Soul Crossing
By Web Bard (copyright 11/2000)
Part 3
Beth placed an Indigo Girls CD in the stereo and walked over to Reese who was sitting on the floor reading the classified section of the paper.
"Can I join you?" Beth kneeled in front of Reese.
"Of course."
She moved closer to Reese and rested her back against her taller friend’s chest. Reese placed the paper in front of both of them and looked over Beth’s shoulder at the real estate ads.
"See anything you like?" Beth craned her neck to look at Reese.
"I’m not really sure what I’m looking for," said Reese. "Let’s talk about this for a minute."
"Okay."
"If you could pick anywhere to live, in any kind of house, what would that be?" Reese ran her hand down her smaller friend’s arm and then rested her head on Beth’s shoulder.
"You really want to know?"
"Yes," said Reese. "This is an important decision for both of us. Tell me."
Beth turned and looked at her lover. She smiled and grabbed Reese’s hand. "I’ve always had this dream house in the back of my mind."
"Yes?"
"I’ve always wanted to live in a log cabin by a pond or a stream," said Beth. "With plenty of trees and no neighbors close by."
"That sounds wonderful to me," said Reese as she squeezed Beth’s hand. "Let’s see what we can find."
Reese put the paper on the floor. Both women slid down on their stomachs and started reading. After a few pages with nothing close to Beth’s description, Reese let out an audible gasp.
"Look." Reese pointed at an ad at the bottom of the page. "Three room log cabin. Picture windows overlook small pond. Four acre secluded lot backs up to National Forest land. Ready for immediate occupancy. Rent or lease to own."
"I, I can’t believe it," said Beth with a stunned expression on her face. "Give me the phone. Quick!"
"I’ve got it," said Reese. "Give me the number."
"555-8197," said Beth as the excitement rose in her chest. Please let this be available.
"Hello?" Reese started talking to the person on the other end of the phone. "Yes, we can be there in an hour. Great. Thank you again."
Beth reached out and grabbed Reese’s arm. "Can we see it? Can we?"
"Get dressed, my love," said Reese with a big grin. "We’re taking a road trip."
Beth dropped the housecoat from around her shoulders and placed it on the bed. Reese stood at the doorway and drank in the beauty of her friend's bare body. With the stealth of a cat, she moved behind Beth and slid her arms around her lover's waist. Beth jumped slightly at the sudden touch.
"You scared me," said Beth as she placed her hands over her friend's.
"Then you shouldn't stand around naked like that," whispered Reese as she started to make a path of kisses down Beth's shoulder.
Beth turned around and wrapped her arms around her partner's neck. She kissed Reese softly and then dropped her head on her friend's shoulder. "Thank you."
"For what? For lusting after your naked back?" Reese gave Beth a sultry smile and leaned in for another kiss.
"Well, yes for that, too," said Beth. "But, I wanted to thank you for helping my dreams come true. For loving me."
Reese pulled her friend into a tight embrace. "Don't you know by now that I'd do anything to make you happy?"
Beth reached up and caressed the side of Reese's face. "Yes, honey, I honestly believe you would."
"Then you better get dressed quick so we can go look at your dream house," said Reese.
"Our dream house," corrected Beth.
"Just get dressed, will ya? I’m not going to be able to control myself if you don’t put some clothes on." Reese smiled and patted Beth on her rear end.
"No," said Beth. "I’m going naked. It might help us with negotiations."
Reese grabbed Beth by the shoulders and pushed her toward the bathroom. "Dress. Besides, I’m the negotiator in this family."
Reese turned into the long driveway. Beth reached over and grabbed her hand.
"Beth, are you okay?"
"I’m just excited, that’s all," said Beth.
"Me, too," said Reese, smiling at her friend. "Well, there it is."
Reese stopped the car in front of the house and waved at the real estate agent waiting for them. The women stepped out of the car and joined the young man at the front door.
"I’m Reese. This is my friend, Beth."
