Page 19 of Welcome to Ero-TEA-Ca: We’re Open!

Harriet

W ell, this was a turn up for the books. Harriet was on a friend date with Cass. Purely platonic. No lusty feeling whatsoever. Not a date, not a date, not a date.

After witnessing Hurricane Lolita for the second time, Harriet wasn’t at all surprised Cass avoided talking about it once her mother left.

They’d shared two glasses of wine over a surface-level conversation.

Mr Whiskers—whether he liked it or not—was centre stage.

He gave them the perfect bridge to step over the gaping chasm that was Cass and Lolita’s relationship.

Harriet knew a thing or two about strained family bonds, so she spotted the discord between Cass and Lolita a mile off.

Sadly, it didn’t seem Lolita saw the problem.

It was Cass’s body language that shone like an emergency flare, giving it away.

But not to Lolita. She was happily ignorant of her daughter’s feelings.

Or she was wilfully ignoring them. Harriet hoped it was the former.

At some point, Harriet wanted to ask Cass about it.

She wanted to delve into the hard stuff to gain a better understanding of this complex woman.

Every little piece she chipped away revealed more answers and ramped up her curiosity; however, Harriet knew Cass’s life wasn’t there to serve her interests.

She’d have to approach things delicately, allowing Cass to open up when comfortable.

Speaking of comfortable, Harriet was the absolute opposite as she sat at Kendal’s kitchen breakfast bar.

Cass had frozen up the second she’d stepped over the threshold.

It was like a switch had flipped. Harriet had done her best to carry the conversation as they were greeted, but it was painfully clear Cass was struggling.

Shauna was lovely, as far as Harriet could tell.

She was tall, blonde, kinda ripped, and harboured a smile that could power a small county.

She’d shook Cass’s and Harriet’s hands, made them all drinks, and chatted politely.

Cass had become more rigid as the minutes went on and Harriet didn’t know what the hell to do.

Normally, she’d try to lighten the mood with some smutty humour, but that would be a huge mistake.

“I made spinach and ricotta ravioli,” Kendal said as she stirred the pasta. The smell wafting from the stove made Harriet’s mouth water.

“Delicious,” Harriet replied, giving a sincere smile.

She watched Cass regard Shauna as she helped Kendal.

They touched at every given moment. There was an ease between them Harriet thought to be lovely.

Cass, on the other hand, frowned and then gulped several large mouthfuls of wine. It was going to be a long night.

“So, Cass,” Shauna began, her mega smile in place. Cass visibly flinched, which broke Harriet’s heart a little. Going on gut instinct, she gently placed her hand on Cass’s knee. It took a second, but she felt the leg muscles unclench a bit. “Kendal says you’re a coffee nut.”

There was a minute clenching of her jaw. Harriet held her breath, hoping Cass wasn’t going to be rude. “I’d hope so. Otherwise opening up a café was a bad career choice.” Cass’s delivery was so dry, Harriet wanted to hide under the table.

Shauna wasn’t put off, though, as she laughed. “She also said you had a dry and sarcastic wit.”

“Mmmm.” Cass didn’t even look at Shauna, instead focusing on her glass of wine.

Jesus, this was painful. Harriet was a natural empath.

She was used to soaking up the energy of others and right now it was a mix of anxiety, irritation and impatience.

They were just Cass’s emotions, though. If Kendal’s over-the-shoulder scowls were anything to go by, she was less than pleased with Cass’s behaviour, which was fair.

Shauna still seemed okay. It was obvious she wanted to make a good impression, which was nice. She understood Cass’s role in her girlfriend’s life and wanted to foster a decent connection. Harriet somehow needed to get Cass onboard, otherwise she was pretty sure they’d be thrown out before dessert.

“Cass, can you show me where the bathroom is?” Harriet didn’t give Cass the chance to say no as she hauled them off the stool and towards the hallway.

“The loo is just there,” Cass said irritably. Harriet continued to drag her until they were safely locked in the downstairs toilet.

“Harriet?”

“Okay, you gotta do better, Cass.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“We’re friends. And friends tell each other when they’re being a dick. And you, my dear, are being a dick. Shauna is lovely and she’s really trying.”

“I’ve not done anything,” Cass argued, becoming defensive.

Harriet mirrored her posture, adding a cocked eyebrow into the mix. “You know what you’re doing, and you’re upsetting Kendal. Is that what you want?”

Cass broke eye contact and looked to the ground. “No, I don’t want that.”

