Chapter Seven. BEN WASN’T KIDDING when he said right across the street

BEN WASN’T KIDDING when he said right across the street. Melanie could see Aladdin's Natural Eatery from the window of Mason's Books. She'd been there for nearly three hours, going through more papers, as well as scanning the shelves to see exactly what kind of inventory with which Jeff had stocked the store. It was easy to tell who his personal favorites were. There was a section of John Grisham novels that spanned almost three feet, as well as the entire series of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone novels, from A is for Alibi all the way to N is for Noose Melanie smiled at these, enjoying them herself, and waiting anxiously for the next letter.

The remainder of the mystery section, however, was sorely lacking.

She sighed. Jeff had obviously tried to put a little bit of everything on the shelves, and by doing so, had inadvertently limited his stock tremendously. Taylor was absolutely right. This needed to be a specialty bookstore. But, specialize in what?

She pulled out a sheet of paper, and made a list. Lists were her friends, she'd been heard to say; she used them every chance she got to help clear her mind, and organize her thoughts. In what subjects could a bookstore specialize? She tried to think of every single little shop she'd ever visited, and scratched words onto the pad.

Computers, pets, feminism, business, mysteries, classic literature, used, science fiction...

Eight choices, right off the bat. Not bad. She smiled to herself. Then, a sudden thought came to her, and she made a second list, right next to the first. She looked thoughtfully at the eight subjects, then transferred four of them to the second list: computers, business, feminism, and mysteries. She leaned her chin in her hand, and studied the paper for several minutes before the alarm on her watch beeped, signaling lunch. She grabbed her keys and wallet and, locking the store behind her, crossed the street.

Aladdin's was a charming, albeit busy, little place with two levels and an outdoor seating area on the roof. Melanie stopped inside the door, and faced a small flight of stairs that would take her to the second floor. The restaurant was small and bustling, with patrons and wait staff warring for space. The tables were small, mostly seating two or four, and draped in salmon-colored tablecloths, which blended nicely with the earthy colors that accented the rest of the restaurant.

Her blue eyes did a quick scan, and she saw Ben waving to her from the top of the stairs. She smiled, trotting up the steps to meet him. " Hi, " she said pleasantly. " Have you been waiting long? "

" Just got here." He smiled, and Melanie noticed again how much Taylor's eyes looked like his... color, shape, and the way they sparkled when he smiled. He looked incredibly handsome in his navy suit, complete with red power tie and a gold golf club tie clip.

He led her to a small table for two in the corner, holding her chair as she sat.

" This is a nifty little place, " she commented, looking around. " And busy."

Ben chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound Melanie could feel in the pit of her stomach. " Yeah. It's usually like this at lunch. It's in a good location for business people who work in the city. It's a hop, skip, and a jump away, and the service is pretty fast."

As if on cue, their waitress appeared to take their drink orders, and was gone just as quickly.

" Don’t let the subtitle of ‘natural eatery’ fool you, " Ben added with a smile. " It's healthy stuff, but good...not all tofu and rice cakes. Lots of great salads and soups."

She grinned. " Salad will be good for me. I ate way too much junk food on the run in Chicago, that's for sure."

" So, what brings you to Rochester? Are you on vacation? "

" Sort of, but not exactly. The company I worked for was purchased by a larger one, and they're relocating to Seattle. I didn't want to go, so I took the severance package and decided to take some time off." She left out the fact that it had been the most difficult decision of her life.

" Seattle, huh? That's a long haul."

The waitress returned with their iced tea, asking if they were ready to order. Ben nodded politely in Melanie's direction.

" I think I'd like the fruit and nut salad, please."

" I'll have the gazpacho and a side salad."

The waitress took their menus, and Ben looked sheepishly at Melanie. " Since Taylor's been home, I've been indulging a bit too much." He patted his belly. " She's a very good cook. I usually try to be a good boy during lunch."

" Taylor can cook? " Melanie asked, somewhat amused by the fact, but not sure why.

" Amazingly well."

" She's been very sweet to me, helping me get to the bookshop, lending me her tapes."

Ben chuckled. " She trying to make a Xena convert out of you, too? Careful, she'll have you doing back flips and battle cries in the middle of the yard." They were both laughing when their lunches arrived. Ben looked at Melanie sincerely. " Taylor's a good girl.

She's been a godsend for me, since Anna died." His voice softened. " Moved right in and took over the household. Refused to let me be alone. Much as I may have acted like I resented it then, it was just what I needed. I don't know what I would have done without her." He nodded, then spoke as if to himself. " She's a good girl, my Taylor."

Melanie was touched. It was obvious from his quiet tone and lack of eye contact that Ben didn't often talk this personally. " I like her a lot. I'll have to get her to cook for me."

