Page 24 of Welcome to Ero-TEA-Ca: We’re Open!

Cassandra

“ J ust knock and walk in…that’s all you have to do.

It’s not difficult.” Cass paced the back garden of Ero-Tea-Ca.

“You’re being an idiot. Just knock!” She was getting pissed off with herself.

It was Sunday afternoon. There was no one else here except Harriet.

Why couldn’t she just knock on the bloody door?

A steely determination formed in her chest when she thought of Harriet inside, waiting for her.

This was the reason she’d agreed to the shop swap—this crippling, absurd fear that stopped her legs from taking her over the threshold of a shop.

Ero-Tea-Ca triggered her, and she was entirely sick of it.

Still warring with herself, Cass eventually got her legs to move in the right direction. Her fist shook as she lifted it to knock. Sweat formed along the base of her back, making her feel sticky. Blimey, was she about to have an anxiety attack?

“Hey, you’re here!” Harriet pushed open the door with a bright smile that instantly soothed Cass’s nerves. Taking Cass’s hand, Harriet rubbed soft circles on her palm. “I’ll prop the door open. Come in when you’re ready.”

Cass watched Harriet turn and leave. Taking a few calming breaths, she forced her feet to move. She’d been in this part of the shop before without incident. The kitchen area was fine, and the small breakroom didn’t cause any concerns.

There, she’d made it inside and the world hadn’t ended. Now what?

Spotting a coat rack, she whipped off her jacket and placed her purse on the table. So far, so good. The stockroom was just through the next door. That might be more of a hill to climb, knowing what Harriet had in there. Cass imagined boxes upon boxes of glass toys and her face flushed.

Rustling and key tapping came from the office.

Should she check in with Harriet? No, if she did that, she’d want to stay in there all day and that would defeat the purpose.

A coffee pot—that looked suspiciously brand new—stood on the side, already bubbling away.

A plain mug with a Post-it note grabbed her attention.

It read: “Look—you get your own mug!” Cass smiled.

The rich aroma wafting from the pot could only be Peruvian Gold.

Taking the full cup, Cass took tentative steps towards the main tearoom.

The office door was closed, so she had complete privacy.

Only the secondary mood lighting illuminated the room, creating a warm glow.

They really had done a lovely job with the restoration.

Even though it still felt a little raw to have lost out on buying the place herself, Cass had to admit Harriet and her team had done the place proud.

Wandering to the traditional-style cash register, she simply stared for a while. It was a thing of beauty, and she couldn’t wait to play with it. That childish curiosity she thought long dead poked its head up every time she found something new to admire.

Although the display case was empty, it was still magnificent. She could picture all the delicious cakes and sandwiches Harriet put out every day. Her mouth watered at the thought of fresh scones with jam and clotted cream. Oh, it’d been ages since she’d indulged in something as lovely as that.

Whipping out a granola bar from her back pocket, Cass grumbled with every disappointing bite. She should have had a bigger lunch.

As she circled the hardwood tables, she could sense them watching her—the things that made her splutter and flush. The toys. Placing her now half-empty mug on the closest table, Cass shook out her limbs. “You’re a grown woman for goodness’ sake. They’re bits of glass. Pull yourself together.”

As pep talks go, it wasn’t the best, but it did the job. Cass practically marched over and stood eye to…tip? With the… dildos. Even the word made her hot, and not in the way intended.

If she detached herself from what they were, Cass could absolutely appreciate the artistry. Glass blowing was an impressive medium to master and whoever blew these…whoever made them, was very talented. The mix of colours and shapes was very impressive.

Her curiosity overrode any awkwardness, allowing Cass to pick one up. She surveyed it as an ornament. Nothing scandalous there. Until a thought crossed her mind. What would it feel like?

By this point, Cass would usually be heading for the door in a foul mood. She’d be ranting and raving about decency and decorum. But not today. Today, Cass would take the dildo by the shaft and gain some control.

Her stubbornness was often seen as a negative trait, but today it would propel her towards growth. Instead of running away, Cass was determined to stay and learn. Even if she couldn’t voice the questions yet, she’d take note of anything she wanted to learn about.

Placing the toy back on the shelf, Cass took the notepad she used for coffee orders and jotted down her question.

Satisfied, she moved over to the teapots.

Immediately she spotted the pattern Harriet had gifted Kendal.

Picking it up, she studied each drawing.

Once again, the artistry was extraordinary.

Each position was skilfully painted. The detail was incredible.

Turning it in hand, she saw the doggy-style part of the scene her mother had so openly loved.

Cocking her head to the side, Cass took it in.

One woman was on all fours as another woman knelt behind her with a hand on hip and the other in her hair.

Cass pulled the teapot closer. The woman kneeling had some sort of…oh, it was a harness. Of course. Cass rolled her eyes. It was a strap-on scene. She might find sex difficult to talk about, think about, and generally navigate, but that didn’t mean she was completely out of the loop.

Turning the pot again, she came across two women in a sixty-nine position. Another turn and…well, she didn’t know this one. Taking her notepad, she jotted down a reminder to learn about sexual positions. If she looked at this as more of an assignment, she might just come out the other side.

Walking over to a table, Cass sat down, placing the teapot in front of her.

She wanted to understand what Harriet’s customers experienced.

If you didn’t look too closely, it was just a teapot on a table.

