Chapter 3 32 страница

"Oh, Kylie's too sweet to be grouchy," Sadie insisted. "She's such a …” Drift had set in, and Blair put her arm around her to get her up. Once they were moving, the older woman leaned in and whispered, “She’s a doctor!”

“I’ve heard, Sadie.”

“And funny,” the sleepover guest added.

"Yeah, she's a pip," Blair agreed, "full of surprises."

„G

Blair woke up early — very early. The couch, such a luxurious place for a nap, was far less comfortable as a bed. Kylie came into the den to let the dogs out, and the light from the open door nearly blinded Blair. Kylie saw her stir and went to stand next to her. "How much trouble am I in?" she asked, looking very contrite.

"You're not in trouble, but I've gotta go back to bed. Will you help me up?"

"I must be in trouble for you to refuse to sleep with me," Kylie said. Blair looked at her and the saw that the doctor was near tears.

"I went to bed with you, honey, but you were snoring so loudly that I couldn't stand it. I came out here at around 3:00." She put her arm around her and said, "I swear I'm not mad at you. I'd like you to tell me why you poured Scotch down my ex-mother-in-law's throat, but that can wait until you get home."

"I can tell you now," Kylie said.

"No, I'm dead on my feet. I've got to get some rest. I feel like I've been awake for three days."

Kylie led her to their bedroom, then tucked her in. She grabbed each dog before eight wet paw prints could be left on the bedspread, then wiped them dry with a towel. "I'll go get ready for work in your bathroom," Kylie said. "Then I won't disturb you."

"How's your head?" Blair asked.

"Not bad. My stomach's upset, but I don't feel as bad as I should."

"I have a feeling Sadie's not gonna say the same thing." Blair rolled over and cuddled her body pillow. "Thanks for taking off and leaving me with her. You owe me several."

"You still love me, don't you?" Kylie asked. She sat down on the bed and kissed Blair's cheek.

"I'm not even gonna dignify that with an answer," Blair said, almost smiling. "I love you no matter what, baby. Now give me a real kiss."

Kylie did, holding her breath since she knew she must smell like a peat bog. "I love you," she said. "Call me if you need anything. Can you sleep in?"

"Yeah. I had a staff meeting, but before I went into the den, I left a message canceling it."

"That's good. I'll put a note on your door telling Sadie not to wake you. I'll also make a pot of coffee and put out some Tylenol for her."

"Thanks, honey. You don't have surgery today, do you?"

"No. I’d never drink the day before surgery."

"Just checking. I don't wanna have to call the A.M.A."

"I'll be home early — with something special for dinner. I'll wait on you hand and foot tonight."

"All week," Blair decided, scrunching her pillow into the perfect shape and falling asleep almost immediately.

„G

Blair rolled out of bed at 9:00, surprised that she felt as well as she did. She took a long shower, then dressed for work. By the time she left her room, it was nearly 10:00, and she was famished. To her surprise, Sadie was sitting in the kitchen, fully dressed in yesterday's wardrobe, looking much like her usual self.

"You're quite the lady of leisure," she said to Blair. "Do you always sleep so late?"

"No, I don't," Blair said, forcing herself to smile. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Not really. Kylie left me some coffee and told me where all of the food was, but I'm not very hungry."

"I'm desperate for food," Blair said. "It won't bother you if I cook something, will it?"

"Why would it bother me?" Sadie asked, making Blair wonder whatever became of the good old-fashioned hangover. "You sit down and let me make you something. What would you like?"

Her instinct was to protest, but Blair had a fondness for anyone else's cooking, so she took a seat. "I've been in an egg mood lately," she said. "Can you make me some scrambled eggs? I need them dry, by the way."

"How about a little cheddar cheese in them?"

"Hmm … that sounds pretty good. Let's try it."

"Toast?"

"A bagel I think. I won't have lunch today, so I need to stock up."

"Good," Sadie said. "I'm glad to see you have your appetite back."

"Oh, it's back," Blair said, relaxing enough to laugh. "With a vengeance."

"When I had David, I gained forty-five pounds," Sadie said. "I'm still trying to lose the last fifteen."

Blair had heard this lament many times, but she smiled and nodded. "I'm on target to gain about thirty. Kylie supervises me very, very closely. I think I've had junk food twice since I moved here. If I were on my own, I'd probably live on Big Macs."

