Page 43 of July (New Orleans #7)

“I cannot believe that just happened,” Willa said as she burrowed beneath the blanket again.

Jill joined her in their little cocoon and wrapped her arm around Willa’s waist, pulling her into her body.

“Hey, it’s her fault that she saw this. She said she wasn’t going to be home for days. I guess I was expecting her not to come home at all, not to show up faster instead.”

“We should get dressed. I have to get to work anyway,” Willa said.

“Breakfast?”

“With your mom?” she asked with heated cheeks. “No way.” She chuckled.

“But she’s making bacon,” Jill said, slipping a thigh between Willa’s. “Bacon is delicious.”

“Yes, it is,” she replied. “But I am mortified right now. Why didn’t you lock the door?”

“Because my girlfriend was strapped and ready for me, and I could only think about that,” Jill admitted.

“Oh, my God!” Willa shoved at the blanket and shot up out of bed.

She bent over quickly, and when she rose back up, she was holding the dildo still in its harness. It had been tossed to the floor and not picked up or cleaned after they’d finished with it.

“This was just right there on the floor. Did she see it? Did you see if she looked down at the floor at all?” she asked Jill in panic. “Does your mother know I fucked you with this last night?” she added in a whisper.

Jill laughed and said, “Well, if she saw it, she knows one of us fucked the other with it, at least.”

“Oh, my God!” Willa repeated and dropped the dildo to the floor where it had been prior to her picking it up. “I need to get to work. Can I sneak out the front door? Or what about the window? Can you make some kind of a diversion?”

Jill climbed out of bed and moved to her.

“Willa, it’s her fault for just walking right in.

She should have waited to ensure I was decent or that you weren’t here.

She knows about you. She had to know there was a chance you would be here.

” Jill wrapped her arms around Willa’s neck.

“And you can sneak out, if you want, but you don’t have to.

Why don’t you take a shower? I’ll talk to my mom and Juni.

You can get dressed and meet us out there.

My mom has been crazy lately, but she’s always been cool with me being gay and understands that I’m an adult. ”

“That’s easy for you to say… You’re not the girlfriend your mom found in your bed.”

“Will, my mom has never cared,” Jill explained, and her smile fell. “I could’ve woken up with a girl in my bed every morning of high school, and I’m not sure she would’ve even noticed, diversion or not.”

“Babe,” Willa began. “You and your mom need to talk. I should get out of here.”

“Just shower and get dressed, okay? If you still want to leave after that, that’s fine.

I need to call Mel and tell her that I’m going to have to miss work today or, at least, my morning shift in the office.

I think Enid can probably cover that one for me, so I need to call her, too.

I’ll get dressed in here and go out there after.

Text me if you still want that diversion, but I’d love to kiss you goodbye at the door or your car. So, think about it, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Willa replied, wrapping her arms around Jill’s waist. “Not how I thought we would be waking up this morning.”

“Me neither. I was planning on going down on you to wake you up.”

“And now, I’ll have it on my mind all day,” Willa said, closing her eyes and picturing Jill’s head between her legs.

“Good. Keep it there. If my mom is back for real now, I can go home, and we can stay there or at your place.” Jill pecked her lips. “Alone. My walls are thick, Willa. It’s an all-brick building.” Jill kissed her once more and added, “You can make me scream.”

“Oh, my God,” Willa said for at least the third time that morning, causing Jill to laugh.

Figuring she shouldn’t shower in Jill’s mom’s bathroom since the woman was home now, Willa took her stuff to the guest bathroom and hopped in, scrubbing the sex off her skin, hoping Jill’s mom wouldn’t be able to smell Jill all over her after the shower.

There wasn’t a hair dryer in this bathroom like the one in Jill’s mom’s bathroom, so Willa pulled her hair back after towel-drying it and tried to make the most of it.

Glad she usually didn’t wear makeup, she dressed for work and went back to the guest room, where she found Jill’s sleep clothes on the bed and Jill nowhere to be found.

Willa folded all their clothes nice and neat for Jill to find later before she decided to stop stalling and be an adult.

She grabbed her bag and headed toward the kitchen.

“Willa is Jill’s girlfriend.”

Willa heard Juni’s voice just before she stepped into the kitchen and stopped instantly.

