Winter's Role, page 2
Stephanie brushed her cheek with the back of her hand. Satisfied with her answer and charmed by her words, she couldn’t help but smile up at her. “Jess…It is real, Sweetheart. I love you so much. Thank you, for coming with me.”
“I couldn’t let you go if I wanted to,” Jessie whispered, before launching another oral assault on the woman in her arms.
* * * *
“Hello?” Rachel’s voice came over the phone, sounding a little tired.
“Rachel? I didn’t wake you up, did I?” Stephanie asked when her sister answered the phone.
“No, not at all, Sis. I just got in. What’s going on? Is something wrong? It’s not another nightmare, is it?” Her voice was slightly muffled, as she was busy finishing a bite of pizza. Still, she was unable to hide the slight trace of worry. Stephanie usually didn’t call this late at night.
Stephanie, afraid she’d caused Rachel to worry unnecessarily, hurried to say, “No, nothing like that. I was just up and thought I’d call. We arrived back in LA yesterday and I guess I just wanted to say, ‘hi.’ I’ve missed talking to you.”
Rachel furrowed a brow. Stephanie was still up? Wait a minute…we? She sat up straighter in her chair and pushed the pizza away. “We? Steph, did Jessie go with you?”
“Oh, yeah. I guess everything happened so fast, I forgot to tell you,” Stephanie said in answer.
“I didn’t think Jessie was going to LA with you?”
“Actually, I didn’t either,” Stephanie said, biting her lower lip and debating whether she should tell Rachel what had happened. Finally, she made a decision, and launched into the events of the last few days. By the time she was finished, she felt…relieved.
“So, Jessie wasn’t going to go with you, and then…you had an argument, which you started, and she decided to go with you after all?” Rachel said, summarizing the story as best she could and trying to keep the confusion out of her voice.
“That’s about it in a nutshell, yeah. I really thought I’d screwed everything up, when she wouldn’t even talk to me Sunday morning.” She took a deep breath and went on. “I couldn’t believe it when she showed up at Theresa’s, refusing to leave until she’d talked to me.”
“God that is so…stalker-like. Or romantic, depending on your view. She really told you that you unravel her? I mean…that’s just…God.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. Why couldn’t she find someone like that?
Stephanie smiled. It felt so good to talk to Rachel. It had been a long time since either of them had had a relationship they could talk about with the other. “She really said that, yeah. And it wasn’t stalker-like. It was more like…wow. I mean, she really came after me. It was like something in a movie. I thought Theresa was going to call the police until I stepped in and agreed to hear Jess out.”
“God, you are so lucky. You sound really happy,” Rachel said. And it was true. Stephanie sounded happier than she could remember her sounding in a long time.
“I am happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time. So, how are you doing?” she asked, neatly changing the subject.
“I’m okay. Still working at the pizza place and going to school. I might even graduate one of these days,” she answered, stuffing another bite of pizza into her mouth.
“No new romances to report?” Stephanie asked curiously.
“Nah. I’ve been too busy. Unless you count Jimmy Corsone. He doesn’t seem to take a hint,” Rachel answered.
“Didn’t you go out with him once?”
“Yeah, but that was a while ago. Can you say boring?” She shook her head, remembering that date. “Anyway, other than that, I’m not dating anyone.”
“Well, hang in there. You’ll find somebody,” Stephanie said encouragingly. Glancing at the clock, she noticed the time. “Hey, I’m gonna go. I didn’t realize how late it is.”
“Missing Jessie, are you?” Rachel teased.
Stephanie tried to keep the smile out of her voice but it was no use. “A little,” she admitted. “I’ll talk to you later. Give everyone a hug and a kiss for me.”
“I will. Bye,” Rachel said, hanging up.
Stephanie closed her cell phone and went into the kitchen to set it on the re-charger. As she passed the cordless phone in the front hall, it rang, causing her to almost jump out of her skin. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she picked up the receiver and answered. When no one spoke, she tried again. Still getting no response, she waited a full minute before hanging up. Assuming someone had dialed a wrong number, she shrugged it off and headed back to bed.
