Summer of Dreams Read online

“Hello, Doctor Simon,” she said softly.

  “You know each other?” Riley asked standing there between the two women.

  “We work together, Riley.” Rachel was now pulling Riley into a fierce hug.

  “That’s two doctors I know that work with Shelby.”

  “Who is the other one?” Ann asked.

  “Ken Davidson,” Riley answered. “You will never guess who has a date with him tonight?”

  The women looked at each other and shrugged. “Riley, we will never be able to guess.”

  “My mom.”

  “How did she meet him?”

  “At our 4th of July barbecue at the marina. One of our guests invited him and he spent the whole evening with my mother.”

  “I am so happy for Ava. He’s a great guy,” Rachel added before turning to Shelby. “I didn’t even realize you were gay.”

  Ann saw the look on Shelby’s face. “Honey, let them sit down. I’ve got snacks outside and drinks,” Ann said herding the group toward the patio doors.

  The group walked toward the doors and took seats on the covered patio. “You have a beautiful home,” Shelby said looking around. “The view is magnificent.” Shelby reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. “I’m sorry, but I have to take pictures of this.” She walked away from the group.

  As Shelby continued taking pictures, Rachel leaned over to Riley. “Are you sure she is gay? I never got a vibe from her and my gaydar is never wrong.”

  “She wasn’t before me,” Riley said without meeting Rachel’s intense stare.

  Rachel’s hand went to her head. “Why do you always date the wrong women?”

  Ann interrupted her wife by touching her arm. “You don’t know anything about Shelby. Maybe she’s always been gay and never realized it.” Ann smiled at Riley. “Do you love her?” Riley nodded her head emphatically. “Does she love you?”

  “Yes, she does.” Riley looked at Rachel. “I know you are only trying to be a good friend, but I trust Shelby. She hasn’t done anything to make me question that her words or emotions are all a lie. Please get to know her before you criticize her. Shelby is wonderful and I plan on marrying that girl someday.”

  “I’m sorry, Riley. I have no right to interfere,” Rachel offered quickly.

  “I appreciate you looking out for me, but you don’t have to worry this time.” Riley looked out on the beach watching Shelby taking pictures. “If it doesn’t work out, then we are both to blame.”

  “Have you slept with her yet?” Rachel asked grinning and then Ann slapped her arm.

  “Yes, and we’re still together,” she grinned. “So I guess I did something right.”

  “I am really happy for you, Riley. You deserve to be happy and if Shelby is the one I think it’s great.”

  “Thanks, Ann.” She was willing to give Shelby the benefit of the doubt that she was not out to hurt Riley.

  Shelby walked back onto the patio and took her seat. “So, have you all had time to discuss me?” she asked looking right at Rachel.

  Everyone was quiet for a minute before they all began to laugh. “I like this girl,” Ann said touching Shelby as she did.

  The afternoon was spent playing in the ocean and moving to the pool as the afternoon went on. Riley was right, Shelby felt comfortable with the two women. She could see the love they had for each other and Shelby hoped that her relationship with Riley would continue to grow.

  “You two are going to stay for dinner?” Ann asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.

  Riley looked at Shelby and knew from the smile on her face that there was only one answer. “We’d love too.”

  Shelby got up from the lounge chair. “Can I help you Ann?”

  “That would be nice.” She walked toward the patio door, but paused, “This way we can talk about the two of them.”

  “Hey,” both Riley and Rachel said to the pair as they disappeared into the house.

  “So tell me about Shelby. I know she doesn’t talk about her private life at work,” Rachel asked as they took a seat on the lounge chairs.

  “She moved here from North Carolina to get away from her psycho ex-boyfriend and she is staying on a friend’s boat in the marina.” Riley was gearing up for a lot more questions from Rachel.

  “I like her. She looks like she’ll keep you in line,” she said laughing.

  “I like her too,” she answered with a smirk.

  “Shelby seemed real shy when she first arrived, but I think she is feeling more comfortable here,” Rachel said floating in the water.

