Original: "Theories of Evolution," Hood-Colbys and the Powells, explicit
A quick little story from our favorite island. This time it features a bit of a switch-up. Well, not a switch-up. I don't want to spoil outside the story, but one character is going to have something new she'll be doing in addition to the job we know and love her for. ;)
Summary: Patricia Hood-Colby is inspired to create a new job that could lead to opportunities for a certain radio personality. (4,046 words)
Theories of Evolution
by Geonn Cannon
http://www.geonncannon.com
Copyright © 2014 Geonn Cannon
My site
Jill kissed the top of Michael’s head as she passed through the dining room. As she continued into the kitchen and jabbed a finger at his device. “No screens at the breakfast table. It’s bad enough I have to deal with them in class, too.”
“I’m just trying to find a podcast to listen to.”
“You have something against conversation with your parents?”
He shrugged, but she saw he had put the phone down when she came back with a bowl of cereal. Patricia came in carrying Isabel, who was fussing with the ends of Patricia’s hair. Jill had checked in before coming downstairs and had seen her wife curled up in the rocking chair next to the crib. Now, her hair a mess and her pajamas rumpled, she raised her eyebrows in hope even as Jill put down her spoon to take the baby from her.
“Hey. You never came back to bed last night.”
“She kept fussing every time I would move. I finally had to let her hold onto my thumb the whole night.” She kissed Jill good morning. “I’m going to shower and get dressed for work.”
Jill said, “I’ve got her. Go, go.”
Patricia squeezed Michael’s shoulder. “How are you, bud?”
“Good.”
“No screens at the table.”
“Mom J already got on me about that.”
Patricia nodded. “Good.”
“I was just going to listen to a podcast, though.”
“A what?”
“A podcast.” He took her confusion as an excuse to turn the iPod back on. “There are all these shows that people put out, and you can download them. See?” He handed it to her. She leaned against the table as she thumbed through his downloads. He craned his neck so he could see, pointing at one. “That one’s my favorite.”
Jill said, “They’re sort of like old radio shows. They have interviews, they tell news stories, some of them are fictional and have ongoing plots.”
“Radio shows,” Patricia said. “Kids download radio shows like ‘The Lone Ranger’ and ‘Zorro’?”
“Pretty much.” Jill smooched the top of Isabel’s head. “They have ‘This American Life.’”
Patricia said, “Oh. That’s a podcast? I thought it was just news.”
“Same thing.”
“Strange.” She shook her head and then pursed her lips. “Hm.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just had an idea. I’ll refine it in the shower.”
She gave the iPod back to Michael and went back upstairs. Jill was pleased to see that he turned it off and put it down on the table. She hoisted Isabel higher on her side, letting the girl plant her little feet on her thigh as she picked out a Cheerio, broke it in half, and held it up so the baby could pinch it between her thumb and forefinger to carry it to her mouth.
#
Miranda rolled over and brushed her hand across Nadine’s stomach. Her movement disturbed Orson, who stood up and yawned before leaping to the floor and trotting out of the bedroom. Miranda ignored the dog’s protest and spooned Nadine from behind. She nuzzled the bare skin of Nadine’s neck - she was two days out from her most recent haircut and Miranda was enjoying the extra access - and pulled her close. Nadine stirred enough to stroke Miranda’s arms and pressed back against her.
“What are you doing?”
“I have time for breakfast or sex,” Miranda said, “and I can have breakfast in my office.”
Nadine chuckled. “Well...”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Nadine rolled over and put her hands in Miranda’s hair. They kissed as they repositioned themselves under the blankets. Nadine planted her feet apart as Miranda’s hand eased her pajama pants down, pushing them out of her way as she gingerly settled herself on top of her wife. Nadine teased Miranda’s lips with her tongue as Miranda brushed the inside of her thigh. Miranda’s hair fell onto Nadine’s shoulder as they settled against each other. Miranda pinned her hand between Nadine’s legs with her thigh and began to rub two fingers against her underwear. Nadine whimpered and slipped her hands into Miranda’s nightshirt.
Miranda moaned quietly as Nadine’s thumbs brushed her nipples. The blankets slid off and Nadine took the opportunity to send Miranda’s shirt sailing after it. She gasped out of the kiss, and Miranda lifted Nadine’s shirt up and off of her as well. Miranda’s fingers found their way into Nadine’s underwear. Nadine arched up against her touch, moving her hands up to squeeze Miranda’s shoulders before moving up into her hair again.
“Love you,” Nadine said.
“I love you, too.” Miranda kissed Nadine, covering her mouth just as she moaned through the first wave of her orgasm. She cupped the back of Miranda’s head, rocking her hips slowly until she fell back to the mattress with a sigh.
“Better than scrambled eggs,” Miranda said.
“Gee, thanks,” Nadine said with a grin. “On your back, Mrs. Powell.”
Miranda rolled over. “Ooh, ‘Mrs. Powell’. Is this about your raise, Miss Butler?”
“I’ll do anything to prove how much I’m worth to the station.” She kissed the curve of Miranda’s breasts before moving lower. She pressed a kiss to Miranda’s navel, then pushed her pants down. “This would work better if you were wearing a skirt and high heels.”
