Page 85 of In Her Own Way
“Like on a date?”
“Yes. Would it be our second date?”
“It would,” Jessica said. “And yes, I would love to go.”
A cheer from the dance floor caught their attention. Shanice was now standing, and in Miss Marta’s arms as they slow danced. Miss Marta was crying so much that it looked like Shanice was consoling her. Victoria pulled a clean handkerchief from her pants pocket and handed it to Jessica to wipe her tears.
“This is fantastic,” Jessica said.
“They are so perfect for each other,” Victoria said. “And before you go confessing everything, Shanice told me that you and Miss Marta used to be play partners and that you’re in their soul patrol. Something like that.”
“When did she tell you all that? You’re not mad?”
“Of course, I’m not mad. Marta’s a good person. Like Bernadette told me, we all have life experiences that help us evolve. You and Marta had yours. And now you and I get to have ours.” She leaned down and kissed Jessica firmly. “And to answer your question, Shanice blurted out the whole thing when Madison escorted you to the restroom before dinner.”
“All in the name of community service,” Jessica said with a chuckle.
A little while later they watched Miss Shasti and Minjung’s rope suspension. They watched that together while holding hands. The tie and suspension had been amazing, inspiring even. Jessica wondered if Victoria liked to tie. She wondered a lot of things but refused to get ahead of herself.
Too soon, way too soon, the party came to an end. Victoria gallantly walked Jessica to her car, kissed her silly through the open driver’s window, and then made Jessica promise to call once she got home safely.
Lying in bed, Misty by her side, Jessica looked up at the ceiling and said, “Was that real?” Her phone lit up. It was a text from Victoria, and then another, and a third.
Victoria:I’m lying in this bed thinking about you, JB. I’m still in shock. I wish you were here with me. Or I was there with you, cuddling, holding you. You’re safe with me. You know some of my worst moments, and I hope you’ll allow me to show you some of my best.
Victoria:I’m thinking that after we socialize at the coffee shop for a respectable amount of time, we go somewhere to be by ourselves. We could go hiking, for a drive, or… something. I just want you all to myself tomorrow. Think about it.
Victoria:I miss you already.
Jessica turned to Misty and said, “It’s real. I hope you like her as much as I do.” She answered the texts one by one, and then they spent the next half hour texting back and forth before Victoria ended the exchange, saying they both needed sleep so they’d have good energy the next day.
“Good energy for what, Daddy Cheese?” Jessica asked the ceiling because, as far as she was concerned, two dates were more than enough for the relationship to move to the next phase.
Chapter 21
Victoria
Victoria had been up since five o’clock in the morning the day after the masquerade ball. Anticipation about seeing JB later that day had her fully awake. There was something she had to do before the house woke up. Something she should have done a long time ago, but something she definitely needed to take care of before going any further with the woman she hoped would be in her life for a long time. She found her collection of pussy photos taken over the years. She’d hung each one on her bedroom wall. It had made her feel powerful and in control. She’d been with a lot of women. Over a hundred. She took the box with the framed photos down the elevator to the great room and started a fire in the fireplace. Victoria was mortified when Minjung came down to see what was going on, but she thankfully didn’t judge and ended up helping Victoria burn every last one of them. Victoria’s sight was blurry with tears and regret for doing such an insensitive thing to these women. Minjung suggested that Victoria might be transitioning into a different version of herself. It had been a polite way to say that maybe now, at age thirty-seven, Victoria was finally growing up. But Victoria agreed with Minjung and was morethan embarrassed that Minjung knew how much of a callous womanizing 304 she had been.
After they cleaned up the broken frames, glass, and ashes, Minjung went to make coffee, and Victoria got on the phone. Getting green carnations in the middle of December was a difficult feat, but not impossible. She’d made over a dozen calls to florists and grocery stores with floral departments and finally found a shop in downtown Cincinnati that had some. After coffee, she dragged Tillman with her, and while they were down in Cincy, drove past the Tyttle Foods plant to show Tillman what the place looked like from the outside. Tillman had put in an online application over a week ago, even before they’d left for Denton Heights, but he hadn’t heard anything yet, either way. Victoria hoped that was a good sign. Her friend could use some good luck.
Their errand to the florist completed, Victoria and Tillman arrived at the coffee shop early and borrowed a vase. It was currently centered on the pushed-together tables they would use for the pizza when it arrived. Not that Victoria could eat. Her stomach was in knots.
“Thanks for finding a vase, Lydia,” Victoria said, thanking her again.
“Never let it be said that I stood in the way of love,” Lydia said and then turned back to guide herlittlePammy, who was setting up for the after-party.
“Lydia’s cute,” Tillman said. “But taken, I know.”
“Stick around long enough, and you’ll find someone,” Victoria said as she paced back and forth. Where was everybody?
“Hey, chill, man,” Tillman said. “I appreciate you bringing me here to Denton Heights. If the job doesn’t work out, I might relocate here anyway.”
Victoria turned to give Tillman her full attention. “I don’t see why not. I’m probably moving back here, too. Bobbie made sure you’re not welcome back there, so why not start over?”
“I am kind of ready to move out of my mother’s house,” Tillman said with wide eyes. “She’s not exactly accepting of me.”
“And you can do the Linen Works job from anywhere, right? It’s all commuting, anyway.”
