Chapter 23

"Do allthe places smell this heavenly in this strip?"

Cass watched Rebecca breathe in the floral scents of Blaise's shop and smiled. "Well, this entire strip is owned by our friends, so I'm going to say yes."

"You better say yes!"

Rebecca watched with interest as another beauty came straight at them. Cass did say supermodels, she thought as she studied her. The woman's whiskey-colored eyes exhibited kindness, yet Rebecca could sense the mischief.

"You must be Blaise."

"The one and only." Blaise curtsied, a silly grin on her lips. "Also known as the token straight friend."

Cass snorted. "You're not a token anything, woman. We'd be lost without you."

"Don't I know it," Blaise winked. She noticed Rebecca discreetly rub her temple. "I know you can't stay long, but I have something for you." She gestured for them to follow her to the back. Aunt Wills was hiding back there, sipping her mimosa. But she insisted on seeing how her niece was doing, so Blaise was obliging.

Rebecca was in awe of her surroundings. She'd been in flower shops before, but this was… different. "These flowers are perfect."

Blaise glanced back at Rebecca. "Thank you. Those are for the customers. These?" Blaise pointed out a tabletop greenhouse. "The ones with the ‘flaws' are my favorites. They pollinate the bees and feed the caterpillars, who turn into beautiful butterflies. What could be more delightful than that?"

"What an interesting way of looking at it! "Rebecca said, looking more closely at one of the roses near her. What she saw as imperfections before were now tiny bite marks from small creatures who needed the flowers to live. Weirdly enough, it did make the flowers more beautiful. "This is different."

Blaise peered over Rebecca's shoulder. "Ah, that's a cross-pollination I'm working on."

"You made this?"

Blaise nodded. "My background is in botany and floriculture. I don't just make flower arrangements," she grinned.

Rebecca shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "I'll be glad to get my memory back, but I have to say it's been quite a trip meeting people and learning things. I feel like this is only the tip of the iceberg."

Blaise draped an arm around Rebecca's slim shoulders. "Girl, I cannot imagine how weird this all is for you. But I am a firm believer that this memory thing is only temporary. Very soon, all our shit will be flooding back to you relentlessly."

Rebecca laughed. "You make it sound so enticing."

"We give that writer chick some competition. What's that saying? Truth is stranger than fiction." Blaise leaned close to Rebecca's ear. "It's probably why Joslyn Cohan is here and magically found her way to Ellie's. Our little group is ripe with ideas for stories!"

She nudged Rebecca back to Cass. "Here, these are for you," she said, grabbing a small bouquet of pink roses and handing them to Rebecca. "On behalf of Cass, of course. You are taking Rebecca next door, right?"

Rebecca sniffed the roses. They were beautiful. "Thank you for these." She didn't know if it was true that these flowers came from Cass, so she kept her eyes on the roses, which were a perfect shade of pink. The color made her feel… something. But what? "We were just at the diner. It was so delicious," she said distractedly.

"Oh, um, Blaise was talking about the gallery on the other side," Cass offered. She watched with interest as Rebecca studied the roses. A faint blush formed on Rebecca's cheeks, and Cass wondered what was going through her mind. "Are you okay, Becca?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah… yes." Rebecca let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry, there's something about this color that makes me feel like it means something to me." She looked up at Cass. "Does that make sense?"

Cass's heart constricted painfully. "Y-yeah. Pink is, uh…"

Blaise stepped in when Cass faltered. "Your favorite color. Did you remember something?"

"No, not… really. I just got a weird feeling when I saw this color." Rebecca waved it away. Whatever it was. "But you said it's my favorite color, so I guess I'm just picking up on that."

"Has it always been your color?" Cass asked carefully. She never thought to ask a question like that before. It had always been evident since Rebecca wore it and had decorated a sex room in that color. Now, she wondered if pink came before or after Samantha.

Rebecca frowned. "No. But…" Her hand fluttered to her chest, resting over her heart. "I feel like it is now."

Blaise looked at Cass and gave her a thumbs up behind Rebecca's back. "Well, listen, I don't want to keep you. I don't need Aunt Wills all up in my crack for tiring you out." She said that last bit a little louder for Willamena's benefit.