“Juni!” Jill admonished her with a laugh. “Come on… I told you not to tell anyone.”

“It’s Mom,” Juni replied, sounding like Jill was being ridiculous.

“Juni has a boyfriend,” Jill fired back.

“What?” their mother asked.

“Um…” Willa didn’t know if she should join this reunion breakfast or not, but Jill had requested a goodbye kiss. “Good morning.”

“Hi, Willa!” Juni said excitedly.

“Hi, Juni. I was just going to get to work,” she added, hooking a thumb toward the door.

“You’re not joining us?” Jill and Juni’s mother asked. “I made you a plate.”

“I can make it to-go for you, if you want,” Jill offered Willa an out.

“I should go, or I’ll be late,” she lied. “But thank you very much for the kind offer.”

“Can you take me to school?” Juni asked. “Freddy is going to wait for me.”

“Who is Freddy?”

“Juni, Willa isn’t your ride,” Jill replied to her sister instead, apparently not interested in getting her mother caught up at the moment. “I’ll take you myself when you’re done with breakfast.”

“I am done,” Juni replied.

“I can take her, if it’s okay with you two,” Willa offered. “We’re going to the same place.”

“Please,” Juni said. “It’s fun getting there before everyone else.”

“Are you sure?” Jill’s mother asked Willa.

“Of course,” Willa said.

“Then, it’s fine with me,” the woman replied.

“I’ll walk you out,” Jill said, standing up. As the two of them waited a little awkwardly in the hallway for Juni to get her stuff, Jill asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just not how I expected to meet your mom,” she said with a smile. “I’d like to try again, maybe over a dinner or something.”

“Okay. I’ll see if she wants to set that up.”

“I didn’t mean right away,” Willa replied.

“Not ready to meet the parent?” Jill laughed. “Got it.”

“It’s not that,” Willa said. “I do. I mean, I am. I’m crazy about you. I’m excited to take those steps with you.”

“Okay. But you don’t want to do dinner?”

“If you want us to have dinner together, I’ll be there.” She cupped Jill’s cheek. “But I don’t want us to do that just because your mom walked in on us this morning.”

Jill nodded and said, “Okay.”

“I’m ready,” Juni announced, bounding into the hall.

“I’ll see you later?” Jill asked.

“Yeah. Good luck today. And call me.”

Willa leaned in and kissed Jill quickly.

“Gross,” Juni commented, making them both laugh.

◆◆◆

When the time for the kids to be picked up approached, Willa didn’t know what to expect.

Would Jill be there to pick Juni up today, or would their mother actually show up for the first time since she had left Jill with her kid sister to take care of?

Willa stood there, watching Juni and Freddy talk about Steven and when Juni could take him for the night.

She pictured Jill trying to take care of a salamander, and it made her laugh.

Then, she saw a car pull up, and she recognized it, but it wasn’t Jill’s.

“Hello, Willa,” Jill and Juni’s mom said.

“Hi,” Willa replied, looking around and hoping that this woman wouldn’t out her as Jill’s girlfriend with two teachers and the vice principal all within earshot.

“It’s nice to see you again.”

“You too,” Willa replied. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Mom, Freddy said I can take Steven tomorrow night.”

“Sorry. What?”

“Steven is Freddy’s pet salamander.”

Willa recognized the voice immediately and turned to see Jill standing about ten feet away, her car parked in the lot behind her.

“What are you doing here?” their mother asked.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d show up, so I came,” Jill replied with a shrug. “And Freddy is Juni’s boyfriend.” She smiled at her little sister.

“Can I take Steven tomorrow after school?” Juni asked.

“Um…” Juni’s mom looked lost for a second. “I don’t know. Maybe. Let’s talk about it at home, okay?”

“Okay,” Juni replied. Then, she looked at her mother’s car and over to Jill’s and asked, “Whose car do I get into?”

“Mine,” her mom replied. “Jill is going home tonight.”

“But I’ll be by for dinner tomorrow,” Jill added quickly and walked closer. “So, I’ll see you then.”

“Oh,” Juni said, sounding disappointed.

Willa looked at her girlfriend then, and Jill also looked disappointed.

Willa could see it etched all over her face: she was sad and worried.

Maybe the smile she was using to cover it up worked on Juni and her mother, but Willa could see right through it, and she wanted to hug her hard and never let her go.