Climbing the stairs, she re-entered the bedroom. In the dim light, she could see Jessie, fast asleep. Long black hair fanned out on the pillow, she was lying on her right side, seemingly waiting for Stephanie to join her. Forgetting about the phone call, she sighed contentedly and slid under the covers, snuggling up next to her. As Jessie’s arm wrapped around her automatically, she smiled and closed her eyes. “I love you, Jess,” she whispered, as she fell asleep.
Chapter 2
Jessie couldn’t believe how nervous she was. It was only dinner, after all. Granted, it had been a while since she’d seen her father, but…he was her father! There was no reason she should be nervous about seeing him. He had always gone out of his way for her, even though he lived in LA and toured so much. Her thoughts were interrupted by Stephanie, entering the bedroom.
“Hey, you about ready to go?”
“Yeah, just about,” Jessie answered, shaking her head to calm herself down. She turned to look at Stephanie, raking her eyes over her appreciatively. “You look gorgeous, Sweetheart,” she said, pulling her into her arms and kissing her.
Stephanie smiled. “Thank you. You’re looking pretty good yourself,” she said in answer, returning the kiss and taking the opportunity to brush Jessie’s lips with her tongue. Then, backing away, she took Jessie’s hands in hers. “Come on. Let’s get going before we’re late. I don’t want your father to get the wrong impression of me right from the start.”
“He’s going to love you. What’s not to love?”
“Did I ever tell you I met him once?” Stephanie asked as they got into her silver Lexus ISC.
Jessie looked over at her, surprised. “No. When did that happen?”
“A couple of years ago. It was at some awards show or other. Actually, I think it was at an after party for some awards show. We were both there and somebody I was talking to knew him and waved him over. I doubt that he’d remember it, though.”
“Hmm. Well, I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” Jessie smiled at her and squeezed her knee. Half an hour later, they pulled into a parking spot outside a small, hole-in-the-wall pizza place. JD was already there, waiting on them. Feeling the butterflies in her stomach take up an unnatural fluttering, Jessie took a quick breath to steady her nerves. Shaking her head, irritated with herself, she got out of the car. When Stephanie joined her, she took her hand and walked over to where he was standing, leaning against his car.
“Jessie!” JD Drake said, pushing himself off the car and wrapping his arms around his daughter when she got close enough.
“Hi, Dad,” Jessie said almost shyly, when she found herself enveloped in his arms.
He unwrapped himself and grabbed her shoulders with both hands and held her where he could get a good look at her. “You look beautiful, Jess. You’ve grown into a gorgeous young woman.”
Jessie blushed. “Well thanks, Dad. Umm…”
JD burst out laughing and hugged her again. “I’m so glad you called. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Jessie said, gasping for breath. When he finally let her go, she caught Stephanie’s hand again and pulled her forward. “Dad, I’d like you to meet someone.”
He looked over at Stephanie and beamed. “So, this is the new girlfriend? Stephanie Winters isn’t it?” he asked, pulling Stephanie into a hug of her own. “I believe we met a few years ago at a party, didn’t we?”
Stephanie, surprised that he would remember the meeting, smiled and nodded. “Yes, we did. It’s so nice to see you again, Mr. Drake.”
“No, no, no,” JD said, shaking his head. “I’m JD, not Mr. Drake. The last time somebody called me that was in a courtroom. Come on,” he said, wrapping an arm around each of them and directing them toward the restaurant. “Let’s eat, I’m starving. And you can catch me up on everything, Jess. We haven’t talked in quite a while.”
Jessie rolled her eyes, but smiled. She’d forgotten how much fun her father was. In many ways, he was the polar opposite of her mother, and she’d wondered over the years what had attracted them to each other.
Once they were seated and had placed their order, Jessie looked over at JD. “So, how did you know that Stephanie was my girlfriend and not just a friend?”