  “I knew you two would make her feel comfortable.” Riley leaned toward Rachel so she could keep her voice low. “The first time I met her, she wasn’t very nice to me.”

  “What did you do?” Rachel asked knowing her friend too well.

  “This time nothing. I tried to help her bring her things to the boat.”

  “Yeah,” Rachel paused, “you do that with everyone.”

  “I know, but she thought I was trying to flirt with her.” Riley leaned closer. “She didn’t know I was a woman until she turned around.”

  “So, she had had it with men at that point?” Rachel asked laughing.

  “Yes, but it was more than that.” Riley thought for a moment. “She looked at me like...” she didn’t finish.

  “Like what?”

  “A bug,” she answered embarrassed. “Shelby apologized to me the next day. I just think she wasn’t in a good place at that moment and she took it out on me.” Riley looked toward the house before continuing. “It had to be hard to leave your home and job to get away from your ex who wouldn’t stop trying to get you back.”

  “What did he do to her?” Rachel asked very interested.

  “She caught him cheating in their bed.”

  “Ouch,” Rachel said holding her head. “So, she moved to Florida to start a new life,” she chuckled, “literally. I bet she never thought her changes would include becoming a lesbian.”

  “You are so right, Rachel.” They both were laughing when the patio door opened.

  “What are you two cackling about?” Ann asked as she stepped onto the patio.

  “Nothing important,” Riley answered for both of them.

  “Do you two want to change before I bring out the appetizers?”

  “Yes, dear,” Rachel answered as she towel-dried her body.

  Inside there was a different conversation going on. “Can I ask you a question, Ann?” Shelby asked preparing the salad for the meal.

  “Of course, you can,” Ann answered touching Shelby’s shoulder to give her confidence. “You can ask me anything and it will stay between us.”

  “Well,” she began, “how did you know for sure that you were gay?” Shelby finally asked.

  “I knew at the age of twelve or thirteen that I was in love with my girlfriends and not the boys. I didn’t realize what that meant at the time, but I did by the time I got to high school.” Ann turned to Shelby. “Are you afraid you are just experimenting with Riley?”

  “That’s just it, I don’t think I ever loved another person until I met her. I know I should be having a hard time accepting falling for a woman, but it doesn’t bother me. I just love her.”

  “So you think something is wrong because it just feels natural?”

  “Exactly.”

  Ann smiled and put her arm around Shelby’s shoulder. “From your comment, I would say you are Riley’s lesbian girlfriend. Maybe no other woman touched your soul the way she does and that’s why it never happened before.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Can you see your life without Riley in it?”

  Shelby shook her head firmly. “No. I would feel like someone removed a limb from my body.”

  “Relax and enjoy the ride, Shelby. You are in for a hell of a ride.”

  The women chuckled finishing up with their preparations.

  By the time the two women came back outside, there was a bowl of mussels in a white wi
ne sauce and a plate of cold shrimp on the table. “Wow, if this is appetizers, then what are we having for dinner?” Riley asked taking a seat next to Shelby. “Are you having a good time?” she asked kissing Shelby’s cheek.

  “The best,” Shelby answered looking at Riley and instead of kissing her cheek, pressed their lips together.

  “Hey, people are trying to eat over here,” Rachel said laughing and watched Shelby blush. In order to end her discomfort, Rachel kissed her wife.

  “Kiss her again, Shelby. I’d like another kiss from my wife,” Ann said laughing.

  The women left that evening with the promise of returning soon and for Rachel and Ann to visit them at the marina. Shelby realized why Riley felt so close to the married pair and she knew someday she would feel the same way.

  “Would you spend the night with me?” Shelby asked when they neared the marina.

  “Yes, but we can go back to my house,” Riley offered.

  “Your mother is there and I would be more comfortable if we were alone.”

  Riley smirked in the darkness. She knew with Shelby’s shyness that spending the night in the house with her mother downstairs would make her feel uncomfortable. “The boat isn’t soundproof either,” she said laughing.

