Breathless

Chapter One

Jamie Taylor was not a patient woman. In fact you could have called her the most impatient woman in Bly and it wouldn't have been that far off. Yet when she walked into the kitchen on that fateful day and found the beautiful blonde Au Pair sitting at the kitchen table she felt this sudden calm wash over her. It was as if she'd known her for her entire life despite not even sharing a look. Only until later on that night while she was finishing up in the garden did she finally manage to introduce herself. “So you must be the new Au Pair to the little weirdos.” Jamie found herself blushing slightly as she shook Dani Clayton's hand. Her hand felt warm and comfortable as if it had been made for her own. She shook the thought out of her head almost instantly and hoped Dani hadn't noticed her staring for what seemed to be an incredible amount of time. Dani smiled warmly and nodded. “Uh my name's Dani. Dani Clayton. I'm from America.” Jamie laughed. “I would never have guessed given the attempt to make tea earlier. You could have killed us with the sugar alone!” She hoped she wasn't being too mean at first. She could never tell how people would take her sense of humor. To her surprise though the au pair let out a laugh that sounded like a melody to her ears. She shook that thought away too. She refused to let herself get carried away with the notion creeping through her head. “I'm used to tea that comes in a bottle and is already mixed. Maybe you can show me how to make a real cup of tea though. I need all the help I can get.” Jamie looked up and saw Dani's cheeks steadily turning red and her stomach fluttered at the idea of her in the kitchen helping the poor American learn how to make a proper cuppa. “Yeah I'd like that. You poor Americans with your bottled tea and too much sweetener. You're going to give the children diabetes if you carry on like that. I have to get back to the plants before nightfall but whenever you're ready to learn how to make proper tea just let me know. It was nice to meet you Ms. Clayton.” Jamie's heart stammered as the words streamed out. She knew how stupid she sounded but she couldn't help but smile as Dani nodded and turned towards the house. Maybe the au pair wouldn't be so bad to have around after all.

It had been awhile since Jamie had truly held feelings for anyone let alone romanced a woman. She wondered if she'd still be any good at it but given last night's introduction she had a feeling it would be a rough ride in the romance department. She didn't even know if Dani was a lesbian and she didn't want to assume but all she knew was that she felt a spark and she hoped that Dani had felt it too.

The next morning Jamie arrived at Bly at exactly 6:00 am and wandered into the kitchen to make tea as she did every morning. Usually no one was awake so she had the kitchen to herself and she could enjoy the peace and quiet yet this morning there was someone else joining her. “I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd make the kid's breakfast before Owen arrived.” Dani said with a smile. “Don't mind me Poppins. I just need a cuppa before I go and check on the roses.” Jamie glanced over at Dani who was still giving her the same doe eyed look she had last night. “Mind showing me how you make a propa cuppa?” Dani had her hand on the teapot while grinning at her own attempt at a British accent. Jamie rolled her eyes and let out a laugh. “You need water first. Let it boil and I'll show you how to add the tea bags properly. Then you need milk and a teaspoon of sugar but no more than that or you'll ruin it. You poor Americans and your inability to make tea. What do they teach you in school anyway?” She felt herself questioning every word leaving her lips again but to her own shock Dani had grazed her hand while letting out another laugh. Her skin was on fire from the touch but it felt better than anything she'd ever felt before. As Jamie showed the American how to make a proper cup of tea she wondered what it would be to hold Dani in her arms at night. They talked about their lives before Bly and past friendships. Jamie felt as if she could tell Dani anything and everything about herself and every movement was easy with her. It was as if they were meant to meet. “Okay this is good tea. I'm so sorry you all had to taste whatever I was making before.” Dani grinned at Flora and Hannah who had joined herself and Jamie in the kitchen. Flora giggled and looked up at Jamie with the goofy grin that made her melt. She wasn't fond of kids but she had a special bond with Flora and she wanted to protect her at all costs. “Well kids I best be off. The roses need pruning and I have plants that are thirsty.” She put her cup in the sink and winked at Dani. “Good job on the tea. You might have it in you yet!” She watched the red creep across Dani's cheeks yet again and felt her own heart starting to tap dance but quickly left the kitchen before she could say anything else that would get her into trouble.

It was later on in the afternoon and she had finished with the roses finally when she stumbled upon the Au Pair hiding behind a hedge and shaking. She was in a fit of tears so Jamie tried to do the only thing she knew she could to make things better. She made her laugh. Once her tears had subsided Jamie offered to show her the green house to hopefully calm her down and luckily she agreed. “They all have names. Most people think I'm crazy but I swear I've heard some of the hydrangeas talking shit about me when my back is turned. Little bastards.” She gently lifted one of the hydrangeas to her nose and inhaled. The scent was intoxicating to her but she could feel Dani's eyes watching her every move. “What's this one's name?” Dani had pointed at a smaller violet in a pot. “That one doesn't have a name yet.” She lied. It's name was Hoover but it was a dumb name and she didn't want to tell Dani that. “You should name him something bold like Brad.” Dani grinned. “Brad? That's your idea of a bold name? Well if you insist. From this day forth that violet's name shall be Brad.” Jamie's hand grazed Dani's as she picked up the pot with Brad the Violet in it. Her face was inches from Dani's and she held her breath because all she wanted to do in that moment was drop the plant and embrace her. She held Dani's gaze as she slowly put the plant back and brushed a stray hair from her face. “Well why don't we check out the vegetables? Owen will be excited to see today's harvest!” Jamie quickly hustled to the other end of the greenhouse and hoped she wasn't misinterpreting the signals that Dani was giving off because she wanted nothing more than to kiss her and it was starting to hurt a little.