Free Too Close to Touch by Georgia Beers Page A

my twenties to accept who I was. Who I am.”
    “And who are you?” Kylie seemed more at ease all of a sudden and Gretchen suspected this was her kind of conversation…personal and genuine. She was more surprised to realize that she was enjoying it herself. She normally made it a habit to avoid such discussions.
    “A big ol’ dyke, that’s who.”
    Kylie laughed openly, her eyes twinkling as if Gretchen had bestowed a great secret upon her and trusted her to keep it. The funny thing was, though her sexuality wasn’t exactly conÞ dential, Gretchen did trust Kylie to be careful with the information. There was no fear at all, no doubt in her mind that Kylie would respect her privacy. She didn’t think, for a second, that Kylie would be off at the Black Widow that weekend telling all her friends that her boss was a big fat lesbian.
    Why do I trust you? she wanted to ask. Instead, she said, “Feel better?”
    “Knowing our sales region at Emerson is being run by two lesbians? Absolutely.”
    Kylie’s glowing smile made Gretchen inexplicably happy. “Good,”
    she said. “Now show me how to generate these reports before Wheeler comes down here looking for my head on a silver platter.”
    v
    The phone was ringing as Gretchen slid her key into the deadbolt on her door. She hurried in, dropped everything on the ß oor in the foyer, and made a dive for the handset.
    “Hey, big sis. How’s life in the little city?”
    Gretchen’s entire body relaxed, as it always did when she heard the warm tones of her younger brother’s voice. “It’s good. It’s really good. What’s going on? To what do I owe this phone call?”
    “I can’t just call to talk to my sister once in a while?” She could hear the smile in J.J.’s voice, could picture his rugged face in her mind.
    He was probably unshaven and his dark, curly hair was probably too
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    long. Both facts would make him seem much younger than his forty years, and still a chick magnet.
    “Sure you can. You never do, though.”
    “Oh, now that hurts me.”
    Gretchen laughed, deciding to ease up. “How’s Jenna? And the kids?”
    They chatted about J.J.’s son and daughters, and about other members of the small Kaiser family. Gretchen poured herself a glass of wine and plopped onto her buttery-soft leather couch, propping her stockinged feet up on the oak coffee table as she listened to her brother describe the latest school projects, dance recitals, and soccer games.
    She hadn’t felt so peaceful since she’d arrived in Rochester, and part of her wished he’d just talk all night.
    “So, how’s work?” J.J. asked her after exhausting his supply of new information. “How are they treating you at Emerson?”
    Her brother didn’t have the same business mind or experiences in the corporate world as Gretchen did—he was a school guidance counselor at their old alma mater—but he was a good listener and often came up with valuable suggestions or solutions to issues that she just hadn’t seen. So she Þ lled him in on her job—how she was not exactly a favorite among the sales reps, and Jim’s record-keeping was disastrous.
    She also talked about Kylie’s competence and value as an employee.
    “They have no idea what they got when they hired you,” J.J. said.
    “You’re going to whip that sales force into shape in no time.”
    Gretchen smiled at the show of faith. “I hope so.”
    “How about personal stuff? Have you gone out yet? Met any new people? Any hot babes live in your building?”
    “Jesus, J.” Gretchen couldn’t help but laugh, not only at her brother’s talent for changing the subject in a split second, but also at his ability to get right to the heart of the matter he really wanted to address.
    “I haven’t noticed any hot…er… babes in my building, no. I have met a couple of lesbians, though. Two of them right in my new place of work, as a matter of fact.”
    “Really?”
    “If you can believe it, my