  “No, but at least it isn’t your mother,” she answered, opening the truck door.

  “Whatever you want, love.” Riley took Shelby’s hand and they walked toward the boat.

  Once they were on the boat, they walked toward the sleeping cabin. Riley moved closer to Shelby and placed a kiss on her lips. Her action spurred Shelby on and she pulled Riley’s lips back to her mouth to deepen the kiss. As they kissed Riley’s hands went to the hem on the t-shirt and lifted it over her head. Her lips fell from Shelby’s mouth as the shirt came over her head, but soft hands pulled her back. They were now lying on the bed. Riley’s mouth moved to the soft spot on Shelby’s neck and she let out a low moan. She could feel the heat between their bodies and she was anxious to get Shelby completely undressed. Shelby had the same idea and within seconds Riley was nude too. Their bodies came together and they both let out a moan of approval. Kisses intensified and tongues searched each other’s mouth until breathing became required. “You feel so good,” Riley said against the smaller woman’s ear. “I need you now,” she added as her hand went down the taut stomach until she reached the soft curls at her apex. Moisture touched her fingers and a loud moan left her mouth. “I love you so much,” she said before she filled her with three fingers. Shelby’s hips began to bounce demanding everything that Riley could give her. Riley’s fingers left Shelby’s and the groan she emitted made her chuckle. “Don’t worry, baby.” Her body lowered until her lips were on her core. This made Shelby suck in a breath and pull Riley’s head harder to her core. Riley suppressed a chuckle at Shelby’s desire for her and the need that was evident in her movement. It didn’t take long once Riley returned her fingers to her.

  “Oh god,” Shelby screamed. “Yes, right there. Don’t stop, Riley. Don’t stop. Shelby’s words stopped as her body tensed and then began to shudder.

  “Let it go, love. Let it go,” Riley whispered as the woman in her arms shook with passion.

  “Come up here,” Shelby begged pulling on Riley’s shoulders. “How can you make me feel this way? I have no words for what you do to me.” Her head suddenly came up off the pillow. “Do you think anyone heard me?”

  Riley chuckled softly. “Only me, Shelby, only me,” she told her, but anyone near this boat would have heard her scream out into the night.

  “I need to touch you too. I need to try to make you feel half as good as I do.”

  “You always do,” Riley said kissing her mouth deeply. She now found herself flipped onto her back with light blue eyes staring down at her.

  “I love you, Riley Anderson.”

  “I love you too, Shelby.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Riley left the boat early the following morning to get ready for work. Shelby not having to work today, stayed in bed for another hour. Finally throwing off the covers, Shelby slipped on a pair of shorts and shirt and grabbed a towel and her toiletry bag. The moment she walked into the shower room, three pairs of eyes turned toward her. “Good morning,” she called out as she turned on one of the showers. By the time she came out of the shower, the three women were no longer in the large room. Shelby dressed and walked outside only to find the women waiting for her.

  “Have you eaten breakfast yet?” Melissa asked smiling.

  “Not yet,” she answered, shifting her towel to her other arm.

  “Come over to my boat and we all can have breakfast together,” Melissa added with a wide smile.

  “I appreciate that, but it isn’t necessary,” Shelby tried to explain.

  Nancy put her arm through Shelby’s arm. “We need to talk to you. If you have the time.”

  Shelby looked at the three hopeful faces and nodded.

  Once breakfast was on the table, the women looked at each other before Melissa became the voice of the group. “Uh, we need your help,” she said softly.

  “Sure. Whatever you need,” Shelby answered smiling at the group although she couldn’t imagine what kind of help they needed from her. The women had always been nice to her, but Shelby would never consider them friends.

  “You see,” Tracy paused before continuing, “we’ve all been married for a long, long time and we’ve never...” she couldn’t finish and looked at Melissa for help.

  “What Tracy is trying to say is that none of us…” Melissa swallowed, “none of us have ever screamed when we’ve been with our husbands.”

