"Ohmigod," Kelsey says as I pull into the long driveway alongside the family home. "This is where your parents live?"

"Not exactly the trailer you had pictured, eh?"

She slaps my arm gently. "Harper."

I never thought much about the house growing up. All the houses in the Garden District are impressive. Ours was just another Greek Revival on the block. The one thing I did gratefully know was that it had eight bedrooms, so I didn’t have to share with any of my brothers.

As I park the Explorer, I see Mama walk out onto the porch, having heard us pull in. Well, here goes nothing. God, I can’t believe I ‘m nervous about being home. I’ve never felt this way before.

"By the way, do you speak French at all?" I ask as we climb out the vehicle.

She wrinkles her face up in a cute frown. "A little."

"Ah, good. French tends to be the language of choice with the family. But, they’re pretty good about it when any of the wives are around."

Her eyebrow hikes up toward her hairline. "I’m a wife now?"

"No!" Shit. "No, my brothers are all married. And only Rene speaks fluent French. The others are pretty bad with it, actually." Is my face as red as it feels?

"Okay. Because, I mean, Harper, we haven’t even gone steady."

I join her smile, catching her reference to our school adventure. "I did carry your books though."

"True. So, why don’t you get the luggage now?" Laughing at me, she turns and walks toward my home.

"Oh no, ma’am, get back over here!" I wave her back over.

She looks over her shoulder lowering her sunglasses to stare at me over the top of them. It is undeniably cute and a bit alluring. I wave her back again and she turns and very slowly walks back to me.

"Yes?"

"We’re not going steady. You can carry your own luggage." I hand her the black overnight bag. As she starts to take her the matching case, I cringe when I hear Mama.

"Harper Lee Kingsley, what you think you’re doing!"

I look to the porch and I can feel the gator shit getting deeper. "Yes, Mama?"

"Please tell me the last time a guest carried her own bags into our home."

"Mama, she’s not a guest," I protest. "She’s…she’s…" Words fail me. What is Kels to me? Finally, I take the damn bag as Mama crosses her arms and offers me a very disapproving look.

"Come on," I grumble as I start up the walk to the house.

"Grump," Kels teases as she gives me a little slap on the backside, dawdling a bit behind me.

I climb the steps and I am face to face with the one woman in to world who can make me do exactly what she wants me to do, when she wants me to do it.

My Mama.

"Bonjour, mon coeur. Comment ça va?"

She’s called me her heart for as long as I can remember. The boys were always called her spirit. And Papa is her soul. "Mama, ça va bien. Et toi? Et Papa?" Mama, I am good. And how are you? And Papa?

"Ça va bien. Qui est cette jeune fille?"

How to explain who Kelsey is to me? Well, guess I’ll go with the basics. "On travaille ensemble. Je te l'ai dit." My partner from work. I told you about her.

"Quelle dommage. Elle est vashement belle!"

Yeah, it is a shame. And, yeah, she is beautiful. "On n'est que m'amie. C’est tout, mamman!" She’s not my girlfriend, Mama. Don’t get any ideas either. My mother considers herself my personal matchmaker. Some parents, when they find out their child is gay, react poorly. My parents? Well, they immediately bought a rainbow bumper sticker for the fucking BMW, joined PFLAG, and started trying to hook me up with cute girls. Mama is also now the National Chairwoman of the Families for Same Sex Marriages. My sexuality is another one of their causes.

"Espèsce de tête dure!"

I roll my eyes. She’s been telling me I’m hard-headed for as long as she’s been calling me her heart. That explains a lot about both of us. "D'accord, mamman. Alors, est-ce que je te presenter Kelsey." I agree, Mama. Now, let me introduce Kelsey.


* * *

As Harper and her mother embrace and say hello, I take the time to take a really good look at the house. It’s truly beautiful. Surrounded by flowers and thick, old oak trees covered with Spanish Moss, it feels like taking a step back in time.

I take a deep breath as I lean against the railing and look out over the grounds. God, it is beautiful. Very traditional in southern charm and ambiance. In any other situation it could be very romantic, like finding the world’s best bed and breakfast.

"Hey, Little Roo." I turn to face Harper who still has her arm around her mother’s shoulders.

Cecile Kingsley is one of the most dignified and attractive women I have ever seen. It’s easy to see where Harper gets her good looks.

"Mama, may I introduce my partner, Kelsey Stanton. Kelsey, this is my Mama, Cecile Kingsley."

I offer my hand with a genuine smile. "Mrs. Kingsley, it is a pleasure to meet you."

I am not expecting to be pulled into a hug by the woman, but I go with it.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kelsey. And Mrs. Kingsley, elle a disarue, God rest her soul, was my mother-in-law. You call me Mama. All the friends and family do. Or Cecile, if you wish."

"Thank you." I look into my partner’s very amused blue eyes as I pull back from the hug.

"Harper has told me a lot about you."

"Really?" I raise my brows to my partner. Surely, she has better things to talk about than me when she calls home.

"Mais, yeah."

I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but since she’s welcoming me into her home and not ordering me off her property, I’ll go with the feeling that it’s been good. Will the surprises never cease?

"Harper, you take Kelsey up and get her settled. She’s in the guest room at the end of the hall, next to your room." Her words are full of soft sounds – gentle d’s and t’s. I can understand why French is the language of romance.

"Yes, Mama."

