Darkness Falls: A Lesbian End-of-the-World Romance Adventure Read online

  When he reached her, he paused, and Anna looked up to see if something was wrong. As soon as she recognized him, Anna felt her stomach clench. It was a boy from high school.

  Jeff. I guess he’s officially a man now, she thought and gave him a weak smile.

  “Anna Patten,” he said. Anna nodded.

  “Hi, Jeff,” she said and reached out for the menu. “Long time.” He smirked at her and Anna immediately remembered why she never liked the guy. He was a bully back in the day, and she was guessing he still was from the look on his face.

  “Yep, long time,” he said. “You look good though.” His eyes roamed over her body, and Anna felt a little creeped out. Maybe I’m not as hungry as I thought, she thought, but before she could make a move to leave, Jeff was sitting in the chair opposite her. “I heard you were in town,” he said.

  Fabulous.

  Anna nodded. “For another week is all,” she said. “So, hey, I just realized I left my wallet back at the hotel, so I’m afraid I have to go get it.” She grabbed her jacket and started to stand up.

  “Whoa, hey,” Jeff said. “I can pay for your meal. Happy to do it.” He gave her a wink, and Anna almost laughed. She was not a scared teenager anymore, and this loser son of a bitch was not going to intimidate her. After all, she was a highly respected nurse practitioner with her own clinic in Los Angeles. Not some small-town waiter, she thought and continued to stand up. He stood up with her.

  “No thank you,” Anna said. “I'll just go.” She walked toward the exit, and Jeff matched her steps. At the door, he moved to open it and then held it shut while he looked at her face.

  “Sorry you need to go,” he said. “But I don’t suppose you’d like to go out? Maybe next Saturday to watch the northern lights show? Could be romantic.” Anna smiled sweetly at him and nodded. Seeing her willing reaction, Jeff opened the door so Anna could leave. She walked out and then turned to talk to him about the date.

  “Not on your life, asshole,” she said and then strode to her car without a look back.

  CHAPTER 3

  s a light April rain fell, Lexi walked along the rows of Alocal vendors at Astoria's Saturday farmers market. The booths were showing off early season fruits and vegetables.

  Unable to resist, Lexi bought a pint basket of strawberries and immediately popped one in her mouth. Savoring the burst of sweetness on her tongue, she smiled. Nothing could offer the promise of summer ahead more than the taste of a freshly picked strawberry. She was ready for the warmer weather to arrive. Living so near the coast, a significant number of wet weather storms passed through during the winter months. Still, it was all part of living in the Pacific Northwest, and Lexi had no desire to ever live anywhere else.

  Feeling the rain starting to pick up, Lexi ducked under the awning of the vendor she was hoping would be there.

  Handmade artwork of cut and polished metal wall sculptures, which always took her breath away, adorned the numerous displays. Her plan was to buy one for her sister Jackie as a birthday present. Even though her sister had evolved into a powerful executive up in Seattle, Lexi knew Jackie always had an eye for talent and appreciated raw beauty. These pieces were precisely that, and so she browsed to find the perfect one. As she searched, she contemplated a particularly unique wall art cut to look like a windswept coastal scene. The polished metal finish shined like a subtle rainbow from copper to silver hues. It’s perfect, Lexi thought and moved to talk to the vendor who was also the artist. He smiled when he recognized her. This was not

  her first purchase as a few choice sculptures adorned the walls of her farmhouse.

  “Find something you like?” he asked. Lexi smiled.

  “I like all of it,” she answered. “You do amazing work.”

  The artist blushed a little.

  “Thank you. Always nice to hear that. Now which one caught your eye today?” he asked. Lexi turned to show him, and as she did, she nearly crashed headlong into the woman standing behind her.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Lexi started. “I didn’t realize someone was—” She froze. The woman behind her was Anna Patten.

  Lexi saw Anna’s eyes widen when she realized it was Lexi.

  Neither of them seemed able to say a word until the artist cleared his throat.

