Another Mother Read online

  “Hey,” Sarah said. “Did you want to get Mexican?” She led me out toward my car.

  “I thought you didn’t like it.”

  “I never did before, but I’ve had good luck with finding new things lately.”

  I snort-laughed. “Try not to make cracks like that while I’m driving.”

  As we took to the road, our conversation flowed almost as freely as usual. I was happy to see things weren’t too weird now. Sarah really was an amazing person. What I had to figure out now was whether I wanted to keep things casual or try getting serious for the first time in my life.

  And what did she want? She had a child in the picture. She had to be a lot pickier about her relationships than a normal person, and I definitely wasn’t the best candidate to be a second mom to her daughter.

  “So… Emma doesn’t know I was over last night?” I asked, changing the topic abruptly as I pulled into a parking spot.

  “No, and let’s keep it that way.” Something dark flashed in her eyes, making my stomach twist.

  It was better for Emma not to know, at least for now. Once we were more sure about each other, Sarah would tell her. Right now, we were just friends who’d had an alcohol-fueled exploration together. I had to find out if Sarah wanted this to be anything more than that.

  Inside the restaurant, a sombrero-clad waitress served us with tortilla chips and guacamole while we waited for our burritos. Our hands brushed as we both reached for a chip at the same time, and Sarah quickly pulled hers away.

  “You’re going to be shy now?” I asked in a murmur. “I touched you a lot more than that last night.”

  Her cheeks went pink. “Trust me, I remember.”

  She didn’t seem to want to talk about what’d happened between us, which was fair, so I kept the conversation light as our burritos came and we dug in. Mine was good, and apparently hers was amazing.

  “So you’ve changed your mind about Mexican food?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I still like other food, but maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to expand my horizons from time to time.”

  I looked at her carefully. “Are you talking about…?”

  “Food,” she clarified. “Only about the food.”

  That left me with no more clarity as we paid the bill and headed back to the car. I was dying to know how she felt, and once we were alone, I decided to ask her straight out.

  “I’m just going to put this out there,” I said, putting my key in the ignition but not starting the car. “I had a great time last night, and if you want to go on a real date sometime, I’d be honored to take you out.”

  Her cheeks flushed again. “You know I’m kind of not sure how gay I am, right? I’ve never been this attracted to a woman before.”

  “As long as you’re attracted to me, I’m A-okay.”

  “Okay.” She bit her lip, making me want to bite it. “I’d be happy to go on a date with you, then.”

  “Yes!” I pumped my fist in the air.

  “We just can’t tell Emma.”

  *

  I pressed my hands to my stomach, sitting on the cold floor of the set kitchen. “Naomi, I don’t feel so good,” I groaned to Emma. “Get Mommy some water, would you, please?”

  “Okay.” She stepped past the other actors to the sink, where she poured water into a glass. “Do you want some crackers? I ate crackers when my stomach hurt.”

  “No, thank you, sweetie.” I made a face, then let the pain melt away as if a realization had just occurred to me. “I only got sick after I ate the crackers, and I’m the only one who ate them.”

  “What are you trying to say, Ivy?” Aaron demanded, standing up.

  “I’m saying—I—” Fuck, I couldn’t picture the words on the paper anymore. “Line, please?”

  Jim glared at me from behind the camera operator. “I’m saying someone in this cabin poisoned me.”

  I repeated the line, hoping I could remember the rest from there.

  “You better watch the accusations you’re throwing around,” Aaron said menacingly, “because two people are already dead, and you yourself are my number one suspect.”

  I heaved myself off the floor. “I didn’t kill anyone, and whoever poisoned me must’ve planned this in advance!”

  “Cut,” Jim yelled. “Katie, you’re a mess.”

  I dragged my palm over my face. “Was I that bad?”

  “You’re skipping lines. There’s the whole part about figuring out what was in the crackers that made you feel this way, remember?”