“Want me to get dressed real quick?”
“No, I have a good imagination.” She winked and stroked the inside of Miranda’s thighs before lowering her head. Miranda burrowed into the pillow and sucked air through her teeth, moving one hand up under the pillow while the other ruffled Nadine’s hair. The only downside to Nadine’s short style was that she had less to grab, but she managed. She tried to distract herself, did her best to hold off climax, but Nadine was tenacious and far too talented for her to last long.
“God, your mouth...”
Nadine chuckled and kissed Miranda’s hip. “If my listeners only knew my true oral talents...”
Miranda pulled Nadine up and they kissed, their passion slowly ebbing as the adrenaline faded and they were left feeling lazy and sleepy again. Nadine nuzzled Miranda’s cheek and sighed happily.
“Baby.”
Miranda kissed the top of Nadine’s head. “It’s been a while since we woke up like that.” They both preferred bedtime sex, so they could take their time and then ease off into an exhausted slumber. That said, there was definitely something appealing about morning sex.
Nadine lifted her head and kissed Miranda’s chin, lips, nose, and eyelids. “Do you really have to go to work before breakfast?”
“Afraid so. Do you want me to start the coffee on my way out?”
“Yes.” She kissed Miranda again and scooted off. Miranda sat up and gathered her pajamas, bending down to kiss Nadine one more time before she went into the bathroom. She took a quick shower, changed into her work outfit, and did her hair and makeup. When she went back out into the bedroom Nadine was already asleep again. She brushed the bangs off her wife’s forehead to kiss it, nuzzled her cheek, and tiptoed out as Nadine sleepily murmured for her to have a good day at work. Miranda started the coffee and headed out.
The morning show was already playing, so she listened as she drove across town to the station. When she arrived, Sue the receptionist stood up with a handful of message memos that she held out across her desk.
“Good morning, Mrs. Powell. How are you this morning?”
“Bright eyed and bushy-tailed.” She took the messages. “Anything good?”
Sue said, “The mayor’s office called to see if you were free for a meeting today.”
Miranda raised an eyebrow. “The mayor? Did she say what she wanted?”
“Just wanted to meet with you.”
“Hoagie didn’t accidentally curse on the air, did he?”
“Not that I heard. They didn’t sound like it was a bad thing.”
Miranda nodded, but she was still perplexed as she headed upstairs. “Okay. Call her back and let her know that any time before lunch would be fine. Thanks, Sue.” They had recently added movie-style posters of their disc jockeys on the wall running along the stairs, and Miranda winked at Nadine’s picture as she passed. Even though it identified her as Nadine Butler, her arms were crossed to reveal the ring on the third finger of her left hand. Miranda had never imagined she would take such pride in a silly symbolic piece of jewelry, but it did make her heart flutter every time.
By the time she got her coffee and settled in her office, Sue texted to let her know the mayor could stop by in twenty minutes. Miranda had no idea what would merit a personal appearance, but she was more than willing to find out.
She busied herself with the mundaneness of her work until Sue called up to let her know Mayor Hood-Colby had arrived and was on her way up. Miranda opened the door to her office and, a minute later, waved in the elegant leader of their small town. Patricia was dressed in a red blazer over black slacks. Her hair was pinned back, and she was trying to use a pair of rimless glasses to disguise the bags under her eyes.
“Mayor Hood-Colby. This is a surprise.”
“Patricia, please. And I’m glad you were willing to meet with me so quickly.”
Miranda smiled as she sat down. “It’s not every day the most powerful woman on the island asks for a meeting.”
“Pft,” Patricia said. “I’m a slave to the little Cheerio monster that lives in my house. How powerful can I be when that little ball of drool has me wrapped around her little finger?”
Miranda laughed. “How is your little girl?”
“Phenomenal. She’s still trying to figure out her sleep schedule...”
“Me and her both,” Miranda said, and they both laughed. “I hope you’re not here for something bad. The last mayor stopped in a couple times after Nadine’s... incident...”
Patricia said, “No, nothing like that. This is about Nadine, though. I wasn’t sure if she had an agent, or if I could go directly to her, or... what. It just seemed easier coming to you with the idea.”
“Well, since you’re here, you can tell me and then I’ll run it past her. What are you thinking?”
“This morning, our son Michael was showing me some podcasts.” She sighed and shook her head. “You know, I knew there’d be a time when I was completely out of touch and confused by trends, but I had no idea I would be this young when it happened.”
Miranda said, “You and me both.”
“So anyway, the podcasts. My wife Jill explained that they were basically like old radio shows. It got me thinking about Nadine’s show. She really has become the voice of the island. Everyone knows her, everyone loves listening to her. I don’t think you can go into a restaurant here on the island for lunch without hearing her voice on the radio. The only problem is the fact that only the tourists who happen to arrive between eleven and three get to hear her.
“What I’m thinking is, what if Nadine did a podcast? It wouldn’t have the interactive element, of course, since it would be pre-recorded, but she could talk about local businesses and out-of-the-way places the tourists could visit... We could have the podcasts on our website, and people coming to the island could download them whenever they wanted. She could even do a walking tour of downtown December Harbor.”
