Robin Alexander - Murky Waters

The group went to breakfast at a café a few miles from Tristan’s place. The conversation was light, and Claire found herself enjoying the company of the older couple. She noticed that Tristan was at ease in their presence, and there was a sense of peace about her. Claire could tell that Tristan cared just as deeply for them as they did her.

Cam and Lucy could have very easily passed for Tristan’s biological parents, especially Lucy with her dark hair and eyes.

Claire wondered if Tristan would have been a different person had she been raised by such loving people. On the exterior, Tristan seemed self-confident, but Claire was quickly learning that Tristan bore many insecurities inside, no doubt caused by her upbringing.

A feeling of melancholy settled over Claire as she watched the three of them talking and laughing. At seventeen, she had lost her parents and only sister in a car accident, and times like these made 99

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her heart ache for them. Her grandmother had taken her in after the accident, and although she was warm and loving, she could not fill the void. With the passing of her grandmother shortly after she finished college, Claire had been on her own, with the exception of a few relationships.

She smiled as she remembered the day she told Tristan of her loss and how her brown eyes filled with tears of compassion.

Watching her now with Cam and Lucy, Claire wondered if this would be her new family.

Tristan and Claire spent the remainder of the day basking in the sun on Tristan’s deck. They lay sprawled out in the chaise lounges, each lost in her own thoughts, when Claire noticed that Tristan had dozed off. She looked at the woman lying next to her in silent wonder. Her skills in the bedroom were amazing, but how she had maintained her virginity was a mystery. Claire had been too exhausted to press the issue the night before, and now, curiosity got the better of her.

She stuck her hand into her water glass and sprinkled it across Tristan’s stomach. The sleeping woman squirmed but didn’t wake up. Claire’s face lit up in an evil grin as she fished out an ice cube and carefully dropped it down the front of Tristan’s baggy shorts.

Seconds later, Tristan lurched forward and grabbed at her crotch.

“Whoa there, missy! No self-pleasuring in front of Ralph, you might warp his innocent mind,” Claire teased as Tristan stood and tugged at the leg of her shorts until the ice fell onto the deck.

“After last night, I thought I was special, then you pull this,”

Tristan said, poking her bottom lip out.

“Aw, baby, you are special,” Claire said mockingly. “Come sit down here, and I’ll show you how much.”

Tristan straddled Claire’s chair and sat in the pit of her stomach.

“Is this good?” she asked with a wicked grin as Claire’s eyes bulged.

“You’re heavier than you look, must be all those muscles,” Claire croaked under her weight.

“I’m thinking there’s a compliment in there somewhere,” Tristan said as she folded her arms across her chest for a moment before having mercy on Claire and moving to sit beside her.

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Claire ran her nails lightly over Tristan’s back. “Yes, dear, take it as a compliment.” Listening to Tristan’s chuckle, Claire decided to take advantage of the moment and ask what she was dying to know. “Can I ask you something, sweetie?”

“Uh huh,” Tristan responded as she scratched Ralph behind the ears while he lay in the shade of Claire’s chair.

“Last night, when we ...” Claire paused, trying to choose her words carefully.

“I never let anyone touch me that way until now,” Tristan answered softly, already knowing what Claire was trying to get at.

“I have never been comfortable with being that vulnerable with anyone, except you.” She glanced nervously over her shoulder at Claire as Ralph took off at maximum speed in pursuit of a butterfly foolish enough to cross his deck.

Claire sat up and wrapped her arms around Tristan’s shoulders.

“That really means a lot to me, Tris. My feelings for you are so strong.” Claire wanted to say more, but the words caught in her throat. She was afraid to spring her real feelings on Tristan too soon. Afraid to indulge in the conversation any further for fear of getting her heart broken, Tristan changed the subject. She ran off to refill their water glasses, and when she came back, the topic took a lighter turn.

Ralph would appear occasionally, bringing his pet presents, the first of which was a half-eaten grasshopper. Tristan fawned over him as though he had brought her a pot of gold. The ritual continued for most of the afternoon. Both women made a big deal of each dead bug he brought up until he brought his last gift –– a small grass snake.

It took Tristan a while to coax Claire down from her precarious perch on top of the patio table. “Look, Claire, it’s dead, I promise.

Besides, it was only a grass snake. As disgusting as it is, it’s not poisonous.” Tristan could not help but laugh at the situation, which perturbed Claire even more. To top it all off, Ralph was pissed off that he had not gotten the praise he had become accustomed to when he brought his gifts.

“What in the hell is wrong with that cat? I mean, is he crazy?

Why on earth would he bring a damn snake up here?” Claire hissed through clenched teeth.

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Tristan chuckled despite herself. “We’ve been out here long enough anyway. Your skin is starting to get a little red.” She held out her arms and assisted Claire down off the table. They went inside to cool off, leaving a bewildered cat in their wake.

After Claire had a few sips of iced tea, she began to calm down a bit. “Tristan, I’m sorry I got so upset out there. I cannot stand a snake.” She shook in disgust. “My nerves have been a little on edge lately with the new job and all; I guess I just flew off the handle. Although I have to admit, if he ever does that again, I will jump on top of the closest thing I can find, which might just be you.”

Tristan looked at her thoughtfully. “Sounds to me like you need a little break. I have to go up to St. Francisville tomorrow to meet one of the boats at the ferry landing to deliver some paperwork.

We don’t have crew change this week, and your department will be slow, except for a few reports that I am sure your agents can handle. Cam expects me to show you all aspects of our business, so you will have a broader understanding of what we do. We’ll kill two birds with one stone. You can accompany me on the trip and visit another one of our boats. Then, we will be free for the afternoon.

“Aside from it being a quaint and historical little town, St.

Francisville is home to one of the most notoriously haunted plantation homes. We could have lunch there and take a tour of the place. I hear it’s really very spooky. So what do ya say? Want to see some ghosts?”

“As long as you don’t plan on spending the night in any haunted house, it sounds great to me. Umm, do I have to wear those steel-toed boots? If so, I don’t see us walking very far. The last time you made me wear those things, my calves ached for a week, and I had to get a pedicure to fix the damage to my toenails.”

The next morning, they climbed into Tristan’s work truck and headed north to St. Francisville. After they were out of Baton Rouge, Claire paid more attention to the landscape. It was similar to Texas with all the pine trees that lined Highway 61. Just before they got into the city limits of St. Francisville, she noticed that the 102

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land became a little hillier. Old live oak trees lined the roadside. It seemed as though they were in a different world entirely.