It took precisely two seconds for Blaise's words to register in Rebecca's brain. Then she snorted out a laugh. "All up in your crack? Is that a… cultural saying?"

"Nah, it's a Blaise-ism," Blaise grinned. "Feel free to use it."

"I might have to. Aunt Wills gets all up in my crack when I'm not resting as much as she thinks I should be," Rebecca said, rolling her eyes.

This was the younger Rebecca shining through. It was such an odd sensation for Cass to see Rebecca like this. Her wife was poised and authoritative. God, she missed that part of Rebecca. Yet, getting to know this Rebecca was… interesting, too.

"Can we please stop talking about Aunt Wills being up people's cracks?" Cass asked, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. She scrubbed her face with her hands when both Blaise and Rebecca laughed at her. Despite the slight embarrassment, Cass was glad they stopped in Blaise's shop. Leave it to Blaise to bring levity to every situation.

"Go on before Cass tattles on me." Blaise pushed the couple towards the door. "Don't keep her out too late, Cass! Ta-ta!"

"You're up, baby cakes,"Blaise announced when Eve answered her call.

"Baby cakes," Eve repeated with a laugh. "Great. You've just given my wife a new nickname for me. How is she?"

"Good. Other than the amnesia, she seems healthy and… happy with Cass. We had a moment when we thought she remembered something. Get this, the color pink wasn't always her favorite, but it gives her the tingles now."

"The tingles." For the life of her, Eve couldn't figure out why she constantly repeated what came out of Blaise Knight-Steele's mouth. Perhaps she was trying to see if it made any more sense coming from her own. "Rebecca said… tingles?"

"Well, no. That's my word. But it works, so don't knock it, baby cakes."

Eve saluted even though Blaise couldn't see her. "You got it, sugar tits. I see them outside. I'll report back to the Cupid Squad later."

"Work your magic. I'm going to cut Aunt Wills off and call her an Uber."

"I've had one mimosa!"

Eve cut the call when Blaise and Willamena continued arguing. "Never a dull moment."

Lainey took Eve's hand. "I've done dull, my love. I never want to go back to that. However, if we could have normal every once in a while, I wouldn't complain," she smiled. "Here they come."

"That was…"

"Blaise," Cass laughed.

"Well, I was going to say interesting, but I feel like I've been using that word a lot today."

"Maybe we could go back to the diner and see if Joslyn Cohan is still there. Surely she has a thesaurus."

Rebecca hip-checked Cass. "We're not allowed to bother her. And is it a rule that we must call authors by their full name?"

"I think so." Cass's arm involuntarily wrapped around Rebecca's waist. "I mean, how else would you know exactly who I'm talking about?"

Rebecca burrowed into Cass's side without a second thought. "She is the only Joslyn I know." She frowned. "Right? Do I know another one?"

Cass cleared her throat to hide a chuckle. "No. And technically, we don't know Joslyn Cohan. So, it's probably best to keep calling her Joslyn Cohan."

Rebecca laughed heartily. It was the first time she could remember laughing since… well since her parents were alive. "Whatever you say."

Cass peered down at Rebecca with a grin and wiggled her brow. "Would you like to go in?" she asked, gesturing toward Sumptor Gallery, LA.

"Sumptor Galleries," Rebecca read out loud. "This is where Aunt Wills says your work is displayed."

Cass nodded. "Yeah. But Eve and Lainey showcase many talented artists from different mediums. It's almost intimidating being surrounded by art of that… caliber."

Rebecca frowned, stopping to look up at Cass. "Your work is in there, too, Cass. You are of that caliber."

"You haven't seen my work, Becca," Cass reminded her.

"I don't need to. Something," Rebecca said, her hand once again finding its place over her heart. "Something about you tells me you wouldn't waste time doing anything you didn't love. Which means you put your whole heart into it. Why would you think you don't belong here when clearly others do?"

Tears threatened, but somehow Cass held it together. "I, uh, it's imposter syndrome, I guess. I've been doing murals most of my life. Or, you know, sketches here and there. I never thought about doing canvases until…"

"Until?"