“Wow,” Miranda said.
Patricia smiled. “I just came up with the idea this morning, so I’m a little excited about it. We could work out the details about what the content would be and how much she’d be paid for it later on. After and assuming Nadine agrees to do it in the first place.”
Miranda said, “The Pixie Podcast.”
Patricia grinned. “The Pixie Podcast. I like that.” She checked her watch. “I should head in to the office. My assistant gets worried if I’m even a minute late. You want to know the most powerful person on the island? Forget me or my daughter. It’s Simon.” She stood up. “Tell Nadine she can take her time to think about it. We don’t have to move on this immediately. Give my office a call when and if you’re ready and we can get to work.”
“Sounds fantastic. Thank you. Oh... before you go, do you mind if I get a picture with you?”
“Oh! Not at all.” Miranda came around the desk and Patricia put an arm around her so they would both fit in the frame. Patricia smiled for the camera, then chuckled. “A couple of people have asked for their picture with me. I’m still not used to being the sort of person you’d want photographic proof of meeting.”
“You better get used to it. You have a lot of terms ahead of you.”
Patricia grinned. “I’ll let you get back to work. I look forward to hearing from you.”
When she was gone, Miranda sent the picture to Nadine with the message “Guess who!”
A few minutes later she received a response: “If that’s the ‘breakfast’ you had in your office, I’m going to be super pissed. And jealous.”
Miranda chuckled. “Easy, tiger. She had a business idea. Can you come in fifteen minutes early so we can talk?”
“Bed so comfy,” Nadine texted back.
Miranda rolled her eyes and smiled. “More money?”
“Screw the bed! MONEY?”
Miranda laughed. “See you then. xox”
#
When Nadine arrived, Miranda waved her into the office. Nadine smiled as she shut the door behind her. “Is this about my raise, Mrs. Powell?”
Miranda couldn’t help but blush a little. “Easy there, tigress. Sit down.”
Nadine settled in. “What kind of business idea did the mayor have that involves me?”
“Do you know what a podcast is?” Nadine nodded, and Miranda proceeded to explain the idea. “If you agree, we could record them in the downstairs booth. We don’t use it because it can’t broadcast, but it should be fine to just record. We could refurbish it, make it like a cozy little nook for you.”
Nadine was practically buzzing with excitement. “Yeah! It sounds like it could be a blast.”
“I know how much you love interacting with your listeners. That wouldn’t be possible on a prerecorded show.”
“We could work something out, I’m sure. Emails or something.” She grinned and nodded. “Yeah. I want to do it.”
“It would be a lot of extra work for you.”
Nadine nodded. “I look forward to it. And... maybe I could record them in the morning. I feel like such a slob rolling over and going back to sleep when you leave. It might be kind of nice to carpool.”
“On your bike?”
“I’d let you ride on my handlebars.”
Miranda laughed. “Sounds like fun. I’ll call the mayor to let her know. We’ll figure out a schedule for when we could start recording them.”
“Awesome. I’m going to go get ready for the show.”
“Okay. Don’t mention anything about the podcast until we have everything confirmed.”
Nadine nodded and leaned across the desk to kiss Miranda. “Have fun.”
“You too.” When Nadine left, Miranda picked up the phone and dialed the mayor’s office. “Yes, this is Miranda Powell from KELF returning the mayor’s call...”
#
When Patricia got home twelve hours after leaving, the only light in the house was coming from Jill’s office. When she was pregnant it had been a bedroom to save her the trouble of going upstairs every night, but now it had become her home office. Patricia took off her shoes in the foyer and left her briefcase slumped against the wall as she slipped into the room to find Jill hard at work grading a paper. Patricia spidered her fingers up Jill’s sides, up to her shoulders which she gave a reassuring squeeze before she bent down to kiss the top of her head.
“Well, hello.”
“Hello.” Patricia crouched behind the chair and rested her head on Jill’s shoulder. Jill reached up and idly brushed her fingers over Patricia’s cheek. “How are the kids doing this year?”
“Our kids or my kids?”
“Your kids. Mrs. Hood-Colby’s class of 2014.” Patricia picked up the paper Jill was grading and was pleased to see only two red marks on it.
Jill said, “Not bad. A lot of As, some high Bs. A couple that need some extra help. But no bad eggs, so that’s good. You should hear about this kid Sonia has this year.”
“Bad funny or bad call-the-counselor?”
“We’re still waiting to see. So far it seems like he’s fine, but...” She shook her head. “I’m just glad I didn’t get any terrors.”
“You scare the terrors.”
Jill grinned and turned to kiss Patricia. “Michael is at work until at least eleven. And your mother left about half an hour ago when Isabel went to bed. She even made me dinner.”
“You had dinner with my mother? Wow. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Technically you still haven’t.”
Patricia winced. “Right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You make up for it all the time. I just wanted to give you a hard time.” She ran her fingers through Patricia’s hair. “There’s some more of whatever your mother made. It’s some kind of... meat chili gumbo? Corn and ground turkey, but soupy. It was weird. But good.”
“Oh, I know what that is. Mom’s specialty. I’m going to go make a bowl. Finish up.” She stroked Jill’s thigh and stood up. “Do you want anything from the kitchen?”