The real estate agent shook both of their hands and introduced himself. "My name is Phillip. Nice to meet you. I think you’ll be quite pleased with this home. It’s a little off the beaten path, but I’m sure it will be perfect for just the right family."
Our family, thought Beth.
The agent put the key in the lock and opened the door. The inside of the home was spacious and surrounded by picture windows. At the end of the great room was a large stone fireplace.
"The two downstairs bedrooms are to the left," said Phillip. "There’s a spiral staircase that leads upstairs to the loft and the other bedroom. Would you like to look around on your own for a few minutes? I’ll meet you outside on the deck when you’re through."
"Thanks, Phillip," said Reese. "We’ll be right there."
Beth took Reese’s hand and walked through each of the rooms downstairs. The two bedrooms were large and both had their own bathrooms. The rest of the floor plan was connected to the great room. "Let’s look upstairs," said Beth, who could hardly contain her excitement.
They made their way up the spiral stairs and ended up in the loft. An office, thought Beth. A place where I can I write and Reese can work on her business reports. And a spare bedroom and bath to boot.
"Well, sweetheart," said Reese. "What do you think?"
"I’m speechless," said Beth. "It’s exactly what I pictured in my mind."
"Let’s take a look outside, shall we?" Reese led the way back down the staircase. She and Beth met Phillip on the back deck.
Beth put her hand over her mouth as she looked over the glassy pond behind the log cabin. "Reese, it’s beautiful. I’m going to walk down there, okay?"
"Just don’t fall in," teased Reese. "I’ll be right there."
Beth ran down the back steps toward the pond. Reese smiled at her energetic friend and turned toward Phillip. "We want it."
"Well, it’s available," said Phillip. "It’s empty right now, so once you make the deposit and first month’s rent, it’s ready to move in."
"I’ll write you a check right now," said Reese as she reached in her purse.
"Don’t you even want to know what it costs?" Phillip was surprised by the quick decision from the tall woman.
"Listen to me, Phillip," said Reese with an icy stare. "I don’t care how much it costs. Money is no object here. What matters to me is the happiness of that woman standing down by the pond. Got that?"
"Certainly," said Phillip. "I’ll make you a deal. If you want to move in by Thursday, I won’t charge you rent for this month. If you eventually decide to purchase the property, we can make other arrangements."
He handed Reese a contract and the total amount needed
for the deposit. Reese wrote the check and handed it to him. "I want Beth to
sign the contract, as well."
"No problem," said Phillip. "If you can talk her into leaving the pond, I’ll
finish up everything but the signature."
Reese shook Phillip’s hand. "Nice doing business with you. You’re a no nonsense kind of guy. I like that."
Beth looked up from the pond to see her friend walking toward her. "You’ve been negotiating haven’t you?"
"Yes," said Reese. "And I didn’t even have to take off my clothes."
Beth grinned and hugged her. "I hope you like this place as much as I do."
"I love this house and the pond and everything about it," said Reese. "But most of all, I love this house because you’ve been deliriously happy ever since we pulled into the driveway."
"So, this is the one?"
"I sure hope so," said Reese. "I just put down a deposit and we can move in Thursday."
"Oh my god!" Beth jumped into Reese’s arms. "It’s really ours?"
"As soon as you sign the contract," said Reese. "Philip is waiting for you."
"Reese, how much is it?"
"Doesn’t matter."
"Yes, it does matter."
"Beth, we’ll work out the details later," said Reese smiling down at her friend. "We’re partners in this deal in every way, I promise. I just didn’t want to lose a chance on getting the house, okay?"
"Okay, partner," said Beth. "Let’s go sign on the dotted line."
Reese took Beth’s hand and started to walk back toward the deck. Beth stopped and slowly pulled Reese behind a tree. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," said Reese as she gathered her smaller friend into her arms. "More than you can possibly imagine."
She leaned down to capture a kiss from her partner. "We’re home now."
"Yes, we are," said Beth. "Our home."