Coach Burke from Stanford wanted me to come up for a couple of workout camps, one the last week in June and the other the third week in July. The first game of the season was going to be in Texas at the end of August, so I needed to report in to Stanford on the eighth of August even though classes didn’t start until the twenty-ninth. This really didn’t leave a whole lot of summer for Stephanie and me, but we tried to make as much time for each other as possible.

Stephanie and I were trying to keep our new relationship on the Q.T. as far as our parents were concerned. Once I started working at the nursery we couldn’t spend the days together at Steph’s house, which really put a serious dent in our opportunities for intimacy. In a way that worked out O.K., because we continued to do the friend-type things like go to the mall or just kick back on the couch and watch old movies on cable. My skill at the pool table got a lot better, too. Sharing time together in these ways helped our relationship achieve an easy comfort level, and we found we had a lot in common.

We both liked old comedies, for example. Sure, I preferred Bill Murray and Steph liked Chevy Chase, but we could both agree that Steve Martin was a comic genius, even if Peter Sellers was a way better Inspector Clouseau. We both loved A Fish Called Wanda but hated its sequel. We both preferred Roger Moore over Sean Connery, and so on.

We both also enjoyed just talking, sometimes about stuff that mattered (like college and future plans), and other times about stuff that didn’t matter at all, like why yellow was better than purple (purple is too bossy, but yellow is just plain happy to be there). Just hanging out and talking about anything or nothing at all was plenty good, but really, if anything defined our relationship, it was the sex.

One particular morning, it was plenty warm enough by ten o’clock for us to want to be in the water, so we did what had started to feel natural and no longer weirded me out- we stripped down to our birthday suits and grabbed some towels and Cokes and went out to the pool

Stephanie laid down on her towel next to the pool and gave me a hopeful look as she held the cocoa butter out for me. “Do me?” She asked, then blushed when I smirked at her choice of words.

“I’d be happy to do you, Steph,” I replied as she settled down on her tummy. “In fact, I’m gonna do you a whole bunch of times.” I squeezed a big trail of the cocoa butter along her spine, starting at her neck and ending at the crack of her smooth, firm little butt. Rubbing gently, I spread the cocoa butter on her neck, shoulder blades and arms. Continuing down, I gradually worked my way down her back, admiring her golden brown tan. Paying special attention to the dimples right above her butt got a sexy moan that let me know that whatever I was doing, it was definitely working for her. I was certainly feeling plenty warm down south myself, too, and enjoying it as much as Stephanie was.

I grabbed the bottle of cocoa butter and dribbled a thin stream in the shape of a smiley face right across her butt. She twitched as the butter drizzled on the back of her vaj and sucked in a breath.

I returned to rubbing, and gave her glutes a deep massage, my fingers dipping in between ever so lightly to just graze across her most sensitive spots. I got just the reaction I wanted when I tickled her ass and pussy without spending enough time to satisfy her desires (or mine, for that matter).

I drizzled some more cocoa butter down the back of her legs, then abandoned the playground where they met in favor of massaging her hams and calves. This got some small sounds of complaint at first, but after a moment Stephanie gave in to the pleasure of the massage and relaxed again.

Done with the back of her legs, I gave Stephanie a tap and told her to flip onto her back.

I moved back up her body and applied some butter to her upper chest, rubbing it in to her collarbones and shoulders, then her arms. Stephanie was completely relaxed, occasionally glancing up at me through those heart-shaped sunglasses of hers and smiling in bliss.

I poured a bit of the butter on her left nipple, which made her jump a bit, then did the same on her right. I took special care to massage the butter onto her breasts, since I didn't want to miss even the tiniest spot. As much as Stephanie complained that her breasts were small, to me they were perfect. Tiny little aureolas barely bigger the than the pencil eraser-sized nipples, which turned dark brown and hard as anything under my attentive hands. The saying that anything more than a handful was a waste was never more true. Stephanie was moaning with pleasure by this point and squirming a bit, but trying to keep herself still for my ministrations.

Done (for a bit, anyway) with her breasts, I squeezed some cocoa butter on her belly and worked my way down, tickling her by sticking my finger in her little belly button and flicking the little gold hoop she had there. Receiving a little slap on my hand for that, I resumed my progress south, making another smiley face with the butter right below her waist. The bottom of the smile ran right across her cute little clit, again, getting a twitch as the cold cocoa butter landed.