“Black cherry soda?”
“You got it.”
Patricia went into the kitchen and made herself a bowl of the chili gumbo. She put it in the microwave to warm it up and sat down to take off her shoes, stretching her toes before she put her feet on the chair across from her. The microwave beeped and she started to get up, but Jill appeared and motioned for her to stay down. She retrieved the bowl from the microwave, a spoon from the drawer, and two cans of Jones soda from the fridge. She brought it all over and freed her hands, then lifted Patricia’s feet. She sat down and replaced Patricia’s feet on her lap.
“Did you finish grading?”
“Nah. Got lonely.” She idly rubbed the arch of Patricia’s foot. “How was work? Is the town still standing?”
“For one more day. I talked to the station manager at KELF, Miranda. She said Nadine is definitely on board with the podcast idea.”
Jill’s eyes brightened. “Oh, that’s so great. I only get to hear her show in the summer or at lunch. I miss her.”
“If all goes well, you can listen to her three times a week.”
“Look at you, embracing the future. I’m proud of you, baby.”
Patricia grinned and took a bite of her soup. “Mm. So good. Mom used to make this all the time for bake sales and stuff. All the other parents brought crazy elaborate things that looked store-bought and tasted like air. Mom brought this, in big Tupperware containers, and it was always a huge hit.”
“It was really good.”
“Want another bite?” She scooped some up on her spoon and held it out. Jill leaned forward, took the spoon into her mouth, and dropped back onto the seat. Patricia’s foot slipped between her legs and pressed intimately against her, and Jill yelped. Patricia said, “Sorry.”
“Whoo. Don’t be sorry. It was kind of nice.”
“Yeah?” Patricia rearranged her foot and rested the arch against the crotch of Jill’s pants. She rested her heel on the seat of the chair and twisted her ankle. Jill gripped the edge of the table and closed her eyes, chuckling throatily as she shook her head. Patricia chuckled and pressed harder. She arched her foot and pressed her toes against the seam of Jill’s pants. Jill giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear. Patricia said, “You like that, huh?”
“Yeah. Is this footsie? No one’s ever played footsie with me.”
“What a shame.”
Jill hunched her shoulders and moved her hips with the movement of Patricia’s foot. When she spoke, her voice was measured and careful. “Your food will get cold.”
“It’s better warmed up.”
Jill closed her eyes and let her legs ease apart, one arm on the table to keep from slumping down too far as Patricia continued rubbing with her foot. Jill’s other hand went to Patricia’s ankle, guiding its movement as her breathing became rougher. She closed her eyes and whimpered quietly, curling her toes as she came with a shudder.
Patricia smiled. “Better than my shoulder rubs?”
“Comparable,” Jill said with a sigh. “Wow. We have to add that to the repertoire.”
“I’m amenable.” She tested her food and discovered it was still warm enough to eat. “How about when I finish this and you finish that soda, we go upstairs and see if there are any other new moves we can come up with?”
Jill raised an eyebrow. “We have a few hours before Michael gets home, and Izzie should be asleep for another hour or two.” She rapped her knuckles lightly on the wooden tabletop. “I’m game.” She squirmed and sipped her drink. “Gotta say, unexpected footsie was better than expected.”
“Wait until we try it the next time we’re at Gail’s.”
Jill laughed. “Don’t even try it. I’ll scream bloody murder and the newspaper will label you a pervert. And I shall not be married to a pervert.” She stood up and cupped Patricia’s face to peck her lips. “At least not in public. In private, perv away.”
Patricia smiled. “I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Okay.”
Jill went upstairs and Patricia smiled at the sway in her step. Alone in the kitchen, with the only light coming from the hall, she let her attention wander. The mayor’s house had been built before she was born, one of the oldest and most expensive homes on the island. It was hers, at least until there was another election and she got booted from office. She thought about the baby sleeping upstairs and the woman currently waiting in their bed, and she marveled at the path her life had taken. All those years earlier when Nicholas asked her to be his wife and she’d said “Okay.” It was hardly romantic, hardly the thing she’d wanted her entire life. She decided that he was good enough, and probably as good as she was going to find on the island, so why not?
And now here she was. Somehow, even after she stopped fighting, she still somehow found a way to win the game. Two amazing kids, a wife she would never have been greedy enough to imagine for herself, and a job she would have killed for if she’d even allowed herself to believe it was a possibility.
On top of that, her mother had finally accepted Jill as her wife. She would never have believed it without seeing them interact with her own eyes. It had taken Isabel being born, but her parents finally saw Jill as the person she loved rather than some woman their daughter was playing house with. She took out her phone and looked at the apps Michael had put on it for her. The majority of them were for work, and she knew how to work those. She knew how to check Facebook, which was mostly a way for the people of December Harbor to get in touch with her. The picture she used for her profile showed her sitting on her office with Jill on her right, Michael on her left, and baby Isabel sitting on her lap. She enlarged the shot and smiled at her family, touching Isabel’s face before she closed the window and turned off the phone so there wouldn’t be any further emergencies for her to deal with.
