Free One Love by Lynn Emery Page B

two
nights in row usually, buster. They give it a few days and then...”
Lanessa made a token effort to push away from him.
    Alex held her tighter.” Forget that, I
want to see you again as soon as possible.”
    Lanessa put her arms around him.” Yes.
Tomorrow night.”
    For the rest of the evening
they touched in some way. They held hands walking to the gravel
parking lot. Lanessa sat close to him, their thighs touching, on
the ride to the restaurant. They did not talk seriously again by
mutual consent. Instead they traded jokes and enjoyed flirting with
each other shamelessly. By the time they kissed goodbye, Alex felt
as though he could have floated off on a cloud of joy. Man, what a great feeling! It was if he’d been numb for years. No little voice of caution
could dampen this shiny moment. He hummed a love song as he drove
home. Not even the thought of his mother’s reaction made a
difference. His only regret was that they had been apart this
long.
    “ We’re going all the way
this time,” Alex murmured. “All the way.”
     
    ***
     
    ” Lanessa, girl you’re all
right.” Yasmin wiggled her arched eyebrows at her.
    “ Cut it out. And turn down
the volume loud mouth.” Lanessa glanced around.” I don’t want
everybody in my business.”
    “ You moved on that fine
stuff kinda fast, didn’t you?”Jackie ignored her reticence and
plunged ahead with her question.
    “ Shush! Half the business
community is jammed in here next to us! Now stop.” Lanessa pinched
her arm and glared at Yasmin.
    They sat in the Bell Sandwich Shop at
lunchtime. Even after three days, Lanessa still felt a tingle from
the weekend. Sunday evening with Alex had been even better than
Saturday. They’d talked for hours in a way they never had before.
It was as though she was getting to know him for the first time.
Yet now she could savor the truly appreciate his kind loving heart.
Something she had been blind to before. Another reason to say a
prayer of thanks for recovery. She could see clearly and feel more
intensely now that she was free of alcohol. Love had a spicy sweet
flavor this time around.
    “ Well, you know we won’t let
you rest until we hear it all.” Jackie grinned at her.
    ” We’re not jumping into this
thing,” Lanessa said with a tone of caution she did not feel. By
the looks they exchanged, her friends were not deceived.
    “ You saw him twice in one
weekend after three years apart.” Jackie tapped Yasmin on the arm.”
How hot is that, honey?”
    “ That’s love hot enough to
melt steel. The kind that keeps you up at night.” Yasmin
giggled.
    “ Makes you wanna testify,”
Jackie said and snapped her fingers.
    “ Makes you order lingerie
from the Victoria’s Secrets catalogue until your MasterCard is
maxed out,” Yasmin shot back.
    “ The kind that...” Jackie
lifted a forefinger in the air.
    “ Grow up,” Lanessa cut her
off.
    “ Seriously, we’re thrilled
for you.” Yasmin gave her a quick hug around the neck.
    “ Sure, one of us might as
well get some,” Jackie quipped.
    “ Jackie!”Lanessa’s eyes were
wide. She heard the group of diners nearest them laugh.” I said
we’re taking it slow,” Lanessa said through clenched
teeth.
    “ Yeah, right. We believe
that.” Jackie sat back with a look of skepticism.
    “ Uh-huh. And I’ve got prime
beach front property to sell in Devil’s Swamp.” Yasmin shook her
head.
    “ No joke.” Lanessa smiled at
the memory.” We talked for hours and held hands.
Period.”
    “ You’re telling us you and
Alex didn’t. . .” Yasmin looked unconvinced.
    “ We did not. And it feels
right.” Lanessa gazed out the window.” Perfectly, completely
right.”
    “ Wow, this is deep.” Jackie
shook her head. “All right, no more kidding around. Are you sure
this is a good idea?”
    “ Here it comes.” Yasmin
looked at Jackie.” You are so cynical.”
    “ We all know intense
emotions are par for the course with us.” Jackie glanced at them