Outside, Lena was nowhere to be seen, but a wooden swing seemed like the perfect place to enjoy the sunset while giving Ella her dinner.
When the bottle was nearly empty, Lena reappeared from her exploration between the trees. Her cheeks glowed in a healthy pink that rivaled the sky. “The cliffs are close, and you can see water for miles and miles.” She gestured in the direction she had come from. “It’s so beautiful. I can’t wait to go down there.”
“Why don’t you go? I’ll stay with Ella.”
“What? No!” Lena’s hair flew in the light breeze as she shook her head. “We’ll go down tomorrow. But come to the fence and look at the water. We’ll carry her. I’ll get the wrap.”
Ella finished the bottle, and Jess held her up to her shoulder. Wrap? Before she could decide if it was a good idea or not, Lena returned with what looked like an extremely long shawl made of a light material in all the colors of the rainbow.
Jess stared at it. “I have no idea how to use something like that. I have a carrier at home, like a backpack.”
“Oh, it’s super easy once you’ve done it a few times. I always carried Tammy like this.” Her face fell, and her mouth opened as if she was surprised by her own words. “My little sister.”
The sadness in her words tugged at Jess’s heart. She burned to know what had happened to Tammy and why she was no longer a part of Lena’s life, but even more than that, she wanted to bring back Lena’s smile. “Okay, why don’t you take her and show me next time. We should go now before it’s too late. I don’t want you to fall down the cliff in the dark.”
Ella didn’t seem to mind in the least as Lena held her to her front and wrapped the shawl around herself in a complex crisscross pattern. She rested her head on Lena’s cleavage.
Lucky baby. Jess forced her gaze away.
“Do you want to check her before we go?”
“No, she looks happy enough, and I trust you.” Even though she mostly said it to lighten Lena’s mood, Jess did mean it. She hadn’t thought it possible she would trust anyone so soon with Ella, apart from her mother.
Lena led her down a path between the mature pines. It was shady and cool, and with each step heavenly scents rose as they crushed old pine needles.
Almost without warning, they emerged from the tree line. Tall grass and several hardy plants she couldn’t name clung to the stones and almost hid the fence made of wire and wooden posts slanted at precarious angles. To one side, a much sturdier wooden bench stood facing west, showing Lena wasn’t the only one interested in watching the sun set over the water.
“Wow.” Jess sat down to enjoy the view. The sky was more indigo than blue, and the sun had already dipped partly into the ocean.
“Yeah. I’ve got no words…” Lena wrapped both arms around Ella.
She stood at the fence, and even though it was still a good distance from the edge, Jess’s stomach dropped at the sight of them.
“Come here.” Jess had never been afraid of heights, but looking at Lena, with her enraptured profile glowing in pink and orange, caused her insides to flutter like a swarm of drunk butterflies. “Sit down.”
Lena regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
Oops, her tone might have been harsher than intended. “Um, please?”
“Everything okay?” Lena sat down next to her on the small bench, close enough that their sides touched.
The swarm settled down and buzzed contentedly. Much better. “Yeah, sorry, seeing you that close to the fence…” She gestured at the drooping wire. “I didn’t want to endanger Ella.”
“Sure.” Lena rolled her eyes but softened the gesture with a grin before she faced the setting sun as the ball of fire dissolved into the ocean.
All too soon, the spectacle was over, and the light breeze carried in a coolness as if the water had doused the heat of the sun. Only Jess’s left side was still warm, and she had to resist the urge to snuggle closer. Why was she having these thoughts all of a sudden? Maybe it was a kind of nesting instinct. Was it some residue left from her pregnancy? But she hadn’t felt this snuggly with anyone but Ella in the last year, more like a prickly cactus on speed.
She reached out to caress the bare head of her daughter, carefully avoiding any contact with Lena’s skin. “I forgot to put a cap on her. It’s getting colder.”
“I think she’s still fine. But let’s go back. And have something to eat.”
Jess’s stomach grumbled at the mention of dinner. Maybe that weird sensation had been hunger?
While Jess readied Ella for bed, Lena cut the cheese and vegetables she’d bought at the farmers market. She filled two low glasses with carrot, cucumber, and celery sticks and transferred the roasted pepper hummus from its reusable takeaway container into a ceramic bowl. The orange and red hues reminded her of the perfect sunset she’d just witnessed.
Humming to herself, she placed cheese cubes and apple slices on matching plates and stacked everything on the serving tray she’d found on the counter.
Jess’s anxiety about the fence had been cute, and Lena hadn’t minded the gruffness in her voice. It was too easy to read the true intentions in Jess’s eyes. She was so damned attractive when she focused intently on something or someone.
Were Lena’s thoughts and feelings as easy to read? It wouldn’t be good if Jess saw Lena’s interest in her eyes. Not at all.
Lena carried the tray to the main room and studied the seating arrangements. In the warm glow from the two small lights on the side tables, everything looked extra comfy and romantic. But she didn’t want to
