was probably a little over a year ago when I first met Amber ... Amber Devlin. I was taking some CAD refresher classes for work. I needed to brush up on the latest software versions and Amber gave tutoring lessons. I asked her to tutor me and very soon we were spending two evenings a week together.

“She was very nice to me, and I ended up doing very well in the class. When the semester was over, I figured we’d just go our separate ways. But then she asked me out. She wasn’t exactly my type, but she was interesting and I was unattached, so I agreed to a date. Things actually went very well the first month or so, but then she began to do the Jekyll and Hyde thing. It started slowly. I guess that’s why I stayed with her longer than I should have.

“She went from nice and even-tempered to moody and unpredictable. At first I excused it. I chalked it up to her status as a starving artist who was always struggling to make ends meet. I thought it was stress. But I think her behavior early in the relationship was not the real Amber. The real Amber emerged when she decided she had me where she wanted me … after I told her I loved her.”

Stella felt Del give her hand a little squeeze. It was reassuring. She continued. “I knew she had problems when she began to request things … unusual things … when we would become intimate. At first most of it seemed harmless. Some of it, I had decided, was just experimenting. She was a bit younger than me and I thought she was just getting some of it out of her system. But that wasn’t the case. It escalated to the point that I was very uncomfortable with some of what she wanted. When I objected to any of it she would act hurt and accuse me of not loving her, of not wanting her sexually.

“I should have ended things at that point, but I thought she needed help. I cared about her, so I tried to get her to seek out counseling. I was beginning to suspect that she might have been a victim of childhood molestation – sexual abuse. But I knew if I ever brought up that subject she would have hit the roof. I was so stupid. I let her goad me into things with her name calling. She’d call me a prude and frigid just to get me to agree to do what she wanted. Things got to the point where nothing we did was even remotely sexually satisfying to me. It became all about what she wanted, and what she wanted was becoming increasingly more perverse and sadistic.

“I decided to end it. I called her on a Saturday afternoon and told her I’d see her at her apartment that night. She must have sensed that I was going to break up with her. She was ready. She had planned what she did to me that night.”

Stella felt Del tense behind her, and there was a sharp intake of breath that Del had tried to mask. Stella turned her head slightly to the side, looking over her shoulder. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No. I asked you to tell me. I can just imagine what’s coming, that’s all. If you need to stop, then stop. But don’t do it because of how you think I might react to it.”

Del was feeling a mix of anger and sadness. She knew what Stella was about to describe and she really didn’t want to hear it, or picture it. Having an image of sexual violence in your head is disturbing enough, but when you know it happened to someone you love, someone you make love to, it can be far more than disturbing.

Stella continued. “When I got to her apartment she was unusually nice. She offered to get us both some iced tea, and I accepted. It probably wasn’t more than fifteen minutes later that I started feeling strange. She had put some kind of sedative in my drink. It was probably valium. I know she took it herself sometimes, but what she gave me must have been a double dose. I accused her of drugging me and she swore she had not. I tried to leave, but I could barely walk. Amber pretended to be concerned about me and insisted I stay and lie down.

“Well, I knew I couldn’t drive home, much less make it a few blocks down the street on foot. I agreed to lie down on the couch. Shortly after that I must have been out completely. When I came to, it was about ninety minutes later and I was still groggy and disoriented. I was handcuffed to the headboard of her iron bed and I was completely nude. When she noticed I had come to she walked up to the side of the bed. It became obvious what she intended to do. She was wearing a strap-on, and it was quite large.

“I begged her to let me go. I said no one had to know anything about what happened that night if she let me go then. I told her that if she used that thing on me, if she raped me, I would press charges. She thought that was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. She said no one would believe me. Everyone knew we were a couple and it wouldn’t look like anything more than a lover’s quarrel if I called the police or cried rape. She also told me that it was what I wanted anyway, and that afterwards I’d be begging her for more. I told her I’d scream until someone called the police. She took a knife out of her nightstand drawer and showed it to me. She told me that if I screamed she’d scar me for life.

“Without going into too much detail, she did rape me, and it was rough and vicious. The more I cried and begged her to stop, the rougher it got. I finally just shut up and waited for her to finish. She uncuffed me and told me to get dressed and get out. When I dressed I noticed that I had started to bleed, and I was in pain and cramping. I drove myself to the emergency room and told them I’d been raped and needed to be examined. They are required to call the police and I did not object. I gave them her name and address and told them she sexually assaulted me. But there was never an arrest. It turned out Amber was right.”

“I … I don’t even know what to say right now,” Del said, quietly, trying not to show any shock or anger in her voice. “I can’t even begin to understand why anyone would do something like that. And as naïve as this sounds, I expect better behavior from a woman. But I’ve also read that abuse within LGBT relationships is statistically the same as in hetero relationships. So I guess gender doesn’t matter when it comes to evil. Stella, did she cause you any permanent physical damage?”

“The exam showed some pretty severe cervical bruising. I bled for over a week and it took about two weeks to start feeling normal, but my doctor said it would not cause permanent problems. The female doctor who examined me at the emergency room was very sympathetic. She said she’d seen the same kind of damage from rape and from consensual sex that got too … vigorous, I think was the word she used. They brought a woman in from the rape crisis center that specialized in counseling same sex rape victims. She was very honest with me. She said that she didn’t want to dissuade me from pursuing charges, but that she had never seen one actually result in a conviction.”

“Did you tell your parents what happened right away?”

“I called my mother to come get me from the emergency room. They had given me some pretty strong painkillers. Since I was going to try and have Amber locked up, I decided I needed to tell someone. My parents were just getting used to the idea that they’d never have a son-in-law. Now I was telling my mother that my girlfriend had raped me. My mother was mortified and outraged. I think the one positive thing she thought about my dating women was that it might be safer than dating men. Telling my mother was the icing on an already horrifying night. When my sleep and nightmare problems started and I began seeing the therapist, then we told my dad.”

