I may have been using some extra cologne these past few days, but I hadn’t heard any complaints.
Sienna laughed as she set a squirrely Pedro on his feet.
Rae squatted next to me, helping me put the rest of the props in the bin. “Polly’s really nice, Jace. I’m happy for you. And you smelled fine before, no need to overcompensate.” Rae’s eyes lifted and she pointed to my red hair, which they both teased me mercilessly about at the beginning of practice. “But that situation might take some professional help. I know a good colorist in Knoxville. I got you covered.”
After putting the large prop bin back, ignoring the two know-it-all-bamboozlers, I gave a small wave without looking behind me. “I’m outta here for the night. Y’all are the two meddlesome older sisters I never wanted!”
“See you next week!” Sienna shouted.
“And use protection!” Rae added.
Their ringing laughter was so loud it carried down the hall until I reached the exit.
* * *
It was after ten by the time I got back to Polly’s. I’d texted her earlier, letting her know I’d be late. To which she texted back,I’ll be waiting,with a winking smiley face.I’d never known intimacy like this with a woman. Sex with her was scorching hot, but also fun at the same time, the teasing and laughter between us making her all the more addictive. She knew what she liked and wasn’t afraid to take it—adventurous in a way I loved. I loved talking to her just as much.
There were a lot of things I loved about her.
A text came in from my sister as I got out of my car, reminding me that I’d been dragging my feet on calling her back. Since I’d asked her about the plants last week, she’d been texting me more often. I had no doubt Momma had already called Sarah today, telling her all about my and the kids’ visit. Sarah knew me well, there was no lying to her. Just like Rae and Sienna possessed sorcery of some kind to figure out that something was happening between Polly and me, my sister had the same intuition. If I wanted to respect Polly’s wishes and keep it between her and I for now, avoiding my sister seemed the best tactic.
All was quiet in the house when I came in through the garage. Was Polly upstairs in her room? Maybe she’d started without me, her hand pressing her sweet, wet center, her lips parted and panting. Would she be wearing those petal bra and panties again? My dick throbbed, straining in my jeans just thinking about it. I couldn’t wait to peel them off her again.
I heard a noise and turned, noticing light from beneath the basement door. Opening it, I heard the din of a TV, so I walked down the stairs only to find Polly wrapped up in a blanket and sitting in one of the overstuffed lounge chairs. She was watchingTreasure Dogs,her hair was piled high on her head, and she had a tissue in her hand. I heard a sniffle.
“Everything ok?”
Polly looked at me with big, tear-filled eyes, then scrambled to get the remote and pause the episode.
“Shoot!” She checked her watch. Biting her lip, her eyes darted between me and the screen. “I’m so sorry—I’ve just watched three of them. I’m almost to the end of the finale. I know I said I’d wait for you to watch the finale together—” She couldn’t finish because her face crumpled and she began to cry.
Ditching my bag, I strode over to her, dropping to my knees in front of her. I wrapped her in my arms, rubbing her back. Having her in my arms again after a long day felt like a relief.
“Was it the season finale that has you this upset?” I was pretty certain that Rosie, the dog she liked, won it all, but maybe I’d been mistaken. Polly pulled back and nodded, abandoning her tissue to wipe her weepy eyes on the sleeve of her sweatshirt.
“It was just so . . .”
“Sad?”
“No!” Polly looked almost miffed. I bit back a laugh. “Rosie won and you should have seen her. She was running around, barking and leaping, and I’m just sohappy!”Her voice was high and creaky, breaking on the word happy as she began to tear up in earnest again.
Trying not to laugh, I brought all her sweet softness into my arms and picked her up from the chair, eventually cuddling her onto my lap as I sat on the carpeted floor in front of the lounge chair. I gently stroked her hair until her cries quieted. Polly sighed and tucked her head under my chin. Her topknot tickled my face, but there was no way I’d ever move. Not until she decided she was ready to get up again.
“I’m sorry. This probably isn’t what you had in mind when I said I’d wait for you, huh?” Polly pulled back, gazing into my face.
I stared into her teary eyes, her make-up less face. I’d never seen anything prettier. I leaned in, not being able to resist kissing her. “It’s exactly what I wanted.”
She gave me a playful one-eyed squint and snuggled back down into my chest. “How was the rest of practice?”
“It was good.” I hesitated, wondering how Polly would react, but wanting to share what I’d decided. “I asked Sienna for the contact info for the professor who heads up a performing arts education program at a liberal arts college near Knoxville.”
Polly sat up and turned, smiling brightly. “You’d be perfect for that, Jace. Watching you at Young Wills—it’s like watching magic happen. Those kids follow you with their eyes. They look up to you. It’s a gift you have, encouraging each and every one of them to perform without fear. It’s just,wow.” Polly gave a short laugh, then rolled her eyes. “For lack of a better term.”
“Thank you, darlin’. But I’d have to apply first. At lot of their courses are online, and I was thinking if I apply now, maybe I could start in spring, or who knows, maybe even this fall.”
Her eyes dimmed for a moment, then a polite expression came over her face. I could feel tension in her body as she spoke. “Well, you’ll have to let us know how that’s all going when you find out. Good luck.”
The formality in her tone startled me—reminding me so much of the Polly I’d met that first day, who now seemed like a stranger to me.
