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“Okay,” Elena said softly.

They walked back to the reading nook and Elena stayed for a visit just as she’d always done.

Elena backed out of Cat’s driveway and began to drive the short distance to her house.

“Are you sure you don’t mind bringing me to work in the morning?” Cat asked. “I could’ve followed you home.”

“I don’t mind. We won’t need both cars tomorrow for the engagement party,” Elena said.

“Okay. I guess it’s a good thing I packed for several days.”

Elena glanced over at her and smiled. “We can stay at your house, too.”

“Maybe sometime. I love your home,” Cat said. “You know that.”

“I do. Hey, what do you want to do tonight?”

“You’re not going to take me to bed and have your way with me when we get home?” Cat said.

Elena chuckled. “Yes, but not as soon as we get there. I got something together for dinner and I want to dance.”

“Dance? Do you want to go out?”

“No, I want to dance with you in the sapphic study. There are a few songs I want to play for you,” Elena said.

“Did you make us a playlist?” Cat asked with excitement.

“Maybe… Is that dumb?”

“No,” Cat said. “I think it’s romantic. When did you make it?”

“I loved dancing with you at The Neon Rose, so I started to make a playlist then and added to it,” Elena said.

“Is that why you’ve mentioned going back there several times?”

Elena chuckled. “Yep.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me?”

“We were dancing because Hattie was there,” Elena reminded her.

“I asked you to dance with me because I wanted to. Honestly, once we put our arms around each other I forgot Hattie was even there.”

“Oh, she was watching,” Elena said.

“You never did tell me what y’all talked about in the bookstore that day,” Cat said.

“She said you were the best and I agreed.”

“Really?” Cat said skeptically.

Elena nodded. “She said it took her too long to realize it. But I knew the minute I walked into Your Next Great Read.”

“Did you really? Because I remember how easily we fell into conversation and before you left that first day I knew we were going to be friends.”

“I was nervous when I walked in, but there was something about you that calmed me. I could see in those sparkling blue eyes—you have the most beautiful eyes, you know,” Elena said, glancing over at Cat.

“Thank you, but you were nervous?”