“It’s okay. We can talk about it some other time.” Rose put her coffee cup to her lips, mentally deciding which charities would get the money if she could not convince Ronnie to take it back.


“Speaking of later,” the executive looked at her watch. “We’d better get going here.”


“Wait.” Susan laid her hand across the table, urging her sister to remain where she was. The redhead looked at Rose with such seriousness it made the young woman’s pulse quicken with nervousness. “I just wanted to say something to you before we leave.” She licked her lips and cast a quick glance at her older sister before continuing. “Rose, I love my sister very much. With Tommy gone, well…it just helped make me realize that I was being unfair to her. I’ve never seen her happier than when she’s with you.”


“Susan, don’t embarrass me,” Ronnie warned playfully although the heat was rising to her ears.


“Oh you be quiet or I’ll tell her about the time you took Dad’s car for a joyride and got picked up by the police,” the younger sibling warned. “Now, as I was saying before I was sointerrupted, she’s happy and that’s what’s important.” She picked up the bill and glanced at it before passing it across the table to her sister. “Your turn. Six thirty-eight for the tip.”


“Thanks, you know I hate figuring that out.” Ronnie reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet, thumbing through the various plastic cards until she found the one she was looking for. A few minutes later the bill was paid and they were standing next to their vehicles, which were parked side by side.


“I have to drop Rose off and then I’ll meet you at Mother’s,” Ronnie said as she shut off the alarm and unlocked the passenger door.


“Okay, don’t be too long.” The redhead turned toward Rose. “It was nice of you to join us for breakfast.”


“Thank you for inviting me,” she replied. “And thank you for what you said in there…about her deserving to be happy.”


“Yeah yeah, everybody’s happy,” Ronnie said with a fake growl. “Except Mother, who is going to have a fit if we don’t get over there.”


“I was being serious,” Rose said, batting the tall woman’s arm.


“So was I.” She looked at her younger sister. “Susan, I do appreciate what you said in there…as well as last night.”


“Think they’d say anything if two sisters hugged in public?”


“Do you really care if they did?” Ronnie countered. They embraced then, to Rose’s surprise, Susan gave her a quick one-armed hug. They said their good-byes and were soon on the road.



* * *

After being dropped off at the house, Rose found herself with nothing to do. Ronnie was certain not to be back until mid-afternoon. She puttered about, wandering in and out of every room on the first floor. Then her eyes followed the stairs. Curiosity got the better of her and she positioned her crutches on the bottom stair.


Although she had been in Ronnie’s bedroom before, this was the first time she really looked around.A padded bench seat sat below an impressive bay window. An open door off to the side led to the private bathroom and the young woman made a mental note to check it out later. Rose saw that her friend had not one but two dressers as well as the incredible walk-in closet. A full-length mirror trimmed in matching wood stood in one corner. A headboard, complete with lights and shelves, complimented the king-sized bed. There were nightstands on either side as well. On the wall opposite the bed was a smaller version of the entertainment center downstairs. Rose opened the doors to reveal a twenty-seven inch television, Ronnie’s video collection and a VCR. Her eyes skimmed over familiar titles, looking for something interesting to watch. One row of tapes had no boxes or labels on the spines. She picked one up and looked at the title.kind of tapes.She grinned and put it in the VCR.She positioned the pillows on the bed and sat down to watch her first adult movie.


To her surprise, there actually was a plot to the movie. Rose did not pay attention to the title but figured out quickly that it was about two female lovers who are separated into separate cells by a mean warden. The first sex scene appeared quickly and green eyes widened at the sight of the two naked women kissing each other. It was the same slow, gentle kisses she shared with Ronnie. Then their kisses changed. They became more passionate and one woman began to moan as the other pinched her nipple. Suddenly Rose’s dreams had another dimension added to them as she tried to imagine Ronnie making the same sound. “Mmm…” She watched the two women begin their acts of pleasure and each one she imagined doing with her companion. The arousal was immediate but more than that was another feeling, one far more important. The women on the screen made Rose realize that this was more than a physical act. Even though they were actresses playing a role, every touch was tender, almost loving. Between the moans and cries were repeated declarations of love for each other.she realized for perhaps the first time. Now she understood what she was denying Ronnie…and what Ronnie was denying herself by honoring her promise to her father. Shutting off the VCR off, Rose sat and stared at the blue screen for several long minutes while the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place.



