Free Improvisation by Karis Walsh Page B

be strained, but still…at least you’re all making an effort.”
    Jan’s words echoed the guilt-ridden thoughts Tina had been fighting since seeing Uncle Nick again. But it had been too long, and the issues were too complex. She couldn’t just forget the years when her only family, her whole world, had been contained in the small apartment she’d shared with her mother. “I’m here to pad my portfolio and fulfill a family obligation. Not to make amends. Sure, Peter’s a nice guy, but once I finish this project I’m out of here.”
    Jan looked about to say something more, but Tina stopped her. “We should get to work. Where are your dad’s photos?”
    Jan hesitated, but let the matter drop. “In the bedroom closet.”
    Tina trailed after her down the short hallway. She understood Jan might be feeling lonely right now, without anyone to share the responsibility of looking after her father, but Tina had been in the same situation once. And she had quietly dealt with it on her own, not asking for help until it was desperately needed. And definitely not prying into anyone else’s personal family business. Jan was gorgeous and had flashes of humor and lightness, but Tina’s first instincts about her had been correct. Tina’s memories were already teasing her with guilt, and she didn’t care to add Jan’s sanctimonious voice to the mix.
    Jan stopped in the doorway. “You haven’t unpacked yet. Are you planning to live out of your suitcases for three months?”
    Tina had been in the apartment since Monday, but she hadn’t been able to make herself unpack. To put her clothes in the dresser and make her decision to stay final. She had hung up a couple of her nicer outfits, but everything else was crammed haphazardly in her bags and stacked in the corner of the room. And she was tired of Jan’s preachy ways.
    “I’m still not sure how long I’m staying. If I can get through my obligations sooner than expected, I’ll go home. Besides,” she added with a half smile as she stepped closer to Jan, “I don’t want to give any houseguests the wrong idea. That I’m here to stay. I’m sure you understand what I’m saying.”
    Jan felt her cheeks flush, proving she knew exactly what Tina meant. She had a feeling Tina’s presence, so close she could feel a slight caress of Tina’s breath when she spoke, had as much to do with her blush as her innuendo did. She hadn’t imagined Tina bringing dates back to the apartment, but of course, she couldn’t expect Tina to remain celibate all summer. The sudden image of Tina in this room with a woman, kissing her as they moved toward the bed, groping blindly past fabric to flesh, hit Jan with such a rush of arousal and frustration she felt weak. She walked quickly to the closet and stepped inside, brushing against a silk blouse of Tina’s and catching a trace of the scent she had already come to associate with her. Pine and peach. Not a perfume, but maybe something Tina kept in her closet back home. She pulled a heavy box off the shelf and handed it to Tina before grabbing a second box.
    “Kitchen table?” Tina asked and Jan nodded, following her out of the bedroom that was suddenly infused with an imagined musky smell and the sound of climactic gasps and the disturbing vision of Tina, nestled between some stranger’s legs.
    Tina set the box on the kitchen floor and tidied the small stack of notebooks and loose papers scattered on one end of the table. Jan just watched, in awe at how quickly she could remove any trace of her presence from the kitchen. Tina lived in the corners of the apartment. Her violin case and a music stand were tucked in the corner of the living room, her suitcases in the bedroom, and her work supplies on the table. As if pressing toward the middle of the space would somehow trap her there, removing any chance of escape.
    “Is that your new logo for the nursery?” she asked, spotting the green-and-brown sketch before it was whisked away. Tina put