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Chapter 11
Jewel’s back ached.The sun wasn’t up, and she’d barely gotten any sleep. Her mind had whirled thinking about Lea and what had gone wrong in the moment. Lea had asked for time and space, so she had given it. She’d sat on the couch in the living area for hours, shoving spoonfuls of cookie bake into her mouth, chasing it with popcorn and wine.
They had kissed, and it had been amazing. The connection between them was so strong. She didn’t know if it was because they’d been such close friends for so long that they knew so much about each other, they understood the ways they acted, reacted, but this—this was something Jewel had never seen. Gone was the confident woman Jewel looked up to and admired, and she was left with what? Azalea Fuller, a woman who kissed and ran, a woman who didn’t tell all her secrets, a woman who was so scared of changing boundaries and relationships that she literally ran away after one simple kiss.
Sighing, Jewel rubbed her eyes and turned on her side, the couch groaning under her weight. She’d have to get up soon and clean up their mess. Start coffee for sure. She would need that and more. Tossing the throw blanket off her legs, she sat up and brushed her hands through her hair and over her face to try and wake up even more.
What she had been thinking last night when she’d kissed Lea, she had no idea, but Lea’s reaction, the heat, the passion, the dam that had broken—Jewel had not expected that. Then it was like a bucket of ice water had been thrown on top of them in a matter of seconds, and Lea had run. Jewel had no idea what Lea had been thinking at the end, but she suspected panic and fear were the top two on that list.
“I was wondering when you’d wake up.”
Jewel stiffened. She turned on the cushion to face the rest of the house, finding Eli sitting in one of the chairs on the far side of the room. “I’m sorry about sleeping down here.”
Eli waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t worry about it. Next time just knock on the basement door. I have a spare room down there you could have used.”
Cocking her head to the side, Jewel gave Eli a curious look. “You said not to go to the basement.”
Eli shrugged. “I have a soft spot for you. You’re welcome down there if you want.”
Curious, Jewel sat up straighter, but she didn’t know what to say. Eli seemed to continuously surprise her, and she couldn’t figure out what it was about the other woman that bothered her. She folded the blanket she’d used and set it on the arm of the couch where they had found it the night before. Leaning over, Jewel grabbed the bowl and plate and glasses they had used and stood up, heading for the kitchen. Eli watched her cautiously from the chair, like she owned the world.
Jewel rolled her eyes as soon as she was out of sight and in the kitchen. The first thing she did as soon as her hands were free was to grab a mug and coffee. The second thing she did was turn around to drink it. Eli stood at the large dining room table, still eyeing her like she was trying to make her break. Jewel muttered under her breath before twisting to start the water and clean the dishes.
Eli came over, setting her mug on the kitchen island and helping. “I’ve known Azalea for twelve years. Known her in a way other students never have.”
“And why is that?” Jewel’s tone was harsher than she intended, but she was exhausted, and her lower back was so mad about her decision to sleep on the couch that she didn’t have the patience to watch what she said.
“Jealous?” Eli asked.
Jewel sighed. “Not like that.”
“Jealous because you think I know her better than you do.”
At her minute nod, Eli smiled.
“I don’t. Trust me on that. I know one aspect of Azalea very well, and the rest is all conjecture. I promise you that you know her better than I do.”
“Oh.” Jewel’s cheeks heated.
Eli dumped soap onto a scrubber and handed it to Jewel. “You wash. I’ll dry.”
“Sure.” Jewel went to work, cleaning the ramekin that had held the half-baked cookie dough and ice cream, regretting not setting it to at least soak the night before.
They fell into a comfortable silence. Eli was just putting the dishes away when she turned on Jewel, surprising her. “If there is one thing I’ve learned about Azalea in the last twelve years, it’s that she’s quite closed off, she doesn’t share, but probably most important to your current situation, she doesn’t like change or challenge to the status quo. She’s slow to come around to it.”
“She’s a high school teacher. She has to deal with change and challenge to the status quo all the time.” Jewel shook her head in confusion.
Eli smirked. “At work, yes, and even then she struggles with it. Trust me. There was a group of us that made it a game to try and push her on it. She hasn’t changed in twelve years. If you’re going to push her boundaries and make her think about something in a new way, it’s going to take a lot of patience for her to come around.”
As much as Jewel hated to admit it, Eli was right. Lea was a creature of habit, one who lived into the habits she created.
“Here, help me with this.” Eli pulled out a large metal casserole pan and set it on the counter. “Grab the frozen tater tots, would you?”
“Uh…sure.” Jewel did as she was told.
By the time they were halfway through making the casserole, Jewel was feeling far more comfortable with Eli. She was brusque in some ways, gentle in others, but she also had this innately calm presence about her that Jewel really needed in that moment. She needed to know that all the energy flitting around in her wasn’t going to force her to make some poor decisions.
As soon as they set the dish in the oven, Eli spun on her, hands on hips, and one thin blonde eyebrow raised. If Jewel didn’t know better, she’d say she was being tested and judged. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow back, which elicited a chuckle from Eli.