I rubbed the cocoa butter across the plane of her hips and down to just above the top of her slit but avoided the really sensitive spots, which got myself another little growl of frustration, but I was enjoying torturing Stephanie this way. As for me, I was soaking wet too, but I wanted to draw this foreplay out for a while longer.

Working my way down her left leg, I was careful to avoid brushing against Stephanie’s mound until I was away from the danger area, then I really worked to give Steph a good deep tissue massage on her quad. The shins aren't really all that erogenous, so I quickly finished up with the left leg, then started at the top of the foot on her right leg, reversing my way back up.

By the time I got up to where the legs connect, Stephanie was squirming something fierce, and this time I didn’t tease. I knelt between her legs and stroked the insides of her thighs, making my intentions clear. I put some butter on my hand and just rubbed it right into her vaj, rubbing it into her labia, sliding my fingers up and down on either side of her little nub which had gotten quite hard by this point. Stroking up and down, rubbing little circles around her clit with the pad of my thumb, I slid first one finger in, then a second, gently pumping in and out as I played with her clit with my left hand.

No longer able to keep silent, Stephanie was moaning and rocking her hips while her hands were busy with her breasts. She had very sensitive nipples, and I’d been able to make her come in the past simply by playing with her boobs. Watching her play with her gleaming breasts and pinch her nipples as I slid in and out of her center was almost too much for me to stand, so when I felt her tighten around my fingers as she came I reversed my position and straddled her arms with my knees, leaning back and smashing my pussy right into her face, knocking her sunglasses right off.

Stephanie didn’t need any encouragement, and she dove right in, licking, nipping and sliding her tongue exactly where I needed it. I returned the favor, spreading her legs so I could get access to her pussy, too. Unfortunately, I am much taller than her so the classic sixty-nine didn't really work and I had to go back to using my fingers to slide in and out. She quickly came again, and a moment later I did too, coming all over her face. Steph had discovered the joy of cunnilingus and had told me that burying her face in my pussy was as good as it gets. Judging by the look on her face, covered in my juice when I rolled off, she was in heaven. Her warm brown eyes had a pleased and satisfied look as she gazed at me, in no hurry to move.

Once I could get up I jumped in the pool, shocked at the cold water but invigorated at the same time. Swimming around, it only took a few moments for me to become accustomed to the temperature. By this time Stephanie had joined me, and we roughhoused a little in the water, using any opportunity to cop a quick feel. After a while of this, Stephanie swam up to where I was standing in water deep enough to cover my shoulders. She wrapped herself around me and we just started kissing, tender at first, but it didn’t take long to become quite heated and passionate. Steph loved to stick her tongue as deep and she could in my mouth as well, and soon enough she was doing her best to check to see if I still had my tonsils. I adjusted my arms around her and moved my hands under her butt, reaching my fingers just enough to play with her slit. We’d done a little bit of butt exploration, but only ever stayed on the outside and that was perfectly OK with both of us. She was sensitive there and did like it when I stroked her asshole, so I did just that and slipped inside her pussy just to the first knuckle, too.

Stephanie readjusted her position to give me better access and my finger slipped in to the second knuckle, sliding in and out. This was enough to distract her from her kissing, and she laid her head down on my shoulder, breathing hard. I lifted her a bit so I could slide another finger in, and soon my two middle fingers of my left hand were sliding all the way in and out while my right index finger played with her back door.

It didn’t take long for her to come again, and this time I left my fingers in as she recovered.

“That was awesome,” Stephanie breathed once she could speak again. “Leah, I love you so much.”

“Do you love me enough to maybe, I don't know, do this again?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I’ll need a few minutes first,” she replied, her sense of humor returning. “And maybe lunch, too. I’m, like, starving.”

“What? I’ve been the one doing all the work,” I protested.

“Maybe so,” Stephanie agreed, “but that appetizer I had left me wanting more.”

Laughing, I shoved her off me and we both swam and splashed around for a while before getting out and toweling off.

After a lunch of cold cuts sandwiches (and more Cokes, of course) we went back out to lie in the sun. This time I put on sun block and Stephanie reapplied her cocoa butter because we just wanted to relax and do nothing for a while.