  Grabbing the script in his hands, I examined it. He was right, I’d skipped over an entire section. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t have that much time over the weekend, and then I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll do better tomorrow.”

  “I hope so. You might as well go home for today. We’re just wasting production money trying to get a decent performance out of you.”

  I’d never seen him annoyed like this. “I’m sorry, for real. I promise I do take this role seriously. I just had personal stuff come up.”

  His face softened slightly. “Don’t let it interfere with your acting again.”

  I picked up my purse and headed for the door, giving Sarah an embarrassed smile as I passed her.

  I felt like a teenager being rebuked for staying out late. I should’ve memorized my lines over the weekend, and I definitely should’ve practiced over lunch.

  But it was worth it. I’d been with her. And if I could go back, I would’ve done the same thing all over again.

  Fifteen – Sarah

  It was mid-September, which meant that on top of all of my other responsibilities, I now needed to add homeschooling Emma to the list. Or set-schooling, because I was trying to leave her evenings free for the gymnastics and hip-hop dance lessons I shuttled her around to.

  After buying the fourth-grade textbooks on Monday night, I stayed up late familiarizing myself with the concepts for the first week. Most of it was fine, although the way New Math was taught was incredibly confusing. The bigger problem was that my mind kept drifting, taking me back to thoughts of Katie.

  We were going to go on a real date, and I hoped I’d be able to handle it. On the one hand, it’d be just like all the times we’d gone out for lunch. Spending time with Katie was always easy and pleasant. On the other hand, it’d be a date. My first real date in years, and my first with a woman, ever.

  Surprisingly, I wasn’t too worked up about what this meant for my sexuality. Our time in the bedroom had been so intense and erotic, I had no doubt I wasn’t completely straight. Whether I was into women in general or just into Katie, I wasn’t sure, and it didn’t matter. She was the only person I wanted to be with, so why would I stress myself out over it?

  For now, I just wanted to enjoy my time with her. Even if I didn’t know if this was going to be more than a fun fling, even if I didn’t know if she was even capable of a real relationship… I’d go with the flow and figure things out later.

  I focused on the science textbook, which was explaining the planets in the solar system. I chuckled to myself at the inset box explaining that scientists had made a mistake about Pluto being a planet.

  Light flooded the living room, overpowering the dim light of my lamp. I squinted at the door, where Emma had appeared. In her pajamas, she tottered over to me.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie?” I cleared the textbooks off my lap and pulled her into my arms.

  “I can’t sleep.” She pouted. “I’m so tired.”

  “Did you try lying very still and closing your eyes?”

  “Of course I did. I’m not a baby, Mommy.”

  I cursed silently. Now I was going to have to spend time trying to get her to sleep—time I would’ve rather spent sleeping. Usually her gymnastics lessons knocked her right out. Apparently not tonight.

  “Let’s get you some warm milk,” I said, picking her up as I stood. “That’ll get you to sleep quick.” Maybe I’d have some myself.

  In the kitchen, I mi
crowaved two cups of milk. “Do you miss your friends from school?” I asked. She still saw them on the weekends, but now that they were back at school, things had to be different.

  “Not too much,” she said. “I FaceTimed Julie and Ellie and Cee while they were on lunch today.”

  “You did?” That must’ve been when I was out having lunch with Katie. “They’re allowed to FaceTime at school?”

  “During lunch. Duh.” She took both cups out of the microwave and handed me one. “Not during classes.”

  “Maybe they can help you with your schoolwork,” I said. “You’ll be studying the same things at the same time.”

  She rolled her eyes. “More like I’ll be helping them. I always get better grades than them.”

  Except now they’d be studying all day while she’d only have whatever pockets of time we managed to find on-set. Not to mention, they’d have a real teacher rather than a mom. The only good thing was that Emma would have my full attention whenever I was with her.

  “Let’s hope so,” I said.

  I already felt terrible about taking her out of school for a couple months, and her friends’ semester had barely started. If her grades suffered at all, there was no way I’d let her act again, no matter how talented she was.

