“All of them,” Rachel said, nodding. “I’ve even read a couple of them more than once.”
“God, you are full of surprises,” Ainsley said.
“You have no idea,” Rachel replied.
Case in point: This straight woman wants to fuck your brains out.
Ainsley cocked an eyebrow and Rachel was suddenly afraid that perhaps she had said that out loud.
“So, what do you think of Chapter 25?” Ainsley asked, without needing to specify beyond that. Rachel had learned that whenever a gay woman says the words “Chapter 25,” they mean the chapter in The Fordham Road Fling, Sally’s first book. It was legendary.
“Best. Chapter. Ever. Like, fuck Shakespeare; fuck Hemingway.”
Ainsley burst into laughter.
Their drinks arrived then and they clinked glasses.
“I’m sorry to keep harping on about this, but I’m intrigued,” Ainsley began after they both had taken their first sips of their cocktails. “Considering you’re straight, reading books like that don’t…blech you out? I mean, Sally gets pretty fucking graphic, which I love because, you know, I’m gay.”
Rachel took another sip of her delicious margarita and then leaned forward. Doing so forced her to shift in her seat a little and as a result, one of her bare legs made contact with one of Ainsley’s. Yet neither of them broke the contact.
“Can I be honest with you?” Rachel asked.
She noticed Ainsley swallow.
“Please,” Ainsley said. “If I’m expected to remove your gallbladder one day, honesty is required.”
Rachel smiled.
“Whatever the polar opposite of blech is,” she began, “that’s how Sally’s books make me feel while reading them.” And she then slid the leg that was touching Ainsley’s just a smidge upwards a bit and then back downward. Ainsley’s eyes went wide.
“Volleyball!” the blonde exclaimed.
Rachel burst out laughing.
“Is that our new topic of conversation or your use of the safe word?” she asked, grinning impishly.
“What do you think?” Ainsley replied, blushing hotly.
“I think you need to upgrade me from a six to at least an eight on the flirting scale.”
Chapter 10
After Ainsley dropped their “safe word,” Rachel gave her a rundown on the next steps for completing the purchase of the Carlsbad house. With the sellers so eager and with her excellent financial qualifications, Rachel was telling her that she expected the sale to go through quickly, provided everything went well with the home inspection, which Rachel assured her she could schedule for the coming week, probably no later than Wednesday.
Ainsley was glad. She really wanted to make the move to Carlsbad. She knew she’d miss certain aspects of San Diego because she enjoyed the city, but at this point in her life Carlsbad was more her speed. What’s more, it would put her closer to some of her favorite people. Becca lived in Carlsbad and so did Krissy. Wendy and her husband lived in nearby Vista, and Katrina, another one of her volleyball buddies, lived in Oceanside.
And Rachel lived in Carlsbad…
Putting aside her insanely high level of attraction for the real estate agent, Ainsley loved the idea of getting to know Rachel more and having her as part of her inner circle. Today’s volleyball games had already proven that Rachel fit right in with the rest of her friends, several of whom had found stolen moments either during the games or in the locker room to tell her how awesome they thought Rachel was. Even Charlotte told her she liked Rachel.
And they were right. Rachel was awesome. And Ainsley knew her silly little crush on the redhead would pass. From what her friends like Becca and Krissy have told her, Carlsbad was practically teeming with lesbians nowadays. Apparently, there was even a coffeeshop in town where a lot of them gathered. All of this meant that Ainsley was sure to eventually find someone to get involved with; maybe even build a life with.
Their server returned with new drinks. This time, Ainsley had the watermelon margarita and Rachel got herself the peach-flavored one. When the server placed the drinks down, she also included a couple more cocktail napkins. The napkins were decorated with little red hearts and the words “Happy Valentine’s Day!!”
Ainsley rolled her eyes.
In fact…