When You're Near Me

Andrew yelled out the driver's side window of his sister's dark blue Chevy truck. "Can I drive?"

Ashley shook her head and opened the door. "Move over, bubba. You'll get your turn soon enough. Just one more year."

Andrew reluctantly slid to the passenger's. "So where we going to eat?"

"Your choice." Ashley grinned and knew exactly the place he would choose. She started her truck and pulled out. She had only driven a couple of miles before Andrew turned to her with a serious look on his face.

"Ashley?"

"Yeah?"

"Your friends. Morgan and Breanne." Ashley nodded so he continued. "Are they, ya know, a couple?"

Andrew had met her friends a few times before in passing at the soccer field or when they had ran into each other in a restaurant, but he had never spent that much time around them. Slowly, Ashley glanced over at her brother and confirmed. "Yes, they are." When he didn't answer for a long moment, her green eyes returned to the road.

Finally, the young man nodded and said. "I figured as much."

"So... you okay with that?" She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

"Yeah. That's cool." His attention soon turned to food. "So I get a whole pizza to myself, right?"

Ashley met his impish grin and mirrored one back at him. "If you think you can handle it."

They both laughed as Ashley drove down the road to Andrew's favorite pizza place.

*************************

The telephone call left Ashley disappointed. She let out a heavy sigh that Breanne picked up on. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'." Ashley reached up to the cabinet, pulling out a couple of glasses. "You want something?"

Breanne thought about it for a moment. "Don't have time."

Ashley replaced the glasses in the cabinet before she turned. "You talk with Morgan about Thursday?"

The dental assistant was digging in her purse. "Yeah, she's working late. At least that's what she says." Breanne chanced a sly look at her friend. "You wanna grab something to eat, then maybe take a ride or something? I hate waiting at home while she's working."

The brunette crossed her arms and leaned on the kitchen counter. "Nah. I told Jessie I would go to her game Thursday." Besides, Ashley really didn't want to make an obligatory drive-by the book factory while her friend pretended not to be looking for Morgan's car in the parking lot.

"You sure?" Breanne cocked her head. When Ashley declined with the shake of her head, the older woman pursed her lips. "She did say we might go Friday or Saturday night."

That bit of news piqued Ashley's interest even though she didn't know if Jessie would be working at the bar either one of those nights. "Friday sounds good. Let me know, huh?"

Breanne finally retrieved her keys. "Yeah, sure."

The massage therapist followed her friend out the front door and watched Breanne drive away before she went back inside where she was met by Makayla. The black Lab followed Ashley to her small office. When Ashley dropped down in her chair, she pulled the appointment book out and stared at Jessie's name. "It's funny how you can miss someone you just met."

Makayla barked once and seemed to pick up on her mistress's mood.

Ashley flipped the book back on the desk and pet her dog. "At least tomorrow's Thursday. What do you think? Should I go to the game or not?"

Makayla gave the brunette an enthusiastic bark.

For the first time that day, Ashley let out a happy laugh.

************************

The game was in full swing at the bottom of the second inning. Shae Karella was in the batter's box. Jessie pulled out a bat and studied it for a long moment. She followed Shae in the batting order, and for some reason wasn't anxious to get up on deck.

"Hey!" Krista bumped her friend. "Unless you're expecting that bat to hit on its own, you better get out there."

Jessie looked around the bleachers, for what seemed like the hundredth time since well before the start of the game. Again, she didn't find what she was looking for.

Krista put both her hands on her friend's shoulders, guiding her out of the dugout, then pushing Jessie forward. "She'll be here."

Jessie turned around. "What?"

Krista stepped closer and whispered. "They're gonna walk Shae, so go up there and hit a homerun. When Ashley shows up, you can tell her all about it."

The blonde was about to deny that her mind was on the pretty brunette when the umpire called to the next batter. Sure enough, Shae was on first, not happy that the other team wouldn't pitch to her. As if in slow motion, Jessie walked up to the box. Before she stepped in, the blonde took a couple of practice swings. She chanced one more look into the bleachers and frowned.

"Jessie!" Her coach Steve yelled and clapped his hands together. With Shae on first and their pitcher on second, the coach knew they had a good chance of putting a score on the board to get out in front. "Come on. We need a hit."

When the rest of her team cheered her on, Jessie stepped into the batter's box and braced herself for the first pitch. But her focus was off, so the first ball sailed past her for a strike. She stepped out, looking at her coach.