Del exhaled rather loudly. “Sorry, I’ve been kinda holding my breath through the last few minutes. I cannot even imagine how your father reacted to it. Well, I can, because he probably wanted to kick her ass and I don’t blame him.”

“He knew as a man he couldn’t feel good about kicking a woman’s ass, but he did threaten to get some of the women on his softball team to do it for him. Of course, that would mean telling people what happened to his little girl ... that his gay daughter was sexually assaulted by her own girlfriend. Anyway, that would still not be a just punishment. Amber would look like the victim then.”

“I’m assuming the police decided they couldn’t prove anything since you say she was never arrested.”

“That’s right,” Stella answered. “They questioned her and she said everything was consensual. She told them I had taken her valium – stolen it, in fact. She said I introduced the sex toy and asked her to use it on me. Not only that, she said I was the one demanding she get rougher and that she stopped when she thought she might be hurting me. She had the nerve to tell the police that I was angry at her because she was quote ‘unable to get her off with the strap-on’. She told the police that she would not press charges against me for taking her prescription drugs, and that she only hoped that I got some help for my emotional problems.

“I had a friend in the DA’s office and she told me that given the circumstances and the lack of evidence, it was a simple case of one person’s word against the other. There was no evidence that she had forced me. The cervical bruising wouldn’t even prove it wasn’t consensual, and the fact that we were a couple up until that point pretty much sealed the deal for the police. The DA would never allow it to go to court. Logically, there was nothing for me to argue about. They were right. There was no way to prove anything. She got away with it. She did what she wanted to me … to punish me for breaking up with her, and she got away with it.”

Stella turned around and faced Del. “That was probably way more than you wanted to know. Del, I didn’t tell you this so you’d pity me or treat me with kid gloves. I just wanted you to understand the nightmares and the possibility of some drama when you come home with me.”

Del kissed her on the forehead. “I’m sorry you went through that Stella. No one should ever have to go through something like that. I don’t pity you. I pity her … Amber. She’s sick and she’ll probably never be in a loving relationship the rest of her life. I think you’re a strong and resilient woman. You made changes in your life and now you’re taking the chance on another relationship. A lot of people wouldn’t have the guts to do that. You didn’t let it paralyze you.” She paused for a minute, thinking over what Stella had just revealed to her. “I am still curious about why you had to leave. What you’ve told me so far, it doesn’t sound like you let the physical violence get to you that badly.”

Stella took another deep breath, steeling herself to reveal more about what had happened between her and Amber. “I didn’t. I mean, yes, it was horrible and I let it replay in my head way too many times. I kept going over what I should have done and why had I been so stupid – that kind of thing. But then, just when I was ready to let it all go, ready to move on and forget her, she started a psychological campaign against me. I think she decided to strike first before I could. She thought I might tell some mutual friends about what had happened … about why we really broke up. I wouldn’t have, but she didn’t know that. So she started telling people lies about me – horrible, nasty things. She posted stuff on her social networking page. She’d call and leave messages on my cell phone. She was clever about it too, disguising the threats, using inventive language. I ran into her in person one day and she threatened me, very boldly. She said if I ever messed with her, if I ever told people about the things she did, that she’d just do it again and get away with it. That’s when the nightmares started. She waged psychological warfare against me and she won. There was nothing I could do about it, unless I was willing to use the same tactics, and I wasn’t. It was like getting raped by her again and not being able to do anything about it.”

“Jesus,” Del said. She had desperately tried to keep her emotions under control, for Stella’s sake, but the last piece of the story had become too much for her to think about … to imagine Stella going through. “I’m so sorry Stella. I wish there was something I could do to make it all go away.” Her eyes were misting and Stella could see that she was on the verge of crying.

Stella smiled. “You are the bright side to the entire chain of events that brought me to Denver. I came out here and met you, Del, and every day I spend with you brings me a little closer to letting go of the whole rotten mess.” She closed her eyes and snuggled in against Del. “Let’s sleep now. I know my nights of bad dreams are coming to an end.”

Six

Del had set the alarm up fifteen minutes earlier for Stella, but she awoke beforehand and turned it off. Stella was fast asleep beside her. Del propped her head in her hand, on her side, and watched Stella sleep. She looked peaceful. In five minutes she’d wake her and ask about her dreams. She hoped Stella might have actually slept undisturbed last night. Was it too much to wish that just revealing her past trauma would make the bad dreams go away? To Del, she had seemed unburdened when they finally decided to sleep.

She leaned over Stella and brushed the hair away from her cheek and forehead with her fingers. She kissed her on the neck and then on the temple. Stella stirred and then, with her eyes still closed, turned to Del with a smile on her face.

“I’d like to wake up like this every morning,” she said, finally opening her eyes to Del.

“Me too,” Del agreed, kissing her on the cheek. “It’s almost your alarm time. May I ask the obvious question?”

“No bad dreams,” Stella replied. “I haven’t slept like that in quite some time.”

“I hope you aren’t just saying that to make feel better,” Del said, hoping Stella would not withhold anything.

“I’m not,” Stella said emphatically. “I wouldn’t. I’ll always tell you the truth.”

“The only time I think you might not tell me the truth is to spare my feelings, that’s why I had to ask. I know you’re honest with me.”

Stella sat up in bed. She looked at Del and then a wicked grin formed on her face. “I did withhold something last night.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Del said. “You’re always trying to scare me with that devilish little grin.”

“I talked to my dad last night, too. I told him what you do for a living.”

“What’s the big deal about that?”

“Because he sees himself as something of a builder and tinkerer. He has a fully outfitted woodshop at the back of the property, behind the house. He’s probably going to try and monopolize all of your time and suck you into some project of his. Just be forewarned.”

Del got out of bed. “That’s fine by me. It might be fun. Then I can be that son-in-law he’ll never have.”

“I hope you’re that positive about it after you’ve been there a couple of days,” Stella called after her, laughing.