The food was still warm enough, but she decided she wasn’t very hungry after all. She put the bowl in the fridge and turned off the downstairs lights before she headed upstairs to take advantage of the few minutes she would have alone with her wife.
Summary: Patricia Hood-Colby is inspired to create a new job that could lead to opportunities for a certain radio personality. (4,046 words)
Theories of Evolution
by Geonn Cannon
http://www.geonncannon.com
Copyright © 2014 Geonn Cannon
My site
Jill kissed the top of Michael’s head as she passed through the dining room. As she continued into the kitchen and jabbed a finger at his device. “No screens at the breakfast table. It’s bad enough I have to deal with them in class, too.”
“I’m just trying to find a podcast to listen to.”
“You have something against conversation with your parents?”
He shrugged, but she saw he had put the phone down when she came back with a bowl of cereal. Patricia came in carrying Isabel, who was fussing with the ends of Patricia’s hair. Jill had checked in before coming downstairs and had seen her wife curled up in the rocking chair next to the crib. Now, her hair a mess and her pajamas rumpled, she raised her eyebrows in hope even as Jill put down her spoon to take the baby from her.
“Hey. You never came back to bed last night.”
“She kept fussing every time I would move. I finally had to let her hold onto my thumb the whole night.” She kissed Jill good morning. “I’m going to shower and get dressed for work.”
Jill said, “I’ve got her. Go, go.”
Patricia squeezed Michael’s shoulder. “How are you, bud?”
“Good.”
“No screens at the table.”
“Mom J already got on me about that.”
Patricia nodded. “Good.”
“I was just going to listen to a podcast, though.”
“A what?”
“A podcast.” He took her confusion as an excuse to turn the iPod back on. “There are all these shows that people put out, and you can download them. See?” He handed it to her. She leaned against the table as she thumbed through his downloads. He craned his neck so he could see, pointing at one. “That one’s my favorite.”
Jill said, “They’re sort of like old radio shows. They have interviews, they tell news stories, some of them are fictional and have ongoing plots.”
“Radio shows,” Patricia said. “Kids download radio shows like ‘The Lone Ranger’ and ‘Zorro’?”
“Pretty much.” Jill smooched the top of Isabel’s head. “They have ‘This American Life.’”
Patricia said, “Oh. That’s a podcast? I thought it was just news.”
“Same thing.”
“Strange.” She shook her head and then pursed her lips. “Hm.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just had an idea. I’ll refine it in the shower.”
She gave the iPod back to Michael and went back upstairs. Jill was pleased to see that he turned it off and put it down on the table. She hoisted Isabel higher on her side, letting the girl plant her little feet on her thigh as she picked out a Cheerio, broke it in half, and held it up so the baby could pinch it between her thumb and forefinger to carry it to her mouth.
#
Miranda rolled over and brushed her hand across Nadine’s stomach. Her movement disturbed Orson, who stood up and yawned before leaping to the floor and trotting out of the bedroom. Miranda ignored the dog’s protest and spooned Nadine from behind. She nuzzled the bare skin of Nadine’s neck - she was two days out from her most recent haircut and Miranda was enjoying the extra access - and pulled her close. Nadine stirred enough to stroke Miranda’s arms and pressed back against her.
“What are you doing?”
“I have time for breakfast or sex,” Miranda said, “and I can have breakfast in my office.”
Nadine chuckled. “Well...”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Nadine rolled over and put her hands in Miranda’s hair. They kissed as they repositioned themselves under the blankets. Nadine planted her feet apart as Miranda’s hand eased her pajama pants down, pushing them out of her way as she gingerly settled herself on top of her wife. Nadine teased Miranda’s lips with her tongue as Miranda brushed the inside of her thigh. Miranda’s hair fell onto Nadine’s shoulder as they settled against each other. Miranda pinned her hand between Nadine’s legs with her thigh and began to rub two fingers against her underwear. Nadine whimpered and slipped her hands into Miranda’s nightshirt.
Miranda moaned quietly as Nadine’s thumbs brushed her nipples. The blankets slid off and Nadine took the opportunity to send Miranda’s shirt sailing after it. She gasped out of the kiss, and Miranda lifted Nadine’s shirt up and off of her as well. Miranda’s fingers found their way into Nadine’s underwear. Nadine arched up against her touch, moving her hands up to squeeze Miranda’s shoulders before moving up into her hair again.
“Love you,” Nadine said.
“I love you, too.” Miranda kissed Nadine, covering her mouth just as she moaned through the first wave of her orgasm. She cupped the back of Miranda’s head, rocking her hips slowly until she fell back to the mattress with a sigh.
“Better than scrambled eggs,” Miranda said.
“Gee, thanks,” Nadine said with a grin. “On your back, Mrs. Powell.”
Miranda rolled over. “Ooh, ‘Mrs. Powell’. Is this about your raise, Miss Butler?”
“I’ll do anything to prove how much I’m worth to the station.” She kissed the curve of Miranda’s breasts before moving lower. She pressed a kiss to Miranda’s navel, then pushed her pants down. “This would work better if you were wearing a skirt and high heels.”
“Want me to get dressed real quick?”