"That's not good for the baby," Sadie said. "You need to eat right."

"I do," Blair said. "I'm very careful, and so far, it's really paying off. I don't have a lot of the problems that I've read about."

"You don't have hemorrhoids?" Sadie asked. "Oh, my God, mine almost killed me!"

"No, that's one part of my body that hasn't betrayed me yet, thank God. Kylie would consider it a personal failure if I got them, so I try to eat as much fiber as I can."

"Fiber," Sadie said. She was busily scrambling the eggs and moving around the kitchen, looking for what she needed without asking. "We didn't know about fiber. We didn't have all of the pampering you girls do. You went to the doctor a couple of times, he took a look at you and sent you on your way. None of these big, expensive machines. I think my doctor bill was $400 when I had David."

Blair was feeling quite adult and was proud of herself for not saying, "You overpaid." Sadie got the eggs into the hot pan, and in a few minutes, she delivered them complete with a lightly toasted bagel.

"This looks delicious, Sadie. I think I'll start adding cheese on a regular basis. I like to have protein early in the day."

"Eat what you want," the older woman said, waving her hand dismissively. "Doctor's don't know more than they did forty years ago, they only charge more."

She sat down and watched Blair dig into her breakfast. "You don't want anything on that bagel? Don't you have jam or jelly?"

"I like it dry," Blair said. "Butter's too oily for me in the morning. It's great exactly like this."

"All right. You know what's best."

Blair took another bite, then put her fork down and said, "Do you want to talk about yesterday? I know you must’ve been angry when you got here — before the resident mixologist got her hands on you — and I can't believe everything is fine now."

"No, everything's not fine," Sadie admitted, "but you could have done a lot worse. That Kylie's a very, very nice girl."

"Uhh … yeah, she is," Blair said. "So, that's it? You're okay with my being in a relationship with her?"

"Oh, of course not!" Sadie said, laughing as she slapped Blair's hand softly. "But what am I going to do about it? You're not my daughter, so I don't have much control over you. I'm certainly not happy about my grandchild growing up in this environment, but it could be worse." She looked at Blair's empty plate and said, "You need another egg."

The younger woman was too stunned to speak, so she sat there for a minute while Sadie cooked. "I … know how you feel about gay people," Blair finally said. "I'm having a hard time believing that you're not more upset about this."

"Look," Sadie said, sliding the egg onto Blair's plate, "what do I do? I can't go to court to take the baby away from you. I can't get David to sue you for custody. If I want to see my grandchild, I have to act like this is all normal. It's not … but I don't have any choice."

Blair shook her head, then slowly began to smile. "You know, you have some good qualities, Sadie. At least you're honest. Most people wouldn't admit they'd take your baby from you if they had half a chance. But you put it right out there on the table. I've gotta give you honesty points, if nothing else."

Sadie looked at her daughter-in-law for a few moments, then said, "I'm too old and too tired to raise a baby. And that girl David's dating doesn't have the sense to come in out of the rain. You're going to be a good mother, Blair, and I'm very, very impressed with Kylie. Like I said, things could be worse."

"Well, I guess it's lucky for me that David's dating an airhead," Blair said. "Plus the fact that he doesn't give a damn about the baby of course."

"I don't want to talk about that," Sadie said, turning her head away. "It's giving me an ulcer."

"Now there I can empathize," Blair said. "It almost drove me mad."

Sadie met her eyes and reached out and took her hand. "I'm so sorry that David deserted you. I think I can understand just a little bit why you've given up men. I don't agree with it, God knows, but I can understand — a little bit."

There was a part of Blair that wanted to set Sadie straight, but a bigger part had no interest in it. She nodded, letting the woman believe what she wished.

When breakfast was finished, Blair put the dishes in the dishwasher and put her shoes on. After saying goodbye to the dogs, she walked Sadie to her car. The older woman hugged her tightly and said, "I love you, Blair. I know you're going to do your best to be a good mother." She released her and asked, "Will you have the baby baptized?"

"I'm not sure, Sadie. We haven't talked about that yet."

"If you don't, I'll take him or her to my church behind your back. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that," Blair said, strangely amused by her mother-in-law’s nerve. "It can't hurt to be baptized — go for it."

"That's my girl," Sadie said, pinching her cheek. "We'll get along just fine."

