Tailspin Page 24

  Cat looked at the clock on the bedside table. "Jen said yesterday that she was planning to take them to a movie and then out for ice cream this afternoon before she dropped them off at the mall, so it will be a few hours yet. Why?" she retorted with a question of her own.

  "I want to get the kids' input on our trip. We'll talk to them about it when they come home from Doc and Ida's this afternoon," Billie replied and then disappeared through the doorway.

  Cat grinned from ear to ear and leisurely climbed off the bed to collect her clothes. She wondered how Billie could go from stubborn and defensive one moment to excited and cooperative the next. "Don't ever change, Billie-girl. I love you just the way you are," she mumbled under her breath as she followed in the wake of her excited wife.

  ***

  Billie made her way to the guestroom situated off the main living area which doubled as an office. She sat in front of the computer, pressed the power button and waited for the desktop unit to come alive. A few moments later, logged onto the Internet and opened her favorite search engine. "Okay," she said to herself. "What should I search for? Campgrounds? National parks? Cabins?"

  She settled 'national parks and pressed the enter button. Within seconds, she was presented with a long list of websites.

  "Damn! It'll take me all day to go through these," she mused out loud. "Maybe Cat can help me narrow down the search."

  Billie made her way to the kitchen where cat stood at the counter with her back to her. Cat was obviously crying as she reached up to wipe her eyes. Billie stopped short at the sight, and gut-wrenching anxiety immediately gripped her stomach.

  She approached Cat and placed her hands on Cat's shoulders. "Cat! Cat, honey, what's wrong?"

  Cat turned around and sniffed loudly. "Onions!" she exclaimed. "I decided to start a spaghetti sauce for dinner. It will need to simmer for a few hours."

  Billie raised one eyebrow to Cat. "Onions?"

  Cat sniffed again. "Yeah. Wanna help?"

  "You actually want me to help you cook?" Billie asked in disbelief.

  Cat slapped her own forehead with the heel of her palm. "Jesus! What was I thinking?" she exclaimed in exaggeration. "You're right. We want this to be edible."

  "Hey! Do you have to be so brutally honest? Can't you just humor me for once?" Billie asked.

  Cat smiled and gently patted Billie on the face with an open palm. "Dear heart," she began, "Have you ever had food poisoning? Trust me, it's not fun. No, I think I've got this one covered."

  "Good, because I'm actually in the middle of an Internet search for campgrounds and I need some advice," Billie explained.

  Cat turned back to her cutting board and reached for a large clove of garlic. "Okay, shoot. What can I help you with?" She started to peel the skin from the fragrant clove.

  Billie reached for the wooden spoon on the stove next to the frying pan where Cat had begun to brown the ground beef and onions, and absently stirred the mixture as she explained her dilemma to Cat. "Well, I entered national parks into the search engine and over 25,000 websites were returned. I need to narrow down the search. Got any suggestions?"

  "Why did you choose national parks?" Cat asked as she chopped the garlic.

  "I don't know. I guess it sounded like a good place to start. National parks are usually well maintained, and there are some really great parks to choose from...Acadia, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, among others. I thought it might be good for the kids to see some of the national landmarks."

  Cat scraped a large pile of chopped garlic into the pan and watched as Billie diligently stirred the small white slivers into the meat. "Sounds good to me," Cat commented. "Why don't you do a search within results using the word 'landmarks'?" she suggested.

  Billie spooned a scoop of meat mixture into her mouth.

  "You're gonna eat it all before I add the sauce if you keep that up," Cat exclaimed.

  "I can't help it! It tastes so good!" Billie put the spoon down on the stove next to the pan. "So, narrow the search using 'landmarks', huh? Sounds good. Thanks." She stepped closer and placed a delicate kiss on Cat's mouth. "Hmm...I don't know what tastes better, you or the meat mixture." Billie scooted away just in time to avoid the rolled up towel that Cat snapped in the direction of her rear end.

  "Gee thanks. It's not every day someone tells me I taste like ground meat," Cat exclaimed.

  Billie ran from the kitchen before Cat could snap her with the towel a second time and returned to the office to continue her search. She typed in 'landmarks' and was able to narrow the field from more than 25,000 to just under 3,000 national parks.

  "Ugh! Well, I guess I've got my work cut out for me," she murmured; still dismayed at the thousands of sites presented to her.

  Billie sat back in her seat and stared at the screen for a few moments and then decided to make a list of all the amenities she thought would make their vacation comfortable. After a half hour, her list included the words landmarks, cabin, electricity, plumbing, swimming, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, fishing, biking, and of course, for Cat's sake, shopping.

  "Yes!" Billie shouted as the resulting search yielded just over two hundred sites. "That I can manage!"

  Two hours later, Billie sat back and looked at the list of notes on the legal pad before her. A satisfied grin crossed her face. "Not bad, if I say so myself," she mused. Billie rolled her head around and then clasped her hands together and reached high above her head to stretch the stiffness from her shoulders. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sense of relief that flooded her upper body. Seconds later, her eyes snapped open and her mind registered the enticing aroma wafting from the kitchen. "Damn, that smells good." Billie followed her nose straight to the pan of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. She lifted the cover and inhaled deeply, then lowered the spoon into the rich carmine sauce. A look of pure bliss graced her features as she brought the treasure to her lips.