“No, I have a good imagination.” She winked and stroked the inside of Miranda’s thighs before lowering her head. Miranda burrowed into the pillow and sucked air through her teeth, moving one hand up under the pillow while the other ruffled Nadine’s hair. The only downside to Nadine’s short style was that she had less to grab, but she managed. She tried to distract herself, did her best to hold off climax, but Nadine was tenacious and far too talented for her to last long.
“God, your mouth...”
Nadine chuckled and kissed Miranda’s hip. “If my listeners only knew my true oral talents...”
Miranda pulled Nadine up and they kissed, their passion slowly ebbing as the adrenaline faded and they were left feeling lazy and sleepy again. Nadine nuzzled Miranda’s cheek and sighed happily.
“Baby.”
Miranda kissed the top of Nadine’s head. “It’s been a while since we woke up like that.” They both preferred bedtime sex, so they could take their time and then ease off into an exhausted slumber. That said, there was definitely something appealing about morning sex.
Nadine lifted her head and kissed Miranda’s chin, lips, nose, and eyelids. “Do you really have to go to work before breakfast?”
“Afraid so. Do you want me to start the coffee on my way out?”
“Yes.” She kissed Miranda again and scooted off. Miranda sat up and gathered her pajamas, bending down to kiss Nadine one more time before she went into the bathroom. She took a quick shower, changed into her work outfit, and did her hair and makeup. When she went back out into the bedroom Nadine was already asleep again. She brushed the bangs off her wife’s forehead to kiss it, nuzzled her cheek, and tiptoed out as Nadine sleepily murmured for her to have a good day at work. Miranda started the coffee and headed out.
The morning show was already playing, so she listened as she drove across town to the station. When she arrived, Sue the receptionist stood up with a handful of message memos that she held out across her desk.
“Good morning, Mrs. Powell. How are you this morning?”
“Bright eyed and bushy-tailed.” She took the messages. “Anything good?”
Sue said, “The mayor’s office called to see if you were free for a meeting today.”
Miranda raised an eyebrow. “The mayor? Did she say what she wanted?”
“Just wanted to meet with you.”
“Hoagie didn’t accidentally curse on the air, did he?”
“Not that I heard. They didn’t sound like it was a bad thing.”
Miranda nodded, but she was still perplexed as she headed upstairs. “Okay. Call her back and let her know that any time before lunch would be fine. Thanks, Sue.” They had recently added movie-style posters of their disc jockeys on the wall running along the stairs, and Miranda winked at Nadine’s picture as she passed. Even though it identified her as Nadine Butler, her arms were crossed to reveal the ring on the third finger of her left hand. Miranda had never imagined she would take such pride in a silly symbolic piece of jewelry, but it did make her heart flutter every time.
By the time she got her coffee and settled in her office, Sue texted to let her know the mayor could stop by in twenty minutes. Miranda had no idea what would merit a personal appearance, but she was more than willing to find out.
She busied herself with the mundaneness of her work until Sue called up to let her know Mayor Hood-Colby had arrived and was on her way up. Miranda opened the door to her office and, a minute later, waved in the elegant leader of their small town. Patricia was dressed in a red blazer over black slacks. Her hair was pinned back, and she was trying to use a pair of rimless glasses to disguise the bags under her eyes.
“Mayor Hood-Colby. This is a surprise.”
“Patricia, please. And I’m glad you were willing to meet with me so quickly.”
Miranda smiled as she sat down. “It’s not every day the most powerful woman on the island asks for a meeting.”
“Pft,” Patricia said. “I’m a slave to the little Cheerio monster that lives in my house. How powerful can I be when that little ball of drool has me wrapped around her little finger?”
Miranda laughed. “How is your little girl?”
“Phenomenal. She’s still trying to figure out her sleep schedule...”
“Me and her both,” Miranda said, and they both laughed. “I hope you’re not here for something bad. The last mayor stopped in a couple times after Nadine’s... incident...”
Patricia said, “No, nothing like that. This is about Nadine, though. I wasn’t sure if she had an agent, or if I could go directly to her, or... what. It just seemed easier coming to you with the idea.”
“Well, since you’re here, you can tell me and then I’ll run it past her. What are you thinking?”
“This morning, our son Michael was showing me some podcasts.” She sighed and shook her head. “You know, I knew there’d be a time when I was completely out of touch and confused by trends, but I had no idea I would be this young when it happened.”
Miranda said, “You and me both.”
“So anyway, the podcasts. My wife Jill explained that they were basically like old radio shows. It got me thinking about Nadine’s show. She really has become the voice of the island. Everyone knows her, everyone loves listening to her. I don’t think you can go into a restaurant here on the island for lunch without hearing her voice on the radio. The only problem is the fact that only the tourists who happen to arrive between eleven and three get to hear her.
“What I’m thinking is, what if Nadine did a podcast? It wouldn’t have the interactive element, of course, since it would be pre-recorded, but she could talk about local businesses and out-of-the-way places the tourists could visit... We could have the podcasts on our website, and people coming to the island could download them whenever they wanted. She could even do a walking tour of downtown December Harbor.”
“Wow,” Miranda said.
