Cast Me Gently (32 page)

“You’d be a wonderful teacher,” Teresa said. “You should take Marion up on her offer.”

“It’s kind of scary, thinking about going back to school now,” Ellie admitted. “I mean, I’m so much older than everyone else, and my last year of high school wasn’t so great.”

“Only because you were working to support yourself,” Teresa said. “You are the kind of student they would kill for. Motivated, hard-working, old enough to want to be there.”

Ellie looked at her. “You think so?”

Teresa stared into Ellie’s eyes, those eyes that used to look at her with so much love in them. For a long moment, they stood like that. For the first time since Teresa’s arrival, Ellie’s eyes were soft and unguarded—until a group of elementary students swarmed around them to see the ships. Just like that, Ellie shut down and she broke eye contact.

“We should probably get back to Marion and Louise,” she said. “They might be ready to leave.”

Reluctantly, Teresa accompanied Ellie back to where the older women were just getting to their feet.

“I need sweet potato pie,” Marion declared. “Come on home and we’ll cook up a storm.”

Marion led them to her apartment on the fourth floor of an upscale building nearby.

Ellie gasped when they stepped inside. “Look at that view!”

“That’s what I wanted,” Marion said proudly. “This is what I’ve worked so hard for. I don’t want a husband and children, expecting me to wait on them after I get home from a long day. I don’t want to have to worry about a yard and flowers when I’ve already got no time.”

She uncorked a bottle of wine and poured four glasses. “You two sit and visit,” she said to Louise and Ellie. To Teresa, she said, “I hear you’re quite a cook. Come on, and we’ll see what we can fry up together.”

“That was nice,” Teresa said a few hours later as she drove them back to Ellie’s apartment. “I like Marion.”

“Mmm,” Ellie said, watching the passing scenery. “She’s no Louise, but I’m learning a lot. She doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone.”

Teresa was tempted to keep driving, just to delay the inevitable separation of Ellie’s going to her room, leaving Teresa on the living room sofa, but Ellie said, “Turn right here.”

Upstairs, KC greeted them. Ellie fed her. Putting the cat food back in the refrigerator, she asked, “You want some more wine? You only had one glass because you were driving.”

“I’ll have one if you do,” Teresa said.

“Sure.”

They carried their wine out to the living room, leaving the lights off, and taking their accustomed places on the couch.

“You have a nice view, too,” Teresa said.

Ellie nodded. “I know. I was lucky to find this place. There are still paint splatters on the floor from when this was the studio of the guy downstairs.”

They settled into a silence that didn’t have the prickliness that had been there the night before.
Do something.
Teresa got up and went to where her suitcase sat in a corner. Reaching between folded clothing, she pulled out a frame.

She laid the calligraphy on Ellie’s lap and sat again. “Your note said I could bring this back to you someday,” she said softly. “This isn’t exactly how I pictured it, but you should have this back.”

Ellie looked up at her, her face half-lit by the illumination of the picture window. Teresa impulsively reached out for Ellie’s hand. “I know we’ve been through a bad time. I know I hurt you, but I love you. I will never love anyone the way I love you. Can’t we find a way to move past this?”

She held her breath for long seconds as Ellie stared into her eyes, and then her heart fell as Ellie pulled her hand away.

“We probably could,” said Ellie. “If it was just us. But it isn’t, is it? What happens the next time your mother gives you a demand or ultimatum? What happens when your family needs you to be there? What happens to me the next time you feel pulled back to a family that won’t accept me?” Tears filled her eyes and spilled over, leaving tracks that glittered on her cheeks. “I don’t think my heart could take that again.”

Teresa shifted closer and reached out, gently wiping the tears away with her thumb as she cradled Ellie’s cheek. “When you came to see me at Rob’s, you asked me if I still loved you. I just told you I do. Now, I’m the one asking. Do you still love me? Never mind those other things. Do you still love me?”

Ellie pushed to her feet and went to the window, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she stared out at the city. Teresa followed, standing near, but not touching her again.

“I’m not sure I would have found the courage to come to you by myself,” Teresa said softly.

Ellie wiped a hand across her cheek. “I don’t understand.”

