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  Jen said, nodded her head. "Good plan, Fred. Good plan."

  ***

  Jen let herself into her neighbor's kitchen. "Well ladies, congratulations are in order. I've got a job!"

  Cat put down the spoon she had been using to stir a pot of beef stew and turned to hug her friend. "Jen, that's wonderful news!"

  "So did Fred shit a brick when you told him?" Billie asked. She set the last plate on the table then joined the group hug.

  "Enough to build a small house," Jen replied. "He wasn't too happy about it at first, but once I made him realize he had no choice in the matter, he changed his mind, and he's now being quite supportive."

  "Very cool!" Cat added. "So, fill us in. What's the job, and when do you start?"

  "Teacher's aide at the elementary school. I start the first day of the fall semester. That's about six weeks away. I am so excited I could burst!" Jen helped herself to a taste of the stew. "Wow, this is good!"

  "So, how did this all come about?" Billie asked.

  "I refused to cook dinner last night. I told him I was on strike," she explained.

  "You didn't!" Cat replied.

  "I did! It's amazing just how fragile the male ego is. We had a long talk about wanting to work, versus having to work, and about me feeling more like an unappreciated maid and caretaker than anything else. When he put himself in my shoes, he finally realized how I felt. Anyway, things are about to change in the Swenson household. I'm not so sure the kids are going to like it, but it's time they started to learn how to take care of themselves."

  "Change. It's funny how people resist it," Billie commented. "Some change is inevitable. Change isn't always bad. Sometimes it signals growth."

  "I think people just become too comfortable with routines. Change adds a level of discomfort that isn't always pleasant to deal with," Cat explained.

  "You might be right, but like Billie said, some change is inevitable. Learning to adapt is sometimes smarter than fighting it," Jen added.

  "Okay, enough with this psychological crap," Cat exclaimed. "Speaking of change, have you heard that we have a new lady living in this house?"

  Jen looked back and forth between her friends as her mind imagined all sorts of things. "Don't tell me you two have gone kinky on me. Tell me you're not a threesome!" she begged.

  "No! No, I mean, we have a newly christened lady living here...Tara," Cat explained.

  "She's gonna kill you for telling," Billie warned.

  "Tara?" Jen questioned. Seconds later, the light bulb came on. "Oh! I get it. Karissa started almost a year ago. Time to have 'the talk'," she winced.

  "Yeah, I know," Cat complained. "My biggest fear is that Tara knows more about it than we do," she added, chuckling.

  "Tara knows more about what?" Tara walked in on the conversation, followed closely by Karissa.

  "Hey sweetie," Jen said. "Your moms were just telling me your big news."

  "Ma!" Tara cried. "Please tell me you didn't," she begged, throwing her hands out to the sides.

  Cat looked at her guiltily. Billie looked at Cat. Jen looked at the floor.

  "Ahh!" She stomped through the kitchen on her way to her room.

  Karissa just shrugged her shoulders and followed her friend.

  CHAPTER 5

  Cat picked up the ringing phone. "Hello?"

  "Hi, love. Could I ask you to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home? I know it's out of your way, but it looks like I'll be running a bit late tonight," Billie asked.

  "You haven't forgotten about dinner tonight have you, Billie?"

  "No, I haven't. Actually, what I'm planning to wear is in that load of dry cleaning," she explained. "If you pick it up for me, it will save a little time."

  "Okay. I can do that. What time do you expect to be home?"

  "I should be there no later than five."

  "All right. I'll see you then. I love you, sweetie."

  "Love you too, Cat. See you soon."

  ***

  "Tara. Tara, honey, come up here please," Cat yelled down the cellar stairs.

  Tara scampered up the stairs, followed directly by Karissa. "Yeah?"

  "Okay, sweetie, here's the number for the restaurant we'll be going to, and the number to my beeper. If anything goes wrong, don't hesitate to use them, okay?"

  "Mom, you're just going out for dinner and a movie. We'll be fine," Tara complained. "Geesh, you'd think I was still a kid or something."

  "Honey, you never know what could happen. I'll feel better knowing you can reach us in an emergency," Cat explained. She turned around in a circle. "How do I look?"