"We will get along fine," Blair said, "and I'm going to be as honest with you as you are with me. I know how much having a grandchild means to you, and having my grandmother in my life was one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. I want you both to have each other, but … I want you to understand something. I don't ever — ever — want you to tell the baby how you feel about homosexuality. You have to keep those feelings to yourself. I'm going to have the kind of relationship with my child where he'll tell me if you say hurtful things about Kylie and me. If that happens, even once, you're cut off."

"It's a deal, Blair. Frankly, I'd prefer to never discuss the thing at all."

"Okay, we've got an understanding. I know you're a woman of your word, Sadie, and so am I." Blair gave her a hug, then Sadie got into her car and drove away.

Too bad Sadie's got all the balls in the Spencer family, Blair thought, smirking to herself. And the biggest headache.

„G

Even though things had gone relatively well with Sadie, Blair had a very bad day on Monday. When she got home that night, she looked considerably worse for wear. “Did somebody put rocks in my pockets?” she asked grumpily, dropping her briefcase on the kitchen counter. “I feel like I weigh a thousand pounds. My back hurts, my legs ache, and those tendons on the side of my belly feel like they’ve been cut with razor blades.”

Kylie got up and wrapped her lover in a warm embrace, then pulled away and started to undress her. “You probably feel crummy because of this outfit. It must kill you to have to wear heels all day.”

"Hey. These shoes were a major pregnancy concession. I had to put my Manolo Blahnik's and Jimmy Choo's away since my feet looked like a pair of bratwursts sticking out of the top of them. This is the lowest heel I've worn since I was in college." She stuck her foot out to remind herself how much she hated the shoes. "They suck," she said, with a touch of venom in her tone.

Kylie wanted to give her partner a lecture about wearing heels at all, since she could easily lose her balance, but she knew this wasn't the time. She removed the dress, then reached behind her partner to remove her bra, the endeavor taking a minute since there were so many hooks to unfasten. “Boy, I bet it’s really arousing to undress me,” the grouchy woman said. “A nursing bra that could stop a pair of cantaloupes from swaying, the sausage casing panty hose, and the panties that I could dry my whole car with.”

Kylie didn’t say a word. She just gave her partner a wry smile, letting her voice her complaints without interruption. After helping her step out of the panty hose and remarkably unattractive panties, Kylie sat on a kitchen stool and started to speculatively look Blair over. “Some of the clothes you have to wear are a little fashion challenged,” she admitted. “But the delights those clothes hide …” She shook her head while her eyes widened in appreciation. “They are truly works of art.” With a look of intense pleasure in her eyes, Kylie started to run her hands over Blair’s body, her smile growing wider and wider as she caressed her.

Standing naked in the kitchen while Kylie looked at her and touched her with such veneration made the smaller woman start to feel uncomfortable. She placed her hands atop the doctor’s and said, “I’ve got to get off my feet, honey. Let me go put on my pajamas.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Kylie said, taking her by the hand. She led her out to the back yard, having to tug on her a little to get her to follow.

“What in the heck are we doing?” Blair asked.

“I want you to lie in the pool and float for a while. I guarantee you’ll feel significantly better to be relatively weightless.”

“But it’ll be cold!”

“No, it’s not. I keep it at 84 degrees. I think you should start getting at least part of your exercise in the pool.” She was retracting the cover as she spoke, and Blair realized that she wasn’t going to get a vote in the matter. Kylie took her hand and helped her into the lap pool, saying, “I’ll go get you a towel. Be right back.”

By the time she returned, Blair was floating on her back, a blissful smile already settled upon her face. Kylie was fascinated by the sight of her buoyant breasts and belly breaking the waterline, but she didn’t think Blair would share her feelings, so she wisely kept her thoughts to herself. “The doctor is most definitely right,” the blonde sighed when she saw Kylie. “This feels divine.”

“I’ll leave the pups here to watch you,” Kylie said. “I’ll go finish dinner.”

“Hey, Kylie?” Blair said, lifting her head. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, my little mermaid.”

„G

uring dinner, Blair said, "Given the discussion Sadie and I had this morning, I have an idea of what you two covered last night."

"Oh, yeah? What's your guess?"

"I think you charmed her and let her know what a good parent you'd be to her grandchild, and I think you also let her know that she didn't have a legal leg to stand on — in a polite way, of course."

Kylie smiled and nodded. "I couldn't help being charming, but I did manage to let her know that grandparents don't have the right to visitation in California. That seemed to impress her."

