Instead of handing her the spoon, Cassidy held it up for her, close to her mouth. Their eyes held as Laura licked a little from the bottom of the spoon. Cassidy smiled at her as Laura’s eyes widened.

“Wow! That is so spicy. And so good!”

“Thanks. When the chicken grills, the sauce gets a little smoky flavor to it. It’s not quite as sharp, but still plenty spicy.”

Laura stood back as Cassidy coated the chicken—thighs and drumsticks—liberally with the sauce. It was a thick, green goo, and she didn’t remember all of the ingredients, but it smelled oh so good and dinner was still hours away.

They cleaned up the mess together, easily working around one another in the spacious kitchen. After the Vitamix had been dried and put away, Cassidy announced that it was pool time…and beer time.

“I’m glad you like beer,” Cassidy told her as she added ice to the bucket with four bottles in it. “Some women don’t care for it.”

“You mean all your pretty model types?” she asked as she pulled their two floats from the closet.

“Yeah, them.”

“My dad was a beer drinker. When my mother wasn’t looking, he’d let me sneak a swallow or two.” She grinned. “Or three,” she added, remembering the fun conspiracy between them.

“Yeah, my dad too. Back in the day when he not only ran the company but went out on calls too, I remember him coming home, usually at dark. My mother would meet him at the door with a can of beer and a kiss.”

“Did your mother work?”

“Yes. She’s a nurse. Well, retired now. Yours?”

“No. Stay-at-home mom. Which was great when we were young. She was always here when we got home from school. At least once a week we’d come in to the smell of cookies baking.”

“Did you have a lot of friends in school?”

Laura frowned, wondering at the question. She shrugged. “I guess. Normal. Why?”

“You never mention any that you’ve reconnected with, now that you’ve moved back.”

“Oh. Well, honestly, when I left home, those friendships kinda fizzled. I had an inkling I was gay back in high school, I just didn’t want it to be true. And I had my share of crushes. When I finally gave up on the whole straight thing, I think I was embarrassed to let them find out…so I mostly avoided old high school friends.”

“Why embarrassed?”

“I didn’t want them thinking about gym class and how many of them I’d seen naked.” She laughed. “Oh, but there was one girl—Monica Russell—that I had such a crush on. I’m sure she knew it. I always stared at her breasts.”

“Why didn’t you want it to be true?”

“Oh, the usual reasons. Turns out I had nothing to be afraid of. My parents were great when I came out to them.”

“I came out in high school,” Cassidy said. “My mother cried.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you devastated?”