LJ Maas - Rebecca’s Cove

Hobie sobered until she realized that she was acting as paranoid as Baylor. She laughed and shook her head to dispel the niggling doubts. “Oh, please. I’m sure there’s some rational explanation for it.”

“Weirder things have happened.”

“Oh, come on. You don’t seriously think that the women of this island have some special power that keeps them young or from ever getting sick, do you?”

“All I’m doing is bringing up the possibility that there are, I don’t know, forces on this island. Look at you and me. I drank like a fish before I got here. I think I’ve had a few beers and two margaritas all summer. That’s not counting the champagne I had tonight. Didn’t you have the same problem before you came back home? I’ve never even wanted a drink since I’ve been here. Okay, there was the party at the library, but I consider that an extreme time. How about you?”

“Oh, Baylor, that’s just—” It was too crazy a scenario to consider. Wasn’t it? “What? You think we have the fountain of youth on Ana Lia? That Ponce de León was right all along?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of, you know...spells and...stuff.”

“Excuse me?” Hobie asked with laughter in her eyes. “Oh, you heard what I said, Miss Smarty-pants.”

“I heard it, I just don’t believe you said it.” Hobie chuckled. “Look, whatever they’re doing, it’s working, and I, for one, am not about to question how they do it. Besides, we’re a part it now. What with our ceremony and the stars coming together, I expect that if they live to be five hundred, so will we.”

“Oh, my God,” Baylor cried out. “We’re witches, too!” “Baylor!”

“Sorry. Wiccans.”

“Being politically correct wasn’t why I was yelling at you.” Hobie laughed harder. She didn’t mean to make light of her lover’s worries, but Baylor’s paranoia exceeded anything Hobie had known. “I’m yelling at you because it doesn’t work that way. It’s like any other religion, so to speak. You have to make a conscious decision to follow it. You can’t just become one of them without knowing it. I’m pretty positive there are no such things as Wiccan pods that they slip under your bed at night.”

“Right. Okay, I know that.” Baylor pouted, embarrassed at having the thought in the first place.

“Can we move on to something else that will probably freak you out?”

“I’m glad you’re so amused with your own wit.” Baylor stole a piece of cheese from Hobie. She popped it into her mouth and lay back down, munching contentedly.

“I am, thanks and—hey, that was mine!” “Ya snooze, ya lose.”

“Okay, can I be serious for a second?” “I don’t know, can you?”

Hobie arched an eyebrow. “Sorry. Go ahead.”

Hobie pushed the basket away, lay beside Baylor, and leaned her head in the palm of one hand.

“Something...well, odd happened to me while we were making love. Not so much during, but right when...you know. The moment when I...”

Baylor appeared amused. “Climaxed.”

“Yeah. Geez, talking about it and doing it are really different, huh?”

Baylor chuckled. “I don’t know. You didn’t seem to have too much trouble verbalizing while we were doing it.”

Hobie slapped Baylor’s stomach.

“What was this odd thing that happened?” Suddenly, Baylor appeared interested.

“Okay, now remember that I had champagne, I was in the throes of great sex, and I was probably oxygen deprived. Okay?”

“Check.”

“I saw stars.”

“It’s all just part of the service, my love,” Baylor said smugly. She looked at Hobie and realized she was serious. “What kind of stars?”

“Well, it was like right before our stars came together tonight. They—”

“Slammed into each other.” “Yes! But—”

“You were right there—”

“Surrounded by them,” Hobie finished.

They looked at each other for a long, silent moment, just staring into each other’s eyes.

“You?” Hobie asked. Baylor nodded.

Hobie explained further. “When they exploded into one, there were all these—”

“Colors, and they spread out in big circles.” They lay in silence.

“Okay, I’m pretty freaked out right about now. How about you?” Hobie finally asked.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Is that even possible? For that to happen to both of us?” “Maybe there’s one of those rational explanations you’re so

fond of.”

“Very funny.”

Hobie chuckled aloud, then her laughter grew louder. “You’re not losing it on me, are you?” Baylor asked.

“No, sweetheart. Ironically enough, I think I’m finding it.” Baylor rolled to her side to look at Hobie. “I’m afraid to, but I have to ask. What in the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s just some thoughts that struck me. First, what weird things are going to happen to us now, and I’m not saying they ever will, but what if they did? What if we only age every other year from this point on? What if Rebecca Ashby has the fountain of youth buried in her backyard? What if the witches of Ana Lia live down the block from us, or if we see visions of stars every time we have sex? Does any of it really matter?”

“Of course it matters,” Baylor quickly said. “Why?”

“Well, because...in order to...I mean, they...” Baylor looked blankly at Hobie.

“See what I mean? We know none of it will hurt us. Frankly, the benefits have helped us more than anything else. It reminds me of something Evelyn said to you when you first got here. It was right after you met Albert at the Dilby sisters’ shop. Remember?”

“There’s not much chance I’ll ever forget that day. I’m not sure what Tanti said, though.”

“She said that we continue some things in life because we’ve grown comfortable with them that way. She said that change was hard on the soul and that sometimes you just accept things and people the way they are.”

“My Tanti said that?”

“Baylor Warren, you were sitting right next to me.” “I was in my pre-Ana Lia selfish phase. Sorry.”

“No need for you to be sorry. I was just as thick about it all, or self-involved, whatever you want to call it. That’s the second point I wanted to make. I’ve lived here all my life and all these subtle things were just as invisible to me. I don’t know how, but they were. It’s almost as if I couldn’t see them because I wasn’t ready. Does that make sense?”

