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My eyes dart to Zara, who’s just staring at me.

“What?” I ask

“I just wasn’t prepared for you to have an orgasm over baked goods.”

I laugh and then point to her empty hands. “If you eat one, we could orgasm together.”

She raises a brow at me. “If I eatsomething, we could most definitely orgasm together.”

“I don’t know.” I shrug playfully. “These are really doing it for me.”

Zara shakes her head. “You’re going to regret that when you’re at home with only a sugar high to keep you company.”

She’s absolutely right, but two can play this game. “I don’t know,” I say in between bites. “I ordered a few toys the other day that I think could?—”

Zara interrupts me, grabbing the half-eaten pastry and my drink out of my hands and then arranging everything off the bed. “I’m sorry, I thought I just heard you say you ordered some toys.”

“I did,” I answer nonchalantly.

“What toys?”

There are no toys, but curiosity had found this cat a few nights ago, and I’d gone down a rabbit hole I definitely want to revisit after the vivid image she so eloquently described of me with a vibrator.

“I don’t know.” I hike up a shoulder. “Which ones can you imagine me with?”

Heat dances in her irises. “That’s a very, very loaded question.”

“Lucky I didn’t actually buy myself any, then,” I confess. “But, coincidentally, I did go on a deep dive the other night and made a mental comparison table. You mentioning a vibrator last night definitely sealed the deal.”

Zara inhales deeply. “I’m not going to lie, it’s so fucking sexy hearing about you making a comparison table for sex toys.”

I laugh, my chest feeling so unbelievably light, loving the way we volley back and forth about anything with such ease. “I want to be sure they’re good for both of us.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry, sweetheart, anything that’s good for you, is absolutely going to be good for me.” She situates herself on her haunches and then leans forward till I fall back on the bed and she’s hovering over me. “Now, tell me more about this comparison table.”

29

CLEM

“Are you ready for your weekend in Seattle?” I ask Raine.

The lunchtime rush is finished and Raine and I finally have a moment to ourselves. It’s been a while since we’ve hung out properly, but I know college is kicking her ass, and I spend every free moment I have either helping Arlo and Frankie move into their new place or sneaking around with Zara.

It won’t be Raine’s first trip back there this year, but knowing her mother is going with her this time, selfishly has me a little bit more interested.

Raine shrugs, the usual bounce in her step very obviously missing. “I wish I didn’t have to go,” she admits, and this surprises me.

“Why not?” I ask. “I thought you love visiting your dads.”

Instead of answering me, she sighs before giving me her back, and my concern for her escalates immediately. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She continues to ignore me.

“Raine,” I say more firmly, and she eventually turns around, unshed tears filling her eyes.

Glancing around, I’m grateful the café is quiet. I grab her by the wrist and drag her to the nearest booth, leaving Mel, one of the other workers, behind the counter on their own. We slide along the leather benches and her gaze finally finds mine.

“Talk,” I say. “Now.”