* * *

“Did you try the spare ribs?” Ronnie asked, smacking her lips in satisfaction. “I tell you, there’s nothing like good Chinese take-out.”


“No, I haven’t tried them yet,” Rose replied quietly, her eyes never leaving her plate, the contents of which were being pushed around aimlessly by her fork.


“You should. The egg rolls are pretty good too. Not greasy at all.”


“Um hmm.” The broccoli and pork suffered more rearranging.


“Rose, is something wrong? You’ve been quiet ever since I got home.”


“Ronnie, can I ask you something?”


“Anything, you know that.”


“If you had never made that promise to your father…if nothing was standing in your way…would you want…” The blonde woman shook her head and looked up with fear and uncertainty in her eyes. “Would we be lovers?”


Ronnie stood up. “I think we’re done eating. Let’s go into the other room and talk. I’ll take care of the dishes later.”


“Yes, that would be better.” Rose agreed, pushing herself up on her good foot.“Ronnie? Would it be all right if we just went into the bedroom? I mean, we can always watch television in there, right?”


Warning bells and whistles went off in Ronnie’s head and she swallowed reflexively. “Uh…are you sure?” Considering the topic of discussion, she wasn’t entirely certain that lying on the bed together was a wise idea.


“Yes.” And with that word spoken aloud, Rose realized that yes, she really was sure…about everything.


Once inside the room, Rose leaned her crutches against the wall and patiently balanced herself on her good foot.


“You want to change first?” Ronnie asked while turning down the covers.


“No, we’re fine just the way we are.” Once the bedcovers were ready, she slipped between them and rolled onto her side to face the woman who had captured her heart. Ronnie started to join her. “Wait.” Rose reached over and turned on the lamp. “Would you shut off the light?” Soon the brightness was replaced by a warm, soft glow.


“So we’re in bed and you wanted to talk,” Ronnie offered when she was settled.


“So we are,” she agreed. Leaning up on one elbow, she looked down at endless blue eyes. “Are you going to answer my question? If you hadn’t made that promise to your father, would we be lovers?”


“I thought you weren’t sure…”


“Forget about that for a minute.” She reached out and ran her fingertip lightly down the older woman’s jawline. “If it were just you and me, nothing else.” Ronnie was still wearing her gray shirt and with three buttons undone, the vision was entirely too tempting. Rose moved her fingertip down the chiseled jaw to the long throat and beyond, stopping only when it encountered the lacy edge of a bra. She did note with some pleasure that the older woman’s breathing had increased.


“Rose, I love you. You know that.” Ronnie reached out and cupped her cheek. “If there were no obstacles, if it really was just you and me, yes. I would be very honored to be your lover.” She was rewarded with a quick kiss. The curious fingertips were driving her crazy but she could not find the strength to stop them.


“Ronnie…” The distracting digits slowly undid the next button on the gray shirt. “It’s just you and me. There are no obstacles.”


“Rose…” Her body responded immediately to her shirt being unbuttoned. Nipples hardened under the white bra and her whole body tingled with excitement. She opened her mouth to protest and found a warm, soft tongue pressing against hers. “Mmm.” Under the gentle insistence, Ronnie relaxed and let the young woman take control. Rose felt the surrender and eased up the pressure of her lips. Her free hand traveled of its own volition, gliding under the cotton shirt and against warm skin. In a move that shocked both of them, the wandering hand closed over the soft lace cup and squeezed gently. Ronnie gasped and her body leaned into the touch.