The former spouses turned to the back of the apartment, where Kerrie was coming out of the bedroom. Gone was the jovial cut-up, and in her place was a confident leader with a casual feel, like a boss who knew exactly what they brought to the table and how to handle any situation. Bette's heart began to beat faster, thumping against her chest like the tail of an excited dog.Thump, thump, thump.
Walking up to Bette, Kerrie searched Bette's face briefly to see if she would protest. Bette only smiled warmly up at her as she slid her hand around Kerrie's bicep. Bette could see Kerrie was unimpressed by her ex-wife. Not in the least. Her heart swelled as Kerrie held out her hand, dwarfing Shelly's, who shrank back as if it would bite her. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Kerrie Matthews."
Frowning with a slight sneer, Shelly's normally attractive face contorted into something ugly. She tentatively took Kerrie's hand in hers, quickly shaking it before glancing at it as if she had just touched the rim of a public toilet. She then looked at Bette's hand wrapped around Kerrie's arm with knitted brows.
Bette knew exactly what was going through her head. Despite the fact that they had been separated for several months and the divorce had been finalized, Shelly still thought of Bette as her property. To see her with someone else, especially somebody so different from Shelly, was like a slap in the face. Bette was an extension of Shelly. Or at least that was how Shelly viewed her.
It had taken a long time for Bette to see the truth. To see how controlling she was. Sometimes, she wondered if it had always been like that, and she just missed the signs, but she didn't think so. Shelly wanted to succeed, and she did succeed, but even on top, she still wanted to climb higher. To reach further and further without a care of how many she had to step on to get to the top.
Once Bette was no longer suiting her needs, she tossed her to the side but still expected certain things from her. Kerrie was not Shelly-approved, and the slight twitch of Shelly's left eye gave her annoyance away. It probably would have twitched harder, but Botox was doing its job.
Even that had been a sore spot between them. Bette wanted to age gracefully, while Shelly wanted to poke her face full of filler, take every vitamin and miracle pill, and slather whatever new serum or cream on her face that was supposed to prevent nature from doing its thing.
Now, standing in front of Bette and Kerrie, Shelly was deciding her next move. Save face and regroup, or begin belittling the giant of a woman. Bette knew the moment she decided to regroup when Shelly plastered on her fake, professional smile and straightened her shoulders. "Kerrie Matthews," she said like she was trying to spit the taste of her name out. "Well, Kerrie, I'm Shelly Cooper. I'm sure you've heard of me."
Tilting her head, Kerrie rubbed her chin, a small smile on her face. "Shelly Cooper. Shelly Cooper. No, sorry, doesn't ring a bell. Wait, Cooper? Are you Bette's aunt?"
The twitch grew, and Bette had to restrain herself from bursting out laughing. She could feel the bubble of laughter rise in her chest. Shelly breathed in through her nose hard, then said, "I'm her wife."
"Ex-wife. You are my ex-wife," Bette corrected quickly.
The smile didn't leave Kerrie's handsome face. "Right, right. The one that let this amazing lady get away." She slid her hand over the one Bette clutched her arm with.
"I don't know about amazing," muttered Shelly.
"I guess that's a difference of opinion, huh?"
Not accustomed to being challenged, especially in such a laid-back way, Shelly opened and closed her mouth, resembling a fish, before finally finding her voice. "I suppose so. Well, I guess I should be going. I'll see you both at the graduation."
"And don't forget the catered lunch!" grinned Kerrie, squeezing Bette's hand.
Bette was overwhelmed with delight and awe. This woman was amazing. She came right in and rescued her without hesitation.
A look of horror graced Shelly's prim face before she nodded curtly. "Right. I—I'll just let myself out."
They watched her turn sharply, purse tucked under her arm, and leave the apartment quickly, pulling the door shut behind her.
A moment of thick silence fell over them before Kerrie quickly reverted back to a big, worried teddy bear. "I'm so sorry if I overstepped. She was just being such an ass to you. I couldn't help it. She clearly wanted to hurt you."
Filled with warmth and admiration, Bette held her arms open for Kerrie to hug her. And she did. The embrace was all-encompassing. Arms, strong and soft at the same time,encircled Bette, hands gently gripping her sides as she pressed against Kerrie. The scent of crisp evergreen and the hint of sweat filled her nostrils. It wasn't unpleasant at all. It was comforting. Real. Almost sensual. She melted into the embrace without hesitation. The urge to wallow in the protectiveness. In the gratefulness of someone looking out for Bette without a hidden agenda, unlike Shelly. Unlike her mother. People who only cared what it would do for their image.
At that moment, Bette understood, possibly for the first time, what unconditional caring truly felt like. Never had she felt like that with Shelly or her mother. Zoe loved her like only a child could love their mother, but Bette was Zoe's caregiver. The backbone and protector. It wasn't the same as what Kerrie had shown her. Kerrie had genuinely wanted to protect her without something in return.
All too fast, they pulled apart, and Bette, flushed, couldn't bring herself to let go of Kerrie just yet as she kept her arms around Kerrie's waist. With Bette not pulling away, Kerrie took it as a sign that it was okay to stay connected and copied Bette.
With searching eyes, Bette stared up at her. There was no hint of deception or manipulation that she would have expected with Shelly. "No, you didn't overstep. Not at all. Thank you. I don't think I've ever had someone take up for me like that."
Licking her lips while staring at Bette's made the shorter woman's heart speed up again. Then it stopped when Kerrie seemed to second guess herself and slowly untangled from Bette, leaving her cold where Kerrie had touched her. "I'm happy to help."
Hugging herself without realizing it, Bette looked to the side. "You don't have to go, you know. The graduation, I mean. I appreciate you coming to my defense, but—”
"No way. I'll be there. I'll ask Mabel to watch Kenny."
"Watch me for what?"
At the apartment's entrance, Kenny stood on wobbly legs, holding a large slushie in one hand. Zoe peeked around him, sipping on her drink with an amused look and raised eyebrow. Had she seen them touching?
Kerrie cleared her throat. "I'm going to go with Bette somewhere."