  "Caught you red handed!"

  Billie jumped and dropped the spoon into the sauce. The cover of the sauce pan, which she still held hovering over the pan, fell to the floor with a loud clang. She turned to see Cat in the doorway to the basement.

  "For crying out loud, Cat! You scared the shit out of me," Billie reached for a paper towel to clean the sauce from the floor that had from the inside of the lid.

  Cat stood there with one hand over her mouth to hide a grin. "Serves you right," she said. "If you had your way, the sauce would be gone before dinner time."

  Billie discarded the soiled paper towel and then looked at Cat with an exaggerated pout on her face.

  Cat narrowed her eyes at Billie. "Don't you dare use that pout with me, Billie Jean Charland!"

  Billie continued to pout and added puppy dog eyes to the fray.

  Cat spared one glance at the pitiful look on Billie's face and then raised her arms into the air. "Okay. You win. Help yourself." she said.

  Billie grinned broadly and then retrieved the spoon that had fallen into the pan. Within seconds, she stood there with a nearly-orgasmic look on her face as she savored tangy red sauce. "Damn, Cat. You're a good cook."

  Cat wrapped her arms around Billie's waist. "That response is worth allowing you to cheat," she said. She planted a kiss in the 'vee' above Billie's breasts and then laid her head in the spot vacated by her lips.

  Billie wrapped her arms around Cat's and held her in a firm hug for several moments before she remembered the progress she had made on her search. She took Cat's hand. "Come see what I've come up with for possible vacation destinations." She led Cat to the guestroom and gestured for her to sit on the bed while she retrieved her notes.

  Instead of sitting, Cat climbed onto the bed and laid down with her head on one of the pillows. She pat the bed beside her when Billie returned with her notes. Billie lay down beside her and held the notepad above them.

  "So, I've narrowed down the possible destinations to Acadia National Park in Maine, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Redwood National Forest in California,
Yosemite National Park in California and the Grand Canyon in Colorado," Billie began.

  "That's a pretty diverse list. What made you choose those locations?" Cat asked.

  "I was looking for places where there was enough to do to keep everyone busy. You know, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, fishing, biking," Billie replied.

  "And shopping!" Cat quickly added.

  "And shopping," Billie confirmed. "In fact, one of the major attractions of Acadia in Maine was the Antique shops all along the east coast, oh, and the lighthouses. Apparently, there are dozens of them along the coast of Maine," she added.

  Cat perused the list again. "So have you settled on any one of them?"

  Billie laid the list of notes on her stomach and looked at Cat. "For starters, this needs to be a family decision. I have my preference, but I want to get everyone's input before we settle on one. I'm also open to other destinations that aren't on the list. Any thoughts?" she asked.

  "Before I put my two-cents in, I'd like to see more information on each of these parks," Cat replied.

  "Fair enough," Billie said. "I'll print out a package on each, then we can review it with the kids during dinner."

  "Sounds like a plan." Cat rolled to her side to face Billie. She traced the side of Billie's face with her index finger and smiled broadly into her face.

  "What's that smile for?" Billie asked.

  "You're such a nerd," Cat commented teasingly.

  Billie's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "Nerd?"

  "Yes. I mean, look at your notes—so complete and orderly."

  Billie looked at her notes and realized Cat was right. She grinned sheepishly. "Okay, I admit it. I'm a nerd. Got a problem with that?"

  "Not at all. Nerds are good. Especially sexy nerds," Cat placed a kiss on the end of Billie's nose.

  Billie rolled over to lie partially on top of Cat. "Sexy, huh?" She lowered her lips to Cat's mouth.

  "Hello there!" A loud voice came from the kitchen.

  Billie's head snapped up and she strained to look over her shoulder. "Great! That woman has remarkable timing."

  Cat chuckled.

  Billie rolled off her wife, and sat on the edge of the bed. "In the guest room, Jen!" she called loudly.

  Seconds later, a curly blonde head appeared around the edge of the doorway. "Why is it every time I come over here, you two are in a bedroom?" Jen asked.

  "Whatever do you mean?" Cat asked innocently.

  "What do I mean?" Jen stepped fully into the room. "What do I mean? Does this sound familiar? 'Oh, my God, Cat. Harder! Harder!' 'Billie! Billie! Baby, more, please!'" Jen said in a loud and orgasmic voice as she ran her own hands up and down her body to exaggerate her point.

  Billie and Cat's eyes met, each one's face beet red with embarrassment.

  "Ah, I hope you're making that up, Jen," Billie said while avoiding Jen's gaze.

  "Nope! On the way to the movies, I stopped in to see if you wanted to go with us, and when I came into the house, the two of you where nowhere in sight. I walked through the kitchen and living room looking for you, and by the time I reached the stairs to the second story, the sound of your little play time hit me square in the face. Thank God the kids waited in the car! Geesh! Is that ALL you two do when the kids aren't home?" she asked, teasingly.