"I’ll find your Papa and you two meet us in the garden for tea when you’re ready. Robie and Rene will be here with les bébettes soon. We’ll have supper once they get here."

"Sounds fine, Mama." Harper nods as she begins collecting the bags again.

I hold out my hand to take the overnight bag. Harper smiles, giving her head a little shake as her eyes shift to her mother. "Allons." She motions toward the front door.

"Of course." I follow my partner.

"Kels, could you get the door?"

"I think I can manage that." I reach past her and push open the door.

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

I follow her in and am immediately struck by the beauty and the charm of the house. It is furnished entirely with antiques, with wide young pine and cypress that accent the floors and ceilings.

"It’s beautiful, Harper. You really grew up here?"

"Yup, I sure did." She heads for the staircase, which immediately makes me think of "Gone With The Wind."

"This is a Thomas Sully house, isn’t it?" I ask as I look at the intricate carvings on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs.

Harper stops in mid-step halfway up the stairs. The look on her face is one of pure shock. "Yes, yes it is."

"Thought so. The design of the house really reflects his work. From the crown moldings at the ceiling, I’d guess it was built between eighteen ninety and eighteen ninety-five."

"Ninety-two, actually."

"Well, what do you know?" I offer as I join her on the steps. "That year and a half I thought I wanted to be an architect finally paid off." I grin as I gesture up the stairs.

"Amazing," she mumbles as she continues up the stairs. "You’re full of surprises."

"So are you."

"What’s that suppose to mean?"

"You’ve been talking to your mother about me?"

"Sure. We work together. When she asks about work, you naturally come up."

"Naturally." I smirk just a little. I don’t talk to my mother about work. Hell, who am I trying to fool, I don’t talk to my mother.

I continue to take in the fixtures of the house. The crystal chandeliers, the old gas lamps lining the hall that have been converted to electricity, the rugs, old portraits and photographs that line the walls.

"Relatives?"

"Hmm?" Harper glances at the wall. "Oh yeah, most of them. Family history is very important to the Kingsleys and the Boudreaux."

"I figured."

She stops at one room and opens the door, dropping her bags inside it. She turns to me with a grin. "My room. Mama and Papa have left our rooms ready and available to us, in case we ever needed to come home. So far, only Jean has needed to. Elaine threw him out when he told her she looked fat during her last trimester."

"Ouch. Not good. My Mother turned my room into an office two weeks after I left for college."

She doesn’t seem to know how to respond to this. She shakes her head a little as she shows me the next room. "This is yours. I think you’ll like it."

A big four poster bed dominates the room, but the floor to ceiling French doors offer a beautiful view and lots of light. The light only serves to accent the marble mantle over the small fireplace and the crystal chandelier that hangs in my room.

"Is there a room in the house that doesn’t look like this?" I ask as I take it all in.

"No. It’s a pretty amazing place."

"Oh, now there’s the understatement of the century."

Harper places my bag down on the bench at the end of the bed and moves to the French doors. She pushes them open, allowing a soft breeze to blow in.

"Kels, just relax and enjoy it. Feel free to look around and get to know the place." She waves her hand toward the outside. "You have a private balcony here, and, as far as I’m concerned, the most beautiful view the house offers: it overlooks the garden."

I follow her out on to the balcony to find yet again more beauty. My view is of a formal garden below, filled with every flower known to man. God, no wonder she loves it here and wants to come home so often. I would too, if I had someplace like this to come to.

"Is that Harper Lee I see standing tall and proud up there?" A man’s voice brings me clear of my own thoughts.

I watch as Harper smiles and waves. "Yes, Papa."

I look down into the garden to find a tall, good-looking man with slightly graying hair and a mustache smiling up at us.

"And the very attractive young woman standing next to you would be?" He gestures my direction.

"This is Kelsey Stanton, Papa. She’s my partner, from work."

"Ah, yes, your Mama mentioned that you were bringing a guest. Good choice, Harper."

"Thank you, Papa."

I can tell that she’s a little embarrassed and I reach over and give her hand a little pat.

"It’s nice to meet you, Kelsey. We’re glad you could join us for the holidays."

"It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Kingsley."

"Eh, that’s a bit too formal for my tastes. Call me Jonathan."

I smile and nod.

"Well, when you two get settled, come on down and join us for a glass of tea."

"We’ll be down in a few minutes."

I feel Harper’s hand on the small of my back as she guides me back in. "I’ll leave you to get unpacked. If you need anything I’m right through that door there." She gestures to the door that connects our room which I hadn’t noticed before. "If you need me, just knock."

"Uh, Harper why don’t we just open it now? I’ve got to be honest, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed here and I’d like very much to keep you close for a while."

Truth is, here in this setting, I’d like to keep you close to me and naked … oh shit … did I just think that? Reality, Kels. Reality. But hey! it could lend to an interesting fantasy or two. God knows, I have enough of those.

"Sure, we can do that." She moves to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open to reveal her room on the other side. "Now all you need to do is give a whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you?" She is teasing me, I can tell.

"Uh huh, put my lips together and blow. I’ve got that down. Thanks."


* * *

As I finish unpacking, I hear her clear her throat. "How you doing, Little Roo?"

"All finished," I offer as I close the door to the wardrobe.

"Great. Let’s go down and find my folks."

"Harper?"

"Yeah?"

Oh God, how to do this? "I want to thank you again for the invitation. You’re right, this is better than old movies and popcorn."