It was a good thing, too, because Stephanie’s mom surprised us by coming home to pick up some paperwork. Steph and I were lying by the side of the pool discussing purple’s distinctly overbearing nature when Steph’s mom slid open the patio door and walked out to say hello. This would have been O.K., except for two things. First, she took us totally by surprise and we both nearly had heart attacks, and second, we were both sunbathing in the buff.

Mrs. Houk was totally unfazed by our nudity and Stephanie didn’t seem bothered to be caught like that, but I was completely mortified. Mrs. Houk explained that she was just stopping by to pick up some paperwork, then left to go back to her office.

“God,” I complained. “I wish I’d heard her coming and could have gotten something on.”

“Don’t worry,” Steph reassured. “Mom doesn’t care. When I was little she used to lie out in the sun naked, like, all the time. I’m just glad she didn’t bust us making out.”

Stephanie wasn’t about to tell her mom that she was in love with another girl, and I totally respected that. Although my mom had come to accept my relationship with Emmy, somehow I felt guilty about Steph and me so I played it like we were just good friends. Later, I found she knew what was going on but she never said as much at the time.

When Stephanie told me she wanted to come up for my first training camp I was more than happy to have her come along. I’d been assigned a single dorm room for the week, but when I emailed Coach Burke to ask if I could bring my best friend he agreed and set me up with a double. I wasn’t about to tell him that we’d only need one bed. I just wasn’t comfortable with sharing that bit of information with my new coach or teammates just yet.

We drove up to Palo Alto in Stephanie’s Civic, but I insisted that I was going to pay for everything- gas for her car, our food, whatever. Even though Stephanie’s mom had more money than mine I had more spending cash because of my way better job. Also, I knew tuition and books were going to be paid for by my scholarships, but Stephanie was going to be on the hook for all of her school expenses. Sure, she was planning on living at home and commuting to class to save money, but her budget was still very tight.

That week was wonderful. The campus was so beautiful I fell in love with the place, even though it was really hot- hotter than I was used to back in Fallbrook, that’s for sure. The gym facilities were amazing, and Mr. Burke and his assistant coaches were incredible. I was sore every day from the intense workouts, which were way, way more demanding than anything I’d ever experienced- but I loved it anyway.

By the end of that week I felt as if I belonged on the team, and in fact, Coach Burke hinted I might get to start as a freshman, which is unusual.

After workouts I got in the habit of returning to our dorm room so Stephanie could give me a back rub to help my sore muscles. I have to admit I probably didn’t need the massages as much as I made it seem, but Stephanie had wonderful hands and I loved the feel of her touch on my bare skin, so I milked it for all I could.

In the evenings, the two of us would drive around and check out the town. One day we went to the Winchester Mansion in San Jose. It creeped Steph out, but I thought it was really cool, but sad, too. We wanted to go up to San Francisco but we just didn’t have time during the week, so we went the Saturday after camp was over. We did the touristy things like Fisherman’s Wharf, riding the cable car, freezing our butts off- the typical San Fran summer things. That night it was a long drive back home, and I didn’t want our special time to end.

Back home again we slipped back into our regular routine, sneaking time together when we could. One day at work I was thinking about the relationship Steph and I had going, which then led to thoughts about Emmy and how it had been with her. We’d been a real couple, living together and sharing our lives together.

With Stephanie, though, it was all quick make-out sessions in her car or stealing an hour or two when we had her house to ourselves. I mean, sure, we texted all the time, but it just wasn’t the same. For instance, that night we were planning on going to Tom and Allie’s birthday party. I didn’t want to go, but Tom begged and said he really needed us and to hell with what Allie had to say. Steph and I agreed, but told Tom we were going as friends of his, and not as a couple. I mean, Tom knew about us, and so did Mindy, but nobody else did and we wanted to keep it that way.

Having to hide our relationship like that was making me feel kinda sick, but what could I do? I was proud of my beautiful, sweet and sexy girlfriend, and Steph told me she was proud of having me, but she just wasn’t ready to announce it to the world.

Remembering the ration of crap that had been heaped on me when Emmy and I were outed I can’t say I blamed Stephanie at all, but it still hurt.

Lost in these thoughts, I wasn’t very productive at all that day. The next day was the fourth of July and the nursery would be closed, so I knew Steph and I could spend some time together. I made up my mind to talk to her about how I was feeling, but that didn’t make me feel any better.