  Shelby’s eyes opened wide and she stared at the faces sitting across from her. “Uh...” she couldn’t finish her sentence. Shelby doubted she could finish a sentence again. “I don’t understand what I can do.” Were they looking for her to do something about that personally? “I couldn’t, you know.”

  “Oh, honey. We aren’t looking for you to do anything,” Nancy said touching the younger woman’s hand. “We just want to know what our husbands can do to make us scream.”

  “Oh,” Shelby finally said, but she didn’t think she could even say what she and Riley had been doing. Her own shyness and fear of talking about this just wasn’t her. “I’m not sure I can help you.”

  “We all do whatever our husbands ask of us, but they’ve never done for us.” Melissa looked down. “They aren’t interested in making sure we are satisfied. Do you know what I mean?”

  Only too well, Shelby thought. She had been with enough men to know most of them had only their own interest in mind during sex. “Have you ever asked them to?” She couldn’t say oral sex in front of these strangers and hoped they would understand their meaning.

  “My husband tried once, but he was there for two minutes and then lost interest,” Nancy admitted.

  “I still don’t understand how I can help you?” Shelby now hoped these women didn’t want her to talk to their husbands and explain lesbian sex.

  “Do you know of any books we can read in order to instruct our husbands in the art of making love to a woman?” Tracy asked.

  Shelby let out the breath she had been holding. “Do any of you own a Kindle or iPad? As a matter of fact, you can use your phone too.” Melissa pulled out her iPad and handed it to Shelby. She now went into Amazon and brought up the lesbian romance section and turned it toward the three women. “Read the description of the books and see which one would fit your needs. You want one that is explicit with the sexual scenes. Some of them can be very descriptive,” she said. Shelby didn’t want to admit that she had only read one of the books when she knew she was falling for Riley. She now brought that book up on the screen. “This one is very good,” she said keeping her eyes on the screen. Melissa downloaded the book immediately and the other two women said they would buy the book too. “You two might want to download different books. This way you can share the stories with each other.”

  “Is there another bo
ok you can recommend?” Nancy asked looking hopeful.

  “I haven’t read any of the other books. I could ask Riley?” she asked.

  “No,” the three women said together. “It was hard enough asking you and we’d rather keep this between us,” Melissa said looking at the other women who nodded firmly.

  “Why did you come to me?” Shelby asked finding the courage to ask.

  “We heard you last night.” At Tracy’s words, Shelby blushed so red she thought she would pass out. Tracy smiled. “Don’t worry, dear. It didn’t bother us, but it made us all think we wanted to do that too.”

  Shelby wasn’t sure that these women reading lesbian romance with explicit sex scenes would improve their situation, but feeling the way she did when Riley touched her was worth a chance.

  *

  A few weeks later Riley and Shelby were lying in each other’s arms after making love when the quiet of the night was filled with a loud scream. The women looked at each other and began laughing. “I’m glad it isn’t just us that disturbs the quiet,” Riley said pulling Shelby closer to her body.

  Shelby didn’t say anything, but she recognized the voice. It had been Melissa and she had also heard Nancy’s loud moans the other night. She was happy she could help those women in their fifties to finally have what they also wanted in their lives.

  The following morning, Shelby met the women in the shower room. “Good morning, ladies,” Shelby said smiling at the women who were smiling at her in return. “How is it going?” she asked with a determined wink.

  “Fantastic,” Melissa answered quickly.

  “I know,” Shelby said unable to hold back a laugh. “I heard you last night. I guess I can assume that Chet found some new moves.”

  “Oh, Shelby. You have renewed a sex life that I thought was dead and buried. We both feel like teenagers again.” Melissa turned her head to make sure no one else was in the shower area and said, “We’ve had sex in all parts of the boat.” Her smile was radiant as she spoke.

  Nancy moved over to Shelby and pulled her into a hug. “That’s from Glen, my husband.” Shelby’s eyes opened wide. “I never told him it was you. I just said a friend helped me find myself again.”