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.
Epilogue
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.