Three months later – Thanksgiving week

The flight was landing at New Orleans International Airport in about fifteen minutes. It was about three in the afternoon New Orleans time, the Monday before Thanksgiving. Del was now relieved that Stella had talked her out of driving. A non-stop drive one way would have taken about twenty-four hours and wasted two days of their time off. She hated flying. It wasn’t fear. It was the close and uncomfortable conditions she hated. At least Stella had traded her aisle seat to Del and taken the window. Now that they were landing, the few hours of discomfort was nothing compared to a days drive. But now she was wondering if Stella’s parent’s offer of the use of one of their cars was going to inconvenience them. Maybe they should check on a last minute rental.

Stella reached over and took Del’s hand as they landed. “You nervous?”

Del shook her head no. “Flying doesn’t bother me.”

“I mean about meeting my parents,” Stella said, giving her a wink.

Del smiled. “I’m not nervous about meeting them. But I am just a little worried about staying with them for almost a week.”

“I guess I should tell you something to make you feel a little better,” Stella replied. “I told you my parents have plenty of room to put us up, but I didn’t tell you that there’s a small guest cottage in the back. We won’t be constantly underfoot and we’ll have some privacy at night.”

Del raised an eyebrow. “You parents have a guest house? Just how big is this place?” She asked, incredulously.

“Not as big as you’re thinking. It isn’t really a guest house. It’s very small – probably not much more square footage than a medium sized hotel room, except with a kitchenette. It’s cute, you’ll love it. Momma said she’ll respect our privacy. She said we can spend as much time there or in the main house as we like.”

Del grinned. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you refer to your mother as ‘momma’.”

“We just landed in N’awlins, sugah pie. My drawl is automatic as soon as we touch down on my hometown soil. You need to work on your accent. My parents are never going to believe you’re from the south.”

“I can’t help it that I never developed a southern accent. It’s probably because I grew up around a bunch of other Army brats. How about I try to fake a Yankee accent while I’m around them?”

“That will not be tolerated,” Stella replied.

“They’ll know I’m a southerner when I start calling them ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’.”

“They’ll love you for that,” Stella said. “My mother will insist you’re making her feel old by calling her ma’am, but don’t pay any attention. She likes it.”

They disembarked and headed toward baggage claim. “Give me your claim ticket, sweetie,” Del said. “I’ll get our bags while you find your parents. You said they’d be waiting outside baggage claim, right?”

Stella found her ticket and handed it to Del. “Yes. You sure you remember what it looks like?”

“I’m sure - no sense in both of us standing around watching luggage go in circles. You can have a little private reunion while I wait on our bags.”

Del stood and watched as the first few bags began tumbling onto the carousel. She spotted Stella’s bag first and stepped toward it. Just as she reached for it she saw a hand reach down in front of her, and a voice spoke from her right side.

“Let me get that for you miss, it looks heavy.”

She stepped aside and said, “Thank you,” before even looking at the man. He was probably in his mid-fifties, maybe almost six feet tall, with very intense blue eyes. He was quite handsome. He smiled at Del. The smile and the eyes were a dead giveaway.

“Mr. Beaumont, thanks for coming over to help me with the luggage.” She reached her hand out to shake.

“No problem, Del. Please call me Dave.” He ignored her hand and reached around her and gave her a hug. He stepped back and looked at her. “I figured I’d come on over and check you out while my girls are catching up.”

Del laughed. “That’s fine. I understand.” She pointed at another bag coming toward them. “That’s mine. If you want to grab it we can be on our way.”

Dave grabbed the bag and then pulled the handles out on both, preparing to pull them. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. “I’ll get the bags while you look this over. Tell me what you think. You and I will be building it over the next two days.”

Del opened the paper as they walked toward the exit where Stella and Elizabeth Beaumont were waiting. “This won’t take a couple of days. We can knock this out tomorrow,” Del said. “It’s a very nice garden bench.”

Dave smiled. “I figured with you on board we could make short work of it. But don’t tell Liz it’s only going to take a day. I’m trying to keep my honey-do list as short as possible for the rest of the week.” He winked at her.

“Understood.” She smiled at Mrs. Beaumont as they approached.

The woman walked up and hugged her. “Oh Del, we’re so happy to have you here for the holiday. I hope my husband isn’t pestering you too much about that bench.”

“Oh, no ma’am. It’s really no trouble. I’m happy to help out. Thank you both so much for inviting me to share Thanksgiving with you,” Del replied, as she glanced at Stella and winked.