Patricia smiled. “I just came up with the idea this morning, so I’m a little excited about it. We could work out the details about what the content would be and how much she’d be paid for it later on. After and assuming Nadine agrees to do it in the first place.”
Miranda said, “The Pixie Podcast.”
Patricia grinned. “The Pixie Podcast. I like that.” She checked her watch. “I should head in to the office. My assistant gets worried if I’m even a minute late. You want to know the most powerful person on the island? Forget me or my daughter. It’s Simon.” She stood up. “Tell Nadine she can take her time to think about it. We don’t have to move on this immediately. Give my office a call when and if you’re ready and we can get to work.”
“Sounds fantastic. Thank you. Oh... before you go, do you mind if I get a picture with you?”
“Oh! Not at all.” Miranda came around the desk and Patricia put an arm around her so they would both fit in the frame. Patricia smiled for the camera, then chuckled. “A couple of people have asked for their picture with me. I’m still not used to being the sort of person you’d want photographic proof of meeting.”
“You better get used to it. You have a lot of terms ahead of you.”
Patricia grinned. “I’ll let you get back to work. I look forward to hearing from you.”
When she was gone, Miranda sent the picture to Nadine with the message “Guess who!”
A few minutes later she received a response: “If that’s the ‘breakfast’ you had in your office, I’m going to be super pissed. And jealous.”
Miranda chuckled. “Easy, tiger. She had a business idea. Can you come in fifteen minutes early so we can talk?”
“Bed so comfy,” Nadine texted back.
Miranda rolled her eyes and smiled. “More money?”
“Screw the bed! MONEY?”
Miranda laughed. “See you then. xox”
#
When Nadine arrived, Miranda waved her into the office. Nadine smiled as she shut the door behind her. “Is this about my raise, Mrs. Powell?”
Miranda couldn’t help but blush a little. “Easy there, tigress. Sit down.”
Nadine settled in. “What kind of business idea did the mayor have that involves me?”
“Do you know what a podcast is?” Nadine nodded, and Miranda proceeded to explain the idea. “If you agree, we could record them in the downstairs booth. We don’t use it because it can’t broadcast, but it should be fine to just record. We could refurbish it, make it like a cozy little nook for you.”
Nadine was practically buzzing with excitement. “Yeah! It sounds like it could be a blast.”
“I know how much you love interacting with your listeners. That wouldn’t be possible on a prerecorded show.”
“We could work something out, I’m sure. Emails or something.” She grinned and nodded. “Yeah. I want to do it.”
“It would be a lot of extra work for you.”
Nadine nodded. “I look forward to it. And... maybe I could record them in the morning. I feel like such a slob rolling over and going back to sleep when you leave. It might be kind of nice to carpool.”
“On your bike?”
“I’d let you ride on my handlebars.”
Miranda laughed. “Sounds like fun. I’ll call the mayor to let her know. We’ll figure out a schedule for when we could start recording them.”
“Awesome. I’m going to go get ready for the show.”
“Okay. Don’t mention anything about the podcast until we have everything confirmed.”
Nadine nodded and leaned across the desk to kiss Miranda. “Have fun.”
“You too.” When Nadine left, Miranda picked up the phone and dialed the mayor’s office. “Yes, this is Miranda Powell from KELF returning the mayor’s call...”
#
When Patricia got home twelve hours after leaving, the only light in the house was coming from Jill’s office. When she was pregnant it had been a bedroom to save her the trouble of going upstairs every night, but now it had become her home office. Patricia took off her shoes in the foyer and left her briefcase slumped against the wall as she slipped into the room to find Jill hard at work grading a paper. Patricia spidered her fingers up Jill’s sides, up to her shoulders which she gave a reassuring squeeze before she bent down to kiss the top of her head.
“Well, hello.”
“Hello.” Patricia crouched behind the chair and rested her head on Jill’s shoulder. Jill reached up and idly brushed her fingers over Patricia’s cheek. “How are the kids doing this year?”
“Our kids or my kids?”
“Your kids. Mrs. Hood-Colby’s class of 2014.” Patricia picked up the paper Jill was grading and was pleased to see only two red marks on it.
Jill said, “Not bad. A lot of As, some high Bs. A couple that need some extra help. But no bad eggs, so that’s good. You should hear about this kid Sonia has this year.”
“Bad funny or bad call-the-counselor?”
“We’re still waiting to see. So far it seems like he’s fine, but...” She shook her head. “I’m just glad I didn’t get any terrors.”
“You scare the terrors.”
Jill grinned and turned to kiss Patricia. “Michael is at work until at least eleven. And your mother left about half an hour ago when Isabel went to bed. She even made me dinner.”
“You had dinner with my mother? Wow. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Technically you still haven’t.”
Patricia winced. “Right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You make up for it all the time. I just wanted to give you a hard time.” She ran her fingers through Patricia’s hair. “There’s some more of whatever your mother made. It’s some kind of... meat chili gumbo? Corn and ground turkey, but soupy. It was weird. But good.”
“Oh, I know what that is. Mom’s specialty. I’m going to go make a bowl. Finish up.” She stroked Jill’s thigh and stood up. “Do you want anything from the kitchen?”
“Black cherry soda?”
“You got it.”
