Chapter Five

DAMN, IT WAS hot. The sun showed no signs of letting up as Franny and I headed out into the heat and down the street. I tried to keep her on the grass as much as possible to spare her paws, my poor inside doggie.

Otherwise, so far, so good. The stars had aligned enough for a raid to be gracing the park in fifteen minutes, and I had sent Rachael a message letting her know before I left. The worst that could happen would be me doing a mediocre job taking down the raid boss with a bunch of strangers. Best, I’d get to spend some time talking to Rachael while doing it.

Honestly, a bit of a win-win.

Echoes of the awe I had felt during the last legendary raid filtered through me as I approached the park, shielding my eyes from the sun. I didn’t think there were as many people this time, but the raid hadn’t quite started yet. I led Franny toward the playground and scanned the kids on the structure, and the parents on nearby benches, but there was no sign of Rachael or Connor.

I checked my phone as one of my critters grew up, and I tapped past the “congratulations it’s a Butterfly” screen and popped a new critter into a walking slot before tabbing over to Facebook.

Rachael: Hang tight, girl! Connor and I should be able to swing by about twenty minutes after it starts? I hope there’ll still be enough people around!

Great. Only twenty-five minutes for me to worry about how awkward it may be for us to see each other again. Still, I smiled and scanned the groups of milling teens for a good shady spot for Franny and me, preferably close enough to the raid that I could collect items from it the whole time.

Of course, Franny didn’t like the idea of sitting in the shade, not when she’d just gotten to the park. But I didn’t want to risk taking her off the leash with this many people around either. I weaved between the groups of people—teens talking and laughing, adults standing farther apart from each other and tapping at their phones. Franny’s tail wouldn’t stop wagging, but the heat was starting to get to me.

“Let’s pass by the drinking fountain,” I suggested, leading her in the right direction.

Around me, people were organizing into their teams since the raid had become available.

“Twenty more minutes, Franny.”

We drank our fill and spent half the time remaining walking back and forth through the park. The first groups beat their raids, the cheers and loud talking reaching me across the grass, and as those people filtered out, a second set of players slowly filtered in, not nearly as organized as the first, at least not yet. I wiped sweat from my forehead, trying to ignore uncomfortable sweat in more explicit places.

“Let’s sit down now, okay?”

Franny whined, but sat panting at my feet in the shade of one of the large oak trees. I sat on the scattered tanbark and leaned against the trunk. The view of the playground was good from here, as was the view of teens shuffling slowly across the park. It was peaceful, calming even, despite the heat.

Just calming enough for me to forget about the anxiety for a whole two minutes, until I noticed one of the kids looked like Connor. I leapt to my feet, but Rachael was still MIA.

“It’s not Connor, is it?” I asked Franny, but she only wagged her tail at me like, Are we going to walk around more now?

Finally, my phone buzzed.

“They’re here!”

We started crossing the grass, and Rachael waved at us. Franny pulled the leash hard, but I held tight and jogged to catch up.

“Hey, Ann!”

“Hi!” Oh god, oh god. My heart fluttered at the sight of her—jean shorts and a black sport tank, warm smile glowing.

“Did you already do the raid?” she asked. “Connor’s at the playground; hope Franny doesn’t mind.”

“Of course not! And no, I was waiting for you.”

She smiled and I melted and no it wasn’t because it was hot. “Oh, cool. Let’s get in on this action before it’s too late!”

She wandered toward where the rest of the Ani-min players were, and I followed, hoping she’d think my red cheeks were due to the heat. Her hair was up in a bun, probably a hairdo from work, and it looked so cute I wanted to give up now and head home before I embarrassed myself.

“Where’s my Courage folks?” she called, and we joined the group that raised their hands.

“So, how’s it going?” I asked, as we waited for someone to call a start to the fight.

“Good! Busy! You know how it goes.”

“Hell yeah, I do,” I replied. “Busier than I’d really like.”

She shrugged. “Sometimes it’s more exciting when life is busy.”

“Yeah, but sometimes I just want to relax.”

She laughed. “Okay, I can agree with that one.”

Someone announced the team was going forward with the fight, and we popped in.

“What types for this guy?” I asked.

“Earth and fire,” she said matter-of-factly, and I swapped out mini-animals and waited for the countdown before tapping away.

“This legendary is so cool-looking. Did you check him out?”

“Ooh, not yet.” This all felt so normal. Not awkward—at least, hopefully not. We could talk about Ani-min. That was good.

The raid started, and as I tapped, the big cat pounced with oversized dark paws and a body with the outline of colorful clouds. His whiskers and eyebrows were glowing bright white, his tail a row of stars. Where Felesana had been a galaxy, Donalyne was a nebula, billowing ethereal and mysterious.

“Wow, cool,” I whispered, and Rachael snuck a smile in my direction that I caught out of the corner of my eye.

We took him down pretty fast, and I got him on my first net. “Yes!”

“Right on, girl.”