Steve nodded, showing Jessie that he had complete confidence in her ability to put the ball into play. Neither side had scored yet due to the outstanding defense from both teams. "Just put it in play, Jessie."

The blonde took up her batter's position in the box and waited. The pitch was low and outside and fooled Jessie enough that she chased it.

"Strike two." The umpire yelled.

Again, the blonde stepped out and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the game at hand. But her mind was elsewhere. When she called Ashley the day before and cancelled her appointment because of an emergency at work, Jessie moped around the house all evening, without really knowing why. It wasn't until just before the game that the blonde realized she missed seeing her new friend. And when Ashley hadn't showed up at the start of the game, Jessie was distracted with wondering if she had done something wrong.

"Batter up." The umpire's words brought Jessie back to the present moment.

The blonde sucked in a deep breath and stepped in the box once more. She heard the roar of her teammates encouraging her as she struggled to get comfortable. She cocked her bat back. The pitcher wound up and just before she released it, Jessie heard a distinctive voice call to her.

"Come on, Jess. Get a hit!"

Jessie's composure settled immediately and a determined look framed the knowing smile that formed on her face. As the ball came whirling down the lane, the blonde's eyes were glued to it. With a smooth swing of her bat, Jessie hit the ball solid and it raced past the shortstop.

Shae had a good lead off first and was rounding second as Sally headed home. The throw from left field was strong, but it curved off to the right of the catcher as Sally crossed the home plate. Shae made it to third while Jessie was standing safely at second with a double.

With her hands cocked on her hips, the blonde sucked in a deep breath, looking to the stands where the crowd was cheering her efforts. But her blue eyes lasered in on the smiling brunette jumping wildly and clapping her hands. Jessie's smile brightened and that's when she unconsciously delivered a small wave to her friend.

"Way to go, Jess!" Ashley yelled and returned the wave along with a grin.

On her way to the batter's box, Krista tracked where Jessie was looking and saw the brunette. Smiling, she mumbled. "That's one way to get motivated."

It was a tight game, but in the end, the Cougars came out on top with a score of one to nothing. After a short spontaneous victory hug by all of the team members, several players began to disburse, since two other teams were readying to play the next scheduled game. As usual, the coach invited everyone to Belle's for a drink in celebration of their win.

Jessie quickly made her way over to where Ashley was sitting in the stands. She looked up. "Hi."

Ashley scooted closer to the edge. "Great game."

"Thanks. You comin' to Belle's?" The blonde was hopeful her friend would agree.

"Are you working tonight?" The brunette asked.

"Uh huh." Jessie confirmed. "I usually do on Thursday's after the game and Fridays."

Even though Ashley wanted to go, she declined. "I... I don't think so." She knew the part-time bartender would be busy, and Ashley didn't want to sit alone.

"Oh. Okay." The blonde was disappointed, but tried to hide it. Jessie stood there for a long moment until she asked. "You coming down or staying up there?"

"Down." Ashley stood up, looking for a clear path down the bleachers, but she soon realized that she was boxed in. She looked down at Jessie and shrugged.

"Here." Jessie reached up. "I'll give you a hand."

The bleacher seat was only five feet from the ground. Ashley scooted closer, leaned over, then took Jessie's hand before jumping down. Ashley slipped down next to Jessie, who was still holding her hand. The brunette steadied herself as she stammered from the close contact. "Thank you."

Standing very close to each other, Jessie barely whispered. "You're welcome." Her hand was beginning to perspire as she stared into the brunette's bright, green eyes. The blonde swallowed hard before she spoke. "I..."

"Hey, Jessie. Can you help with the equipment?" Krista yelled for her friend. "Steve's got to run by the bank. I'm gonna take him. Just throw it in the back of his truck, and we'll pick it up later."

"Yeah, I'll get it." The blonde stepped back from Ashley and nodded. But her eyes remained on the brunette. "Wanna help?"

"Sure." Ashley offered a shy smile and followed her friend.

Krista smiled at the brunette. "Hi, Ashley. You coming to Belle's?" When the brunette shook her head, Krista slapped her best friend on the back. "Thanks. See ya later."

Jessie immediately dropped down near the equipment and started sorting it. Ashley was by her side, tossing the extra balls in the bag as the blonde stuffed another bag with the bats. After that, Jessie stood up and hiked it over her shoulder, but dropped her glove. She leaned back down and picked it up. When she did, Jessie felt her muscle pull tight in her lower back. "There it goes again."