Ben's face brightened. He was mildly embarrassed that he had strayed into such emotional territory so soon, and he was relieved to have the subject shifted away from it. " You'll be hooked, I warn you.

And before long, you'll have one of these." He patted his belly again.

" And I'll have to order salad and soup for lunch, right? "

" Every day."

" That must earn you some harassment from your co-workers."

" You have no idea."

They fell into an easy mode of conversation. Melanie felt quite comfortable with Ben, considering she hardly knew him. Must run in the family, she thought. He was a broker at Merrill Lynch, and had been for the past fifteen years. Stocks and bonds and CDs and mutual funds were things that Melanie had a hard time grasping, but Ben didn't go into long and boring detail. Instead, he asked about her marketing experiences, and over mouthfuls of deliciously fresh food, they traded corporate war stories, laughing over the glaring similarities that existed from big business to big business.

Regrettably, Ben noticed the restaurant had begun to clear out, and he spared a glance at his watch.

" Time to go back to work? "

" I'm afraid so. Melanie, thank you so much for joining me. I've had a wonderful time." He quickly snatched up the bill, ignoring the redhead's protests.

" Thank you for inviting me. It was very sweet of you, considering my cousin seems to have left me to my own devices."

He shook his head with a chuckle. " That Samantha. She's something else, huh? "

" That's one way of putting it." Melanie was still a bit stung over her cousin's sudden departure.

" To be that free, that immune to responsibility..." Ben sighed wistfully. " Ah, well. Some of us have to be practical. Shall we? "

Melanie stood, and they walked to the door. " Thank you again, Ben."

" It was my pleasure." He squeezed her upper arm gently, then inclined his head toward the bookstore. " Don't stay cooped up in there too long. It's a beautiful day, and you're on vacation." With a wink, he turned and headed for the parking lot behind Aladdin's.

She grinned, and carefully crossed Monroe Avenue through the apparently endless traffic. When she got to her side of the street she stood, and regarded the storefront with distaste. " What a god-awful color, " she mumbled to herself. " Why would anybody be drawn to this place? " She stared for several more minutes, before making a decision to find the nearest paint store as soon as possible. How could Sam get mad at her if she made the store look better? Certainly, once she saw it, she would forgive her cousin for overstepping her bounds, right?

THE SUN WAS just disappearing over the horizon when Melanie heard the soft tap at the door. She put down the one of hundreds of paint swatches strewn over the little breakfast table, rubbing at her eyes as she got up. Something in her stomach fluttered when she opened the door and saw Taylor's smiling face.

" Hey, you, " the brunette said playfully, almost seductively. Seductively? Where the hell did that come from? " Hey, yourself.

Come on in." She stood aside, allowing the taller woman to enter, noting with approval that she definitely preferred Taylor's hair down, as it was now, falling in big, dark, fluffy waves around her shoulders. Her dream from the previous night came unbidden into her mind, and she swallowed hard.

" I'm not interrupting anything, am I? "

" Absolutely not. I was just looking at some colors." She gestured to the swatches.

" What are you painting? "

" I can’t stand the brown any longer. If Sam wants to kill me, she can. Serves her right, anyway, for leaving me. How long does she think I can sit around and do nothing? "

Taylor plopped down on the couch as Melanie retrieved some Pepsi from the fridge. " Have you heard from her? "

" Oh, didn’t I tell you? " Melanie called from the kitchen. " She and Rob are biking across Canada."

" What? "

" Yup." She handed a glass to Taylor. " Who knows when the hell she’ll be back."

Taylor hated to see the disappointment in the older woman’s eyes. Although the move didn’t surprise her, she was angry at Samantha for hurting her cousin. " Well, that was a lousy thing to do." A sudden thought struck her, causing her to nearly choke on her Pepsi. " You’re not leaving, are you? "

A corner of Melanie’s mouth quirked up at the barely veiled panic in Taylor's voice, and a warmth she couldn't explain filled her.

" No. I don't think so. Not right away."

Taylor's sigh of relief was audible, and she blushed. " Good. I haven't gotten to show you around my city yet."

" I'd like that."

There was a long, comfortable silence.

" Hey, " Taylor said suddenly. " Did you get a chance to watch the tapes? "

It was Melanie's turn to blush.

" You didn't? " Taylor guessed.

" Actually, I did. All six episodes. I stayed up way too late." She studied her glass, waiting for the inevitable.

" Ha! I knew it. You liked them, didn't you? "

Melanie blew out a breath in defeat, and grinned. " Okay, you win. I liked them...a lot." She'd actually been thinking about the show quite a bit throughout the day, surprised by how it had affected her. She startled herself by sitting down on the couch right next to Taylor, their legs touching. " Let me ask you something."