“A few weeks ago, Robbie and Karen and Anita ambushed me,” Teresa said. “They sat me down and told me they supported us. Anita has a story she’ll have to tell you herself, a heartbreaking story. She doesn’t want me to end up like she did. She told me…” She had to pause; her heart was pounding so fast, she thought she might not be able to take another breath. “She told me if I loved you, I had to come to you.”

Ellie half-turned toward her. “Anita said that?”

“Yes.” Teresa’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

Ellie placed her hand over her mouth, and Teresa could feel her fighting to hold in her emotions. Teresa stepped closer, taking Ellie’s face in her hands. Ellie lifted her face as Teresa bent to her. She’d nearly forgotten the exquisite softness of Ellie’s lips as their mouths met and they melted into each other. Time stopped as they stood there—
please don’t let it start up again,
Teresa thought vaguely—but eventually, they parted, but only far enough for Ellie to unbutton Teresa’s blouse and push it from her shoulders. Teresa gasped at the feel of Ellie’s fingers on her bare skin. Goose bumps erupted in the wake of her touch.

She tugged Ellie’s shirt and bra off, wrapping her arms around her and lifting her off her feet. She carried Ellie into the bedroom, where she gently laid her on the mattress. Impatiently, they pulled the remainder of their clothing off. Teresa lay down, and Ellie lowered herself onto Teresa, their full nakedness almost more than Teresa could take.

“I need you,” Teresa whispered.

They made love—mouths and hands touching and teasing, arms and legs tangled as they moved together, sinuously, seamlessly, blending until it was nearly impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Together, they gasped and shuddered and collapsed, no matter who was having an orgasm, only to begin again.

At last, they lay, exhausted, Ellie’s head resting on Teresa’s shoulder. Teresa pressed her cheek to Ellie’s head.

“We may not have the support of my entire family,” Teresa murmured. “That’s something I’ll have to learn to live with. But we have Anita, Robbie, and Karen. I think Francesca’s on our side. And we have Bernie and Louise. It’s small for me, but can you live with a family that size?”

Ellie lifted her head, and Teresa thought she might die at the love shining through her eyes.

“I haven’t been part of an ‘us’ for so long,” Ellie said.

“Will you?” Teresa murmured. “Will you be part of us, forever, with me?”

Ellie looked at her for a long moment. “Are you sure?”

Teresa’s voice was strong now as she said, “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”

Ellie lowered her head to Teresa’s shoulder again. “Where?”

Teresa was quiet for a moment. “It might be easier for us to start somewhere else. Here? I don’t care as long as we’re together.”

Ellie played with Teresa’s hair as she thought. “We could always go back home someday, when we’re ready.”

Teresa’s arms tightened around Ellie. “I’m already home.”

###

ABOUT CAREN J. WERLINGER

Caren was raised in Ohio, the oldest of four children. Much of her childhood was spent reading every book she could get her hands on and crafting her own stories. She completed a degree in foreign languages and later another degree in physical therapy. For many years, her only writing was research-based, including a therapeutic exercise textbook. She has lived in Virginia for over twenty years, where she practices physical therapy, teaches anatomy, and lives with her partner and their canine fur-children. She began writing creatively again several years ago. Her first novel,
Looking Through Windows
, won a Debut Author award from the Golden Crown Literary Society in 2009. In 2013,
Miserere, In This Small Spot,
and
Neither Present Time
all won or placed in the 2013 Rainbow Awards.
In This Small Spot
won Best Dramatic Fiction in the 2014 Golden Crown Literary Awards.

Connect with Caren online

E-mail her at:
[email protected]

Visit her website:
http://www.cjwerlinger.wordpress.com

OTHER BOOKS FROM YLVA PUBLISHING

www.ylva-publishing.com

Turning for Home

Caren J. Werlinger

ISBN: 978-3-95533-324-9 (mobi), 978-3-95533-325-6 (epub);

Length: 85,000 words (345 pages)

Like her mother before her, Jules Calhoon couldn’t wait to escape her small Ohio town. Unlike her mother, though, Jules couldn’t disappear forever. When she’s called back for her grandfather’s funeral, the visit unleashes a flood of memories and starts her on a lonely—and familiar—path.