  Cat wore a pair of form-fitting, high-waisted blue jeans, black dingo boots and a lightweight black sweater that was open at the neck and came just below her denim waistline.

  "You look very cool, Mom," Tara commented, "But the jeans need to be baggier." She turned to Karissa. "Let's go back downstairs before Sky eats all the popcorn."

  Cat raised her eyebrows at the retreating teenagers just as Billie came down the stairs wearing a blue pinstriped business suit.

  "Aren't you going to get dressed for dinner?" she asked Cat. "We're running out of time."

  "You're going dressed like that?" Cat asked incredulously.

  "Well, of course. I always dress like this for business," Billie explained. "Come on, you'll make us late. We're meeting them at six."

  Cat placed her hands on her hips and furrowed her brow. "Business? Billie, who do you think we're having dinner with?"

  "Shannon and Julie Nash. I told you about them, remember? They're the ones with the seven year old daughter and the custody battle. We're meeting them at Trader Dukes at six to discuss their case." Billie saw the confusion on Cat's face. "Cat, I told you about this Tuesday night."

  Cat shook her head. "Billie, we were out searching for our daughter all evening and half the night on Tuesday. You did not tell me about this. Don't you think I would remember something like that?"

  "You'd better hurry and change your clothes. We're going to be late," Billie replied.

  "Billie, we can't meet your clients tonight. We made a date with Jen and Fred for dinner and a movie."

  Billie furrowed her brow. "Shit! Cat, I forgot all about it when I agreed to this business meeting."

  Cat took Billie's face between her hands. "Honey, I'm sure the fiasco we went through with Skylar on Tuesday night caused a momentary lapse of memory. That's completely understandable."

  Billie placed her hands on her hips. "Now what? I can't cancel the meeting on such short notice. Hell, they're probably on their way to the restaurant already."

  Cat sighed deeply. "Do we both have to go to the meeting?"

  Billie chewed on her bottom lip. "I suppose not, however, I did say we'd both be there."

  Cat knew how important Billie's job was to her. Billie was in heaven when she was totally absorbed in a case. Cat loved to see the look of intense concentration and devotion on her face whenever she was caught up in research on the Internet at home. Billie truly loved her job, and Cat knew how important her image was to her clients. The decision was easy. She would call Jen and Fred, and reschedule their date.

  "Hello, Jen?" Cat said into the receiver. "Jen, we have a conflict, and I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule our date for tonight. No. No, everyone is fine. It's just a business conflict with a couple of Billie's clients. I'm really sorry to drop this on you at the last minute," Cat apologized. "Okay, Jen. Our apologies to Fred too. All right. Let's make plans for next Friday. Okay. We'll talk to you later. Love ya! Bye." Cat saw the look of regret on Billie's face as she hung up the phone.

  Billie took Cat by the shoulders. "Cat, I'm sorry about this. I thought for sure I told you. Obviously I didn't. I'll apologize directly to Jen tomorrow."

  "I guess I'd better put something on that's a little more formal, huh?" Cat asked.

  Nodding gratefully, Billie replied, "Yeah, I guess so." She kissed Cat lightly on the nose then leaned her forehead against the smaller
woman's. "Thank you, Cat."

  "You're welcome. I'd better hurry. We're going to be late."

  ***

  "Seth...Steve. Over here."

  Seth and Steve made their way stealthily toward their friend's voice coming from behind the gravestone.

  "Timmy, why in hell did we have to meet in a graveyard, of all places?" Seth asked.

  "Because no one would ever think to look for us here."

  "You aren't afraid, are ya, Seth?" Steve teased.

  Seth shot a dirty look at his friend. "Knock it off, all right? It just seems kind of weird, that's all," he said.

  "Did you get the stuff?" Steve asked Timmy.

  "Yeah, it's right here," Timmy bent over to retrieve a bag propped against the stone. The sound of glass clanging against glass reverberated through the dark night as Timmy lifted the bag.

  "Cool. Give it over." Steve reached for the bag.

  Timmy pulled the bag out of reach. "Hey, not so fast. Let's find a spot to sit where we can't be seen from the road."