Stella grinned back at her. At this rate her parents would be in love with Del before the day was over. She had hoped she hadn’t set their expectations too high with all of her declarations of Del’s perfection. She knew her parents would take all of that into account as new love and make their own decisions. Besides, she thought, she was not blinded by love. Del was as close to perfect as it got, and in the four months they had been together, she had done nothing to suggest otherwise. They can see it for themselves and stop worrying about her, and especially not be so upset about Christmas knowing she’d have Del to keep her company.

~~~~

It was close to midnight when they finally left the main house and retired to the small guest quarters in the back. They had stayed up playing scrabble and watched Stella’s mother win every match and rub it in her husband’s nose mercilessly. It was a good thing they were both good sports, for Del feared she might witness a family fight her first night there. Stella assured her it was all in fun and no one was angry at anyone else.

Del began to unpack her suitcase. “Your parents are a lot of fun.”

“Trust me, they aren’t always that much fun. They’re trying to make sure you feel comfortable. My parents get along very well, but it isn’t always this good. They’ll drop the façade when they’ve been around you more. I just hope you really don’t mind getting up so early in the morning to go to the hardware store with my dad,” Stella said. “I’m sleeping in and I’m not going to feel guilty about it.”

“I don’t mind. We can get the bench done and then I’ll have plenty of time to get ready for our night out on the town.” Del walked up to Stella and got her attention, making sure she was looking at her. “Stella, I hope you are ready to do this … to go out. You know I don’t want to bring this up, but what if we run into her? What if you see her? I don’t know how I’m going to react if that happens, much less the effect it may have on you.”

Stella leaned in and kissed Del, then took her hands and looked into her eyes. “I’m done with all of that. It’s me and you visiting my hometown. I’m not going to think about her or what happened. We’re going to have a good time. If I spot her, I’ll shove her in the river and we’ll go on our merry way.” Stella laughed.

Del couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “Okay, but tomorrow night I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Likewise,” Stella proclaimed. “I wouldn’t want anyone stealing you away while I wasn’t looking.”

“It’ll never happen. Well, I mean, they’d have to steal me away. I’d never leave willingly.” Del moved in behind Stella and kissed the back of her neck. “No way would I give up kissing this neck.”

“You’re really going to have to let me get ready for bed before you start that. Otherwise, one more kiss and I’m just going to become a helpless mass of quivering flesh.”

Seven

Del walked into the Beaumont house through the back patio doors. Stella had gotten ready early and had been in the main house with her parents for the last hour. When Del walked into the kitchen, Stella turned and smiled at her. Dave and Liz Beaumont stared, not saying a word during a period of silence that made Del feel very awkward.

Liz realized she had been staring and broke the silence. “I don’t want to embarrass you Del, honey, but I was staring because you … well, I guess the phrase is ‘clean up very well’. You look so different and I’m not quite sure why. Wow, and that didn’t come out the wrong way at all.”

Del smiled. “I’ll take it as compliment. It’s the hair. I get that reaction when I let it down. I have to admit, it does transform me a bit. I’m just so used to having it pulled back for work, it seems odd to me sometimes too.”

Dave Beaumont laughed. “Yeah, I was trying to stop myself from blurting out that my daughter really is dating a hot blonde.”

Liz slapped him on the arm, but laughed along with him. Del began to blush.

Stella walked up and took Del’s hand and faced her parents. “That’s right, Del is my hot blonde, and now I’m taking her out on the town and showing her off. So if you two are finished embarrassing her, we’ll be on our way.”

“It’s okay Stella, they didn’t embarrass me. But I’m still wondering about wearing these jeans. Are you sure our dinner plans are casual enough for this?”

“Oh Del, don’t worry about that,” Liz interjected. “You’re fine for even some of the fancier places in the Quarter. You both look great; now go, have a good time.”

They headed out toward town in Dave’s truck. “So why am I driving your dad’s truck instead of you?” Del asked.

“He says I can’t drive his truck because it’s too big and I never keep it in the center of the lane. Which is not true, by the way. I guess he trusts you because he assumes you drive a truck to haul lumber all day long.”

“That’s me. I haul lumber all day, wear flannel shirts, and walk around with an axe slung over my shoulder. I hope your father knows that there is a difference between a lumberjack and someone who designs and builds furniture.”

Stella laughed. “I’m sorry my parents embarrassed you earlier. But I have to say, for me too, it was different the first time I saw you with your hair down. Not that I don’t think you look sexy with it pulled back. You’re my hot blonde tom-boy during the day and my hot, sexy blonde woman at night.”

“I guess I’m like a ‘Lesbian Transformer’. Maybe we can invent a new line of dolls and market them to gay women. The first one will be modeled after me. How many do you think we’d sell?”

“None,” Stella answered emphatically. “No one else gets you, not even in doll form. The transformer thing was pretty funny, and maybe not a bad idea either. But there will be no ‘Del doll’.”

“There goes my legacy and fifteen minutes of fame,” Del said, feigning a disappointed tone. “This is the parking lot, on the left?”

“Yep, and none too soon. I’m going to eat so many crawfish and shrimp you’re going to have to roll me back to the truck.”

~~~~

They walked from the restaurant toward the cathedral square, heading to Café du Monde. Del had insisted she was going to at least have a bit of coffee and a beignet if she did nothing else touristy while they were there. She reached over and took Stella’s hand.

“Is this okay?”

“It’s fine. I was going to do it myself, but I wasn’t sure how you felt about public displays of affection. You’ve never held my hand in public before.”

“I guess I’m too cautious about stuff like that,” Del admitted. “It just doesn’t seem like anyone around here will give us a second look.”

“Oh, they will, but not because we’re holding hands,” Stella said, giving Del a once over with her eyes.

“Stop it,” Del smirked. “So, was that enough shrimp and crawfish for you?”

“That was enough for tonight, but I may have to go back before we leave for Denver. Now, if what you’re really asking is if I’m too full to have one of your beignets, just get that out of your mind. I’m eating one of them.”

“One? How many come in an order? You need to tell me what to get.”

“One order of beignets and a small café au lait, if all you want is a taste of the coffee. The beignets come three to an order – and they aren’t very big. If there’s a line behind you, don’t take too long ordering or they’ll get rude with you. It’s one of our finer New Orleans traditions.”

“Charming,” Del said, as she walked up to the order line outside. “You want to grab us a table out here sweetie?”

“It’s not crowded; I’ll wait with you in line.”

The order took only a minute or two and they walked back to the furthest part of the outside tables. Del put the small plate of beignets between them and watched as Stella carefully picked one up, slowly bringing it to her mouth so as not to lose much of the powdered sugar that had been copiously piled on the rectangular pastries. Still, when she bit it in half, there was enough powdered sugar to cover her lips.

Del couldn’t help but stare. “Now I know what I really want for dessert,” she said, her mouth forming a salacious grin.

Stella covered her mouth and tried hard not to laugh. She turned a bit red.

“I’m putting this on my calendar,” Del said. “Did I actually make you blush?”

“Please don’t make me laugh while I’m trying to swallow. I’m not blushing; it’s a bit warm out here,” Stella said, defensively.

“It’s not warm out here,” Del teased. “You are blushing. I can’t believe you blushed about that little comment.”

“I blushed because of that look you gave me, plus then I instantly started imagining what we could do with all of the powdered sugar that’ll be left on that plate,” Stella answered. “How’s the coffee?”

“I haven’t even tried it yet.” She took a couple of sips and shrugged her shoulders. “It’s good, but not exactly great coffee. You’ve never had their coffee?”

