Her voice droned in Lena’s ears, and she couldn’t make sense of why Jess was saying these awful things. But she didn’t need to understand. Anger sliced through the shock paralyzing her, burning away the fog slowing her thoughts. How dared Jess to accuse her of such a thing? Had Heather heard her? How could she explain this scene to a client?
Lena pushed away from the wall. She hissed to Jess in the iciest tone she could muster, “Get away from me and my house. Now.” She took a deep breath and looked at Maggie. “Are you still willing to help me?”
Maggie nodded with a grim expression and squeezed her shoulder before letting go. “Of course.”
“Help? Mom, you can’t go in there! Do you even know what she’s asking of you?” Jess moved as if to place herself between her mother and the door.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I know exactly what’s going on, and I don’t go around making assumptions like you do.” Maggie gripped Jess’s shoulder with one hand and shook her. “Jessica, what you did and said is not acceptable. This is not the way I raised you. I have no idea why you made such a terrible accusation, and I don’t care. You need to apologize. And keep your voice down.”
Jess pressed her mouth together, and a muscle twitched in her cheeks, which had flushed bright red.
Lena couldn’t tell if she colored out of anger or embarrassment. She hoped for the latter. “I don’t have time for this now. I need to get back to my client.”
“Just a second.” Maggie stroked her thumb over Jess’s cheek. “Jessi, nothing illegal or illicit is going on here. If you don’t trust Lena, trust me.” Her voice was warm and laced with conviction.
Jess’s stiff stance deflated. She lowered her head. “Okay.”
“Okay is not enough. To make up for your appalling behavior, you will shut up now, accompany Lena inside, and do as she says. I’ve been her assistant more than once, and now you can take my place. Don’t worry, I’ll watch Ella tonight. Afterward, you’ll apologize, and tomorrow we three can talk about this at length.”
Lena recognized the mom-voice. Her grandma had been able to summon the same loving fierceness at will.
“You can’t make me…” Jess looked up with wide eyes and blinked.
Lena wasn’t so sure it was a good idea either. Did she want to bring Jess’s negativity and distrust into a client session?
“Mom.” The word was drawn out in a whiny tone that reminded Lena of every teenager she had ever witnessed in a disagreement with their parent.
Maggie stared at her daughter and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
For a long moment, Jess held her gaze, unblinking, as if she searched for answers. She swallowed visibly and nodded, then shifted her gaze to Lena. “I’m sorry. I’ll do what Mom wants.”
It wasn’t a sincere apology, but Lena had no time to insist on anything more. Maybe Jess needed to see with her own eyes what was happening inside, or she might never completely leave her suspicions behind. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Maggie kissed Lena’s cheek and whispered. “Everything will be all right.” With a stern “Behave yourself, young lady,” to Jess, she left before either of them could answer.
Lena opened the door to her home and hoped Jess would follow without further discussion.
Jess wanted nothing more than to disappear in the darkness that had swallowed the garden. Something wasn’t adding up, and she had miscalculated badly. She had no idea what her mom had sent her into. But no matter what, she did trust her.
She had to blink when she entered the little house. Warm air engulfed her like a tropical holiday. Candles flickered on every available surface, and the scent of vanilla and something spicier she couldn’t name eased her frayed senses.
The woman she had seen earlier sat in an armchair and sipped a steaming drink from a small bowl. She greeted Jess with a smile as if she had expected her.
Jess automatically smiled back, then studied the main room of the house, which had changed dramatically since Jess had last lived here. A small but fully equipped kitchen with a breakfast nook was to her left, and to her right a two-seater couch and an armchair took up most of the living area. A wooden desk stood on one side stacked with notebooks. Everything was neat and uncluttered but still comfortable and cozy. Jess had no idea how Lena achieved the effect, and now wasn’t the time to contemplate that. She had already missed most of what Lena was saying.
“And this is Jess, my neighbor. She’ll be our victim tonight.” Lena finished her explanation with a smile.
Victim? Jess raised her eyebrows. The playful tone of Lena’s voice was meant to tease, but it still wasn’t a word she liked to hear in this context.
“This is Heather, my client. She wants to surprise her fiancée with a new skill on their honeymoon.” Now Lena was grinning even wider. She seemed to enjoy yanking Jess’s expectations around.
Jess deserved this. And much more. Lena approached the whole situation with more class and humor than Jess would have in her place. If anyone had called Jess a prostitute, she wouldn’t have stopped yelling by now. How could she ever apologize to Lena for that?
Lena picked up a neatly folded dressing gown and handed it to Jess. “You can undress in the bathroom. You’re not allergic to anything?”
“No allergies. But what…?” Undress? Lena wanted her to wear nothing but a dressing gown? The warm air and the lulling scent slowed her thoughts to a crawl.
“Great. I’ll let Heather choose her favorite oil. Go and get changed.” She grinned, and the flickering light made her eyes sparkle as she winked. “You may keep your panties on.”
Jess was still hung up on the naked part, and her expression must have shouted out her confusion. Before she could ask another question, Lena opened the
