Casting Debbie

Chapter 32

Her phone rang and she pushed a button, letting
Linus in the gate, then tucked it back in her pocket. "Come on, honey. Let's get this meeting over with." She pulled Debbie's face to hers and kissed her, letting their tongues touch. She pulled away before Debbie could deepen the kiss. "Promise me you'll move in with me tonight."

Debbie buttoned Lou's shirt back up. "Let's go talk to Linus, and then you can beg me to move in with you. Which, of course will turn me on. And then..."

Lou pulled Debbie off the counter. "You are such a pain in my ass. Let's go talk to Linus." She slapped Debbie's butt and pushed her out of the bathroom.

***

So many times, Debbie had imagined walking arm in arm with Lou, the way they were right now. How many times had they walked along this beautiful swimming pool from the house to the guesthouse, and vice versa, never touching one another? Keeping a safe distance between them? She pushed her hand a little deeper into
Lou's back pocket. "Does it feel different with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've only been in relationships with men, so I'm just wondering if it feels different."

Lou's smiled, a look of contentment washing over her face. "It's hard to describe how I feel right now. Blissful is probably pretty accurate. Validated - that I was right about my sexuality. And proud of myself for taking this huge risk. It's certainly paid off handsomely."

"Are you calling me handsome?" Debbie joked.

"Uh oh." Lou stopped at the open sliding glass door. "Linus doesn't look happy," she mumbled through her teeth. She stepped into the house and greeted him with a bright smile. "Hey, Lin! Your usual?"

Linus stopped pacing by the sofa. "That would be fine." He eyed Debbie closely as she walked into the room. She furrowed her brow, wondering why he was looking at her that way.

Lou pulled three beers out of the fridge and slid one across the kitchen island for Linus. She opened one for Debbie and handed it to her, then opened her own and took a sip while keeping her hand on Debbie's back. Linus took a sip, his eyes focusing on Lou's hand that was now wrapped around Debbie's hip. He set his beer down and said, "If you two are really together now, this is going to be worse than I thought."

Lou glanced at Debbie and grinned, which caused Debbie to grin so hard she almost giggled. "We are," Lou confirmed. "No more faking it." She turned her attention back to Linus. "Now, what the hell are you talking about?"

He set his stare on Debbie. "I got a call from your ex-girlfriend. She has a story to tell and she's going to start telling it if you don't take her calls."

Debbie smile faded. "Tammy? What story?"

"What story?" Linus repeated, incredulously. "Are you really going to deny telling her all about our little agreement?"

Debbie shook her head in confusion. "What? I didn't. She couldn't possibly know."

All the happiness drained from Lou's face. She removed her hand from Debbie's body and moved away, out of arm's reach.

Debbie's face paled. "Lou..." She swallowed hard, her throat constricting. Getting no reaction from Lou besides an angry glare, she turned to Linus. "What did she tell you?"

Linus ignored Debbie and kept his eyes on Lou. "I don't think I need to tell you how bad this could get."

"No," Lou said. "I'm very aware."

Debbie put up her hands. "Wait! Both of you, just stop! I didn't tell Tammy a damn thing! Whatever she's saying, it's bullshit!"

"She knows how much you've been paid. She knows WHY you've been paid. That's not exactly bullshit, Debbie." Jack's jaw flexed, he was so angry. "And as of this moment, I am no longer your publicist. My only concern right now, is helping Lou."