  “I’m better at gymnastics, too,” she said, sipping her milk. “Ellie can’t even do one cartwheel.”

  “Mm-hmm.” I was going to have to have a talk with her about boasting. “A babysitter is going to take you to gymnastics on Friday, by the way. I’m going to be busy.”

  Her sleepy eyes narrowed at me. “Busy?”

  I bit my lip. I shouldn’t have mentioned this so soon. I should’ve waited until Friday rather than making a big deal out of it. I didn’t plan to tell Emma I was dating until things were more solid with Katie—or had evaporated completely.

  “Your mom still has a life, you know.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  She had me there. “Anyway, the sitter will take you, and she’ll stay with you here for the night.”

  She made a face. “What if I don’t like her?”

  “I’m going to call the lady you like.” So far Emma had been okay with the elderly, grandmotherly woman I’d found through an ad in the school newsletter. I prayed she was free, because Emma made a fuss about every other sitter.

  “All right.”

  “Glad you approve, little princess. Now let’s get you back to bed.”

  *

  Now that I was going to be tutoring Emma, I couldn’t take off at lunch hour anymore. That hour was precious time for her to learn all the new concepts that had to be drilled into her head. For the next few days, Katie ate with us on-set, which meant she also participated in our lessons.

  “Spell ‘rolled,’” I said, looking at the worksheet between bites of my sandwich.

  “R-O-L-L-E-D.” Emma fidgeted in her chair.

  “Good. Spell ‘hold.’”

  “H-O-L-L-E-D,” Katie offered.

  Emma gave her a pitying look. “No, it’s H-O-L-D.”

  “Oh, wow,” Katie said. “This is too hard for me.”

  I couldn’t tell if Emma was buying her act or not, but either way, the words were too easy for Emma. “Just a few more, and we’ll go on to math,” I said. “Spell ‘world.’”

  “W-O-R-L-D.”

  “Good, and ‘spoiled’?”

  “Um…” Emma’s face fell, and she rubbed the back of her neck. “S-P-O-L…”

  “Try again.”

  Emma frowned. “S-P-O-U-L…”

  “Nope.” I caught Katie’s eye, and we smiled at each other.

  “S-P-O-I-L-E-D,” Emma said triumphantly.

  “Perfect,” Katie and I said at the same time.

  Katie was actually pretty good at this, considering she claimed to not be good with kids. She had as much patience as me, if not more, and she was even able to explain some things to Emma when I couldn’t.

  I could see the two of them getting closer, and it warmed my heart. I just wondered if both of them saw it, too.

  Sixteen – Katie

  On Friday night, Sarah called me in a panic. “The babysitter I booked can’t take Emma,” she said all in one breath. “She’s having a family emergency. I don’t know how I could possibly find somebody else at this point. We can reschedule, can’t we? Did you have to make reservations for your surprise date?”

  “Kind of, yeah.” I’d booked us in at the most exclusive spa in LA. I’d had to pull some strings just to get us this appointment, and I might be blacklisted if I were to cancel at the last minute. “Are there any other options? What if I look for a babysitter for you?”

  “Emma’s so picky. She doesn’t like strangers.” I could hear Emma talking in the background, although I couldn’t make out what she was saying. “I have to go. Emma’s going to be late for gymnastics.”

  “Sarah, stay on the phone. We’ll figure this out.”

  “I’m not going to drive and talk.” The line disconnected.

  Fuck. I collapsed onto my bed, still wearing only a towel. I’d been halfway through getting dressed when she’d called.

  Was she trying to get out of going on the date? Freaking out last-minute about being interested in a woman?

  Although it was plausible, I didn’t think so. I was pretty sure she was just concerned about Emma, and I couldn’t blame her. She’d been so stressed all week, and I really wanted to give her a nice, relaxing evening. I would’ve wanted that even if it wasn’t also a hot date.