" Fire away, " Taylor said, trying not to notice the heat her own body was generating from having Melanie so close. She watched the blue eyes search the ceiling for what she wanted to say.

" Are Xena and Gabrielle... um... together? " She wasn't quite sure how to word it. Oh, for Christ's sake, just say it, her head screamed at her. What the hell's the big deal? " I mean, like... more than friends? "

A huge grin split across Taylor's face, and she nodded appreciatively. " I'm impressed. Not a lot of straight people pick that up right away. Good catch."

" You mean, they are? " She was actually surprised by this.

" Well, it depends on who you ask." Taylor launched into an entire Xena education, explaining to Melanie the whole concept of the " subtext" that portrayed Xena the warrior princess and her sidekick, Gabrielle, as lovers, how it came about accidentally. The creators of the show decided to have a little fun with it, never solidly admitting to it, of course, lest the censors get wind, and before long, Xena had become a lesbian icon.

Melanie was not only impressed by Taylor's knowledge and charmed by her obvious passion for the show, but she realized that the relationship between the two characters was exactly what she had liked so much. Sure, the action was fun, and it was great to finally see a female lead character on television who didn't take any shit from anybody and could kick their ass if they didn't like it, but it was definitely the chemistry between Xena and Gabrielle that had roped her in from the very first episode.

" I wish there had been something like Xena on when I was fourteen or so, you know? " Taylor said. " I think it would've made the confusion about my sexuality a lot easier to deal with if there had been something to relate to."

" Yeah, I see what you mean." It was unnerving how aware she was of Taylor's bare thigh resting against her own. It was more unnerving to realize Melanie herself had no intention of moving away. " There were a few, though. Wonder Woman. The Bionic Woman."

Taylor chuckled. " I watched them both faithfully. Looking back, I wish they hadn't made Wonder Woman quite so femmy, you know? She threw like a girl and ran like a girl."

" You wished she was more butch? " Melanie nudged her with an elbow.

Taylor laughed. " Yeah. Exactly. Now, Lindsay Wagner. Boy, did I have a crush on her."

" I watched that one. Every week. Jaime Sommers was cool."

" Oh yeah."

They sipped their sodas, enjoying the closeness of the other, but unwilling to say so out loud. Taylor broke the silence.

" Do you miss Chicago? Your job and your friends and stuff? "

Melanie thought about it for a moment. It would be easy to say yes. That was the answer that was probably expected anyway.

But, there was something inside, deep inside, something completely unfamiliar that wouldn't allow her to lie to Taylor. " I guess a little.

The hustle and bustle of the big city has always fascinated me." She hurriedly put her hand on Taylor's arm. " Not that Rochester isn't a big city..."

" Understood." Taylor nodded, trying desperately not to look at the hand burning her skin.

" But, I'm very surprised to say, I don't really miss my job." She sat there in awe, shocked by the admission. She looked at Taylor in disbelief. " I mean, I miss it a little. I don't miss the politics or corporate bullshit, that's for sure. But, I didn't like the person I was becoming there: an executive shark. Like I told you the other day, nothing mattered but the company." She was quiet for a moment before looking up to meet the soft, warm, brown eyes that were silently regarding her. " You asked if I miss my friends. Honestly, the only friend I had was Angela, my secretary. I didn't have time for anybody else." She grimaced sadly. " Pretty sad, huh? "

" At least you realized it before it was too late. Like I said before, it took a lot of guts to do what you did. I admire you. I do have to say that I can't see somebody like you with no friends, though. That is sad."

Melanie blushed at the compliment. " Thanks."

" I've worried about the same thing where I am. Sales is tough, and people can be so damned phony."

" You can say that again."

" I don't hang out much with anybody from work because it's hard to tell who's really my friend, and who's pretending to be because they want something from me."

Melanie nodded in agreement, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling Taylor's eyes on her as she did so. " I got used to not trusting anybody but Angela. I came to the understanding that almost anybody who was nice to me was just gunning for my job."

" The business world has become a frightening place." Sitting so close to Melanie was making it hard to breathe, but Taylor couldn't bring herself to move away. Their thighs were still pressed together, neither of them choosing to break the contact, a fact Taylor digested with delight, and filed away. " So, you want to see more of Rochester, then? "

Melanie shook her head in confusion. " Whoa, hang on. I think the subject just shifted drastically."

Taylor laughed. " Sorry. Corporate shit bums me out after a while."

" Me, too. I'd love to see more of your city."

" You busy tomorrow for dinner? We could drive around a little and go out. Or we could come back here. I’m a great cook."

" So I hear. Your dad says you’ve fattened him up." " Does he? "

" Yup. I had lunch with him today, and he had to order a salad."

" Really."