I borrowed Mom’s car to go over to Tom’s house at six. Allie answered the door and nearly slammed it in my face before Tom stopped her.

“I don’t want her here,” Allie said, angry.

“Yeah, but I do,” Tom replied, and opened the door to let me in. I’d known it was going to be unpleasant, so I was prepared, but it still hurt to be treated so badly by someone I used to think of as a friend.

“Are Mindy and Stephanie coming?” Tom asked as we walked into the living room.

“Yeah, Steph is picking Mindy up after work,” I replied.

“Great! My friend Robert is coming in a bit, too,” Tom said, excitement in his eyes.

“Uh, as in ‘Mindy’s cousin’ Robert?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” he answered, grinning like an idiot.

“Oh, wow” was all I could say.

“Yeah,” agreed Tom.

“Tom, could we talk outside?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be there after all.

Out on the back patio, I hissed “Don’t tell me you’re going to spring Robert on your family.”

“You know I have to tell them sooner or later, and today is the day. Robert drove down from Portland for this. I’m going back up with him,” Tom whispered back. “I really need your support, Leah. Please.”

“Don’t expect me to spring Stephanie on your family,” I said, my voice low and angry.

“No, no. I don’t want you guys to do anything except be here for Robert and me, that’s all. I’m expecting it’ll be a big shit fit, and I already have all my stuff packed and ready to haul ass out the door. Please, Leah. I need you here.”

“O.K. But if it ends in a fight, I’m going to use it as an excuse to knock Allie out cold,” I warned, only half joking.

“She’s all yours, Rocky. All yours.”

Things went about as well as can be expected that night. Mindy, Stephanie and Robert all showed up at the same time, but Robert had driven his own car. Dinner was awkward, with Tom’s entire family making a point of being nice to Robert, Steph and Mindy but snubbing me, the outcast lesbian. I was O.K. with playing the part, but unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to grab Allie’s ass or squeeze her thigh under the table, which I’d planned on. She avoided me like the plague and just never got within range.

After the cake and presents, Tom stood up and said he had an announcement.

“Mom, Dad, Allie, I want to thank you for the last eighteen years of my life. It’s been great, mostly. But now, it’s time for me to move on to the next phase of my life. I’m an adult now, and legally capable of making my own choices.”

Looking at Allie, her parents, and their grandmother, I saw a mix of confusion and concern on their faces. Oh boy, I thought. They have no idea what’s about to hit them, do they?

“Tonight, after the party, I’m moving back to Portland,” Tom said, looking around. “I’ve never really been happy here, and up there I can make a new life for myself with my boyfriend, Robert.” He reached down and took Robert’s hand and squeezed it.

There was shocked silence for a long moment, then Robert stood and placed a loving kiss on Tom’s lips to emphasize what had just been said.

I felt myself tearing up because I was so proud of Tom’s bravery, but Tom’s parents started shouting. Allie came over, glared at me, then said “This is your fault,” and slapped my face. Hard.

I was too surprised to react for a moment, giving her the time to get away. I leapt up from the couch and chased her up the stairs, hitting her door with my shoulder before she could get it shut. I bowled her over onto her bed. She tried to fight me but I was too big and strong and I pinned her under my weight, holding her hands above her head.

Allie was screaming obscenities I didn’t even think she knew, but I just stared her down until she shut up. “Allie,” I said, furious. “Shut the fuck up. This is not my fault, and you know it. Tom has known he’s gay for years. Hell, you’ve probably known at some level for years. You guys are twins, after all. He told me the reason you guys moved from Portland was so your parents could get him away from his ‘bad influence’ friends. Isn’t that right?” Allie didn’t say anything, so I continued. “You should fucking want your own brother to be happy. He’s in love, Allie. Love. That’s what it is. Do you even know what that means? Do you even have any clue what love means, Allie?” I could sense that others had come into the room but I ignored whoever it was, still not letting Allie look away.

“If there was ever once in your life, Allie, now is the time to try to be a decent human being and get over yourself. You have known Tom your entire goddamned life, so show him the respect he deserves as your brother!”

I let her go, standing up to look at who was there. Stephanie and Mindy were there, looking at me with shock and surprise. Allie’s dad was there, too, and I’m not sure at all that I understood the expression on his face. He wasn’t happy, that was clear, but he also didn’t look super mad at me, or anything.

