Chapter Text
At the top of the stairs, Maybelle kissed Esti on the head before parting ways with her. This week’s episode of Mr. District Attorney hadn’t been too riveting, which was a shame, since Maybelle had been looking forward to listening to it with Esti again ever since she’d received word of the League’s return. She loved her own kiddos, of course, but they were too small to take interest in the political intrigue, so she’d been unfortunately left to listen on her own all winter.
Anyhow, she had missed Esti, and they were able to hold brief conversations every once in a while, now, which more than made up for a disappointing episode.
Maybelle was content, just happy to be getting a second season. Really, that was enough excitement for her; she was a homebody at heart. The Peaches’ house was missing a few cute little brats, but other than that, it was as good a home as any, and Maybelle loved its strange routines more than anything. So she was grateful just to listen to the radio with Esti, and she was grateful for the noisy, overfilled house full of spirited women who loved baseball just as much as she did.
She rounded the corner towards the room she now shared with Jess, purposefully smacking her house slippers loudly on the floor, and opened the door slowly, so as to give her roommate enough warning to disentangle herself from any compromising position she might have gotten herself into before Maybelle entered the room.
As expected, Lupe was there, sitting on the far end of the bed from Jess, looking a little too rumpled for friendly conversation.
“Maybelle!” she greeted cheerfully as she smoothed her hair back and straightened her collar.
“Hiya, Lupe, dear,” Maybelle chirped back, coming to sit between the two of them on Jess’ bed. “Didn’t expect to see you here,” she lied.
“Oh, you know me,” Lupe said, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “Just can’t stay away from you.”
Maybelle nearly quipped that there was certainly someone here who Lupe couldn’t stay away from, but she kept herself quiet. There was no need to tease, not when these two were already under so much stress as it was.
Instead, she just demurely accepted the flattery, because, after all, Maybelle was a woman with needs. “Oh, hush up, you,” she said, swatting benignly at Lupe’s shoulder.
“It’s true.” Lupe grinned, showing off her teeth for just a moment. “You could make an honest man out of me, May, if you just said the word.”
“Don’t tempt me, García, or I might just take you home to Oklahoma with me and never let you go.”
On the other side of Maybelle, Jess scoffed. It wasn’t hard to guess why.
For as tough as she seemed, Jess was a sweetheart. She was never rude to Maybelle; in fact, she was rather gentlemanly, in her own odd way. Even if they had a bad day in the ballpark—not that Maybelle ever did, of course—Jess would merely blow off her steam elsewhere before returning to the room, never making it her problem.
There was just one situation besides a lost game where Jess let herself get testy: when Lupe gave all her attention to someone else. And Maybelle, lucky as she was, just happened to find herself in this situation more frequently than the other Peaches.
She wasn’t foolish. She knew that something had changed between these two in the off-season, and that Jess was only peppery because she had to be so darn careful not to let it show how much she cared for Lupe. Even so, anyone with half a wit about them could see it. Luckily, the Bakers were witless.
Still, Maybelle was no threat. She wouldn’t tell a single soul, and frankly, she didn’t think Jess needed to worry about Lupe; that girl was head over heels and terrible at hiding it, no matter how much she sweet-talked Maybelle in jest.
Besides, who could blame a simple gal like Maybelle for enjoying a little flattery from a handsome woman like Lupe? Jess got plenty of attention from her already; it wouldn’t hurt her to learn to share a little bit.
“Whatcha grumbling about, sweetpea?” she asked innocently, turning her head to look at Jess.
“I’m not grumbling,” she responded quickly, turning her eyes away as if that would conceal her sulking.
Maybelle could feel Lupe holding back a snicker beside her. “I think she’s jealous,” she said, briefly lifting her hand off Maybelle’s shoulder to poke at Jess. “Probably had a ring for you and everything, Maybelle.”
Oh, she was jealous alright. Maybelle just smiled sweetly.
“Nothing personal, hon,” she promised, giving Jess a light tap under the chin. Although she was looking a little sullen, Jess softened a bit at the touch.
“You just don’t know how it is with us Southern gals,” Maybelle continued. “Can’t get us anywhere near Canada, no sir.”
Lupe nodded affirmatively, as if in agreement, but her eyes were on Jess, mirthful and affectionate and clearly betraying that she’d much rather follow her up to Moose Jaw than follow Maybelle down to little old unincorporated Hee Haw.
“Got Lupe up to New York,” Jess countered. “Even got her to make a snow angel. Fell right on her ass in the middle of the snow.”
“That was on a bet,” Lupe argued back. “Doesn’t count.”
“You said that y—!”
Maybelle quickly jumped back in before either of them could shoot themselves in the foot with their ridiculous bickering. They acted like they’d been married fifty years, honestly.
“Then again,” she mused, interrupting Jess and leaning over into her side, inadvertently trapping Lupe’s arm between them. “Don’t know if a city girl like this one could handle me. Maybe I oughta give Moose Jaw a try.”
This seemed to placate Jess, and she grinned flirtatiously back.
Maybelle couldn’t help it if she batted her eyelashes a little bit in response. Really, these two were both too attractive for their own good. They may think they’re slick, creeping around the house together, but honestly, they really ought to consider what they were missing out on every once in a while. Maybelle wasn’t over the hill quite yet; she still had her charms about her. And since they were clearly smitten with each other, there was no harm in enjoying a bit of attention from either one of them now and then. At the end of the day, she knew they only had eyes for each other.
“May.” Lupe pulled her gently back into her side. “I’d never set foot in a city again if the right person asked.” She winked exaggeratedly, face twisting into a playful smirk.
Jess’ face, meanwhile, fell again, leaving her looking like a kicked puppy. A particularly vengeful kicked puppy, maybe.
Maybelle couldn’t help but laugh. How could she not see the offer that Lupe was dangling right in front of her? Maybelle certainly wasn’t the ‘right person’ in question, not by a long shot.
But Lupe, bless her heart, knew how to appreciate a lady, with that award-winning smile of hers. Maybelle couldn’t be blamed for recognizing that, surely. Not when Jess had the good fortune of being adored by her the other 99% of the time. She leaned into Lupe’s embrace a little further, officially won over.
“What a charmer,” she hummed delightedly, enjoying the attention for a moment longer before standing and crossing over to her dresser. “Anyone would be real lucky to have you, Lupe,” she voiced nonchalantly. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know that the lovebirds already had their eyes glued back on each other, her own appeal immediately forgotten.
She grabbed a nightgown, her toothbrush, and some cold cream, then headed to the door, her back all the while turned so as to let them continue to think they were being sneaky. She’d spend a little more time than necessary cleaning up before she turned in, so they could relax for a few minutes more.
“Isn’t that right, Jess?” she added over her shoulder as she slipped out the door, quietly closing it behind her.
Through the wall, she could hear Jess’ voice calling after her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”