Perfect Partners Read online

  “I know.” Sara smiled sincerely. “I do know you, Nicole.”

  “I want you to be happy, Sara. God, no one deserves that more than you.”

  “That’s not true. Everyone deserves it.”

  “I know. I just meant…” She shook her head. “Izzy seems like a good person. And by all accounts, she’s a great cop. She did a phenomenal job yesterday and today.” Nicole seemed proud. “That’s a testament to you, you know.” She brought her steepled fingers to her lips. “I’m just trying to say, I’m happy for you, for whatever it’s worth.”

  “It’s worth a lot, actually.”

  Sara crossed the room and gave her a heartfelt hug, hoping in her embrace Nicole might feel a fraction of the love and friendship they’d shared over the years.

  Nicole wrapped her arms tightly around Sara’s waist, burying her face in her shoulder. “This girl better be good to you.”

  Sara was overwhelmed with emotion—the love she felt for Izzy, the fondness she had for Nicole. She held her tightly, acknowledging the end of an era as it bled right into the beginning of the rest of her life.

  ***

  Hours later, Sara leaned back against the headrest of her pickup, the warm night air filling the cab around her. Even though Izzy’s block was quiet, it was late and she didn’t want to alarm the neighbors, so she’d pulled her truck into Izzy’s driveway while she waited. She fully intended to move the second Izzy arrived home.

  She woke up when she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder.

  “Hey.” Izzy’s smile was warm, her voice soft and husky. “I need to get you keys,” she said, ticking her head toward the front door.

  “What time is it?” Sara gripped the steering wheel, pulling herself higher in the seat before rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  “Late.” Izzy opened the car door, and Chase used the opportunity to hop up and greet Sara with a string of wet kisses. “Hey, don’t be a hog,” Izzy teased her dog as she nudged him down tenderly. She reached for Sara’s hand and helped her out. “It’s after midnight. How long have you been here?”

  “Not long,” she lied. With a shrug she added, “A few hours, maybe.”

  “I was going to call you when I was leaving, but I looked at the time and thought it was too late. I figured I’d text when I got here just so you’d know I was home, safe and sound.”

  Sara turned the ignition to close the windows, then slid out and reached for her bag before she shut the door. “I hope it’s okay I came. I needed to see you.”

  In the dark night, Izzy leaned forward and answered her with a kiss. “Of course.” Sara ran her hands up Izzy’s forearms and felt her skin pebble under the touch. “You are always welcome here. I really am going to get you a key.”

  Sara could see the fatigue in her eyes, and when she dropped her head squarely on her chest, Sara kissed the top of her hair.

  “I would have been here sooner, but even after the terminal was secured, there was a mountain of paperwork.” Sara could hear her perk up as she spoke and she looked down at her dog proudly. “Chase here was a star.” She met Sara’s eyes. “He found not one but two improvised explosive devices.”

  Sara squatted down to give him due praise. “Is that right, big guy?” she said, petting his head and face lovingly before standing up. “I heard you were quite the hero yourself.” She looked right at Izzy’s big brown eyes, feeling herself fall deeper with each passing second.

  “John?” Izzy said, seeking the identity of Sara’s intel provider.

  She swallowed hard, knowing she had to reveal her source. “Nicole.”

  Izzy nodded, clearly processing the information. Sara didn’t want her mind to run amok so she offered up some detail.

  “She came by to tell me you were okay.” Sara touched the blended fabric of Izzy’s uniform shirt, feeling her soft abdomen beneath it. “When the news reported there was an explosion and first responders were injured, I was…well, I was nervous.”

  “I wanted to call you. I wasn’t allowed.” Izzy reached for her hand and guided them to the front door. “Also, it was chaos.”

  “You don’t have to explain, Izzy.” Sara followed her inside, dropping her bag and pulling her close. “I know what this job is. I’ve been around it my whole life.” She kissed her. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  “I’m glad Nicole told you I wasn’t hurt. That was kind of her.”

  Izzy put Chase to bed without protest and Sara melted, seeing how utterly exhausted he was. She didn’t want to spend any more time talking about Nicole, but she couldn’t resist sharing one other tiny bit of good news.