She continued to throw nets, wandering toward the playground, and I slowly followed. Beside me, Franny put a bounce in her step, definitely excited to be moving again.

“Ah, I don’t think I’m gonna catch him,” Rachael whispered, performing one more flick of her wrist and gazing out at the play structure.

“Connor, how’s it going?” she called.

“Good!” the little boy called back from the top of a spiral slide before flinging himself down it. I would bruise so many places if I tried to do that. Ah, to be young.

“You better come over here and get some water— Oh! I got him on my last net! They actually fixed the bug!”

“So close to completing your collection,” I said, and she smiled at me before leading Connor to the fountain. Oh my god, her smile. It brightened me from the inside out.

If only it could be for me.

“I know! I just need a hermit crab to grow up from a critter!” she called.

“Or we could go to the beach,” I suggested with a laugh.

Rachael’s eyes sparkled, her eyebrow raised. “That is definitely a possibility.” Connor ran past her, back to the park, and she stopped by my side.

“Oh my god, I wasn’t serious? Would you really go?”

“Two hours isn’t too bad of a drive, and Connor would love it. I bet Franny would too.”

A little tickle ran up my spine as my eyebrows shot up. Franny too? Like, we’d be going together? Was that really what she meant?

“She totally would.” I sighed, trying to keep my voice level.

With the excitement of the raid over, getting some water or getting out of the heat became a high priority. I wiped my brow and eyed the fountain. Franny tugged at the leash toward Connor, keeping me from reaching it.

“Do you…want to come hang out at my place for a bit?” Rachael asked, her voice soft. “I’m not too far away, you can have a drink or something.”

Our eyes met, and I offered a shy smile. “Oh! Um, well, yeah!”

Smooth, Ann. Real smooth.

“We’ll get going as soon as I can convince Connor.” She scanned the play structure and wandered halfway around it. “Connor! Let’s go home and have a Popsicle!”

He came running but stopped in front of her only briefly before heading down the path away from the park, on the opposite side from where Franny and I had come.

“Hey, my man,” Rachael called, and he looked back. “Can Ann and Franny join us?”

I laughed at her asking her son for permission—must be a parent thing.

“Sure! Let’s go!”

“That’s the spirit,” she said before waving her hand for me to follow.

 

“WELCOME TO OUR humble abode. Please don’t mind the mess.”

It really didn’t look bad. Just a bunch of toys in the living room that Connor ran straight past, heading into a kitchen off to the right. I stood near the door, admiring some scribbly art hung up over an easel in the corner. One of the drawings was a big-headed, round-bodied person, surrounded by unidentifiable doodles. It was true that a child’s art was best appreciated by their parent.

“Don’t worry about bringing Franny in here or anything; it’s no problem,” Rachael said, kicking off her shoes and following Connor into the kitchen. It sounded like she was helping him get his promised Popsicle. Franny waited for me to take off her leash, and as soon as I did, she zoomed into the kitchen as well.

I took my time removing my shoes as all the little details of Rachael’s home caught my attention. Scuffed-up tennis shoes at my feet, a pile of blocks and toy cars in the middle of the carpet, a half-built puzzle of colorful farm animals on a coffee table. Kids clearly got everywhere. The house seemed small, probably only had two bedrooms, and I had seen outside that it shared a garage wall with its neighbor, as this whole neighborhood was duplexes. I liked getting to see how cute the inside was. I wouldn’t mind living in a place like this.

“Is it okay if Franny goes in the backyard with Connor?” Rachael called to me.

Ohhhh, and a backyard. That would be so nice. I’d plant herbs or tomatoes. “Yeah, sure, but are other dogs around here?”

“Not among the immediate neighbors,” Rachael said, leaning on the kitchen doorframe. “Get lost in the living room?”

“Naw, just checking out all the toys.” I stood, and she turned back to the kitchen and then held out a glass of water to me. I happily gulped some down as she sipped at her own glass.

“Sorry it’s such a mess. It’s hard to have time to clean when I’m working, you know?”

I waved the sentiment off. “Girl, I can’t even imagine, so you are doing amazing, okay?”

Rachael shrugged, but she was smiling. She prepared one more cup, this one bright green with a straw. “Does your dog not like other dogs?” she asked, stepping outside through the back door.

Was I supposed to follow her? I hesitated, sipping water. Oh man, a gas stove and stand mixer. I wasn’t going to get jealous.

Rachael returned, so I answered. “She gets a little defensive when she hears barking, I don’t want her being freaked out somewhere new.”

She nodded, frowning. “I know nothing about dogs.”

“And I know nothing about kids. We’re even!”

She laughed, leaning back on a white tile counter, and my gaze slipped down her gentle curves before I could stop myself. I snapped my eyes back to hers, and she was staring right at me.

Caught red-handed. Red-eyed? Shit.

“So, uh, Ann.” she said, and my skin erupted in tingling, and the heat rushed up my cheeks. She grimaced. “I have a bit of a confession? And this may be really weird and if it is, it’s totally okay, and we can pretend I didn’t say anything.”