“Sometimes people tell us all sorts of things, and it’s not that we’re not listening, just that we’re not quite ready to hear,” Baylor said, a faraway look in her eyes.

“Wow, that’s pretty profound.”

“Don’t get too excited.” Baylor smiled affectionately. “Rebecca Ashby said it to me when she was doing my tarot reading.”

“That’s kind of what I mean. If you think about it—now, I could be reaching here—but I get the oddest feeling they were trying to tell us about all of this way back then. I know hindsight is 20/20, but I think of the things these ladies said to us and it’s as if they know a whole lot more about life, and us, than we realize.”

“You know,” Baylor grinned, “that all of this sounds like something Harriet Teasley would say.”

“I see an easy book out of this.”

“Now that you bring it up, I already started a new novel. As a matter of fact, I’m about halfway through the first draft.”

“That’s wonderful. My mother will be thrilled to death. You know how she loves those—”

“It’s not a Harriet Teasley novel,” Baylor said softly, avoiding Hobie’s eyes.

“Not by Harriet Teasley? Then who?”

“Um...Baylor Warren. It’s a romance, but I decided not to hide behind the nom de plume anymore. I also decided not to hide behind straight romance. It’s the story of two women.”

Hobie smiled brightly. “Good for you. Whatever and however you decide to write, though, you know I’m behind you one hundred percent.”

“It’s been so many years that I have grown rather fond of old Harriet. I may have to write one once in a while to make the fans happy.”

“As long as you’re doing what you want to do, Baylor. I think if you do that, you can’t go wrong. So what’s the name of this new novel?”

“I was thinking about Rebecca’s Cove. I asked Rebecca Ashby and she thought it was a hoot.”

Hobie laughed and settled back against the blankets. “Go figure.” She snuggled against Baylor. Baylor pulled a blanket over them and they lay there, looking up to the sky. The blackness had changed to the pale pre-dawn color that heralded sunrise.

“We’ve been up all night and I’m tired, but not that tired,” Hobie said.

“Probably Ana Lia’s fountain of youth at work.”

“More likely is the fact that I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life. I love you, Baylor, and I promise to spend the rest of my life proving that to you.”

Baylor looked down and stroked Hobie’s cheek. “In my whole life, I never thought I’d be able to make anyone that happy. What surprises me even more,” she said softly, “is that I never thought I’d be that happy, either. I am, though, Hobie Lynn. I’m in love for the first time in my life and I promise that I’ll try never to do anything to mess that up.”

They lay together, winding down and waiting for sleep to come. Suddenly, Baylor chuckled.

“Hmm?” Hobie asked sleepily. “I was just thinking...” “Mmm, always dangerous.”

“Very funny. I was thinking about the Cove. More to the point, the sign outside the restaurant. ‘Rebecca’s Cove, the Golden Key of the Gulf.’” Baylor yawned and her eyes felt too heavy to keep open. “Who would’ve thought that a restaurant could be the key to so much of my happiness?”

She listened to Hobie’s deep even breathing and realized that she was already asleep. With an easy smile on her face, she gave up her own struggle to remain awake and slipped into the land of dreams.

From: BJW To: J Ross

Sent: Wednesday, December 25, 2002 5:33 PM

Subject: Hey there, woman!

Jules,

Hey, woman, Merry Christmas!

I know you were just here for the weekend, but you know I can’t let the holiday go by without harassing you.

First off, Hobie says hi. She said to tell you that the vertical blinds for your living room came in and she sent them back. Something about the wrong length...okay, I wasn’t listening real good, I admit. She starts showing me swatches and my eyes have a tendency to glaze over. I do remember her muttering something about mainlanders not being able to use the brains God gave them. She hopes you don’t mind, but she canceled the order, and the Dilby sisters have some on the way for you. Knowing those broads, you’re probably getting a fifty percent discount. I figure you could live with that.

Last on the list was the furniture for the office, and Theresa said it all came a few days ago. Hobie said it looks great. Theresa says the guesthouse is ready to move into, so get your butt down here. I say don’t forget to bring me Marconi bread when you come. Geez, what the hell are we gonna do once you’re all moved in permanently down here? We’ll have to bribe your secretary to send us our Chicago eats.

Let’s see...oh, before I forget, Noah just ran in and said thanks for the Harry Potter set. He loves them. Hobie’s a little worried because Noah wants us to build him a room under the stairs. Plus, he asked for an owl for Christmas. God, I love that kid! Hobie doesn’t understand kids the way we do. Mack tells me she was one of those girls who played with dolls instead of G.I. Joe. There’s no accounting for taste.

I signed the contracts for Rebecca’s Cove. They’re in the mail...I dropped them in the box the day before yesterday. Tell James I appreciate him taking a chance on this one. Can you believe how quickly I punched out that third draft? Must be the Gulf air out here. Whatever it is, I love it.

Hey, did I tell you that we have a new puppy? Tanti set up Arturo with some lady’s Bichon bitch on the mainland. Arturo didn’t act too thrilled about it...I think he’s gay. Hobie says I’m nuts, but you know how many times a day she says that to me. But he did his duty and we got his baby boy, Harley. I named him in memory of the bike Hobie made me sell. Oh, I know she didn’t really make me sell it, but trust me...She looked at me, folded her arms, and did that arched crooky thing she does with her eyebrow. Even I’m smart enough to know what that means.