“Leah, I think it’s time you and the others go home now,” he said in a level voice. “Allie, you need to come down to the living room.”

Mindy, Steph and I left, but not before giving Tom hugs goodbye. “I’ll email you,” he said, and I hoped it was true.

Standing on the sidewalk, Mindy asked “Can you believe Tom is gay? And Robert? I had no idea!”

“Yeah, I knew,” I confessed. “Emmy knew right away, but Tom told me so right after Christmas break.”

“So you knew what was going to happen tonight?” Steph asked, suddenly pissed off.

“Well, no, not until I got here and Tom told me that Robert had driven down from Portland. I mean, he told me a long time ago that he was outta here the moment he turned eighteen, but I didn’t realize he meant it so literally.”

“Well, that was, like, kind of a shitty way to do it,” Stephanie said, and my heart sank a bit. I guess the talk I was planning on having with her might not go so well after all, I thought.

“I don’t know,” I said, defending Tom. “It was going to be a big deal no matter how it happened, and this way he at least had some supportive friends, right?”

“Supportive friends? Is that what you call it?” asked Stephanie. “I was afraid you were going to get thrown in jail for beating Allie up!”

“Look, I’m sorry about that. It’s just…” I couldn’t really put my frustration and anger into words, especially not when it was a subject that needed to be addressed between Steph and me. “See you guys tomorrow?” I finished lamely.

“Yeah. Four o’clock,” said Mindy. “And don’t forget to bring your sister. We’re gonna watch fireworks when it gets dark.”

I was bothered that Steph hadn’t said anything about coming over to swim (which had become our code phrase) and drove back home in a crummy mood. Mom asked how it went at Tom’s birthday party, and I snapped at her that it was fine, a barrel of laughs. I knew she was concerned because of possible confrontations with Allie, but what could I tell her? That Tom came out in spectacular fashion, I very nearly beat up one of my old best friends, and now for some reason my girlfriend that I haven’t admitted to is mad at me? Yeah, not gonna happen, so I went to bed feeling crappy for being rude to Mom on top of all the rest of the stuff that had happened that day.

The next morning Stephanie called to ask if I wanted to come over to swim, but I was still in a bad mood, so I told her that I was babysitting my sister and I could only come over if Tiffany could come to swim, too.

“But baby, I was hoping…” Steph whined, but I cut her off.

“Maybe it’s not a great idea,’ I said tersely. “Tiffany probably shouldn’t get that much sun, anyway. I’ll see you at Mindy’s place tonight,” and I hung up the phone, feeling like even more of a jerk than I already did. I’d just gone from being pissed off at the world to pissed off at the world and myself, too.

I’d lied to Mom about last night, been lying to Mom about Stephanie, and I’d just lied to Stephanie to hurt her feelings. The worst part of it all? I couldn’t lie to myself in any convincing fashion that it would all be O.K. There was nobody I could talk to, and I felt completely alone.

I found myself at my computer, checking my email, then checking the spam filter, something I hadn’t done in a while. I realized I was looking for any kind of sign from Emmy that she missed me, or was even still alive, for that matter. There was nothing, same as always.

Mom took Tiff and me to lunch at the burger place down by the freeway, but even their chili fries couldn’t help my mood.

“Mom, can I borrow the car for a little bit after lunch?” I asked, a thought occurring to me.

“Sure, but don’t be gone for too long. Don’t forget you’re taking Tiffany to Mindy’s party at four.”

“It shouldn’t take me too long.”

I dropped Mom and Tiff off at home, and headed out of town on the road that lead to the Lascaux estate. Turning onto the little road through the avocado groves, I mentally crossed my fingers that my plan would work. Thankfully, the same friendly security guard was manning the gate.

“Good afternoon, Miss Farmer. How can I help you?” he asked, all smiles.

“Um,” I began. “Well, It’s kind of a long shot, but I lost my varsity jacket a couple, maybe three months ago, and the last place I can remember it for sure was here, in Emmy’s room. Do you guys have, like, a lost and found or something?”

“Lost and found?” he chuckled. “No, but I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you go up to the house? I’ll buzz the housekeepers and they can help you check.”

“That’d be great, thanks a lot,” I smiled my gratitude at him as he opened the gate for me. I drove up to the front of the big stone house, once again struck by how massive but yet lovely the place was.