  “Um,” he said. “Is everything okay?” Slowly, Lexi nodded but did not take her eyes off of Anna's face. She had gotten a glimpse of her at the high school reunion five years before, but she was with her husband and thus had seemed to want to avoid Lexi at all costs. Now though, Lexi could see the woman up close. She looked incredible. Like Lexi, there were more laugh lines, but her hair was still a rich dark brown. Longer than in high school, she thought. But it suits her well. Finally, realizing she was staring, Lexi forced a smile.

  “Hey, she said. It was lame as hell, and she knew it, but thankfully it broke the ice and Anna laughed.

  “Hey back,” she said. No two words had ever made Lexi happier.

  WHEN THE WOMAN TURNED around, and Anna realized it was Lexi, her heart rate immediately jumped up a notch.

  The woman looked good, great even. Her sandy blonde hair showed a few bits of white now, but it only added character.

  The eyes though, blue-gray, looked exactly the same and as she stared into them, a million memories flooded her mind.

  Before she could sort any of them out, Lexi had saved the moment and simply said, “Hey.” It was such a flashback to the start of thousands of old conversations, Anna had laughed.

  “Hey back,” she said and smiled. “I was wondering if I might run into you.” Lexi raised an eyebrow, and again Anna was struck with deja vu. As if not a day has passed, she thought. It was almost surreal.

  “Was it going to be a good thing to run into me?” Lexi asked. Bold as always, Anna thought and nodded.

  “Of course,” she said with a tilt of her head and then realized she was dangerously close to the edge of flirting.

  Dialing her emotions back although her heart was still racing, Anna shrugged. “Why wouldn't it be?” Lexi snorted a laugh and looked on the verge of a sarcastic response, but then seemed to reconsider. Instead, she nodded.

  “Well, it is good to see you. Take care of yourself,” Lexi said and started to slip past Anna, but then paused. “So, how long are you in town?”

  “Not very long. Only until next Saturday,” Anna blurted before she could stop herself, but suddenly she wanted Lexi to know there was not a lot of time. For what? Anna wondered. I’m acting like an idiot. Why would she care? Still, Lexi smiled, so Anna plunged ahead. “So maybe we can do lunch before I go?” Her heart fell as she watched Lexi shake her head.

  “I'm not really a ‘do lunch' kind of person,” she said.

  “But...” Her voice trailed off, and Anna wanted to know what she was not saying.

  “But what?” she asked, but Lexi was quiet and instead of answering looked at the ground as if lost in thought. Anna could not decide what she wanted to have happen next, but somehow, she could feel whatever Lexi did could change both their lives. If she’s not interested in being friends

  again, so be it, Anna thought. I deserve it. As if reading Anna’s mind, Lexi looked up and met her eye. There was a hint of hurt in the blue-gray and Anna had a sudden urge to pull Lexi to her. To hold her.

  “You hurt me,” Lexi said softly. “I’m not sure I am ready to forget all of it.” Anna felt a ball of guilt curl up in her stomach. She always knew leaving town without even saying goodbye to Lexi was a horrible thing, but it was twenty-five years ago, and a part of Anna hoped time would heal the wound. She realized now she was foolish to even think for a moment Lexi would want to associate with her again. Flustered now, Anna started to back away.

  “Of course,” she said and turned to go. She had the sudden urge to literally take off running through the rain.

  Suddenly, Lexi touched her arm.

  “Wait,” the woman said. “Let’s not do this. I’m sorry I said that.” Anna did not meet her eye. br />
  “It’s fine,” Anna said.

  “No, it’s not,” Lexi said. “Let’s start over. I want you to come see my place. The old Reynold’s farmhouse.” Anna heard her pause. “Come to dinner,” Lexi finished.

  TAYLOR WAS A BULLET as she screamed along the surface streets of downtown Seattle on her jet-black BMW K 1600

  motorcycle. Thanks to seeing a fender bender where she had to provide her info in case either party wanted a witness, Taylor was now running late to meet Jackie at the office high-rise. Gritting her teeth with frustration, she gunned it to get through a yellow traffic light and leaned deep into the final corner before her destination. As she made the turn, she noted Jackie's car was just arriving. It stopped at the closed gate, and Taylor pulled up along the driver's side. Chuckling at the perplexed look on Jackie's

  face, Taylor unhooked the chinstrap of her black helmet and pulled it off. “Fancy meeting you here,” she said, and Jackie's face changed to one of amusement.

