Nicole never really came out as a lesbian to her friends, family, and colleagues, and now her relationship with Katie is on the rocks. Katie is tired of being a "dirty secret" and moves out of their shared apartment on a hot Friday in August. Devastated, Nicole goes to her grandmother's farm on the shores of Lake Sunapee, a safe place where she spent happy summer holidays as a child.
Nicole hopes for a quiet weekend to reflect, but between her gran's new lodger, the sexy redhead Melissa, and Sally and Bud, two of Nicole's childhood friends, she is quickly roped into an evening's entertainment at the Lodge Saturday evening. Her well-meaning friends try to fix her up with a guy, and in the heat of the moment she blurts out she is a lesbian.
Havoc ensues. But in a conversation with her grandmother, Nicole begins to understand her secret hasn't been hidden as well as she thought, and she learns she isn’t the first lesbian in her family.
With the new sense of freedom that comes from being true to herself, she has only one thing to wish for, and that is to reach Katy and make amends. But is it too late?
More From Heat Wave
We both changed into tank tops and shorts with sandals. We jumped into my car and headed for the restaurant near campus which catered to the tastes of the students. Yes, it was crowded but we only had to wait twenty minutes for a table to become available.
"Oh, Anne invited us to party with her on Saturday. She wants us to meet the new squeeze she's just started to date," Katie told me as we started to eat. Anne was her best friend. They'd met at the hospital where they both worked.
"What time?" I asked.
"She suggested mid-afternoon, maybe at the pool at her place, then going out to eat and maybe a movie. In this heat, movie theatres are the coldest places around. They'll probably be packed," she answered. "This weekend is supposed to break records with the heat."
I cringed. I hadn't told her.
"I can't, hon," I whispered. "Saturday is the company picnic."
She glared up at me. "When were you going to tell me?"
"I'm sorry," I said.
"And I'm not invited to go with you?"
"Honey, they don't know I'm gay."
"Then when are you going to tell them?" She looked into my eyes. I looked away.
"Nickie. You can't live like that ... and neither can I."
"Hon, you haven't heard all the faggot and dyke jokes around the office. I'd probably be fired. At the very least, I'd be the brunt of all the jokes they'd tell behind my back." I tried to keep my voice low so everyone in the restaurant wouldn't hear.
"And that's worse than hiding every day?"
"Katie ..." We'd had that argument many times before.
"I've had it, Nicole. I'm no longer hungry. I want to go home." She threw her napkin on the table and put her soup spoon on the plate. Then she sat back and folded her arms in front of her.
Suddenly I wasn't hungry either. I put my spoon down and motioned to the waiter that we wanted the check.
Just opening the door of the café was a sock in the face. The air outside was still oppressing and there didn't seem to be any air to breathe. It was a challenge just to walk to the car. Opening the door, we were both assaulted by the blast of heat that had built up inside. Katie just stood there waiting for me to start the car and get the AC running.
The ride home was uncomfortable. She didn't say one word, just sat there, her arms folded in front of her and stared ahead.
"Maybe we can go out with Anne and her honey on Sunday," I suggested.
There was no answer.
"I could leave the picnic early so we may still be able to go to a movie."
Still no response.
I tried again but she remained impassive.
I pulled into my parking space and turned the car off.
Katie immediately got out of the car and into hers. Before I could say another word, she had backed out of her space and driven away.