Ashley noticed the blonde's face contort when she pulled her muscle. "Here. Let me." The massage therapist dropped her bag and moved around Jessie quickly, then began rubbing the affected area.

Two smug self-proclaimed jocks walked by and one of them snorted. "Queers. Don't know what they're missing, huh?" He let out a hideous laugh at his own comment.

Immediately, Ashley pulled her hand away, backing up.

Concern flushed on Jessie's face when she saw the brunette drop her eyes and look away. The blonde could tell Ashley was upset. "You okay?" Jessie took a small step closer.

Rubbing her temple, Ashley nodded, but refused to look at her friend.

When Jessie touched the brunette lightly on the arm, the blonde felt Ashley tense. "Hey?"

"I'm fine." Ashley quickly grabbed the bag she had dropped and offered Jessie a tentative smile.

Quietly, they carried the equipment to Steve's truck and deposited it in the back, before Jessie secured the vehicle. When it was obvious the brunette wasn't going to speak, Jessie sighed. "They were just jerks, Ashley. You'll run into 'em every now and then."

Ashley licked her lips nervously. The brunette reached in her pocket and pulled out her strawberry chapstick, applying it to her sensitive lips.

Jessie's eyes zeroed in on those same lips and stayed glued there for a long time.

"I know." Ashley finally said.

"Don't worry about 'em. They were here last week and gave Sally and her partner a hard time." Jessie knew her friend was upset about the comment.

"The pitcher? Sally? She's gay?"

"Yeah. Nearly half the team is." Jessie started to name some of the players and finally said. "And me." The blonde ducked her head lower to meet Ashley's eyes. "You knew that, right?"

"Uh huh." Ashley figured that Jessie knew she was gay, but refused to bring it up herself at that point. "Well, I guess you need to get going?"

When Ashley turned toward her truck, Jessie grabbed her arm. "Wait."

Ashley's clear green eyes proffered the unspoken question she feared the blonde would ask.

Jessie smiled and asked. "I thought we were going to talk about that tattoo?"

Relieved, Ashley's face broke out in a genuine smile. "That's right. You promised."

"I always keep my promises." She said seriously before Jessie cocked her head and declared with an impish grin on her face. "But as I recall, we said we'd talk about it."

Ashley's mood brightened and she bounced slightly on her feet. "So talk."

The blonde pondered her next words. "I could use another massage."

"Definitely."

"And if we did it Saturday morning, I suppose... " Jessie grinned. "Unless you have something else to do this weekend, we could maybe, and I said maybe, check out some."

"It's a date." The words came out before she knew it. But Ashley was so happy she didn't care.

***********************

That night at the bar, Jessie worked hard. It wasn't the bartending part that overtaxed her. It was having to avoid dancing with the several women that asked her to trip the light fantastic. The blonde didn't oppose dancing. As a matter of fact, she rather enjoyed it. However, this night, there was only one person on her mind and that brunette was nowhere to be found.

At home, Ashley sulked around wishing she had said yes to Jessie's invitation. She hadn't heard from Breanne yet about going to the bar on Friday night. So for both women, Saturday couldn't come soon enough.

Chapter Six

Ashley hurried out of Morgan's car and opened the front passenger's door for Breanne. "Come on." She could hear the music playing from inside the bar. Every since Breanne called her a couple of hours ago, informing Ashley that they had decided to go out, the brunette was on cloud nine.

"What are you so excited about?" Breanne would have preferred her girlfriend open her door for her, but that hadn't happened in ages. She saw Morgan march up to the front door of the bar, then turned and stared at her. The dental assistant lingered outside the car, making Morgan and Ashley wait.

"Honey, you comin' or what?" Morgan was anxious to get inside and see her friends.

Breanne waited a moment for her girlfriend to escort her inside. When she realized Morgan wasn't going to budge from the bar's entrance, she dropped her shoulders in frustration.

Ashley picked up on her friend's disgruntled mood. The brunette walked back, slipping her hand behind Breanne's elbow. "Come on. It'll be fun."

"If you say so." The older woman rolled her eyes. The upbeat mood her girlfriend was in did not bode well for Breanne. Morgan was ready to party, which always ended up with them exchanging harsh words.