Her partner, Kelli, feels Jules slipping away but can’t figure out how to pull her back. In desperation, she turns to Jules’s oldest friend—and her ex—Donna. The problem is, Donna never could figure out why her relationship with Jules ended so long ago, and she never stopped loving Jules.

When a lonely, confused teenager reaches out to Jules for help, the past and present are set on a collision course, igniting a chain of events that will leave none of them unscathed.

Barring Complications

Blythe Rippon

ISBN: 978-3-95533-192-4 (mobi), 978-3-95533-193-1 (epub)

Length: 77,000 words (374 pages)

It’s an open secret that the newest justice on the Supreme Court is a lesbian. So when the Court decides to hear a case about gay marriage, Justice Victoria Willoughby must navigate the press, sway at least one of her conservative colleagues, and confront her own fraught feelings about coming out.

Just when she decides she’s up to the challenge, she learns that the very brilliant, very out Genevieve Fornier will be lead counsel on the case.

Genevieve isn’t sure which is causing her more sleepless nights: the prospect of losing the case, or the thought of who will be sitting on the bench when she argues it.

Coming Home

(revised edition)

Lois Cloarec Hart

ISBN: 978-3-95533-061-3 (mobi), 978-3-95533-062-0 (epub)

Length: 104,000 words (371 pages)

A triangle with a twist,
Coming Home
is the story of three good people caught up in an impossible situation.

Rob, a charismatic ex-fighter pilot severely disabled with MS, has been steadfastly cared for by his wife, Jan, for many years. Quite by accident one day, Terry, a young writer/postal carrier, enters their lives and turns it upside down.

Injecting joy and turbulence into their quiet existence, Terry draws Rob and Jan into her lively circle of family and friends until the growing attachment between the two women begins to strain the bonds of love and loyalty, to Rob and each other.

All the Little Moments

G Benson

ISBN: 978-3-95533-342-3 (mobi), 978-3-95533-343-0 (epub)

Length: approx. 139,000 words

A successful anaesthetist, Anna is focused on herself, her career, and her girlfriend. Everything changes abruptly when her brother’s and sister-in-law’s deaths devastate her and her family. Left responsible for her young niece and nephew, Anna finds herself dumped and alone in Melbourne, a city she doesn’t even like. She tries to navigate the shock of looking after two children battling with their grief while managing her own.

Filled with self-doubt, Anna feels as if she’s making a mess of the entire thing, especially when she collides with a long-legged stranger. Anna barely has time to brush her teeth in the morning, let alone to date a woman—least of all one who has no idea about the two kids under her care.

Just when Anna finally starts to feel as if she’s getting some control of the situation, the biggest fight begins and Anna really has to step up once and for all.

COMING FROM YLVA PUBLISHING IN 2015

www.ylva-publishing.com

Times of Our Lives

Jane Waterton

“Growing old is not for Sissies…”

Set against the backdrop of OWL Haven, Australia’s first exclusively lesbian retirement community, an irreverent cast of residents share their lives, hopes and dreams together.

At 65, Meg Sullivan is very clear about what and who she wants in life. Despite a string of lovers Meg’s first loyalty has always been to her best friend, Allie Richards. After reading about OWL Haven in a magazine, she knows the lesbian retirement village would be perfect for them both.

Allie Richards has shared the best part of her life with Meg. For over forty years they’ve traveled the world, and love and trust each other completely. Moving to OWL is perfect, as a new group of friends join their comfortable circle of two.

After her last relationship ended, Sparrow Hopkins was left with a broken heart. Quietly resigned to being alone for the rest of her life Sparrow discovers a feisty, vibrant group of women who are not afraid to take chances. Despite her promise to never fall in love again, life, as she is to find out, has other plans.

Pat and Bella have been together for nearly fifty years. To them OWL represents the secure and loving community they rarely experienced in the homophobic Sydney of the 60’s. But life is never simple, and safety is sometimes elusive as they face their own personal challenges.

Daphne Williams has always been a loner. Despite her preconceptions of retirement villages she discovers peace and happiness at OWL Haven. However, when her tightly controlled world goes into freefall, Daphne has to make a major decision. Does she keep control or open up a new world of joy and hope.

Through laughter, tears, and joy these woman prove that no matter what your age, you’re never too old to fall in love.