  “Well, look at you, Taylor,” she laughed. “I should have known.” Interesting. What does that mean? Taylor thought and wondered if she would have a chance to find out. Not likely and you know it, Casanova, so just cool your jets and open the gate.

  “Let me get that gate open for you,” Taylor said and goosed the bike forward to the locked control panel. In a minute, the metal grid was rattling back out of the way.

  Once it was moved, Taylor watched Jackie drive into the garage with a wave out of the car window. There was no reason for Taylor to stick around. The gate would automatically open if a car approached from the inside to ensure no one was ever locked in. Still, it did not sit well to know Jackie would be alone in the empty garage. Even though it was a secure space, Taylor learned long ago nothing was as black and white as it looked. I think I’ll just do a little zip around the levels, she thought and coasted the bike down the ramp.

  Jackie had already parked and was getting out when she saw Taylor. “Everything okay?” she asked walking toward her. Taylor could not help but notice the way today’s slightly more casual pantsuit hugged the woman’s curves just right.

  Forcing herself to not lick her lips, Taylor shook her head.

  “Nothing wrong,” she said. “I just thought I’d cruise around to make sure everything is cool.”

  Jackie gave her a sly smile. “Taylor, are you protecting me?” she asked, and although the playful comment was undoubtedly an innocent one, Taylor felt a shiver of attraction run through her. Oh, you have no idea, she thought but instead shrugged.

  “Just doing my job, ma'am,” she answered with a mock salute. Jackie laughed as she started to walk away toward

  the elevators. When she got to the doors and pushed the button, Jackie surprised Taylor by looking back at her.

  “Well, for what it's worth, I feel a lot safer knowing you're here,” she said just as the elevator doors opened and she walked inside. Before Taylor could respond, she saw the doors close, and Jackie was on her way upstairs.

  CHAPTER 4

  aylor sat on her bike and contemplated what to do next.

  TA part of her wanted to stick around and wait to see Jackie again. Especially after that last comment, she thought. Another part of her knew it was a little too stalker-like to sit in the parking garage for hours just to see the woman. With a sigh, Taylor started her motorcycle and rode slowly to the exit. While she waited for the gate to roll back, she noticed a yellow Ferrari 458 drive up to the building and park in a visitor spot. The vanity license plate spelled out TAKE IT. Taylor snorted a laugh. Whoever is driving that has a hell of an ego complex.

  Even though the gate was now open, Taylor decided to stay out of sight and watch who emerged from the sportscar. After a moment, the door opened, and a man with slicked back brown hair and mirrored sunglasses stepped out. Considering it was gray and misty out, the glasses were ridiculous, but it was clear the stranger was going for a specific look with his sport coat and designer jeans. As he locked the car and sauntered toward the front glass doors of the office building, the realization he was Jackie's meeting gave Taylor pause. This guy? she thought and wondered just who the heck he was to warrant a special weekend afternoon meeting. One quick phone call and I can run his plates. Taylor shook her head. I’m not a cop anymore, and it is not my business anyway. For all she knew, the smarmy character was someone Jackie was romantically interested in, and this was something of a date. But then why a meeting at 2 PM at the office instead of over cocktails?

  Knowing she was overthinking all of it, Taylor shifted the

  bike into gear and rolled out of the garage. It was time to put Jackie Scott out of mind and just go home. There was a nice microbrew six-pack in the fridge along with a ribeye dying to get on the grill.

  As she started to accelerate down the street and head back to her townhouse condo just past Pike Place Market near the waterfront, a final thought on the topic nagged at Taylor. Twenty-years in the Military Police Corps had honed her ability to size up a person's character within seconds, and absolutely everything about the man in the Ferrari screamed predator. Jackie can take care of herself, she thought. I’m sure she knows what she is getting into and I am not her keeper. Although I definitely want to be. Taylor sighed inside her helmet knowing the odds of her ever having the opportunity to even sit down to have a drink with Jackie was a long shot. Taylor was nothing but a rent-a-cop guard in a parking garage. A little chit-chat every morning did not translate into a relationship and Taylor understood it.