Morgan led the way into the bar with Breanne and Ashley following behind. It was Friday night and the place was crowded, as usual. Morgan immediately searched for a table or a booth. She saw a couple of her friends from work and waved. "Hi!"

"Over here." Shae yelled.

The shorthaired woman made a beeline for her friends, leaving Breanne and Ashley in her wake.

That pissed Breanne off.

Astutely, Ashley gently guided her friend to the booth where she deposited Breanne next to Morgan, who was already engaged in a hearty conversation with her friends. The booth was full so Ashley looked around for an empty chair. As she turned around, the crowd of people seemingly moved to either side of the room, opening a clear path to the bar where Ashley caught sight of Jessie.

Behind the bar, Jessie had just finished making a frozen margarita and was just about to pour it in a glass for one of the customers when something made her look up. Her blue eyes immediately caught sight of Ashley looking at her. That moment in time froze for all eternity and the rest of the world disappeared.

"Hey!" A customer complained as the liquid flowed up and over the glass, spilling on the counter and her arm.

"Oh!" Jessie immediately grabbed a towel and started to clean up the mess. "Sorry." The blonde chanced a quick look back in the direction of Ashley, who had a huge smile on her face. Seeing that, Jessie couldn't help but mirror one right back at the brunette.

Ashley's eyes never left Jessie as she said to Breanne. "I'll be back in a minute."

A bit embarrassed for spilling the drink, Jessie mentally chastised herself as Ashley approached the bar.

Ashley saddled up to the bar, claiming an empty stool. Suddenly, she was a bit nervous when Jessie turned and walked toward her.

"Hi." The blonde smiled.

"Hi."

"You want something to drink?" Jessie leaned slightly over the edge of the bar.

"Water, please." Ashley couldn't help but chuckle as she added. "In a bottle."

Jessie cocked a teasing eyebrow. "Oh, so you don't want to chance it, huh?"

"I saw what you did to that girl." Ashley teased the part time bartender. "You got her all wet."

Out of nowhere, a flirting thought chased through the blonde's mind. Jessie dismissed it, though it took a lot of effort on her part. It seemed that when she was around Ashley, her mind easily traveled down a sexual avenue. Jessie grinned. "Water it is then."

Ashley watched Jessie walk away and couldn't help but notice how good the blonde looked in her low rider blue jeans and pretty blouse that stopped just above the beltline. She was yanked out of her lustful musings when a boisterous woman slid up to the bar next to her.

"Jessie! Another one." The tall redhead wiggled her eyebrows at the bartender, then swung her head around and saw the brunette. "Ten bucks I can get her to dance with me tonight."

The foul smell of beer out of the redhead's mouth pushed Ashley back a distance. The brunette turned her attention away as she mumbled. "I doubt it."

But the redhead bumped Ashley hard. "Hey, I was talking to you."

When Jessie heard Shawna's loud voice yelling at her, the blonde knew trouble wouldn't be far away. She had successfully avoided the redhead, not only last night, but for the last three months. Jessie had tolerated Shawna up until now, but when she turned and saw the redhead leaning close to Ashley, the blonde had had enough. "Shawna! What do you want?" Jessie quickly closed the distance to where Ashley was sitting.

Ashley's green eyes flared at the redhead and she was close to saying something, except for Jessie's interruption.

"I wanna 'nother drink." The redhead slurred, then leaned over the bar and said, "And a nice, slow dance with you."

Ashley grunted loudly her disbelief at that ever happening. At least, she hoped Jessie wouldn't give the inebriated woman the time of day, let alone a dance.

Swinging her head back around to the brunette, Shawna demanded. "What'd you say?"

"I..." Ashley started, but Jessie reached over the bar and lightly touched the brunette's arm. The sensations that touch sent through Ashley's body stirred up long dormant feelings.

"Shawna?" That got the redhead's attention away from the brunette. "Come on around the bar. I've got something for you."

A lascivious grin popped up on the redhead's face as she swaggered around the bar just in time to be met by Jack. "Hey." The redhead protested.

Jack escorted the drunken woman through the back door. He finally was able to take her back outside to the alley where he always had his heart to heart talks with special customers.

"What's he going to do with her?" Ashley asked then added. "Not that I care really, but..."

Jessie grinned. "Just a friendly reminder about the rules and etiquettes that all customers have to follow here at Belle's."

"Which are?"