Read Online PeakExperience by Rachel Kenley - Free Book Online

with her
mother for nearly six weeks, a record for them, and when they did start talking
again Lena refused to discuss art, no matter how many attempts Janice made. She
had to give her mother points for tenacity. Besides, by that time her marriage
was showing serious cracks and there were other things to discuss. By the
summer both her marriage and career were over.
    Today, with the afternoon light coming into her living room,
she stepped closer to the image of her in the picture and really looked at it,
possibly for the first time. In this girl she saw the joy of youth and the
beginnings of adult awareness, but more—she saw magic. Her mother captured a
light and liveliness Lena could recall experiencing when she was younger. And
rejecting later because although living that way could bring great joy, it also
made her vulnerable, which she didn’t like.
    To avoid future vulnerability and to prove she could still
make good choices for herself and be a success, she enrolled in graduate
school. That was where she met Michelle and the idea of starting their own
business was born. A little more than five years after they graduated the doors
of Crane and Fulton opened, pairing Michelle’s business savvy with Lena’s creative
genius. It was one of the greatest days of her life. Finally she wasn’t the
family screw-up.
    But all that would change if they lost the company. The idea
was unbearable and sent cold shivers through her. She’d poured so much of
herself into the business. There was no way they would lose it. She
would—could—not fail at this.
    * * * * *
    On Monday morning Lena spotted Michelle in the break room
almost as soon as she arrived. “Do you have a minute?” She didn’t wait for her
friend to answer. “Good, I need to talk to you. Could you come to my office as
soon as you’re done?” Within minutes, Michelle was sitting across from her. She
brought Lena a cup of coffee along with her own.
    “This must be good. You forgot your morning mug. You looked
all glowy when you left the gallery on Friday. I’ve been dying to talk to you
all weekend, but I was—occupied. Can I assume you got lucky?”
    Lena shook her head. “Does bad luck count?”
    “Not usually, but I’m confused. I thought a major hunk
followed you out of the building.”
    “He did. As you suggested, I let myself get carried away. We
went back to his place and had absolutely mind-blowing sex. Remember those
multiple orgasms you said I should have? Well I did. It was amazing.”
    “Hah,” Michelle said. “I knew it.”
    “Until the next morning.”
    “You stayed until the morning? I would have thought you’d
leave as soon as you could. Hell, you don’t usually spend the night with men
you’re dating. I never imagined you’d stay with someone who picked you up at a
bar.”
    “Gallery,” Lena said.
    “Not the point. Was it that good?”
    “Actually, it was better than good, and afterward I was so
exhausted I thought I’d rest before leaving. Instead, it was the next morning
before I woke.”
    “Yikes. He turned out to be a complete creep in the
daylight?”
    “Worse. He turned out to be someone I know.”
    “You lost me. How could that happen? He didn’t look familiar
the night before?”
    “No, because when I knew him he was fifteen.” Michelle spit
out her coffee in an attempt not to choke. This was a first in their
friendship. Usually it was Lena being surprised by Michelle’s actions or
situations.
    “Okay, you really need to start at the beginning.” Lena
explained her connection to Daniel. Michelle winced. “Well, at least you had a
good reason for not recognizing him.”
    “Thanks for the understatement. It goes well with my
coffee.”
    Michelle smirked. “Nothing wrong with a younger lover. It’s
very popular these days. Hell, there’s a sitcom based on it.”
    “I don’t think guiding my life around popular trends in
television is a wise move. Besides, this felt more like a bad episode of