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow, kiddo,” Jill repeated.

“I’ll have Steven. You can help me feed him,” Juni said before she ran over to Jill and hugged her the way kids hugged adults, with her whole body around Jill’s lower half.

Jill wrapped her arms around her little sister and looked at her mother.

Willa could see the tears in her eyes, though, so she glared at Jill’s mother because this woman was hurting her girlfriend.

She had no idea what had happened that morning when the two of them had talked.

She didn’t even know if they had talked.

Willa hoped they had, but she also wished she knew the details of that conversation now so that she knew how to react.

Jill’s mother was a parent at the school, so Willa needed to be careful, but Jill was more important to her than pretty much everything right now, so she would risk it if this woman hurt her again.

“Well, we should get home. I still need to unpack,” Jill’s mother stated.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jill said to Juni once they pulled away. “Don’t forget to charge your tablet before bed tonight. And I made you a snack before I left this morning. It’s in the fridge for you when you get home.”

“Peanut butter and marshmallow?” Juni asked.

“Yeah,” Jill replied, smiling at her sister.

“Freddy, I have peanut butter and marshmallow back at home,” Juni announced, turning around to talk to Freddy, who hadn’t been paying attention to what was going on.

Jill stood off to the side and watched her mom get Juni into the car. Then, she watched them drive off, and the look on Jill’s face was all it took for Willa to pull out of her phone and find the needed contact.

“Gift shop,” her manager answered.

“Hi. It’s Willa.”

“Oh, hey.”

“I know I have a shift in a couple of hours, but I’m not going to be able to make it.”

Jill took a few steps up to meet Willa, looking confused.

“Oh. Um… Okay. Well, it’s last minute,” her manager replied.

“I know. Family emergency,” she said. “I’m sorry, but I need to be with my family tonight.”

“Willa, your hours have already been cut. And you told me you have to–”

“I know. And I do, but I can’t tonight,” Willa replied. “Can you find someone to cover for me?”

“Yeah, I can. But this is an unexcused absence. I have to–”

“Do whatever you need to,” she interrupted. “I’m sorry. I have to go now.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Jill said once Willa hung up.

“Yes, I did. I’m not going to some part-time job that just cut my hours anyway because they’re not busy when my girlfriend needs me,” Willa said, whispering the girlfriend part.

“Want to go to your apartment? I’ve never been there.

I just need an hour or so to finish a few things here. I can meet you there.”

“Can I just stay here with you?” Jill asked. “We can go together after.”

“I’ll be grading papers,” she said. “And cleaning up the room. They did art today, which means it’s a mess in there.”

“I’ll clean while you grade. I could use the distraction.”

“Okay. Let’s go,” Willa replied, wishing she could take Jill’s hand.

“Don’t you have to watch the kids?”

“No, I’m not on pickup today. I just wanted to see you.” Willa smiled at her as they walked inside. “Now, tell me what happened.”

“Well, I got promoted today.”

“What?” Willa stopped them in the hallway. “That’s not what I meant, but–”

“Yeah. I’ll tell you about the other thing when we’re not here, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Willa replied. “But you got promoted?”

“Finally,” Jill said, letting out a sigh.

“I showed up late, but Enid covered for me, and I told Mel what had happened. Well, I told her that my mom was back, not the whole story, and she said she was ready for there to be a manager in this office. She’ll be working on the other one, which she wants more, I guess, so the timing was right with my mom coming back to take care of Juni again. So, I’m a manager now.”

“Babe, that’s amazing,” Willa replied a little louder than she’d planned, but she didn’t care.

She pulled Jill into her arms and held her as closely as she could.

“We’re at school, Will,” Jill reminded as she hugged her back.

“I know. I don’t care. I’m so proud of you.”

“Why? It’s not a big deal. It was going to happen at some point. Mel just chose today of all days to give me the news.”

“The good news,” Willa pointed out, pulling out of the hug. “And we’re going to celebrate tonight.”

“Can we not?” Jill requested. “Can we maybe not make a big deal out of it?”

“Why not?” Willa asked.

“I think it just hit me that I’m going to miss being there with her, and…” Jill’s eyes filled with tears. “I think I’d rather wallow than celebrate.”

“Oh, babe,” Willa said and pulled Jill back in again.