Patricia went into the kitchen and made herself a bowl of the chili gumbo. She put it in the microwave to warm it up and sat down to take off her shoes, stretching her toes before she put her feet on the chair across from her. The microwave beeped and she started to get up, but Jill appeared and motioned for her to stay down. She retrieved the bowl from the microwave, a spoon from the drawer, and two cans of Jones soda from the fridge. She brought it all over and freed her hands, then lifted Patricia’s feet. She sat down and replaced Patricia’s feet on her lap.
“Did you finish grading?”
“Nah. Got lonely.” She idly rubbed the arch of Patricia’s foot. “How was work? Is the town still standing?”
“For one more day. I talked to the station manager at KELF, Miranda. She said Nadine is definitely on board with the podcast idea.”
Jill’s eyes brightened. “Oh, that’s so great. I only get to hear her show in the summer or at lunch. I miss her.”
“If all goes well, you can listen to her three times a week.”
“Look at you, embracing the future. I’m proud of you, baby.”
Patricia grinned and took a bite of her soup. “Mm. So good. Mom used to make this all the time for bake sales and stuff. All the other parents brought crazy elaborate things that looked store-bought and tasted like air. Mom brought this, in big Tupperware containers, and it was always a huge hit.”
“It was really good.”
“Want another bite?” She scooped some up on her spoon and held it out. Jill leaned forward, took the spoon into her mouth, and dropped back onto the seat. Patricia’s foot slipped between her legs and pressed intimately against her, and Jill yelped. Patricia said, “Sorry.”
“Whoo. Don’t be sorry. It was kind of nice.”
“Yeah?” Patricia rearranged her foot and rested the arch against the crotch of Jill’s pants. She rested her heel on the seat of the chair and twisted her ankle. Jill gripped the edge of the table and closed her eyes, chuckling throatily as she shook her head. Patricia chuckled and pressed harder. She arched her foot and pressed her toes against the seam of Jill’s pants. Jill giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear. Patricia said, “You like that, huh?”
“Yeah. Is this footsie? No one’s ever played footsie with me.”
“What a shame.”
Jill hunched her shoulders and moved her hips with the movement of Patricia’s foot. When she spoke, her voice was measured and careful. “Your food will get cold.”
“It’s better warmed up.”
Jill closed her eyes and let her legs ease apart, one arm on the table to keep from slumping down too far as Patricia continued rubbing with her foot. Jill’s other hand went to Patricia’s ankle, guiding its movement as her breathing became rougher. She closed her eyes and whimpered quietly, curling her toes as she came with a shudder.
Patricia smiled. “Better than my shoulder rubs?”
“Comparable,” Jill said with a sigh. “Wow. We have to add that to the repertoire.”
“I’m amenable.” She tested her food and discovered it was still warm enough to eat. “How about when I finish this and you finish that soda, we go upstairs and see if there are any other new moves we can come up with?”
Jill raised an eyebrow. “We have a few hours before Michael gets home, and Izzie should be asleep for another hour or two.” She rapped her knuckles lightly on the wooden tabletop. “I’m game.” She squirmed and sipped her drink. “Gotta say, unexpected footsie was better than expected.”
“Wait until we try it the next time we’re at Gail’s.”
Jill laughed. “Don’t even try it. I’ll scream bloody murder and the newspaper will label you a pervert. And I shall not be married to a pervert.” She stood up and cupped Patricia’s face to peck her lips. “At least not in public. In private, perv away.”
Patricia smiled. “I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Okay.”
Jill went upstairs and Patricia smiled at the sway in her step. Alone in the kitchen, with the only light coming from the hall, she let her attention wander. The mayor’s house had been built before she was born, one of the oldest and most expensive homes on the island. It was hers, at least until there was another election and she got booted from office. She thought about the baby sleeping upstairs and the woman currently waiting in their bed, and she marveled at the path her life had taken. All those years earlier when Nicholas asked her to be his wife and she’d said “Okay.” It was hardly romantic, hardly the thing she’d wanted her entire life. She decided that he was good enough, and probably as good as she was going to find on the island, so why not?
And now here she was. Somehow, even after she stopped fighting, she still somehow found a way to win the game. Two amazing kids, a wife she would never have been greedy enough to imagine for herself, and a job she would have killed for if she’d even allowed herself to believe it was a possibility.
On top of that, her mother had finally accepted Jill as her wife. She would never have believed it without seeing them interact with her own eyes. It had taken Isabel being born, but her parents finally saw Jill as the person she loved rather than some woman their daughter was playing house with. She took out her phone and looked at the apps Michael had put on it for her. The majority of them were for work, and she knew how to work those. She knew how to check Facebook, which was mostly a way for the people of December Harbor to get in touch with her. The picture she used for her profile showed her sitting on her office with Jill on her right, Michael on her left, and baby Isabel sitting on her lap. She enlarged the shot and smiled at her family, touching Isabel’s face before she closed the window and turned off the phone so there wouldn’t be any further emergencies for her to deal with.
The food was still warm enough, but she decided she wasn’t very hungry after all. She put the bowl in the fridge and turned off the downstairs lights before she headed upstairs to take advantage of the few minutes she would have alone with her wife.