  The three friends moved silently between the gravestones, being careful to tuck themselves out of sight when the headlights of cars driving by illuminated portions of the area with their headlights. Finally, they made their way to the top of a long stairway that led to the lower levels of the cemetery.

  "This looks like a good place." Timmy sat on the top step. "It's pretty far from the road. The only way someone will see us is if they drive right through the graveyard."

  "Okay. Let's have some." Steve sat down next to Timmy.

  Timmy and Steve both looked at Seth. "Well? Are you going to join us?" Timmy asked.

  Seth looked at his friends warily and shifted from one foot to the other. He really didn't want to be there at that moment, but he feared he'd look like a scared baby in front of his friends. He shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to Steve and watched while Timmy pulled three bottles out of the bag. Soon, all three boys sat there, each cradling a bottle of cheap Irish whiskey.

  Timmy unscrewed the cap from his bottle and held it to his nose. "Phew! Man, that smells really strong." He brought the bottle to his lips and allowed a small sip to enter his mouth. Seth watched Timmy's eyes grow wide. Timmy immediately began to cough and his face turned beet red before he finally regained control. He looked at his friend and presented them with a pained smile. "Wow! That's good stuff. What are you waiting for? Drink up," he said.

  Steve and Seth looked doubtfully at the red hue on their friend's face, and slowly removed the caps from their own bottles. Steve grinned nervously, took a drink, and immediately duplicated Timmy's coughing fit from a few minutes earlier. "Timmy's right. This stuff is good," Steve said in a raspy voice.

  Following suit, Seth reluctantly drank from his own bottle and tried with all his might not to choke as the burning liquid ran down his throat. Seconds later, it hit his stomach like a blowtorch. Seth's eyes flew open as the inferno raged inside his gut. "Oh, yeah, great stuff." Seth thanked God that he wasn't Pinocchio.

  Seth rose to his feet and paced back and forth, while trying to maintain his tough guy image as the intoxicating liquid started to turn his legs to jelly. Moments later, the fire had cooled as he rejoined the others on the steps. A goofy grin spread across his face as he turned to look at his friends.

  Before long, the three boys held half-empty bottles in their hands and giggled like school girls while they nudged each other's shoulders.

  Seth's head bobbed side to side and he struggled to control his reflexes. Why are Stevie and Timmy so far away? He sat shoulder to shoulder with his friends and tried hard to concentrate on them when they talked. The ringing in his ears made it difficult for him to understand what they were saying. At one point, he hit himself in the nose while brushing an errant lock of hair from in front of his eyes. "Hey, guys, I can't feel my face. I'm nub. Ha! I said nub. I mean I'm numb."

  "Cool, man." Timmy's eyes were nearly closed into small slits as he took another long swig from his bottle.

  "Hey, Stevie, where ya going?" Seth said when Steve rose unsteadily to his feet.

  "I gotta take a leak, dude." Stevie stumbled into the nearby bushes.

  "Watch out. You might get poison ivy on your dick, man." Timmy laughed at his own humor.

  "Eat shit and die, Timmy." Steve ventured deeper into the bushes.

  While Steve was gone, Timmy turned to Seth. "This is really a rush, man. Wouldn't it be cool to be wasted like this in a boat? I mean...you have a hard enough time standing up in a boat when yer straight, never mind drunk."

  "I'm not drunk." Seth jumped to his feet and nearly fell down the stairs from total lack of balance. Seth caught himself on the railing and stood tall with his chest puffed and weaving side to side. "See. I'm perfekly fine." Seth lost his balance once more and landed clumsily on the step beside Timmy.

  Moments later, Stevie rejoined his friends on the steps. "Did someone say something about a boat?" he asked. His face was a mere fraction of an inch from Seth's.

  "Geesh, Steve. Your breath smells like dead fish. Get outta my face." Seth pushed his friend away with just enough force to send Steve sliding down the stairs. His butt hit the edge of each step as he slid. When he reached the bottom, he sat there, whiskey bottle still intact, and looked up at his friends at the top. "Whoa!" he said. "That was way cool."