"You," Cass revealed. "You encouraged me. You introduced my work to Eve Sumptor. My work is here because of you. Well, and because Eve liked what she saw, I suppose."

"Me?" Cass nodded, and Rebecca struggled to remember even a morsel of what Cass spoke about. It frustrated her when nothing came to her. "Let's go in. Maybe seeing your work will trigger something." She tugged on Cass's arm, anxious to get inside the gallery.

Cass held open the door for Rebecca, inhaling the smell of art. As much as she loved food — and she really loved food — and no matter how pretty flowers were, this was what Cass loved. The aroma of paint — old and new — on canvas stretched expertly into frames that lent as much to the art as the art itself. Then there were the metal, stone, ivory, wood, and clay sculptures. All of it ignited Cass's inspiration to create.

"Oh, it's beautiful in here," Rebecca said appreciatively. "I don't think I've ever been inside a gallery before." She glanced up at Cass. "Obviously, I have, but I don't remember."

Cass offered her a small smile. "We practically lived in this one when Eve and Lainey were opening here, and I was the featured artist. C'mon…"

"Wait. Please. I want to look around without you guiding me." Rebecca's nose wrinkled. "Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." And Cass meant it. Rebecca wanted to come in here to see if anything incited her memories. Cass wouldn't get in the way of that, so she stood back and let Rebecca wander. When Cass saw Eve and Lainey in her peripheral, she motioned for them to wait. Lainey nodded silently, taking Eve's hand and disappearing in the back.

Rebecca strolled, taking in every piece of art that she went by, purposefully not reading who the artist was. There were moving black-and-white photos that elicited strong emotions. There were landscape paintings that made her feel free, practically feeling the wind in her hair. Everything she saw was beautiful and powerful.

Then, she came to a series of paintings that took her breath away. The one she was drawn to more than others stood out in brilliant reds, oranges, and blues. The focus of the painting was a couple holding hands. She felt… hope and an intense love while gazing at it.

"This is yours," Rebecca announced. Even though she hadn't looked at the name of the artist yet, it wasn't a question. It was a feeling.

Cass came up behind Rebecca. "Yes," she confirmed close to Rebecca's ear. "Did you remember or see my signature?

"Neither." Rebecca's eyes moved to the signature. It was an elegant swish of the paintbrush that Rebecca wouldn't have expected from the light-hearted woman. "It was more of a… feeling." Rebecca turned, not expecting Cass to be so close. She whooshed out a breath and debated whether to step back or get closer. In the end, Rebecca stood her ground. "I can see why your work belongs here."

"I would say you're biased, but…" Cass felt the pull she always felt with Rebecca. It took all of her strength not to crush Rebecca to her and kiss her senseless.

Rebecca's laugh was shaky as her pulse raced with the way Cass was looking at her. "Does it make you feel better knowing I still feel that way despite my… condition?"

"Better?" Cass thought about it. The first piece of work that Rebecca saw of Cass's was the mermaid mural in their house. That had been after they'd been intimate in the pink room. Yet, they were still just beginning to get to know each other. So, did it make her feel better that none of that was a factor in Rebecca's admiration of Cass's work? "I think I'd say it cements what I've always known. That you're genuine."

Rebecca cleared her throat. God, no one had ever looked at her the way Cass did. And had her body ever felt this… turned on? The answer to that was a resounding no. Not even once. Not even in the beginning with Samantha.

"Could we, um," Rebecca inhaled and immediately regretted it. Every other scent she had experienced today was suddenly overshadowed by the scent of Cass. It was a clean, woody fragrance with a hint of… citrus. Whatever it was, it made Rebecca's mouth water. If she didn't move away from Cass right now, Rebecca was going to make a fool of herself.

Cass closed her eyes briefly when Rebecca turned away from her. There was no way Rebecca didn't feel the electricity between them. But she couldn't rush things. Not with this Rebecca, who had yet to find her… inner Mistress. Mistress isn't someone Rebecca created, Cass. She is Rebecca. Always has been. Again, Eve's words echoed in Cass's mind.

