Finding Home by Georgia Beers

until she suddenly recalled part of the previous night’s conversation. She distinctly remembered referring to the dark-haired woman who’d belittled her on the street as Natalie’s girlfriend. She also realized that Natalie hadn’t denied it.
    What are the chances that my lost dog was found by another lesbian?
    Slim to none should have been the correct answer, but Sarah wasn’t so sure as Natalie threw the ball yet again. They weren’t far away, maybe Þ fteen yards, but the trees kept Sarah obscured fairly well. She took the opportunity to really look at Natalie—her nemesis, as she was beginning to think of her. It was something she’d never been able to do for longer than a few seconds at the coffee shop without being obvious. She wasn’t a big woman,
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    FINDING HOME
    nor was she tall. Sarah would almost venture to call her petite, though compared to her own 5’9” frame, lots of women seemed petite. She guessed Natalie to be maybe 5’4”. Today, she wore navy blue workout pants that reached to mid-calf and looked well worn, as though they were made just for her, and Sarah tried in vain not to linger on Natalie’s well-shaped behind as a little jolt of arousal hit her right between her legs. Natalie’s light blue Tshirt was cropped, and a ß ash of belly winked teasingly each time she threw the ball. Sarah swallowed and wet her lips, wondering why all her saliva was suddenly gone. Natalie’s chestnut hair was pulled back off her face, but the lock of bright color waved loosely, refusing to stay tucked behind an ear, despite her constant attempts. Maybe it’s rebelling , Sarah thought sarcastically, trying to shake off the pull of physical attraction . The entire package was undeniably pleasing, but the pink streak seemed like a last-ditch effort to remain a teenager or something, and it made her roll her eyes.
    When Natalie’s backside threatened to steal Sarah’s attention once again, she moved her gaze forcibly back to Bentley. He was absolutely in heaven—it was apparent to anybody who chose to take three seconds and look—and Sarah felt a blanket of depression settle over her. Of course he was in heaven. Why wouldn’t he be?
    Everybody else who left Sarah ended up happier than they had been with her. Why should her dog be any different? Pushing a loose rock around with the toe of her sandal, she wondered why on earth she thought coming here was the right thing to do. This was a stupid, stupid idea. But before she could turn and escape back to her empty, lonely townhouse, a familiar voice caught her attention just as solidly as if a hand had gripped her arm.
    “Sarah?”
    Her eyes closed in resignation and she swore under her breath before looking up and seeing Natalie smiling at her. Damn her. Smiling that smile, the one Sarah looked forward to every morning when she stopped to get coffee. Used to look forward to. Along with the smile, her expression was questioning, only
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    GEORGIA BEERS
    this time instead of wondering what she’d like with her coffee, she was probably trying to Þ gure out why Sarah was lurking in the bushes and staring at her.
    “What are you doing in there?” Natalie asked, squinting at the trees and conÞ rming Sarah’s suspicions as she walked toward her. “Did you just get here?”
    Nodding vigorously, Sarah pushed herself into the open feeling like a child caught peeking at something forbidden. “Yeah.
    Yeah, I wasn’t sure where in the park you’d be, so I decided to come this way.”
    “Good thinking.” Natalie’s voice faltered ever so slightly and she looked away. It was at that moment that Sarah realized maybe she was nervous, too. Good. She should be.
    Their awkward silence was interrupted by Bentley, who skidded to a halt near Natalie’s feet, ball Þ rmly clamped in his teeth. He looked up to meet Sarah’s gaze and cocked his head to the side, as if trying to Þ gure something out. His stump of a tail continued to wag as Sarah