Secrets Like Acid

Chapter 2

Elise's friend Emily Lockmiller was tall and willowy. Her gentleness put Randi at ease right off the bat. She inquired about how Randi felt. She took Randi's temperature, listened to her heart and lungs, and inspected her throat and ears.

"Randi," she said. "I think you have the flu – of the stomach variety – based on what you've told me." The doctor stood up and folded the stethoscope. "My prescription is rest and clear liquids until the virus works itself south. Then you'll need to eat bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, to firm things up. You should be good as new in a week to ten days."

Elise's eyes widened. She'd only expected a day or two. Just lovely.

Randi tried to stand but fell back after feeling the room started to spin again. "Can you just prescribe me something for the nausea and vomiting and I can be on—"

"No can do," she said. "Your symptoms won't be severe enough for the heavy duty stuff. They'll just make you sleepy anyway. So you're—"

"What about antibiotics?"

Dr. Lockmiller studied the young woman. She appeared healthy for the most part, though she was so thin Em wanted to force-feed. In college, Em always kept "emergency Twinkies" on hand for the model wannabes who suffered hypoglycemia. But Randi didn't appear to be a model type.

Em noted where her dark hair was coming out at the roots. She wanted to tell her to go home to mommy, since she'd didn't look a day over 16. "Look. Antibiotics don't work on viruses. This is a wait-till-your-immune-system kicks in kind of situation."

Randi fell back. "Damn."

"Randi, do you have anyone you can call?" the doctor asked.

Randi shook her head. "No, not local."

An awkward silence descended. Elise raised a hand to her chin. Her stomach tightened at Randi's response. A wave of loneliness crashed over Elise. She knew where that came from. She was the only one who knew, Elise and her attacker. She felt powerless then. Just like Randi now.

Elise cleared her throat. "Just stay here as long as you need, I can—"

Randi shook her head. "You don't know me, Elise—"

"You're right. I don't. But I do know I can't just turn you out with a hundred-and-one point nine temperature."

Randi frowned. She felt the same naked vulnerability as when she ditched her car in El Paso and boarded a Greyhound bus, with twenty-five bucks left in pocket and no destination.

Now here she was again, out of control and drifting.

The older women watched as the emotions played across Randi's face.

Elise felt sympathy tugging at her. "Maybe we could work something out so you don't feel, ah, uncomfortable."

Randi found Elise's eyes and stared up at her, thinking. She didn't want to stay. But when she started drying heaving again, she covered her mouth and mumbled assent before she dashed to the bathroom.

X X X X

Elise walked her friend to the car. "Thanks, Em, for making a house call. I appreciate it."

"Are you kidding me? Carin made me," Em admitted about her partner. "And you know that Carin—"

"Gets what she wants," Elise said, nodding. "I know, I know!"

Em's outspoken partner of nine years was also one of Elise's best friends. They lived about five miles inland, where Em practiced as an OB/GYN.

Em threw her bag in the backseat. "Are we still on for the fourth?"

"Think so. I'll call you."

Em ducked her head in the car, but before she closed the door, she peered up at Elise. "So how old is Goldilocks?"

"She's certainly not as young as you think, Emily Lockmiller."

A corner of Em's mouth twitched up in a smirk, and she waited. "Well? You know Carin will grill me about that bit of data."

Elise crossed her arms and looked around. "Isn't this a privacy violation, doctor?"

"Maybe. Or we could just be two friends shooting the breeze about this blonde goddess who manifested at your door."

"Her license says twenty."

"Ahh."

"Ahh, my Aunt Fanny! I called a friend of mine at the police station. Randi Ashman is clean. And her age checks out."

Em tapped her thumbs against the steering wheel. "Young criminals may not always have records, you know."

"My, aren't you cynical, doctor."

She shrugged. "Carin would run me out of town if I didn't state the obvious."

"I'll get my friend to keep an eye on us, if it makes you feel better."

"It does and is this a he-friend or a she-friend?"

"Oh, Em, you are so bad."

Em arched an eyebrow in response.

"It's a he. Are you satisfied?" Elise knew she chose the wrong word the instant it was out of her mouth.

"No, I'm not. You won't be either. You need to find a woman. You're pushing—"

Elise held up a hand. "Don't say it, Dr. Lockmiller! I will find one when I'm supposed to."