  “She also told me she’s moving to Seattle.”

  Izzy was in the middle of sliding her firearm off her belt, and she stood frozen in the bedroom holding the entire holster in her hands.

  “What?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion.

  Sara signaled her to put her gun away, and Izzy tucked it safely into the highest drawer of her dresser. Sara didn’t even wait for her to turn around. Instead she slipped in behind her, circling her waist with her palms.

  “I’m in love with you.” She held her ever closer. “She knows it.” A small laugh escaped her. “Everyone knows it, I think.” Izzy turned in her arms, and she was happy to see her gorgeous face. “There is nothing in this world that will change that. You are the one for me.”

  “It won’t always be like it was today, Sara. And yesterday…” She sighed. “My days are melding together.” Sara felt Izzy’s hands slide under her shirt just to make skin to skin contact. “I can’t believe tomorrow is graduation.”

  “In a few hours, really.”

  Izzy looked up at her and her eyes were pleading. “Can we please go straight to Phoenicia right after? I need to be together, just me and you.” She rested her arms over Sara’s shoulders. “I missed you.”

  “I thought we had to have dinner with your family. To celebrate, you said.”

  Izzy hung her head in fake distress. “I’ll call them and explain in the morning. They’ll understand.” Her eyes darted around the room. “Maybe we can just do a quick lunch after the ceremony,” she said.

  “Whatever you want.” Sara smiled right at her. “I mean it,” she said with a mild shrug. “I’m game for anything. You’re the one who’s had a rough few days.”

  “It won’t always be this crazy. I swear.”

  “Even if it is, I’m never letting you go.”

  Izzy’s smile was lovely and pure. “I love you.”

  “Promise me one thing.” Sara placed a soft kiss on her forehead, moving her lips down over her temple and cheeks, her chin, her beautiful full mouth. “Always come home to me.”

  “Forever,” Izzy said.

  Sara smiled at her perfect response. In this small moment, standing in the center of Izzy’s bedroom with a lifetime ahead of them, Sara knew what they felt for one another was real and true and perfect. It was forever.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  “Tish.”

  Sara called out for her young pup the second she stepped from her back door into the quiet, cool summer morning air. The lack of immediate response meant her rascal was surely off adventuring. She smiled to herself, both elated and relieved to know he wasn’t alone. With a small shake of her head she set the two bowls of kibble she was holding on the flat top of the deck railing, calling into the forest of trees from the back porch of the house.

  “Tish, Chase,” she bellowed, cupping her hands around her mouth so her voice would carry. “Come on, boys.”

  Squinting, she saw movement in the brush, and a half second later both dogs came barreling out from the line of trees that surrounded the property.

  Chase beat his little brother by a good few yards and came to a perfect halt sliding into a seated position, his mouth hanging open in a happy smile. Sara looked from one dog to the other.

  “Tish, what’s Chase doing that you’re not?” she asked playfully.

  The
six-month old German shepherd mix cocked his head from side to side, joyfully panting from his mad dash.

  “Sit, Tish,” Sara ordered.

  Tish met her stare before checking over Chase’s posture and sitting squarely on the ground.

  “Good boys. Very good.”

  Sara reached for their food and placed it on the ground in front of them. “Wait for the command,” she said, mostly to Tish. But she barely made him hold out for a second before ordering, “Eat.”

  Sara ascended the few steps to watch the guys chow down as she leaned against the railing. She swallowed a laugh when Tish popped his snout into Chase’s bowl and was just as quickly nosed out.

  “What’s funny?”

  Izzy came up behind Sara and kissed her shoulder.

  “Tish just figured he’d maybe sample some of Chase’s food. As I’m sure you can imagine, Chase was not having it,” she said with a smile.

  “You tell him who’s boss, Chase.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, he knows.”

  “And how are the kids this morning?” Izzy asked.

  “Just fine.” Sara reached behind to usher Izzy in front so she could see for herself. “They were off in the woods,” she added with an eye roll.