  Seth and Timmy looked at each other and burst out laughing. They wobbled to their feet and made their way down the stairs, taking two at a time at breakneck speed and nearly falling over in the process. When they reached the bottom, they helped Steve to his feet. To their surprise, there was a rapidly growing bloodstain on the back of Steve's trousers.

  "Whoa, dude," Timmy exclaimed. "You're bleeding, man."

  "Where?" Stevie tried desperately to look behind him.

  "On your butt." Seth tried very hard to hold in a laugh.

  "On my butt? Wunnerful," Steve said. "Funny. It doesn't hurt."

  "We could have my mom look at it for you. You might need stitches," Seth offered.

  "No way, man. Your mom is not looking at my butt. How would you like my mom to look at your butt?" he asked.

  Seth looked at his friend like he had been slapped in the face. "That's cold, Steve. Way cold. I get your point, dude."

  "What are we gonna do about it?" Timmy took his final drink and threw the bottle into the bushes.

  "I gotta either take you home or to the hospital, man," Seth said to Steve.

  "Home. I'm not letting some cute nurse chick look at my butt either," Steve explained.

  "Okay. Now if I can just remember where I parked my car..." Seth mused.

  ***

  "May I help you ladies?" inquired the hostess.

  "Yes. We're meeting someone here for dinner. The name is Nash? Shannon Nash?" Billie supplied.

  The hostess looked at her reservation book. "Nash. Yes, follow me," she instructed.

  Billie led Cat through the maze of tables with a hand on her back, as they followed the hostess to an alcove near the back of the room. Shannon and Julie Nash were waiting for them. Shannon immediately rose to her feet as Billie and Cat approached. She extended her hand to Billie. "Billie," she said.

  Billie took her hand and nodded to the woman seated at the table. "Shannon, Julie," she said. She wrapped her arm around Cat's shoulder and stepped behind her. "Cat, I'd like you to meet Shannon and Julie Nash. Ladies, this beautiful creature here is my wife, Caitlain. Cat, for short."

  Cat smiled broadly and extended her hand to the ladies.

  Shannon took her hand first. "Shannon Nash. It's so nice to meet you. When Billie said you were beautiful, that was quite an understatement!"

  Billie narrowed her eyes.

  Cat beamed; her face flushed with embarrassment. "Stop it. You're making me blush!" She turned her attention to the woman still seated at the table and extended her hand once more. "You must be Julie."

  Julie smiled. "That would be me. Have a seat. It's so nice to meet you."

 
Before Billie could reach it, Shannon held out the chair for Cat and gently pushed it under her as she settled herself in. Cat looked up and smiled broadly. "Thank you," she quipped lightly.

  Shannon bowed at the waist. "My pleasure," she said before walking around the table to sit next to Julie.

  Billie narrowed her eyes once more and sat in the last available chair next to Cat.

  As soon as Billie was seated, the waiter approached the table and took their drink order. He left them with menus to peruse while he retrieved their beverages.

  "Billie, I'd like to apologize again for inconveniencing you like this. I have been extremely busy at work lately and I just couldn't break away to meet with you at the office. I hope you'll accept this dinner as our way of thanking you for being so flexible," Shannon said.

  Billie nodded. "As a rule, I don't meet personally with clients. I learned that lesson several years ago. However, I have a particular yen for cases like yours. I detest prejudice, pure and simple, especially when it's homophobic in nature. For that reason, I decided to bend the rules a bit."

  "Well, we certainly do appreciate it, don't we, honey," Shannon replied, looking at Julie, who just nodded.

  Cat looked back and forth between the women. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it bothered her that Julie seemed so passive compared to Shannon. She decided to find something out about the two ladies.

  "Shannon," Cat said. "You mentioned being very busy at work. What kind of work do you do?"

  Shannon put her menu down and smiled brightly at Cat. "I'm a marketing executive for a national advertising firm. I work out of a local office in the downtown area."

  "I see," Cat replied. "How about you, Julie? What keeps you busy all day?"

  Julie laughed. "I'm a domestic engineer, better known as a housewife. Our daughter Kaleigh keeps me hopping," she replied.

  Cat liked Julie. She could see the sparkle in her eye as she talked.