“I don’t care for coffee. I wouldn’t know whether it was good or not. But this is the best fried dough and powdered sugar I’ve ever had.”

“There isn’t much that can be wrong with fried dough and anything sweet put on top of it,” Del agreed. “When we get back home, after this trip, it’s going to be salad days for a while. I hate to even think about Christmas coming up.”

“I’m not worried about Christmas,” Stella said, looking a little sad. “Since I won’t be coming home there won’t be the usual goodies to gorge on for me.”

“Well, I bake around Christmas, and quite a bit. But if you don’t want me to share, then I won’t.”

“Shut your mouth! Like what for example?” Stella asked, excitedly.

“Cookies, cakes, you name it. Sometimes I’ll try new recipes and sometimes I stick with some of my standards. It just depends on the mood I’m in. But I always make dozens of tea cakes for Christmas. Those are my favorite – very basic but also very good and not too heavy.”

Stella smiled. “Maybe I won’t get homesick this year after all. Del, aren’t you going home even for a couple of days at Christmas?”

“No, I’m not leaving you alone on Christmas. I’ll tell my parents they’ll have to wait for the first of the year before I come out. They’ll get over it. Anyway, one year my mother booked a cruise and didn’t bother to tell me until I had already made travel plans. I spent the entire time with my dad and all he did was complain about her. That was the worst Christmas I ever spent. I’ll tell them I’m not coming when we get back.”

“You shouldn’t do that because of me.”

“It’s not just because of you, Stella. I told you how they play me off of one another when I visit. If I’ve got a good excuse not to go this year, then I’m using it. I know that sounds horrible, but that’s how I feel.”

“It’s not horrible. I don’t blame you, and I’m certainly not going to try and convince you to leave.” Stella leaned in and gave Del a quick peck on the cheek. “Was that too much PDA?”

Del grinned. “As long as it’s a quick peck it’s fine. I don’t go in for anything more than that in public. And it isn’t just because of the stares two women might get. I think it’s tacky for any couples, hetero or otherwise, to make out in public.”

“I agree,” Stella replied. “Can I have that last bite of beignet?”

“It’s all yours, I’m stuffed.” Del happened to glance out past the end of the outdoor eating area where they were seated. She caught sight of the same woman she had noticed staring at them as they exited the restaurant. Now the woman was standing not ten yards away and staring again. Del looked back to Stella, pretending not to notice.

“Stella, don’t react by looking around, but I keep seeing this woman who has been staring at us. She’s standing about ten yards away, in front of us, slightly to my left.”

Stella lifted her eyes without obviously looking up or around. “Del, there’s no one there. What do you mean ‘has been staring at us’? Did you see her before now?”

“I noticed her staring at us when we left the restaurant. In fact, she wasn’t just staring, she was giving us a look that … well … I guess hateful is as good a word as any. Then I saw her just now giving us that same look and then you look over and she’s gone.”

“Del, I think you’re being paranoid. You know it certainly isn’t unusual for the judgmental types to give us hateful looks.”

“The judgmental types usually just give you an annoyed look and move on. They don’t follow you around. I know that look, Stella. This was not the same thing. It was a piercing stare filled with something much more … well, I don’t know, you know what I mean,” Del replied defensively. “Tel me what Amber looks like.”

“Seriously Del? You think Amber somehow knows we’re in New Orleans, found out we’d be out tonight and knew which restaurant to look for us?”

“Just give me a description … humor my paranoia for a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Stella conceded. “She’s about five foot five, maybe a hundred and thirty-five pounds. She has, or I should say the last time I saw her she had shoulder length black hair with red highlights and streaks. She has very fair skin – very pale, she never gets out in the sun. She usually wears some strange color of lipstick.”

“Pretty?”

“Well, I guess I used to think she was,” Stella answered.

Del’s eyes flared. “It was her Stella. That fits. She was wearing a shade of lipstick that matched the streaks in her hair. She has on black jeans and a black leather jacket. I think she had on a plain white t-shirt underneath.” Del stood abruptly. “Stella, stay right here. I’m going to head down that side street and see if she’s still lurking.”

Before Stella could object, Del was already trotting toward the area where she’d seen the woman. “Del, wait,” she yelled after her.

But Del had already disappeared around the corner. Stella gathered their trash and threw it away as she exited the outdoor seating area. She began jogging toward the side street, calling out to Del. When she turned the corner there was no Del in sight. She called out several times and ran to the end of the street. She looked down the adjacent street and did not see her. It couldn’t have been possible for Del to disappear out of sight in just a few seconds. Stella turned back up the street and began jogging back, anxiously looking around for any sight of Del or where she may have headed. She saw a deserted alleyway. There was a dumpster obscuring her view through to the end of the alley. She tentatively headed toward it. She called out to Del once more.

Stella heard a noise behind the dumpster and then a figure sprang from behind it and ran down the alley in the opposite direction. It looked to be the woman Del had described, but she could not tell if it was Amber. Del came stumbling out from behind the dumpster. Stella ran to her.

“Oh god, baby are you alright?” When she got up to Del she saw the blood, on Del’s neck and right forearm, and it was dripping from her forearm. “Oh Jesus, Del, we have to get you to a hospital.”

“It was her Stella,” Del responded with fear in her voice. “It was her and she threatened to kill us both. This looks worse than it is. The cut on my neck is only a nick, but I think my forearm needs stitches. Call the police. I don’t think she could get very far.”

Eight

Dave and Liz Beaumont came into the exam room looking very concerned. It was obvious that Stella’s mother had been crying. Del had a small butterfly bandage on her neck, and the doctor was now half-way finished with the stitches on her forearm.

He looked up briefly and looked back down. “I guess since there was no talking your girlfriend into waiting outside, I should just save my breath on her parents as well,” he said sarcastically.

Del looked over at Liz and Dave and gave them a wink. “You’re probably right,” she answered. “Don’t worry about me. I got lucky. Dr. Sorenson here will be specializing in plastic surgery when he finishes his residency, so I’m probably getting the best stitches possible considering it’s an emergency room visit.”

