Bette snorted. "It wasn't easy, and I'll probably feel it tomorrow."
"Well, I certainly appreciate it. I'll rub any achy muscles you have tomorrow."
"Tomorrow. I'm so happy there will be a tomorrow for us," Bette whispered, her tone grateful and relieved.
"Me too. From here on, we'll work as a team. I want you by my side," Kerrie said, rubbing her hand up and down Bette's arm. Her skin had already started to cool.
"A team. I like that. No, I love that," she corrected and leaned up, kissing Kerrie softly. "And I love you."
Kerrie returned the kiss, reveling in Bette's soft lips and honest words. This was what she wanted. What they both deserved. "I love you too."
Epilogue
The chime of the front doorbell rang out through the house. Kerrie glanced at her watch. "A little early. Of course she is," she muttered to herself. Only one person would use the front door.
Quickly crossing the living room, she unlocked the door, opening it to reveal Clara Cooper and her pinched face. Her forced smile looked almost painful. "Hello, Kerrie. Thank you for inviting me."
It sounded rehearsed. Like she had to make a game plan prior to arriving on how to be polite.
Kerrie smiled with a curt nod. "Thank you for coming. I'm sure Bette will be thrilled."
That was a stretch, but Kerrie knew even though they didn't get along well, Bette would appreciate Clara being there. Their relationship was still strained, but Clara seemed to finally be coming around to the idea that Bette being happy was actually important. She wasn't happy about it, but she kept more of her judgment to herself.
Clara stepped inside the house, her eyes taking in the modest house with eyes as sharp as a hawk’s. The home still had a lot of her aunt's decorations up, as neither Kerrie nor Kenny were much into decorating. She had let go of some stuff over the years that didn't age well or collected more dust than she cared to clean.
"This is a quaint little house," declared Clara, nodding more to herself than to Kerrie.
"Thank you. We inherited it from our aunt and uncle when they passed away. As you can tell, it still holds some of my aunt's tastes. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Water would be fine."
Kerrie walked by her, allowing herself to roll her eyes once her back was safely to the older woman. She wondered if the woman had ever let loose in her life. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle. She didn't normally stock bottles of water, finding the kitchen sink tap worked just fine and didn't make plastic waste, but she had a feeling that Clara would ask for it, so she had gotten a small pack when she bought the items for tonight.
"So, um, do you need any help?" asked Clara, following her into the kitchen.
Surprised at the offer, Kerrie handed the bottle over. "Sure, I need to pat out the hamburger patties. You could cut up the tomatoes and onions if you want."
She motioned at the counter, where she already had the items out along with a knife and cutting board.
A silence fell over them while they worked, the chopping of a knife against wood and the smacking wet sound of Kerrie patting out the meat ringing out into the kitchen. It was awkward having the Cooper matriarch in her home. She was relieved when Remington's vehicle pulled into the driveway.
Clara noticed the car as well, stretching her neck to look out the window near her. She cleared her throat. "Before they get in here, I just want to make sure we're on the same page."
Kerrie raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"
"We're supporting Bette in this ludicrous idea, correct?"
Resisting the urge to snap at Clara, she sucked in a breath and nodded. "Yes, we're being supportive. Nothing negative is to be said to her.”
Clara looked like she wanted to counter her, but then the noise of people coming up the back porch stopped her.
"We're back," chimed Zoe as she walked through the door with Kenny in tow.
Kerrie looked up to see the pair enter the kitchen, with Remington soon following behind. She had just finished patting out the last of the burgers and started washing up the dishes.
Zoe had insisted on taking Kenny with them to an apple orchard in the next county. Apple picking in the mid-October heat gave Kerrie pause at first, but Zoe had promised she would make sure Kenny took breaks and that he didn't get overheated.
Zoe and Kenny were growing closer, like siblings. Kerrie loved seeing them interact and could tell that Zoe was good for Kenny. He felt like he was something when they would ride around together, getting ice cream or running errands. They would even makeRemington sit in the back so Kenny could have the prime real estate of the passenger seat. Remington was also warming up to her and Bette. It had taken a moment, but the kid seemed like a good guy despite coming from an uppity family.