"Cass?"

Cass blinked, focusing back on the here and now. Eve and Lainey had joined them without Cass noticing their approach.

"Oh, hey. Sorry, I was, uh…"

"Daydreaming?" Lainey teased. "Hello, Rebecca."

"Becca," Cass said before Rebecca could respond. "This is Eve and Lainey Sumptor."

"Hi." This must be the owners of Sumptor Galleries. Friends. And obviously lesbians. The world really had changed quite a lot from what Rebecca remembered. "Your gallery is exquisite."

"Thank you. We owe a lot of that to you," Eve revealed.

"Me?" The more Rebecca learned about her life now, the more frustrated she was that she couldn't remember.

"You helped us find this place, and you've been instrumental in the success of quite a few of my businesses."

"I — don't remember."

"We know," Lainey said softly. "But you will."

Rebecca scoffed playfully. "Everyone is so sure about that."

"We know you." Eve gestured to Cass's painting. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Rebecca was momentarily stunned by the sudden change in topics. She was grateful for it, though, as she didn't know how to respond to Eve's declaration. But there was an easy answer to her question.

"Spectacular."

"How does it make you feel?"

Rebecca glanced at Eve. She was studying the painting, allowing Rebecca to gather her thoughts. "Happy," she answered finally. "After the photos at the beginning, this gives me… hope. That's not to say the black-and-whites were bad! They're thought-provoking but so… sad. When I got here, I was glad it affected me more positively."

Lainey smiled. "That's by design. Without the dark, you'll never fully appreciate the light. The photos allow you to open your heart to the pain instead of closing yourself off. Once your heart is open, you're more likely to allow the happiness and hopefulness in. And that's a big reason Cass was our featured artist for the opening. Her work is awe-inspiring and radiates everything you want to believe life can be."

Cass shoved her hands into her pockets, bowing her head. Eve and Lainey had always been generously gracious about her work, but she'd never heard them describe her paintings in such a profound way. Why did compliments from the likes of the Sumptors make her feel so awkward?

"What a brilliant concept." Rebecca scanned the rest of the gallery. Everything seemed to have a rhyme and reason in the way it was displayed. It was impressive.

She thought of the diner with the delicious food, the flower shop with flawless flowers, and now the gallery. All owned by women, and for the most part, lesbian women. Rebecca felt pride swell in her chest for these women and vowed that whatever happened with her memory, she would make an effort to get to know this group of women all over again if she had to. Rebecca was about to say as much when a flash of pain seared through her brain.

"Becca?" Cass's arms wrapped protectively around Rebecca as she swayed. "Can we get some water, please?"

Eve hurried off while Lainey went to find a chair.

"I'm okay," Rebecca managed, but she couldn't hide the grimace when another wave of pain hit her.

"I shouldn't have kept you out this long." Cass was mentally chastising herself. This was all too much too soon.

"Please don't do that. I wanted to do this."

"Here," Lainey said, pushing a chair close to Rebecca. "Have a seat."

Eve twisted the cap off the water bottle and handed it over to Rebecca. She looked at Cass. If Eve were to sculpt Cass now, she would call the peace Fear and Shame. "What else do you need?"

Cass glanced up and shook her head. She knew from experience that Rebecca didn't like being ‘weak' in front of others. Not even her best friends. "Maybe just some privacy?"

Eve nodded. "You're welcome to use our office. Otherwise, we'll direct the patrons away from this section while you catch your breath."

Once they were alone, Cass kneeled beside Rebecca. "Tell me what you need, Becca."

"I think I need that pill now," Rebecca answered regretfully. This wasn't how she wanted this time with Cass to go. But the pain was becoming unbearable, and she promised Cass she wouldn't let it get to that. Rebecca smiled when Cass didn't even hesitate to hand over the medicine. "Unfortunately, that means we have to skip the walk. These make me a little drowsy."

Rebecca took the pill from Cass, popping it in her mouth and chasing it down with a long pull from the bottle of water.

"I'm so sorry, Becca."

Rebecca touched Cass's sad face. "Please don't be. Today is the first day since waking up at the hospital that I've felt… alive."