This comment at least elicited a smile from the doctor. Stella had moved to join her mother, taking some comfort in a shoulder to cry on. Dave was staring at the cut on Del’s arm.

“How lucky?” Dave asked. “That doesn’t look so lucky to me.”

The doctor answered without looking up from his work. He was tying off the last stitch. “It’s not at all deep,” the doctor answered. “But it certainly makes up in length what it lacks in depth. That is lucky. There was no muscle or nerve damage. Twenty stitches, but once it heals it will hardly be noticeable. Miss Jamison made the right choice to take the cut to her forearm instead of her neck. We’ll get her some antibiotics and instructions on how to care for the wound and you all can be on your way.”

Liz and Stella both gasped at the comment he made about the neck. The description of the short struggle Del had recalled to the police earlier was enough to almost make her lose her dinner. The thought of Amber cutting Del’s throat both terrorized and enraged her. She knew Amber was unstable, but she had no idea she might be capable of murder.

“It wasn’t exactly a choice,” Del rebutted. “It was more like pure fear and instinct.”

“But you didn’t freeze like many people would have. You acted and that instinct to act along with the adrenaline surge may have saved your life,” the doctor answered. “Now, I appreciate the opportunity to hone my stitching skills, but now I’m going to have to ask you folks to give up the exam room. We’ve got several cases backed up that need the room.”

They all thanked Dr. Sorenson and moved out into the hall, where Dave insisted they move to a waiting room so that Del could recount what happened to them. Stella went ahead and retold the events up to the point where Del took off down the street after the woman.

“It sounds like she was deliberately trying to lure you away from Stella,” Liz interjected.

“I think she was,” Del agreed. “I don’t think it was a coincidence that I was the one that kept noticing her. She was very sly about not getting Stella’s attention. It was like she wanted me to be the one to come down that alley.

“Anyway, when I saw her turn down that alleyway I should have just quit chasing her. It was really stupid of me to walk down there. There was no one around – no witnesses. I’m sure that’s exactly how she planned it. She jumped out from behind that dumpster just as soon as I walked by it. She had that knife up to my throat in a split second. Then I heard Stella call out to me and I could tell Amber moved her head in the direction of the voice. I reached up and grabbed her wrist and pushed it away from my throat. She twisted her wrist loose and then came down with the knife across my forearm. Then she took off running. I guess she figured Stella was too close and she had better flee the scene.”

“Are you sure it was her?” Dave asked. Del could see the anger rising in his face, but his tone was restrained.

“Well, she fit the description Stella gave me. She didn’t exactly give me her name and address, but she said something that makes me pretty sure it was Amber Devlin,” Del said. She looked over at Stella and her expression was a dead giveaway to her thoughts.

“You can tell them Del. They’ve heard it all by now anyway,” Stella said, looking down at the floor, obviously uneasy about what Del was going to say.

Del took a breath. “She said … after she put the knife up to my throat, I asked her who she was and what she wanted. She laughed and said, ‘Oh, I think you know who I am.’ Then she asked me if I ever got …” Del stopped. She could repeat what Amber had said to the police and to Stella, but she could not bring herself to say those things to Stella’s parents. “I can’t say it. Let’s just say it was disgusting and lewd and it related to her assault on Stella. I know it was Amber. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

“You don’t need to say it, we get the idea,” Dave said. “She was trying to provoke you into a struggle so she could justify it in her sick mind while she was cutting you.”

“Exactly,” Del agreed.

Stella moved to Del’s left side and took her hand. She had the air of someone who was emotionally exhausted. “Let’s all go home. The police have our statements and they’ll call us when they find her.”

Del’s cell phone rang. It was one of the officers who had taken her statement. When she hung up she looked at the others. “They want me to come to the station and pick her out of a lineup.” She looked at Stella. “Why don’t you and your mom head on home. Dave can go to the police station with me and we can take the truck back.”

“No,” Stella answered emphatically. “I know you think I’m too emotional to handle it right now, but you’re wrong. I need to be there. I need to corroborate what you tell them. Don’t argue Del, I’m going. We’re all going.”

Del looked at Dave for backup. He shrugged his shoulders. “I think if she feels she needs to go then there’s no use arguing about it.”

“Okay,” Del conceded. “But Stella … none of us that is, should say one word to her if we run into her. No matter how she tries to provoke any of us, we all need to keep our calm.”