“Good. So this is what’s gonna happen: We’re going to go back out there, get you another drink, and you’re going to fake it if you have to.

You’re going to show Kendal you support her by getting to know Shauna.

Then, after we’ve had a pleasant evening, we can go home, open one—or ten—bottles of wine, and you can vent. ”

Cass rubbed her head and then nodded. “Okay.”

“Great.” Harriet clapped. “Let’s do this.”

Back in the kitchen, Shauna was holding Kendal as she strained the ravioli.

They were smiling and laughing. Cass faltered in her step but steadied herself with a supportive hand squeeze from Harriet.

She pasted on a smile, sat back at the breakfast bar, drank half a glass of wine, and then entered into polite conversation.

Harriet wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief, but she kept her game face on.

She did, however, get a small nod and smile from Kendal.

The dinner was sublime. All in all, the evening had turned out to be a lot of fun.

The more Cass drank, the lighter she became and the more she spoke to Shauna, who, in solidarity, matched the amount of wine Cass poured down her throat.

Harriet sat back in her chair, chuckling at the pair.

She noted Kendal doing the same thing, and it sent a wave of familiarity down her spine, like this was something they did regularly as a foursome: Kendal and Shauna.

Harriet and Cass. Two couples spending the evening laughing and eating.

But the feeling was false, despite being a desire Harriet so desperately wanted to make a reality.

She could absolutely see them double-dating.

A whole different life flashed through her mind as she watched Cass double over with laughter at something Shauna said.

She wanted this. Wanted Cass to be her girlfriend, wanted them to have nights like this with friends.

“Okay, you lot. Time to break it up,” Kendal shouted over the din, breaking Harriet from her daydream.

“Booooo!” Cass shouted. That was Harriet’s cue.

“Come on, Cass, you need water and sleep.” She laughed as she hauled Cass from the seat. Surprisingly, Cass voluntarily draped her arm over Harriet’s shoulder. After a few quick goodbyes and uncoordinated hugs, Harriet stumbled with Cass down the street. Thankfully, they didn’t have far to walk.

“You smell nice,” Cass slurred, “like summer.” Harriet had to bite her tongue as Cass sang “You Are My Sunshine” at the top of her lungs. She had quite a nice voice, but Harriet wasn’t sure the neighbours would give a monkey’s about that, considering the hour.

It took several minutes to get Cass’s front door open because the woman staunchly refused to give Harriet her keys.

When they’d fallen to the floor for the third time, Harriet whipped them from the ground and shoved the key in the lock.

A laugh burst out of her when she turned back around to Cass, who was pouting—hard.

“Let’s go,” Harriet said quietly, hoping Cass would keep her volume down.

In the living room, Cass flung herself on the couch, dislodging a very pissed off Mr Whiskers. Checking everything was in order, Harriet draped a blanket over Cass and headed for the door.

“I’m not tired,” Cass suddenly announced as she sat up with vigour.

“Right,” Harriet said with a sigh. “Do you want some water?”

Cass shook her head, and then seemingly changed her mind. “Yes. Probably a good idea.”

It was definitely a good idea. Cass was going to be hurting in the morning. Armed with a pint of water and some painkillers, Harriet stepped back in the living room. Cass was on her feet, staggering to the record player. “I want music,” she declared.

Soft jazz filtered through the speakers.

It was nice. Cosy. Harriet settled on the couch and waited.

She had a feeling Cass was about to spea—“Shauna’s nice,” Cass blurted with a hiccup.

She waltzed back to the couch and sat next to Harriet.

Actually, she almost sat on Harriet. “Do you think she’s nice? ”

“I do. She’s lovely and clearly likes Kendal a lot.”

Harriet wasn’t expecting her answer to cause Cass’s face to crumble. Before she knew it, tears streamed down Cass’s face.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Oh Jesus, what had she said?

Cass buried her face in Harriet’s neck and sobbed. A part of her knew this was the booze talking. But another part of Harriet wondered if Cass really wanted Kendal to herself.

“I let her down,” Cass wailed.

“Let who down? Kendal?” What on earth?

Cass nodded. She continued to cry for a few minutes more until she was out of tears. Sitting back with bloodshot eyes, Cass wiped her face. “I should have known Kendal was settling with me,” she rasped.

“Cass, you’re not making sense. Have some water and just take a second to calm down.”

When the tears were finally dry and Cass was less agitated, Harriet gave her an encouraging rub on her lower back. Cass sighed deeply. “Shauna’s great. She’s the absolute opposite of everything I am and look how happy Kendal is.”