  “Don’t helicopter,” Izzy scolded impishly.

  “Helicopter? Me?” Sara pretended to be annoyed as she squeezed Izzy’s waist, causing her to giggle.

  Izzy covered her hands and Sara turned her around to get a good look at her gorgeous smile.

  “You know Chase won’t let him get into any trouble,” Izzy said sincerely. “He totally dotes on him. Possibly more than you.”

  “Their connection is really sweet,” Sara echoed.

  Izzy turned her head toward their dogs playing together in the open grass. “I can’t believe just a few months ago we didn’t even know him.”

  “I know. And already he’s such a part of the family. It’s like I almost can’t remember what it was like without him here.”

  “I’m glad you waited to find the right dog.” Izzy looked over at the puppy holding on to a tennis ball with paws that almost seemed too big for his growing body. He gnawed the hide over and over, letting out a small bark when he bit too hard and the ball rolled away from him. Undeterred, he followed it a few feet, looking over and turning his dark face to one side, seeming to smile at them before he returned to chewing. “He’s such a happy little guy,” Izzy said.

  “My mother would love him,” Sara said.

  Since naming Tish in her honor, they’d talked quite a bit about Sara’s mother—her life and her legacy—and Sara felt the use of her mother’s special nickname was the perfect balance of tribute and devotion to her memory. It also made her feel connected to her mom in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

  “Of course she’d love him,” Izzy said. “He’s a sweetie.” She reached up and kissed Sara’s cheek. “And someday, he’ll be a great service dog just like his big bro.” Over in the distance, Tish fell over his own head into a tumble-sault trying to get the best of Chase’s oversized Kong. “All in good time,” Izzy added with a laugh.

  Sara leaned forward to kiss Izzy. “What time are you two working today?” she asked, slightly nodding toward Chase, who was lounging on the grass in the late morning sun.

  “Our tour is two to ten today,” Izzy said, looking at her watch. “We should probably get moving soon. It’s a hike from up here.”

  Living together had been a virtually seamless transition, requiring almost no conversation at all. For the last twelve months they’d fully cohabitated, spending the weekdays at Izzy’s place in suburban Westchester County and using Sara’s home in upstate Phoenicia as their weekend getaway. Sara knew Izzy adored the mountain trails and the quaint little town. Still, she felt guilty, knowing she and Chase had a brutal commute ahead of them today.

  “We should have gone home yesterday,” Sara said, caressing Izzy’s tanned forearms.

  Izzy tipped her head back into the warm rays of sunlight just reaching the porch. “Absolutely not.” She looked beautiful and pure and completely content. It made Sara’s heart swell. “I love it here. You know that.” Her eyes sparkled in the sun. “Someday we’ll retire here.”

  “We will, huh?” Sara’s answer was a question, even though she knew Izzy was probably right.

  Izzy leaned forward and kissed her. “You know we will.” She placed baby kisses all over Sara’s face, and Sara felt herself beam at the attention. “The only question is how many dogs we’ll have.”

  “Two.” Sara found Izzy’s lips. “Always two.”

  “You sound pretty sure of that.”

  Sara’s eyes shifted to the yard where Chase and Tish were play wrestling. She melted every time Chase lay down and let Tish pounce on him. “I know it’s still so new, but I just can’t imagine these two without each other.”

  “Me either,” Izzy said. But when Sara looked back, Izzy’s eyes were on her, not the dogs.

  Sara kissed her before turning Izzy in her arms so they could watch the boys frolic together. “Look at them,” she said with a smile.

  “Partners in crime,” Izzy responded as they got into some mischief with a rope tug.

  “They’re good boys.” Sara held Izzy close, loving the feel of their bodies together. She dropped a decadent kiss on Izzy’s cheek and whispered in her ear. “Just partners. Perfect, perfect partners.”