"Hmm, I wonder."

Elise decided to let that pass. Carin's big mouth had rubbed off on Em and not in a good way. But Em was deterred, for now.

"I saw your friend's shirt was gay-friendly." Her tone implied more than Elise was willing to address.

Elise tisked. "She's not my friend, Emily. And gay-friendly? She's a walking lesbian billboard, for goodness sakes. And you know exactly how I feel about that."

"Yes, of course." Em pursed her lips and nodded. "I also know that closets are cramped places to live."

"Okay, Em."

"And lonely."

"Em?" Elise gave her an admonishing tone to go with the slam of the door.

Em stuck her head out. "And squeak less."

"Go on, you nympho."

"You're one, too," Em called as she slowly backed out of Elise's property. "Fear represses you!"

"It's not the sex I fear," Elise mumbled.

X X X X

The next morning, Elise knocked lightly on her own bedroom door. She was trying her best to help Randi recover because she wanted her room back and she wanted her house back. The couch was lumpy.

"Hold on," Randi said, pulling a T-shirt over her. "Okay."

Elise smiled as she hauled in a breakfast bed tray. "Good morning."

"'Morning. Umm...What's this?"

"I thought you might like some breakfast," she said, setting the tray over Randi's lap. "I think your retching broke, what time was it, 3 a.m."

"Yeah, I guess." Randi looked down at the plate in front of her. There were runny eggs, with blackened bacon and, thankfully, two pieces of buttered toast.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I stuck with the basics." Elise watched her houseguest intensely.

Randi surveyed the culinary disaster and tried really hard not to dry heave.

"I love apple juice," she finally said, reaching for it.

It did taste good, after a few days of violent upchuckage. She slowly picked up the fork and dipped into the eggs. She realized too late that she should have used a spoon. Randi did manage to put some of it into her mouth, unfortunately. A bite of toast managed to camouflage the flavor.

She closed her eyes, a gesture that made Elise think she liked it. In fact, Randi was wishing for her mother's cooking. She hadn't eaten truly divine food in four years. That's when she last saw her parents. They'd parted with harsh words between them, words that still haunted her.

Home, that's what she wanted to think about. Not the tinny taste in her mouth. Or the longing she felt. She tried hard to remember a happy breakfast her mother would have made. Eggs and Mexican sausage was her favorite. Hmm, she even missed the spicy chorizo orangish coloring of the eggs.

After long minutes of hearing only the waves crashing outside, the gulls cry and a clock ticking, Randi thought Elise left. No, she was sitting in a mauve wingback chair, bouncing a leg over her knee.

Elise was picking imaginary lint from her shorts. Randi used her periphery to study the older woman. Randi wasn't so fever delirious after all. Elise was hot. Randi followed the curvy lines of her very tan legs. She'd probably lived here a while, with a deep tan like that. Then Randi wondered if her smooth, lightly browned skin had any tan lines and she also thought she'd like to find out.

Randi's eyes dragged back up her fit body to her short blonde hair. It was spiky in back and her bangs were slicked straight to the side. It made her look younger. Thirty-five-ish, if Randi had to guess.

But what could they possibly have in common? Not that it mattered. Randi knew that her being here was a ginormous pain. Elise would probably want her gone pretty damn quick. But ten days. What could they possibly fill the silence with? What would a woman her age want to talk about?

Elise was busy chiding herself. How could she let some twenty something intimidate her? She'd spoken with CEOs, senators and ambassadors. Elise was conversant in many urbane topics such as the arts, literature, politics and even sports. But she didn't listen to hip hop music, whatever that was. That's what a 20-year-old would listen to, right? Elise scratched her head. She had a niece and two nephews about that age. She talked to them all the time, for heaven's sakes.

Her blue eyes peered up to find Randi watching her. She opened her mouth to speak and then snapped it shut. Elise was going to ask her what brought her up to these parts, but what if it was too personal or she was a drug mule? Oh, God.

Randi was flexing her jaw muscles with every forced bite and she smiled weakly at Elise. She could do this. She used to talk to her parents' friends all the time. And they were old.

"Do you cook often, Elise?"