I didn’t recognize the housekeeper that was waiting for me, but she seemed to remember me so I thought that was a good sign.

“I don’t know if the guard at the front gate told you, but I lost my varsity jacket and it occurred to me that the last time I’d worn it was here. You wouldn’t happen to have seen it, would you?” I asked, trying to sound hopeful.

“No, I don’t think so, but why don’t you come with me and we can check?”

“Great! Thanks!” I replied, thinking that my stupid plan maybe wasn’t so stupid after all.

Walking through the house and seeing all the white sheets on the furniture really hit home that Emmy and her family were truly gone and not planning to return any time soon. The housekeeper let me in to Emmy’s room, and it was just the same. There were white dust sheets on the couch, the bed, and even on Emmy’s Yamaha keyboard. I was led into the closet where all of the hanging clothes were in dry cleaner bags and the folded clothes on the shelves had plastic sheeting on them. I made a show of looking through the hanging jackets, hoping the housekeeper would get bored and leave me by myself, which she did after a few minutes.

“If you need anything, please let me know,” she said. The moment she left, I started searching for any sign of where I could get ahold of Emmy now, but there was nothing, and the more I looked, the more depressed I got. Eventually I just sat down on the bed, clutching a pillow to my chest, but that didn’t help, either. I’d been hoping it would smell like Emmy, but the sheets and pillowcases just smelled like clean laundry, nothing more.

It must have been about ten minutes later when the housekeeper returned to find my holding that pillow and crying my eyes out. I’m not sure what she thought was going on, but she sat next to me on the bed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder and murmured some comforting words in Spanish to me.

“The princess might have taken your jacket with her to Paris,” I heard the housekeeper say, but it was in a very soft voice, so I wasn’t sure.

“What?” I sniffled.

“It may be that the princess took your jacket with her,” she explained. “The only things she wanted to take were things that reminded her of you.”

I knew she meant it to comfort me, but the news only made my heart feel worse, and certainly did nothing to stop the flow of tears. I sat there crying, with that housekeeper whose name I couldn’t remember rubbing my back in sympathy.

Eventually my tears dried up, and I got up and washed my face. Looking around the tile and stone bathroom I remembered telling Emmy that I could happily live there, it was so big. Now it was just empty space, full of nothing but memories.

My mission had failed. I had nothing except concrete proof that the Lascauxs were not coming back, and that’s the last thing I wanted. I drove home, feeling miserable, and then more miserable when I thought about how my little search for clues about Emmy was in a way unfaithful to Stephanie. Ugh.

When I got home I took some Advil and lay down on the couch. Mom sat down on the edge of the couch next to me and asked where I’d gone, and I told her I went to Emmy’s house to see if I could find out how to contact her. I told Mom how they’d let me in to Emmy’s room, but there was nothing to find, and in fact, the whole house was put away in deep storage. It might be years before they come back, if ever, I said.

“Oh, honey,” Mom sighed. Then she asked “Does Stephanie know?”

My face burning with shame, I said “No, I didn’t tell her I was going.”

“It’s not really fair to her, now, is it?” Mom asked gently.

“No, I know,” I admitted.

“How are things going between you and Stephanie, Lee? Did you two get in a fight last night? When you came home so upset, and with that red mark on your face, I was really worried.”

“What? No! We didn’t get in a fight. No, Allie slapped me,” I said, then “Well, yeah, Stephanie and I had an argument, too.” Then, trying to change the subject a little I asked, “How long have you known? I mean, about and me and Steph?”

“A while now,” Mom confessed. “I figured you two were trying to keep it secret because Stephanie wasn’t ready to go public.”

“Well, yeah, there’s that. But Mom? I also don’t want Tiff to know. She misses Emmy so badly, I think she’d really be hurt if she thought I’d given up on ever seeing her again.”

“Yes, that’s probably true,” Mom sighed. “She does miss Emmy more than I would ever have imagined. You know she asks me almost every day if Emmy’s called?”

“Oh, jeeze. I didn’t need to hear that,” I groaned, glad that Tiff was playing with her friends at the apartment complex pool.

“No, I don’t imagine you did. I still don’t know what happened that night, Lee. You’ve never really explained it to me, so I haven’t been able to tell Tiffy anything, either.”