  About the Author

  Maggie Cummings is the author of Totally Worth It, Serious Potential, and Definite Possibility, all part of the Bay West Social trilogy, and the co-authored novel Against All Odds. She lives in Staten Island, New York, with her wife, their two children, and their sweet, ancient dog. She works as a police officer in New York City, and is constantly daydreaming about the fictional people who live in her head with the hope of bringing them to life on the page. She loves chick flicks, body switch movies, fanfic, great romances, and fanvids shipping lesbian TV characters. The people who make those are her true heroes. She still mourns the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and she has yet to meet a potato chip she didn’t immediately fall in love with.

  Books Available From Bold Strokes Books

  A Chapter on Love by Laney Webber. When Jannika and Lee reunite, their instant connection feels like a gift, but neither is ready for a second chance at love. Will they finally get on the same page when it comes to love? (978-1-163555-366-6)

  Drawing Down the Mist by Sheri Lewis Wohl. Everyone thinks Grand Duchess Maria Romanova died in 1918. They were almost right. (978-1-163555-341-3)

  Listen by Kris Bryant. Lily Croft is inexplicably drawn to Hope D’Marco, but will she have the courage to confront the consequences of her past and present colliding? (978-1-163555-318-5)

  Perfect Partners by Maggie Cummings. Elite police dog trainer Sara Wright has no intention of falling in love with a coworker until Isabel Marquez arrives at Homeland Security’s Northeast Regional Training facility, and Sara’s good intentions start to falter. (978-1-163555-363-5)

  Shut Up and Kiss Me by Julie Cannon. What better way to spend two weeks of hell in paradise than in the company of a hot, sexy woman? (978-1-163555-343-7)

  Spencer’s Cove by Missouri Vaun. When Foster Owen and Abigail Spencer meet, they uncover a story of lives adrift, loves lost, and true love found. (978-1-163555-171-6)

  Unexpected Lightning by Cass Sellars. Lightning strikes once more when Sydney and Parker fight a dangerous stranger who threatens the peace they both desperately want. (978-1-163555-276-8)

  Without Pretense by TJ Thomas. After living for decades hiding from the truth, can Ava learn to trust Bianca with her secrets and her heart? (978-1-163555-173-0)

  Emily’s Art and Soul by Joy Argento. When Emily meets Andi Marino she thinks she’s found a new best friend, but Emily doesn’t know that Andi is fast falling in love with her. Caught up in exploring her sexuality, will Emily see the only woman she needs is right in front of her? (978-1-163555-355-0)

  Escape to Pleasure: Lesb
ian Travel Erotica, edited by Sandy Lowe and Victoria Villaseñor. Join these award-winning authors as they explore the sensual side of erotic lesbian travel. (978-1-163555-339-0)

  Music City Dreamers by Robyn Nyx. Music can bring lovers together. In Music City, it can tear them apart. (978-1-163555-207-2)

  Ordinary is Perfect by D. Jackson Leigh. Atlanta marketing superstar Autumn Swan’s life derails when she inherits a country home, a child, and a very interesting neighbor. (978-1-163555-280-5)

  Royal Court by Jenny Frame. When royal dresser Holly Weaver’s passionate personality begins to melt Royal Marine Captain Quincy’s icy heart, will Holly be ready for what she exposes beneath? (978-1-163555-290-4)

  Strings Attached by Holly Stratimore. Rock star Nikki Razer always gets what she wants, but when she falls for Drew McNally, a music teacher who won’t date celebrities, can she convince Drew she’s worth the risk? (978-1-163555-347-5)

  The Ashford Place by Jean Copeland. When Isabelle Ashford inherits an old house in small-town Connecticut, family secrets, a shocking discovery, and an unexpected romance complicate her plan for a fast profit and a temporary stay. (978-1-163555-316-1)

  Treason by Gun Brooke. Zoem Malderyn’s existence is a deadly threat to everyone on Gemocon, and Commander Neenja KahSandra must find a way to save the woman she loves from having to make the ultimate sacrifice. (978-1-163555-244-7)

  A Wish Upon a Star by Jeannie Levig. Erica Cooper has learned to depend on only herself, but when her new neighbor, Leslie Raymond, befriends Erica’s special needs daughter, the walls protecting Erica’s heart threaten to crumble. (978-1-163555-274-4)