I waited—it was hard to breathe. I had no idea what she was about to say.

“I got kind of freaked out when you mentioned dating the other day?” She didn’t look at me now and, instead, was staring at the floor, her hand in her hair. It gave her an almost disheveled look that was undeniably cute. “But it’s not because I’m not interested, okay?”

What? I almost said it out loud. Instead, I shifted on my feet and sucked in a breath, and then she continued.

“But I’m not a lesbian. I’m bi.”

“Oh!”

“I’m sorry; that’s probably a deal breaker, isn’t it?”

“Oh my god, no!” I managed, my cheeks still on fire and my throat almost too tight to speak.

“Really?” she practically squeaked, the rose of blush making its way up her cheeks too. It brought out her eyes when she flushed like that.

“God, no, I used to date guys. It’s no big deal. Just ’cause I’m a lesbian doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge that some people are attracted to guys.” The words tumbled out of me in a rush, and then I stood there with the heat in my cheeks, trying not to panic. Now that I knew we were both queer, instead of being excited or relieved, I wanted to run back home and hide. Why—because it was too good to be true? Or because I didn’t think I could handle it?

She blinked. “Oh w-wow, okay. Cool.”

I laughed, a nervous chuckle because What the hell will happen now?

“I’m sorry; a bunch of the girls I’ve tried to date have called it off when they hear I haven’t sworn off guys, or when they learn I have a kid.”

I shook my head. “I’ve met girls like that too. But I totally don’t mind either of those things.”

She smiled and finally met my eyes again as she brushed a rogue wave of hair behind her ears. “Then I guess I owe you a proper response from the coffee shop. You’re right. I could figure out dates.”

I smiled back, and though I still might run away, I took a step toward her. She relaxed against the counter, propped up on her elbows, and took her turn checking me out, which made me shiver. Her reaction was encouraging, and I willed myself forward another few steps.

“A date with me?” I asked, the words bolder than I felt.

“I think that can be arranged.” Her quiet voice held an air of something much heavier.

“We got some time to arrange it now.” I stopped when I reached the counter, our hips only a few inches apart. “It helps that our other halves are entertaining themselves.”

Rachael’s eyes widened. “Shit, let’s check on them.”

I balked and stepped back as she whirled past me and out the back door. And in the sudden silence of the house, there came the unmistakable whoosh of water through pipes.

An exasperated shriek came from outside. “Connor! Did you ask me if you could turn on the hose!?”

Oh god.

I stepped outside, and there in the middle of a small patch of grass in a backyard lined with low bushes and established trees, Connor and Franny were playing in an impromptu sprinkler.

Dripping wet.

And muddy.

“Oh, honey,” I said as Franny approached me with the biggest doggy smile she’d had in a long time.

Rachael turned off the water, her eyes wide and her chest heaving. “This is not okay. You need to ask me before turning on the hose.”

“Sorry, Mommy.” Connor still stood in the middle of the lawn, his hair flattened into dark spikes around his ears, his T-shirt clinging to his thin frame.

Franny wanted kisses, but I shushed quietly and put a hand on her back so she would sit. She did, wagging triumphantly.

“God, this is so not okay, Connor. Next time you ask me,” Rachael repeated, hands propped on her hips.

“Okay, Mommy.” He kicked at a muddy patch of grass with his shoes. Did he really feel sorry? I didn’t envy Rachael right now—that was for sure.

“We have to get you all cleaned up now, and Ann and Franny will have to go home.”

Oh. Really? I fought a hot wave of disappointment working its way up my chest.

Meanwhile, Connor’s semi-sorrowful expression dropped with surprise. “But I don’t want Franny to go home yet!”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re both a mess, and we can’t play like that, now can we?”

“We can stay out here?” Connor tried.

Rachael shook her head and turned to me, her brow furrowed and cheeks bright red. Was she regretting this turn of events as much as I was? “I gotta have Connor strip down and get in the bath, so we’ll have to talk more another time, okay?”

I failed to hide a grimace. “No problem. Can I bring Franny around through a side yard? I’d hate to get mud in your house.”

“Please. I’ll get your shoes. Connor, go to the kitchen and get ready for a bath.”

“But it’s too early—”

“Connor,” she snapped.

He stopped and went inside, and I didn’t blame him—the change in tone took me by surprise too. Rachael grumbled and stepped through the door.

“Well, that was something,” I said to Franny, who stood and did a full doggy shake all over my legs. “Oh, thanks.”

Rachael returned with my shoes and leash, and as I got us ready to go, she rubbed her temple. “I don’t know why I even try socializing with another adult.”

“I could hang out while you give Connor a bath if you’d like—”

“No, not really. I’m sorry.” Her arms fell to her sides while I recoiled from her words. “But yes, I want to go out with you again, on a real date. Okay?”

I pursed my lips before managing a smile, the hot disappointment continuing to work its way through me. But despite her pretty much kicking me out, I was still interested. “Okay.”