The other three all nodded in agreement.

~~~~

Stella had already stated that she never got a good enough look at the woman running away to identify her as Amber. She and her parents waited on a bench in the hallway while they took Del into the darkened room behind the two-way mirror.

Even before she looked at the five women, Del was worried about making a positive identification. Although there was no doubt in her mind that the woman had been Amber, she was unsure if she had gotten a good enough look at her face to honestly say she would recognize her again. But when each one stepped forward there was no doubt left that the woman who was presented fourth from the left was the woman who had assaulted her. Then, to her relief, they had each woman in the lineup repeat the phrase that Del had recounted to the police as the threat that was made against hers and Stella’s lives.

The fourth woman stepped forward and said, “After I cut your throat I’ll wait here and slide my knife into that little cunt of a girlfriend of yours.” Del swallowed hard. It was her. Del’s heart flopped in her chest and a surge of adrenaline set her on edge.

“Miss Jamison, can you identify any one of these women as your assailant this evening?” The young female ADA asked her.

“Yes,” Del answered. “The woman who attacked me and verbally threatened my life and the life of Stella Beaumont is the fourth from the left. I recognize the face and the voice.”

The ADA turned to the officer in the room with them. “Take number four into a holding room and release the rest.” She turned back toward Del. “They’ll be escorted out the other side so don’t worry about the Beaumont’s having to see her.”

“Thanks, I was going to ask you about that. I didn’t want Stella freaking out. Can I ask you a question and get an honest answer?”

The ADA smiled at her. “I always try to be as honest as possible with anyone in your position Miss Jamison.”

“What are the chances this will even go to trial? I was the only witness to what she did. Stella only saw her running away. She could just as easily say I attacked her and I was cut while she was struggling against me.”

“That’s all true,” the ADA admitted. “But, you were the one that called the police and reported an assault. You were the one spending time in the emergency room getting stitches. She never called the police to report you as an assailant.”

“So, was that actually Amber Devlin, or some random whacko?”

“That was Amber Devlin.”

“Can her past behavior be introduced? Could the sexual assault claim made by Stella eight months ago be part of the evidence against her, even if she was never arrested?”

“I think you already know the answer to that Miss Jamison. You wanted me to be honest so I’ll be honest. This will come down to a question of both of your accounts of what happened. There were no witnesses, plus you ran after her down that alley. After everything you’ve told me about the situation I don’t blame you for following her, but it also doesn’t look very good. It could implicate you as the instigator. I hate to say it, but you have only two things in your favor – you were injured and you called the police. What would really help our case is for someone to come forward and accuse her of similarly violent behavior.

“I’m going to do everything I can to at least bring charges against her. I do believe we may have a serious sexual predator on our hands. If I can put at least one arrest on her record then that’s a start. Even if the charges get dropped that may at least make her think twice before pulling something like this again. I’m going to sit in on this one and supervise the questioning. You all go home. I’d like for you and Stella to come to my office tomorrow morning at ten. Would that be alright with you?”

“Yes,” Del answered. “But what else can we tell you?”

“Maybe Stella can think of someone who may have had past associations, a relationship with Miss Devlin, someone who may have experienced the same behavior and was afraid to report it. If I can establish a pattern of behavior then I’ll have more to justify a hearing for a more serious offense than simple battery, which I’m afraid might be the extent of it with what we have now. I’m hoping for aggravated battery, but my guess is she’ll claim you pulled the knife on her and then injured yourself with it. If we have no knife and no witnesses, then simple battery may be all we can go for.”

“Okay, we’ll be there. Thank you.” Del left the room wondering how justice was ever accomplished in these situations. She joined Stella and her parents in the hall.

Stella stood abruptly when Del came out. “Was it her? Did you identify her? Was it Amber?”

“Yes to all three questions,” Del answered. “Let’s get going. I’m tired and starting to feel theses stitches.”

“I’ll take the truck home,” Dave said, holding out his hand for the keys. “You shouldn’t be driving, Del. Liz can take you girls home and I’ll get the truck from the parking lot.”

“I won’t argue,” Del answered. She handed him the keys. “I don’t feel much like driving myself. Can I at least give you the parking fees?”

“No,” Dave answered emphatically.

~~~~

It was midnight when Stella and Del finally laid down in the guest cottage to try and sleep. When Del went to kiss her goodnight, Stella could no longer contain her emotions. She broke down and began to sob.

“That’s not the preferred reaction when I kiss someone,” Del teased. “It has a tendency to wear down a girl’s self-confidence.”

Stella tried to smile through her tears. “Don’t try and make me laugh. I don’t get to laugh or feel good. It’s all my fault you’re hurt. It’s my fault Amber went after you. I should have known better than to even leave the house.”

Del put her left around Stella and pulled her closer. “Well, I want to feel better, and I can’t if you’re sobbing and blaming yourself for something you had no control over. If anything, it’s my fault for running down that alley after her. I should have ignored her or insisted we just head back home and avoid her altogether.”

Stella calmed a bit and nuzzled into Del’s shoulder. She looked up and kissed Del on the cheek.

Del smiled. “I’ll be needing one on the lips before I can fall asleep.”

“Just one?”

“However many you can spare. I am recovering from a life-threatening injury.”

Finally, Stella laughed.

Nine

It was a bit after eight in the morning when Stella and Del walked into the kitchen of the Beaumont’s house. Liz and Dave were already having breakfast.

“I made some tea for you girls,” Liz said. “We’re just having cereal and juice, but I’ll fix whatever you want if you’d like something more substantial. Oh, and Del, hon, don’t forget to take your antibiotic.”

“I won’t, thanks.” Del removed a pill from her pants pocket and showed it to Liz.

“Good girl. You need to eat something with that,” Liz said with a motherly tone.

Stella rolled her eyes. “Momma, she’s not a child.”

Del laughed. “Okay, now who just said the exact same things to me before we walked over here? Does your mother embarrass you because you two are so much alike?”

Liz laughed and Stella rolled her eyes again. “Okay, guilty. Stop introducing facts into the discussion.” Stella grabbed two more bowls and spoons and sat down next to Del.

“Del, how’s the arm this morning?” Dave asked.

“Yeah and how did you shower without getting the stitches wet?” Liz asked.

“I used the tub,” Del answered. “I had some help, since I was trying to do everything with my left arm. I’m sure you don’t want the details.”

“No we don’t,” Liz and Dave answered in unison.

Stella almost choked on her cereal trying to keep from laughing. Del laughed out loud.

“At least they’re both smiling now,” Dave commented.

“It was a better solution than my other idea, which was to go without bathing until the stitches come out,” Del said, trying to sound serious.

Stella held her nose and made a face. Del’s cell phone rang. All four of them looked surprised. Del looked at the incoming number.

“I think that’s the ADA,” she said. She picked up the phone and walked out of the kitchen. The other three looked at one another; curious to know what she would be calling about when Stella and Del were due to meet with her in just over an hour.

Del walked back into the room in a minute, smiling. “That was ADA Goodroe. She said we don’t need to come in this morning. I told her that was a relief because Stella couldn’t come up with any names anyway.”

Stella’s eyes went wide. “I hope this doesn’t mean they just let her go.”

“Nope. It turns out that the woman she called to come and bail her out decided she had no interest in bailing her out at all. Turns out this woman is an on-again, off-again girlfriend of Amber’s and she has decided it’s now totally off. She requested a meeting with the ADA and gave her a full history of their relationship, the abuse, and Amber’s proclivity for playing with sharp objects,” Del answered with a very satisfied look on her face. She held up her right arm, looking at the stitches. “Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing after all.”