It suddenly struck me how unfair I was being by withholding information from my mom, who had, after all, welcomed Emmy into her house like a daughter-in-law.

“Well, a lot of it I’m not clear on, either, but I can tell you that Emmy and I didn’t get into a fight. She didn’t fly out of here like that because she was mad at me. She was mad at her mom.”

“Her mother?” Mom asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, her mom. Mrs. Lascaux had waited until one night I would be alone in the house, without you or Emmy home, and she came to talk to me.”

“What did she want to talk about?” Mom was really perplexed by this.

“She wanted to get some information from me, find out how much I knew-” I stopped myself, realizing almost too late that there were secrets I just couldn’t tell my mom.

“How much you knew about what, Lee?” Mom’s voice was sharp, and she wasn’t going to let this go.

“Well, about their family business, mostly,” I hedged.

“Why would that matter?” Mom demanded.

I could tell that my fumbling around the edges wasn’t going to satisfy her, so I changed my approach. “This is a secret, Mom. Emmy tried to hide it from me, but I figured it out. She wasn’t supposed to tell me anything, and her mom wanted to know if Emmy had spilled the beans to me or not. I told Mrs. Lascaux that I’d figured it out on my own, and Emmy did her best to hide it from me so Emmy wouldn’t get into trouble.”

“And what is this secret that’s so important about the Lascaux family business? They aren’t drug dealers, or weapons merchants, are they?” Mom was getting angry with me, and it had been bothering me for months to keep it all hidden, so I figured it was time to come clean. Well, mostly, anyhow.

“No, it’s nothing like that. Nothing illegal. It’s just, well, you remember how I told you they call her ‘princess’?”

“Yes, I remember you telling me that,” Mom said in a tone which meant ‘out with it now’.

“Well, she really is a princess. Her parents are king and queen of their people, and she’s the heir to their throne.” There. It was out. Mostly.

“What?” asked Mom, astonished.

“No, it’s true. She really is a princess, and she really is the sole heir to the throne. That’s why her parents were so against the two of us being together. They need grandchildren, Mom. They are determined to preserve the line.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“No, it’s true. That’s how they have so much money, and seem so old-fashioned. They actually are royalty.”

“That doesn’t explain why Emmy was so mad, or why she left with them.” Mom was going to take some convincing, I could tell.

“She didn’t say why she was so mad when she blasted off out of here, but I think it’s because she thought they were meddling in her life. In our life. And I think she left with them because she had no choice.”

“You mean you think they took her against her will?” Mom asked, disbelief in her voice.

“I’m almost positive. The housekeeper today told me that the only things she took with her to Paris were things that reminded her of me.”

“Well, I guess that would explain why it happened so suddenly, but I’m not sure I understand why they would kidnap their own daughter.”

“Yeah, that’s the part I don’t understand, either. Especially since it seemed that the talk I had with her mom went well, and I really thought that maybe we’d come to an understanding,” I sighed.

“You and Emmy’s mother? What kind of understanding?” Mom asked, again sounding inquisitorial.

“Well, it’s kinda embarrassing, really,” I said, not looking at my mother. “I told her that if it’s grandkids that are the holdup, we could do in vitro or something.”

“You told her what?” Mom demanded, her voice rising.

“Well,” I said, getting defensive, “it’s not like Emmy and I hadn’t discussed kids. She told me that she always knew that she’d have to have children to continue the line. I just told Emmy’s mom that if we were still a couple, and I hoped we would be, that raising test tube babies could be the solution, that’s all.”

“And you say that Emmy’s mother seemed to find that acceptable?”

“Well, yeah, it seemed that way,” I sighed. “But then I don’t know why they’d take her away, if it really was O.K. with them.”

“Hmmm. There must be something else going on that we don’t know about,” Mom agreed. Then, changing the subject, Mom asked the question I was hoping would not be brought up. “So, what country are the Lascauxs the royalty of?”

“I don’t think it’s a country you would find on a map sort of thing,” I said. “I think it’s of a people, or a tribe. I don’t think they have borders on maps.” It was the truth, as best I understood it, but I was doing my best to keep the secret.

“Like Europe’s Roma people? Or the Swahilis in Africa?”