"You did a good job, honey, but I'm more than a little interested in why you both got stinking drunk?"

"You'd know if you'd been here at one o'clock," Kylie said. "She was breathing fire!"

Blair covered her eyes. "You had to deal with her from 1:00 until 10:00?"

"Yep."

"I'm surprised you didn't inject her with a sedative."

"If I carried any on me I would have," Kylie said. "Scotch was the closest thing I had. We started off with very mild Scotch sours, and I kept pouring 'em into her until she stopped yelling and started listening."

"What was she yelling?" Blair asked, suddenly feeling very sorry for her partner.

"You don't wanna know," Kylie said. "Trust me."

"I do trust you, but I want to know. I hate to be kept in the dark."

Kylie gazed at her for a second, then asked, "Where did you two leave things?"

"We decided we'd try to have a good relationship. She promised never to talk badly about our relationship or gay people in general, and I said she could see Mackenzie if she behaved."

"That's great," Kylie said. "Really great."

"So … tell me what she said?"

"No." The doctor was shaking her head, looking like she wasn't about to change her mind. "She was upset, and she vented for a long time. But there wasn't one thing she said that you need to hear. It would just piss you off — and you don't need the aggravation."

"This is what's aggravating me," Blair said. "I want to know."

"I'm not gonna tell you, so don't bother asking. You don't have to use too much imagination to guess, honey. Just take every negative stereotype about gay people you've ever heard, and say them all in a very loud, abusive tone."

Blair was frustrated, but also very unhappy that her lover had been subject to Sadie's wrath. "Baby, I hate to think of her abusing you."

"It's all right. Really. I'd rather she do it to me than you. I could depersonalize it, given that she'd never met me."

"Still, it's not fair. I wish you would have called me and told me to come home."

"I deal with people like her all of the time," Kylie said. "It really wasn't a big deal. I'm just glad she was calm by the time you got home."

"She must have been like a charging rhino," Blair laughed. "You know, like on the nature shows when they have to keep shooting tranquilizer darts at 'em?"

"It was a little like that," Kylie agreed. "I was gonna have to go out for more Scotch!"

Blair reached out and took her partner's hand. "I appreciate what you did. I really do. I know you were only trying to protect me."

"I was," Kylie said earnestly.

"As much as I appreciate it, though, I don't want you to do anything like that again. Sadie's my problem, not yours. I can fight my own battles."

"But your problems are my problems," Kylie said. "We both have to deal with her now."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Blair said, "I know you're trying to help, but this isn't the kind of help I need. If she makes another unannounced visit, call me or don't open the door. Just don't try to handle her alone. Please!"

"All right," Kylie said quietly.

Blair gave her a chagrined look and said, "I’m sorry I'm being so pissy.”

“You’re not feeling well, are ya?”

“No, I’m not, but it’s not anything in particular. I’m just tired and achy and feel like a walking sack of potatoes.”

“You’re a cute little spud,” Kylie said, holding her grin until Blair joined her.

“Okay, you’ve spent enough time trying to cheer me up. Now go relax while I do the dishes.”

“No, you’re not feeling well. You sit down and put your feet up. I had a really easy day.”

“I can manage to do the dishes, Kylie. Now go do something relaxing.”

“But I’d really rather be with you,” the doctor said. “At least let me dry.”

Giving her a decidedly perturbed look, Blair said, “No one wants to do the dishes. Go enjoy yourself.”

Not wanting to start another tiff, and recognizing that Blair was on a short fuse, Kylie did as she was told, even managing not to mumble under her breath. She went to her office and started to work on her bills for the month, getting everything organized by the time Blair walked in some time later. “Whatcha doin?”

Turning in her chair, Kylie said, “Waiting for you to come in and sit on my lap.” She patted her thighs, and Blair fulfilled her wish.

Draping her arm around Kylie’s neck, she asked, “What else are you doing — besides waiting to have your thighs crushed under my massive weight?”

“I’m getting ready to pay my bills.”

“You pay your own bills?”

“Well, yeah. My dad stopped when I graduated from med school,” she said. “Does some benefactor pay yours?”

“No, silly. My accountant does mine.”