“So what does all of this mean in regard to what they can charge her with?” Liz asked.

“It means the ADA can use the information, including Stella’s previous allegations, to at least show a pattern of behavior with a deadly weapon. This means she’s pretty sure she can convince her office to go forward with aggravated battery and get it to stick. It carries a pretty serious sentence,” Del answered.

Stella jumped up and threw her arms around Del’s neck, kissing her all over her face. “Oh baby, that’s wonderful. She may finally get what’s coming to her.”

Del smiled. “She spent the night in lockup. She may have already gotten a taste of what’s coming to her.”

Thanksgiving Day

Del rolled over and saw the light streaming in from the window. It had to be fairly late in the morning already. She glanced at the clock and it was just past nine a.m. They had all stayed up late, baking, and otherwise prepping everything for the big meal today. Liz said she’d be putting the turkey in the oven around nine and would probably be heading back to bed herself, or just reading. They’d agreed that if anyone wanted to laze around until noon it would be fine, but that sometime soon after that they’d start working on the meal.

She turned to Stella, who was still asleep on her side and facing away. Del watched the rise and fall of her ribcage, intently listening to the quiet breathing. She appeared peaceful and undisturbed. The nightmares had not come back. That was Del’s biggest worry, that all of the progress Stella had made in the last couple of months would be wiped away by the previous night’s violence. It wasn’t her own injury or the death threats that really enraged her, but she didn’t know if she could stand it if Stella returned to the nights of bad dreams. Del reached out and moved the hair away from the back of her neck, leaning in and kissing her on the nape. Stella stirred and Del moved down to her shoulder.

“Back to the neck please,” she heard Stella whisper. “That feels so good … mmm … my favorite spot for a kiss.”

“Tastes like …”

“ … Pumpkin/Cheesecake pie,” Stella finished the sentence for her. “I can’t wait to try some of that.”

“You read my mind,” Del agreed. “I’m glad we’re not in the house. All of those smells were driving me crazy last night. You want to get up and get ready for the day or lay around in bed some more?”

Stella turned and faced her. “Let’s get up and brush our teeth and then go back to bed.”

“Exactly what I had in mind,” Del agreed, grinning back at her.

~~~~

When Del and Stella walked into the kitchen there was food everywhere. The distinct aroma of well-seasoned cornbread dressing filled the air. It had just been put into the oven with the turkey. Liz walked in from the dining room.

“You girls are just in time to help me finish setting the table,” Liz said. “I just piled all of the plates and silverware on the dining table. Go arrange it however you see fit.”

“I’m on it,” Del responded. “Stella can help you in here.”

Stella opened the refrigerator and immediately chastised her mother. “Momma, there’s a piece of the Pumpkin/Cheesecake pie missing. I know you took it. Last night you said we weren’t cutting it until after dinner.”

“Guilty. I had a very small piece with my coffee this morning. Besides, you’re the one always bragging on how good of a cook Del is. I needed to try it to be sure, and I didn’t want coffee on an empty stomach.”

“So how is it?” Stella asked.

“Delicious,” Liz said. “I can’t wait for dessert. Del is a good cook. I took her advice on adding some different herbs to the dressing too. The smell is already driving me crazy.”

Stella smiled. “Del’s good at everything. She’s also modest and kind. I’m still wondering how I got so lucky.”

“You both got lucky, hon. You two seem to be very happy with one another, and content. If I didn’t know better I’d swear you’d been together for many years already.”

“It was like that as soon as we met. We both seemed to know one another already.”

“I know you told us that on the phone, but you know you went on so much about her that I found it rather hard to believe that things could have been that good.”

“So now are you a believer? Did I exaggerate?”

“I am a believer. Your father and I both love her, Stella. We hope this lasts. Now go wake up your father from that football game he’s watching behind his eyelids and tell him in fifteen minutes he needs to be in here to start carving the turkey.”

“Yes ma’am,” Stella said, walking toward the den.

~~~~

“Okay, as is the tradition here, everyone has to say what they are thankful for as we pass the dishes around and fill our plates. No digging in until we are finished and everyone has to come up with at least one thing. That will be our prayer today as well. I’ll start.

“I’m thankful for the garden bench Del helped me, or rather pretty much I helped her, build. I’m exceedingly thankful for the fact that my lovely daughter has found someone she loves and loves her back like she deserves. And of course, I’m extremely thankful for all of this good food. Okay Liz, you go next,” Dave said, as he passed her the mashed potatoes.

“Well this will be easy because you already took mine. I was pretty much going to say exactly what you just said,” Liz quipped.

“Then you gotta add at least one thing to it,” Dave said.

“Okay, I’m thankful Stella is happy and I’m thankful Del’s injury was not as serious as it could have been. I’m thankful Amber will be punished. And since I already tasted it, I’m thankful that Del made us that Pumpkin/Cheesecake pie. Stella’s turn.”

“Hmm, there seems to be a theme here,” Stella said, raising her eyebrow at Del. “I think we are all thankful for Del this year. I thank God every day that I met Del. Enough said.”

Del was turning red. “I guess it’s my turn.” Her eyes were already beginning to mist.

“Hon, you don’t have to say anything if you’re getting too emotional,” Liz said.

Del cleared her throat. “No, it’s fine, I’ll go.” She looked over to Stella, who took her left hand and squeezed it. “This has been a great year for me. Until I met Stella I had almost given up the idea that I might find the person I was supposed to be with. But now I know it has happened, and I also thank God every day that I met my soulmate.” She looked at Liz and Dave. “I’m also thankful that Stella has wonderful parents who accept and love her and that hopefully accept me as part of her life. I thank you both for inviting me and making me feel so welcome here. That’s all I’ll say for now because I’m pretty hungry and the food smells so good.”

“Amen,” the others said in unison.

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