"No, not really. I travel a great deal and find it's usually easier to eat out."

Randi nodded, as if absorbing every word.

"Why do you ask?" When Randi remained quiet, Elise ventured a question. "Is it that bad?"

"No, no. It's good." Her answer was too quick, Randi knew, but she didn't want to hurt the woman's feelings.

"Really?" Their eyes met and held.

Plus, she still wasn't feeling tip-top. Better not tempt fate to anger her hostess over a plate of eggs. Without breaking eye contact, Randi nodded. "Yes, but I, ah, I noticed you aren't eating."

Elise laughed softly. "Maybe because I know better, hmm?"

"Oh?"

"I'm kidding. I actually got up early and ate then."

Randi glanced at the nightstand, looking for an alarm clock. There was a lamp and a framed picture of a gray cat that was either really fluffy or grossly obese.

"What time...could you please tell me the time?"

"It's almost noon."

Elise jumped up, taking the tray when Randi tried to remove it. "Here. I'll get that."

Without thinking, Randi yanked back the covers, yelped and yanked them over again.

In that brief moment, Elise saw an expanse of gorgeously toned legs. She reluctantly and nonchalantly dragged her gaze to the window. Elise lazily turned her head toward Randi again when the coast was clear.

Randi remembered she was in her panties. The same panties she's had on for the last three days. She needed to get to her car and fast.

Elise noticed Randi fidgeting. "What's wrong?"

"I wanted to get to my car today." She looked up at Elise. "I need some clean..." Her face turned a faint pink. "Underwear."

"How are you feeling?"

"Um, I feel better."

Elise gave her an admonishing look. She didn't want her to have a wreck somewhere. "It's only been a day, Randi."

Randi sighed and looked directly ahead, at Elise's sparsely decorated dresser. "I'm still tired and getting the chills."

"Why didn't you say you had a fever? I have Tylenol, you know."

"You've done so much—"

"Tylenol is nothing to me, okay?" Elise emphasized her point with a nod of her head, receiving one in return. She pivoted toward the door and then back. "Oh, would you like coffee?"

"No, thanks. I'm not a coffee drinker."

"Let me go put this away. I'll bring the medicine and you can give me your keys and tell me where your car stalled. In the meantime, you are welcome to take a shower, if you—"

"Is that a hint?" she whispered, with a straight face.

"No, not at all." When Elise saw the faintest smile emerge, she laughed, too. "It won't take long. I'll probably be home within an hour. Does that sound like a good plan to you?"

Elise watched Randi carefully. Her face was so expressive, with the big amber eyes framed in thick eyelashes. She was so easy to read. It was quite refreshing.

Randi looked up and caught Elise's dimples for the first time. How she missed those prominent beauties was a complete mystery. They looked like commas framing her mouth. The left one was very deep and Randi wondered what it tasted like.

After Elise had left the room, Randi stood up and stretched. For a second there, Randi thought she saw Elise checking out her legs. That's crazy. It was wishful thinking. Elise is straight.

X X X X

Randi had showered and was sitting in the living room watching a Three Stooges show, when Elise finally returned later than expected. Randi didn't believe her car was that far away.

Handing the key back to Randi, Elise threw her purse on a console table near the door. "I have bad news, Randi."

"It was vandalized?"

"No, actually. Well, I don't know that it was or wasn't because I couldn't find it."

"Stolen?" Randi threw herself back on the couch. One more thing.

"Don't be discouraged. The state routinely removes abandoned, or vehicles they think are abandoned, from the highways. There is a certain image C-DOT wants to project and a junkyard is not one of them."

"Where do you think it could be?"

"Not sure, but we'll find out. I know people." Elise smiled warmly, soothing a tight fist inside Randi's chest.

A buzzer from the laundry room sounded. "Oh, I washed your sheets so you could sleep there tonight," Randi said, jumping up. "Washed my undies, too."

Elise eyes went wide to see that Randi was completely nude under her pants. The rip in her ass opened and closed as Randi crossed the room. Elise blew out some air slowly, trying to remain perfectly still. Randi was a study in grace. Her movements were fluid and feline. She wasn't the type Elise was usually attracted to, but Randi radiated sex without much effort. It's just physical, Elise told herself. It's been too long for me. That's all.