“Well, aren’t we indulgent,” Kylie said, immediately regretting her words when Blair’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s not indulgent,” she sniffed. “It’s logical and practical. I have employees you know, and I have to make sure their tax issues are handled properly. I use my car and my cell phone and part of my home phone and fax for business, and I have to keep very careful records. The incremental cost for having her do my personal bills is next to nothing.”

“Hey, I didn’t mean that you were being indulgent,” Kylie said. “I was just teasing.”

Starting to stand, Blair said, “Things don't seem very funny tonight. I'm gonna go watch TV.”

Tugging on her arm, Kylie held her in place. “Tell me what’s going on. You seem so unhappy tonight.”

Blair sighed heavily, sat down, and rested her head upon the doctor’s shoulder. “I was sitting at work for a couple of hours, doing paperwork and making calls between appointments. I’m always grouchy when I have to do that. My desk chair isn’t very supportive, and those damned pantyhose are like tourniquets around my belly.”

“Why don’t you work at home, honey? You can make phone calls from here.”

“I know, but I’ve never wanted to have a home office. I wanted my home life to be separate from work. I’ve been able to maintain the separation so far, and I hate to merge the two now.”

“I understand,” Kylie said, “but this might be the time to rethink that policy. What would you need to work from here?”

“I guess I’d need a desktop computer. My laptop is fine, but I intentionally bought a tiny one so I could carry it with me. I’d need a much bigger monitor to be comfortable, too, and a fast Internet connection, and I’d have to have someone configure the computer to let me get into the system at the office. Then, obviously, I’d need a desk and a good chair.”

“There’s a lot of room in here,” Kylie said, waving her hand at the empty space in the generously-sized room. “There’s plenty of space for another desk. Let’s get you set up with a home office, babe. It might let you stay home for a couple of hours a day.” Kylie gave her a curious look and asked, "What did you mean when you said you had employees?"

"I have employees," Blair said once again. "I have an administrative assistant and two agents who work for me."

"That's your team," Kylie said, looking confused.

"I know. They're my team. I'm the manager."

"I had no idea," Kylie said. "I thought you all worked for the same firm."

"Who do you think does most of my paperwork and goes to all of the broker's open houses? Who does my floor duty?" She gave Kylie a puzzled look and said, "Do you have any idea what my job is all about?"

"Yeah, yeah, I do. I listen very attentively," she said. "You've just never told me this stuff before."

"Everybody who sells over twenty million dollars of real estate has people who work for her, Kylie. You couldn't possibly sell that much if you were tied to your desk or running around the Westside looking at a bunch of loser properties."

"Well, do you have to be in the office to supervise your team?"

Now Blair's look was even more puzzled. "Do you think I hire idiots? They're all independent and do their jobs well. I'm almost never with them."

"Okay, then there's really no reason not to work from home, is there?"

Blair looked unhappy, but was forced to agree. “I guess I have to. I know a guy who can get me set up with the computer. All I’ll have to do is get the furniture and research the Internet connection.”

“We can network," Kylie said. "I have DSL and you can piggyback off me.”

“Okay. I’ll take care of the furniture.” Kylie gave her a half-smile and Blair amended, “Okay, I’ll have Walter take care of the furniture. You’re already onto my tricks. That’s a very bad sign. We’ve been spending way too much time together.”

“Oh, that reminds me. There’s a medical convention in Chicago, and it starts right after my dad’s birthday. I wasn’t planning on going, but Jon Greene had to cancel. He asked me if I’d go in his place.”

Blair just smiled. “Okay.”

“Do you mind if I stay for a few days?”

With a look of true confusion, Blair asked, “Why would I mind?”

Kylie shrugged, trying not to look embarrassed. “No reason. I was just letting you know.”

“Okay. Consider it noted. Have you changed your plane reservations?”

“Mmm … not yet. I’ll do that now.”

Blair got up and said, “I’ll warm up a spot for you on the sofa. See you in a few.”

Nodding, Kylie tried to swallow her hurt feelings. I didn’t change the reservations because I thought you might want to stay with me. She shook her head, thinking, She’s not that kind of woman, Kylie. She has her own life, and she wants you to have yours, too. She’s an adult and she doesn’t need to stick to you like glue. Sighing, she started to change her travel plans, thinking, I wish I hadn’t told her about the stupid convention. Now I can’t cancel or I’ll look like a big, needy baby. Pouting, she admitted, I can’t bear the thought of being apart from her for three days — but I have to now.

Дата добавления: 2015-09-04