“Yeah, something like that,” I agreed. “But Mom, this is very important. It was super important to Emmy, and it seemed to be to her mom, too. This is the secret part. I know it sounds weird, but I guess their kingdom is the secret that Emmy’s mom was really worried I’d know about and blab. I mean, they don’t even want outsiders to know it exists at all. I told Emmy’s mom that I would keep their secret, and now I’m telling it to you, even though I shouldn’t.”

“You’re kidding me, right? This whole thing just went straight into the X Files, you know that, don’t you?” Mom’s disbelief was understandable, and made me feel ridiculous asking her to trust me on such a pile of hogwash.

“No, it’s true. I’ve seen proof, Mom. I mean, real, incontrovertible truth.”

“Such as?”

“I can’t tell you. I promised I wouldn’t tell any of this to anybody, and I’ve already told you way more than I should have. Just trust me on this. Please,” I begged, hoping that it would both satisfy Mom’s curiosity and convince her that I wasn’t either crazy or lying to her.

Just then, Tiff came running up the stairs and into the apartment like a little tornado, buzzing from the cake and ice cream at the party for the little kids in the complex.

As she stood up, Mom said “You need to decide, Lee. Be honest with Stephanie, but most of all, be honest with yourself.”

Ouch. Thanks, Mom. Thanks for the kick right in the metaphorical nuts.

Stephanie didn’t show at Mindy’s party that night and didn’t answer her phone when I tried calling her, which made me feel lower than dirt. At least I got the good news that Tom and Robert were on their way up to Portland, and Tom had promised to call everyone when he got settled in. At ten I took an exhausted Tiff home, then drove to Stephanie’s house. It was late, but I rang the doorbell anyway. Stephanie’s mom answered the door, and I said by way of explanation “Stephanie wasn’t at Mindy’s party tonight, and I just wanted to make sure she was O.K.”

“Come in, Leah,” Mrs. Houk said. “Stephanie stayed home with a bit of a headache, but I’m sure she’d be glad to see you.”

I knocked on the door to her room, and when she called out “What?” I opened the door and peeked in, saying “It’s me.”

Stephanie was lying on her bed reading, and when she saw me she put her book down and turned away from me. I sat down next to her, and even though I wanted to touch her so badly, I didn’t know if it would be O.K., so I didn’t. Her hair was so shiny and she smelled so good that it was killing me, but I gave her some space.

“I missed you tonight,” I said.

“I guess you didn’t miss me earlier today, did you?” she responded bitterly, still not turning to face me.

“I’m… I’m really sorry about that, Steph. Please, don’t be mad at me. It’s just, well, last night was really emotional, and my head wasn’t… Look, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been such a jerk on the phone…” I was groveling, I’ll admit it.

Steph sat up and faced me. “No, you shouldn’t. I was really hurt.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again, pleading for forgiveness.

“Apology accepted. But next time, baby, don’t, like, blow me off like that. We need to talk if we have problems,” she said, and for the sake of peace and harmony I restrained myself from bringing up her freezing me out that evening when I tried to get her on the phone.

I reached over and pulled her in to my arms, stroking her long rich chestnut brown hair. She kissed me over and over, and said “I’m sorry, too. I should’ve been more sensitive, after what happened with Allie.”

We held each other for a while, softly kissing away our first fight.

“I wish I could spend the night,” I said.

“Why can’t you?”

“Well, two reasons. First, your mom is home.”

“We could be quiet,” Stephanie said. “We don’t actually have to, you know, either.”

“No, I know, I’d be perfectly happy just snuggling, but what if she comes in at four in the morning again and we’re all cuddled up? What’s she going to think? And the second, more important thing is, I’ve got Mom’s car and she needs it to get to work in the morning.”

“Well, that sucks,” Stephanie said. “I guess you could drive home and I could pick you up and bring you back here.”

“No, I need to get up early for work, too. It just isn’t going to work tonight.”

“Well, then at least give me something to keep me warm tonight?” Stephanie requested, a mischievous grin on her face.

An hour later I was back in my own bed, smiling to myself, happy that Steph and I were back on good terms. Just thinking about her welcoming, easy smile (and those incredible dimples of hers) gave me a satisfied glow.

Although I fell asleep thinking about how Stephanie’s lips had felt on mine, I dreamed of Emmy. All I could remember when I woke is bits and pieces, the clearest was Emmy playing her guitar in my room.