  Grabbing my phone again, I did some quick research. The site I found allowed me to sort by review rating and availability. I found a highly-reviewed sitter who appeared to be free tonight and gave her a call. At first she didn’t want to take on a job at the last minute, but she changed her tune when I offered to triple her pay. Since it was an overnight gig, it’d be a good chunk of change.

  Once she’d agreed, I sent Sarah the link to the sitter’s profile. She had a million five-star reviews, and I knew Sarah would notice all the comments about how well she got along with difficult kids.

  She can meet you at gymnastics practice and get to know Emma, I texted her. Just don’t take too long with her, because our appointment’s at 7:30.

  She replied instantly, I can’t afford this. Even our normal sitter was going to stretch my budget.

  Are you kidding? This is my treat. I stepped into a lightweight linen dress. Now hurry up and say yes before I end up at a fancy spa all by myself.

  She said yes, and just over an hour later, we were at the gold-pillared entrance to La Vie Envie Salon & Spa.

  “This place is gorgeous,” she said. “This must’ve cost a fortune.”

  “Just chill,” I told her, touching her lower back as we walked in. “Don’t think about the money. I’m certainly not.”

  “But this, and the sitter…”

  “I wanted to show you a good time, and you’re just going to wreck it with all this questioning.”

  I checked us in, and the attendant walked us back to a massage room. She left us alone so we could change, and I turned away to allow Sarah her modesty. “The sitter worked out, by the way?”

  “I don’t know what kind of magic she worked, but Emma immediately loved her.” She let out a breath. “And I don’t know what kind of magic you worked to get her.”

  “Stop worrying. I’m serious. If you don’t leave this place with a clear head and a relaxed body, I’m going to be pissed off.”

  “Great, now I’m going to stress about whether I’m relaxing enough.” She gave me a small smile.

  Our masseuses came in, and we both got on the tables. I sank my face into the silky fabric around the hole, adjusting my limbs against the plush cushioning. Sarah and I continued our conversation as the two women got to work, but within minutes, the strong fingers working on my muscle knots made me go silent aside from the occasional groan.

  The hour went by way too fast, with the masseuse’s talented hands sending me into a
haze of pain and pleasure. My neck and back had been stiffer than I’d realized, and by the time she finished, I felt like a puddle of jelly.

  Apparently Sarah felt even better. “That was incredible,” she whispered after the masseuses left. “Thank you so much.”

  “You don’t think your night is over, do you? We’re just getting started.” I drew the spa robe on lazily, trying not to peek at Sarah as she did the same. Being near her was creating some tension in my body, and not the kind that massage would take care of.

  An attendant appeared at the door. “Time for your facials, ladies.”

  She led us into another room, where we sat in big chairs like the ones at the dentist, but much comfier. The estheticians offered us blankets before having us fill out a questionnaire about our skin types and skin care regimens. Apparently they were going to treat us with a customized blend of essential oils and moisturizing ingredients.

  I lay back, covering myself with a blanket as the esthetician dabbed the products over my face. After covering my eyes with cucumber slices, she rubbed a scrub over my lips. She swished a cloth over my face before dabbing more stuff on. At this point, I didn’t even know what she was doing, but I loved it.

  The esthetician started to rub my temples. From her chair, Sarah let out a moan. “How has the world been hiding this from me all this time?”

  “You never thought you’d enjoy a facial?” I asked.

  “I just never thought about them.”

  I wondered when I’d had my first spa day. I was pretty sure I’d been around thirteen, too young to appreciate any of the lavish experiences. My mom had booked it for me as a reward for my hard work acting—or that was what she’d said at the time. She hadn’t come with me, of course, so maybe she’d just wanted me out of the way. Whenever I wasn’t working, she did whatever she could to not be around me.

  “Okay, ladies, it’s time for the steam treatment.”

  My face was covered with a hot towel, and more heat blew onto me from a source I couldn’t identify. I let out an exhale that sounded suspiciously like an “ahh.” This felt amazing.