  Billie and Cat's discomfort increased tenfold when they realized their friend really did eavesdrop on their lovemaking earlier in the day.

  Cat scurried off the bed and stood her ground in front of their friend. "You're just jealous," she said in their defense.

  Jen threw her hands into the air. "You're damned right I am! How do you two do it? Tell me your secret! Please! I'll pay anything!" Jen fell to her knees and clasped her hands in front of her as though in prayer.

  "Our secret? That's easy," Billie said. "Cat is a nymphomaniac."

  Billie's comment drew a wide-eyed, shocked expression from Cat.

  "Nymphomaniac?" repeated Jen. Disbelief tinged her voice.

  Cat looked at Billie with a clearly mischievous expression on her face. "Oh yeah," Cat admitted. "I'm a big-time nympho. Gotta have it at least four or five times a day. Luckily, Billie is up for the challenge."

  Jen looked back and forth between her friends. "So, is it contagious?" she asked hopefully.

  "Unfortunately, no. You are born with it," Cat replied.

  "Drats!" Jen exclaimed before another thought came to her. "Can it be learned?" she asked.

  "That depends on who the student is—you or Fred," Cat answered.

  "Fred. Definitely Fred," Jen quipped. "I have no problems in that arena. After all I'm approaching forty, and you know what they say about a woman's sex drive at forty. Fred, on the other hand, like most men, he reached his sexual peak in his twenties!" she explained.

  Billie draped her arm around Jen's shoulders and led her toward the kitchen while Cat followed close behind. "Jen, my friend, you don't need nympho lessons...you need a woman," she said.

  "Got anyone in mind?" Jen asked jokingly.

  "Billie!" Cat scolded her wife for what seemed like the hundredth time for urging their heterosexual best friend into a lifestyle that didn't suit her.

  "What's wrong with that suggestion? Think about it; two women approaching forty at the same time. Can't get any better than that." Billie cast a meaningful look at Cat and grinned as she watched a red hue rise to Cat's face.

  "Sounds tempting," Jen said, "But to tell you the truth, Fred's kind of grown on me over the years, and as goofy and bumbling as he can be, I love him dearly."

  "Yeah. He's a good guy. He's kind of grown on us too. We love him early," Cat added.

  "He sure is fun to be with. Speaking of which, we are planning another camping vacation. Wanna come?" Billie pulled three mugs from the cupboard and filled the coffee machine with water while Cat stirred the spaghetti sauce. Jen made a move like she was going to sit at the table but at the last moment, followed Cat to the stove.

  "Camping? I'm surprised you agreed to go, Billie. Especially after that disastrous trip to Happy Trails a few years back," Jen commented. She helped herself to a spoonful of Cat's spaghetti sauce. "Ummm, this is good, Cat," she added as an aside.

  "Oh, I can assure you if there was any chance at all it would be like Happy Trails, I wouldn't be going. Cat promised me it would be disaster proof," Billie explained. "And by the way, why did you automatically assume Cat made the spaghetti sauce?"

  Jen looked at Billie; a shocked expression on her face. "Yeah, right!" Jen sampled one more taste of the sauce. "Like I said, great sauce, Cat." She changed the subject back to the camping trip. "Disaster proof, huh? How so?"

  Cat leaned her backside against the countertop and watched the interaction between her wife and friend.

  Billie popped the first pod into the coffee machine and pressed 'brew' before answering her friend. "Picture this," she said, and made a picture frame with her hands. "Cabin, plumbing, electricity, rain-proof, bear-proof, swimming, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding..."

  "Whoa, stop right there. Horseback riding? Count me out!" Jen exclaimed. "My ass still hurts from that god-awful ride I took at Happy Trails."

  "Horseback riding is optional, my friend," Cat piped in. "We'd really like all of you to join us if you can."

  "When are you planning this trip?" Jen asked.

  "Billie starts a new case this week that should wrap up in early August. So we'd like to take the trip a week or two before school starts again," Cat replied.

  Jen considered the timetable for the trip and then cursed. "Damn!"

  "What is it?" Billie asked; a bit startled by the outburst.

  "Well, you know I start my new teaching position when the school year begins, right?" Jen asked. "Unfortunately, I'm taking my final class this summer to be certified and it literally ends just days before school begins. Darn! I really would have loved to go, but I'm afraid we'll have to pass this time," she explained.

  Cat hugged her friend. "That's all right.
There'll be plenty of chances to vacation together during school breaks...or maybe next summer."

  "Damn!" Jen said again. "I'm really sorry."

  Billie placed three full cups of coffee on the table and retrieved the cheese cake and creamer from the refrigerator while Cat pulled plates and forks from the cupboard.

  "No problem, Jen," Billie said. "Like Cat said, there'll be plenty of opportunities to vacation together later."

  "So where are you going?" Jen asked as she accepted a plate of cheese cake from Cat, "Thanks, Cat."

  "We're looking at several places..." Billie began as the ladies enjoyed the next two hours of dessert and lively conversation.