Melanie wasn't sure what that particular tone meant, nor how to respond to it. She swallowed, and decided on avoidance. " I just happen to be free. When should I expect the sight-seeing taxi to arrive? "

Taylor was glad to have the invitation accepted. She wanted nothing more than to spend time with Melanie. " How 'bout five-thirty? I'll come get you, and we'll play it by ear."

They stood up together, both reluctant to end the physical contact neither one of them had acknowledged. Melanie handed the Xena tapes over to the taller woman. " And you'll have to show me more of these. Soon."

Taylor took them, their hands brushing, and Melanie held on longer than she needed to. " You've got yourself a deal. I'll see you tomorrow night, then? "

" Yes, you will."

MELANIE STOOD UNDER the pounding spray of the shower. The water was much colder than she liked it, but she felt so hot and flushed after Taylor left, this was the only way she could think of to get her body temperature back to normal. She stood in the tub with her hands on the wall and her face directly in the spray, analyzing her two " dates" today, and trying to figure out why they felt so different.

Ben was a great guy. He was handsome. He was very handsome. He was successful, polite and considerate. He certainly must have been interested in Melanie; he had asked her to lunch even though she was a virtual stranger. That made him bold. It took guts to ask somebody out you've only just met. The risk of rejection is huge. Guts were good. She silently gave him a point. He was a business executive, so they'd had plenty in common to talk about. That was another point. It was a very pleasant lunch, and she would do it again, given the opportunity.

Taylor. Where to start with Taylor. Melanie bent her head down, letting the icy spray pound against the back of her neck. When Taylor was near her she felt...nervous. And jumpy. And she got butterflies in her stomach. Taylor was attractive. She was very, very attractive. She was successful, polite and considerate. She was attentive, Melanie realized. She always felt like she had one hundred and ten percent of Taylor's attention. She liked that. She gave Taylor a point for it. She remembered how they had sat on the couch, their thighs touching innocently. Innocently? Ha! Hardly. Melanie had sat in that spot on purpose, just to see what Taylor would do. She could admit that now, though at the time, she had shocked herself. When Taylor had spoken, all Melanie could do was watch her mouth. Her mouth and her hands. Taylor had great hands, she realized now. They looked strong, yet feminine at the same time. Her nails were devoid of any polish, but were filed neatly to a length not long or short. And her lips...

" Oh my God, " she said out loud. " What is going on with me? " Was it possible for a woman to be a lesbian, and have absolutely no inkling until she's thirty-three? No. That was silly. If she were gay, she would have gotten a clue before now. Wouldn't she?

She forced her mind back to Ben. She concentrated on any and all of the things she had felt as she sat across the table from him this afternoon. She tried to picture his hands. She shut her eyes tightly. No good. Nothing. How about his voice? He had a very deep, commanding voice. She'd felt it in the pit of her stomach, but not in her groin like she did Taylor's.

What? Good lord, where did that come from?

Melanie cranked the water off and stood dripping, banging her head against the wall of the shower. That's it. I can't think about this any more. I'll go insane.

She toweled herself off, and slipped into a pair of flannel boxers and a soft, green T-shirt. In the living room, she pulled out the sofa bed, retrieved the pillows and comforter once again from Sam's room, and clicked on the television, looking for something mindless, preferably a horror movie, to save her from the madness in her own head.

ACROSS THE LAWN, only a football field away, Taylor sat in her room, the remote in her hand stopping on HBO. A madman with a knife was chasing Neve Campbell through a big house, toppling furniture and breaking knick-knacks. Taylor ran a hand through her still-wet hair, and pulled the covers up around her, chilled from her shower. What the hell was she supposed to do about this?

She'd never had such as aching attraction to anybody in her life, and she was at an absolute loss over how to deal with it.

It was pretty clear to her that Melanie was straight. Or was it? She'd thrown the word out there for Melanie to jump on, actually referring to her as a straight person, but she hadn't bitten. That didn't mean anything, of course. She'd only know Taylor a couple days. Why on earth would she suddenly blurt out something as personal as her sexual preference? On the other hand, she knew Taylor was gay, so she had to realize she was in friendly territory.

She'd had lunch with Ben. Taylor grimaced. She hated that this little fact bothered her so much. So, they had lunch. So what?

Didn't mean anything. Of course, there was the tiny little fact that Ben Rhodes had known Melanie for all of fifteen minutes before he'd asked her to lunch. That definitely meant he was interested. She swallowed hard, knowing that it would be very difficult for her if Ben and Melanie began seeing each other.

She lives in Chicago, for Christ's sake. She's not going to be " seeing" either of you. Jesus, Rhodes, get a grip.

On that not-so-pleasant note, she pushed all thoughts of Melanie Larson as far away as possible, and concentrated on the screen, hoping two hours of Neve would take her mind off this mess.