  Jackie could not be more out of reach.

  JACKIE WAITED IN THE conference room off of her office and wondered just what exactly Danson Marlin Jr.'s proposal would be. He had been unusually mysterious about it over their series of phone tag voicemails. It was her curiosity which finally got the better of her and inspired Jackie to set up the meeting. The fact the only time they both had available was on a Saturday was unfortunate, but business was business. She just hoped it was not all a big waste of time. Danson had a bit of a reputation for being a slick customer, which was about as far from Jackie's style as possible. Add in the man was rumored to be a huge flirt and a well-established playboy, and it was all the more reason to have the meeting on her turf, in the middle of the day, and

  in a conference room instead of her private office. The distant sound of a vacuum was also reassuring as it meant the cleaning crew was on the floor and Jackie was not completely alone with Danson. Although, maybe I should have asked Taylor to come up and hang out in a nearby cubicle, Jackie thought and then paused. Now that was random. She was not clear why she was thinking of the woman at all. Sure, Jackie had put together the pieces to guess Taylor was a lesbian, not to mention good-looking and fit as hell, and that she had a bit of a crush on Jackie in a sweet and harmless way, but it all translated to nothing more. It’s not like I’m attracted to her. Jackie was confident she was straight, knowing it was her sister Lexi who was the lesbian in the family. Resolving to put it all out of mind, Jackie refocused on the meeting ahead. As she flipped through emails on her smartphone, she heard a light tap on the doorframe of the conference room entrance. Looking up, Jackie saw the deeply tanned face of Danson Marlin, Jr. He flashed her a killer smile of dazzling white teeth.

  “Am I late?” he asked. Jackie returned the smile as she set down her phone and stood up.

  “Not at all. Please come in,” she said and held out her hand to shake. Danson moved into the room and took her hand into one of his larger ones. Jackie had not realized Danson was such a big man. At least six-foot-four and broad-shouldered. Pretty much the image of what most women would swoon over, although Jackie felt a bit of unease around him. You’re being silly, she thought and settled back into her chair. Danson slipped into the one directly adjacent to hers, and immediately Jackie felt put off.

  Their knees were almost touching under the table. The move was a very dominating tactic, and Jackie forced herself to not react by sliding her chair back. Trying to get back in the driver's seat, she took
control of the meeting.

  “So, Mr. Marlin, what are we doing here today? Investment idea? Need advertising?” Jackie knew she was handling the

  conversation far to brusquely, but frankly, she was ready for it to be over already. Danson held up a hand and flashed her the smile again.

  “Whoa now, pretty girl,” he said. “What's the rush? Let's get to know each other a little first.” Jackie bristled at the

  ‘girl' reference but covered it with a smile.

  “Fine. What should I know about you, Mr. Marlin?” she asked trying to start the awkward meeting over. Danson chuckled.

  “Please, call me Dan,” he said. “And be careful how you word your questions. For all you know, I could answer with something like you should know I’m hung like a horse.”

  Jackie’s mouth dropped open for a moment before she recovered. Did he really just say that? she thought and saw Dan laugh a deep baritone at her reaction. “Caught you off guard, I see. Well, I’m a straight shooter, Ms. Scott, and I wanted to meet you as much to talk investment opportunities in your cute little magazine as to see if you were as smoking hot as your bio photograph.” Unable to stop it, Jackie felt her face start to flush, but not from embarrassment and instead with fury. She stood up and gathered her things from the table.

  “Get out,” she said. Dan did not move and instead leaned back in his chair.

  “Well that’s not very ladylike,” he said with a sly smile.

  “What’s the matter. Don’t you like men?”

  TAYLOR WALKED TOWARD the conference room just in time to hear Jackie's demand and the man's remark. It was precisely what she expected. Once she got home, Taylor had tried hard to put Jackie out of her mind, but the image of the man sauntering up to the office skyrise continued to bother her. Finally, as she opened her first brew, she pulled out her