JD shrugged. “Your mom told me,” he said simply, taking a drink of his soda. “And…you were holding hands.”
“Mom?” Jessie said in surprise, completely ignoring the comment about them holding hands. “When did you talk to her?”
“I talk to her a lot, actually. If I’m paying her alimony, she can talk to me. Besides, how else am I supposed to keep up with my kids and grandkids?” He gave her a look that was part mild reprimand and part teasing.
Jessie however, rolled her eyes, properly chagrined. At the same time, she was stunned. As often as her mother complained about her father, she would never have guessed that they still spoke to each other. “Sorry, Dad. It’s just that you’re always so busy, I don’t like to bother you.”
“Jess, you’re my kid. I’m your father. It’s not a bother to talk to you once in a while,” he rolled his eyes at Stephanie and shook his head, indicating his frustration with Jessie. “Do you talk to your parents, Stephanie?”
Stephanie nodded. “I try to talk to them as often as I can,” she answered. “They worry if I don’t call at least once every week or so.”
He looked over at Jessie, but didn’t say anything else about it. Instead, he turned the conversation around and had Jessie fill him in on everything that had happened recently. “Your mother tells me, quite reluctantly, I might add, that you’re in a band, Jess? I get the impression that she doesn’t approve of it.”
Jessie sighed. She had hoped to keep that information to herself. “I am, and you’re right. She hates it.”
He nodded in understanding. He was quite aware of Julie’s dislike of the music business. “Well…are you going to tell me about it, or do I need to drag it out of you?” he smiled over at her, smirking.
Stephanie, watching the two of them, couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry,” she said, when both of them turned to look at her. “Your mom was right, Jess. You two are so much alike.” She watched as twin sets of blue eyes looked at each other before dissolving into laughter with her.
Jessie just shook her head, finally reigning in her laughter. “All right, all right. Good Lord, if I’d known the two of you were going to gang up on me, I would have just let you have dinner together and leave me out of it,” she groused good-naturedly.
Stephanie leaned over and bumped Jessie’s shoulder with her own. “I’m just teasing.”
Jessie turned and looked at her for a moment before kissing her. “I know.”
“Jessie, I’m still waiting to hear about your band,” JD said, interrupting them.
Jessie rolled her eyes again and launched into a detailed description of the band, each member, and their songs. Much to her surprise, Stephanie pulled a copy of one of their CD’s out of her purse and handed it over to JD. ‘Just so he’d have something to listen to,’ she’d explained when Jessie turned a questioning look toward her. Then, she launched into their plans for the next week, including the martial arts tournament that Jessie had entered for the following Saturday.
At JD’s look of surprise, Jessie explained that Stephanie had a friend who was also a martial arts instructor. In fact, he had actually worked with her on one of her films. Once Jessie decided to come out to California, Stephanie had called him up and he had kindly invited Jessie to his studio to work out every day. Entering the tournament had been something of a spur of the moment decision, but Jessie had felt like it was a good way to keep busy while Stephanie was at work.
By the time the evening was over, Jessie was glad that she’d agreed to have dinner with JD. Stephanie had been right, of course. It had felt good to get to spend time with her father again, and JD seemed genuinely happy to get together. He even made Jessie promise to call at least once a month to keep him updated on her life. And, anytime Jessie was in town visiting Stephanie, they were definitely getting together. Whether it was for dinner, lunch, a party, or just getting together to watch a movie and talk, JD didn’t care. He just wanted to spend time with Jessie. And, much to her surprise, he even offered to come to the tournament to root her on.
In the parking lot, JD hugged them both goodbye. As they got into Stephanie’s car, she asked, “So, did you have a good time tonight?”
“Actually, I had a great time,” she admitted, smiling over at her. “I have no idea why I was so nervous earlier.”
Stephanie reached over and took her hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “I knew you’d enjoy seeing him again.”
* * * *
One week later, Jessie and Stephanie walked into the sports arena hand in hand. No sooner had they taken a seat in the bleachers, than Stephanie heard someone calling her name. Looking around, she easily spotted the source of the voice.
Two rows back and to their left, sat Kate Adams-Morrison, who was now married to Stephanie’s ex, Linda Morrison. Rolling her eyes and sighing, she nevertheless waved back. “Well crap,” she groaned through gritted teeth and a fake smile.
Jessie looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. “Crap?”
Stephanie shook her head. “Just someone I used to know. Don’t be surprised if she comes over here and sits down.”
At that precise moment, Kate slid down in the seat next to Stephanie, on her left. “Hi, Stephanie! It’s been a while.”
“Hello, Kate,” Stephanie answered, plainly not wanting to talk to the woman.
“So, Linda and I haven’t seen you around for a while, how have you been?” She ignored the fact that the other woman wasn’t interested in having a conversation with her. Instead, leaning in so that she could be heard over the noise of the crowd and the PA system.
Stephanie slid a little closer to Jessie, trying to maintain her personal space. “I’ve been fine, Kate…just really busy working.”
The woman with the short brown spiky haircut nodded. “I heard you’d started work on a new TV series. Congratulations. By the way, you haven’t been trying to avoid us, have you? We’ve all really missed you.” She was well aware of the fact that Stephanie had been doing just that. As a matter of fact, she was surprised that she’d even see the actress here. For one thing, she didn’t think Stephanie was even interested in martial arts, let alone watching a tournament. Still, when she saw her, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to her. Then, she seemed to notice Jessie, whom Stephanie was sitting too close to for anyone to see them as strangers to each other. Looking from Jessie back to Stephanie, she asked, “So, who’s this? I didn’t know you were dating again?” She reached across the actress to introduce herself to Jessie. “Hi, I’m Kate, and you are?”
“Jessie Drake. It’s nice to meet you,” Jessie answered smoothly, aware of the fact that Stephanie was uncomfortable with the other woman, but not sure why.
“Jessie…it’s wonderful to meet you,” Kate said, looking at her appraisingly.
Jessie noticed the woman’s appraisal of her, but didn’t let it bother her. Stephanie, on the other hand, had tensed up next to her quite noticeably. Leaning into Steph slightly and catching her hand to lend her some support, Jessie smiled at Kate. Over the last two weeks, she’d met a few of Stephanie’s friends, but she’d never mentioned Kate or Linda before, and it made Jessie wonder why? It was obvious that Stephanie didn’t care for Kate. If Jessie didn’t know better, she’d think Steph was jealous. Her attention returned to the woman when she realized that Kate was asking Steph a question. A question that Steph really didn’t seem to want to answer, judging by her reaction. Stephanie’s hand had tightened around her own until Jessie thought she would crush it, she was squeezing it with such force. Attempting to calm her down, she began rubbing her arm.
Stephanie eased up on her hand right away, but never let go. Jessie breathed a little easier, but continued to rub her arm as the conversation between the two women continued. She really couldn’t hear most of it due to the noise in the arena, so she contented herself with watching the matches that were going on.
About fifteen minutes later, she noticed that her match was coming up soon. Standing up, she squeezed Stephanie’s hand again when she looked at her, a bit of panic in her eyes. “I need to get ready. My match is coming up soon,” she explained. She felt a little like she was abandoning Stephanie to Kate, but she couldn’t help it. Stephanie, noticing the time as well, nodded her understanding and squeezed her hand again.
“Good luck,” Steph said when Jessie leaned down to kiss her.
Jessie smiled and rubbed her cheek with the back of a knuckle. “Thanks, Sweetheart. I won’t be long.” Then she headed for the locker room to change and warm up. Just as she hit the bottom of the bleachers, her father showed up. Breathing a sigh of relief, now that Stephanie wouldn’t be left alone with Kate, she hugged JD and pointed to where she was seated.