Cass imagined sitting with a friend, enjoying an afternoon of tea and sandwiches.

Yes, she could do that without feeling weird.

Unless someone pointed out the design, that was.

That might cause her some embarrassment.

Hmm, maybe she should ask Harriet to sit with her, like a test run. “Maybe another day,” she murmured.

Once satisfied she’d learned the layout of the tearoom and could handle seeing the toys and teapots, Cass headed for the stockroom.

Walking in, she chuckled to herself. It was practically identical to her own.

Boxes lined each shelf. A small ladder stood propped up.

All this time, she’d had it in her mind the room would be some sort of sex dungeon, filled with more naughty things that would make her feel awkward and would justify her fears that Harriet was indeed here to sully the reputation of the street.

Of course, she knew that wasn’t true. It never had been, but irrationality was a weird thing.

Still chuckling to herself, Cass knocked on the office door. “Come in.”

Harriet was a sight for sore eyes. Cass firmly believed the woman constantly exuded happiness. It was like a warm light being cast over the darkest shadows. Harriet just made things better.

“Ah, you found the coffee?”

“I did. Thank you.”

Harriet scoffed playfully. “I can’t have an under-caffeinated employee.”

Cass smiled. “I’m surprised you didn’t insist I drink tea.”

“Oh, I will eventually. We have so many choices, it’d be wrong not to sample some.”

Stepping into the room a little more, Cass looked around. It was the mirror image of her own office except Cass’s was organised and tidy, whereas Harriet’s space was piled with papers and all other manner of things. Cass’s left eye twitched as she noticed more clutter.

Harriet’s laugh started off small until it was a full out bellow. “Oh my God, you should see your face, Cass. I think your left eye is about to pop!”

Cass grinned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure. So, my office space doesn’t make you want to claw your face off, then?”

“It’s…” Cass sighed. “Fine, this is an appalling mess. How on earth do you get any work done? There’s no way you know where everything is. Are you a hoarder?”

Shaking her head, Harriet leaned back in her chair. “No, I’m not. However, I will admit paperwork bores the shit out of me, and I tend to get distracted easily, so nine times out of ten, I end up spreading things around because I can’t be bothered to put them back properly. This is the result.”

“Can I organise it?” Cass was deadly serious. She couldn’t work here knowing this monstrosity lurked behind the door. She’d have nightmares.

“You want to organise my office?”

“Very much so!”

Harriet running a hand through her hair was momentarily distracting.

“Cass, I didn’t ask you here to do that.”

“I know. But I’ve done what I needed to feel more comfortable.

I know the layout and I’m sure learning the cash register won’t take long.

We can have a tea-making session later. But, Harriet, if I don’t sort this,” she gestured to the desk, “I’ll not sleep.

It will haunt me, and you wouldn’t want that. ”

Biting her lip, Harriet smiled from her eyes. “No, I wouldn’t want that. Okay, have at it. What do you need me to do?”

Cass was already picking up paperwork. “Show me where your files are and I’ll start sorting these out.”

Pushing back, Harriet stood and pointed to a small cabinet under her desk. “It’s there. I’ll make us some more tea and coffee. How about a snack?”

“You don’t by any chance have scones left over, do you?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Cass was in her element. She’d sorted the paperwork into piles, organised them by subject matter, and was happily filling them away. The place looked so much better. The desk was clear, and the floor no longer posed a tripping hazard.

“Coffee number four,” Harriet announced.

“Great.” Cass barely lifted her gaze. That was, until a hand pulled the latest batch of invoices from her grip.

“Break time, Cass.”

“Sorry. I tend to get hyper-focused sometimes.”

Harriet sat in the chair opposite. “And it’s done wonders for my office.”

“Can you try and keep it this way?”

“I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise. It might get messy again.”

Cass squinted. “Is that your way of getting me back over here?”

Harriet smiled. “Maybe? Would it work?”

Cass shrugged. “If I can’t see the mess, it won’t bother me.”

“Hmm. What if I accidentally sent you pictures?”

Cass laughed. “Yes, that would do it.”

They smiled at each other over the rims of their cups. This was nice. Cass felt extremely comfortable, and if she wasn’t mistaken, a little flirting was going on.

“So…” Harriet began, “how’s it been?”

Cass put her cup down. “Being here?” Harriet nodded. Blowing out a breath, Cass leaned back. “Not nearly as bad as I thought.”

“That’s good to hear. Can I ask what you thought it would be like?”

She sighed. “I tend to believe things will be a lot worse than they are. You know, building a situation up until I’ve convinced myself it’s going to be terrible.”

“Yeah, I get it. But it’s not been as bad as you imagined?”

“Not at all. The tearoom is delightful. I can’t say I’m one hundred percent comfortable, but I’m not bolting for the door.”

“Progress.”

“I’m still worried about tomorrow.”

Harriet put her cup on the desk and placed both elbows on it, resting her chin in her palm. “What’s freaking you out?”

“Customers asking me things. I’m sure you’ve noticed my face flushes. It’s not something I can control.”

“Okay. That’s no problem. You can do stock take in the morning, give yourself a bit more time. Then when you’re ready, you could serve or be a runner between the kitchen and the cash register. Whatever you want.”

Cass bit her lip. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I can. We’re friends, and you’re struggling with something I can hopefully help with.”

The woodgrain on the desk became suddenly interesting. The sincerity in Harriet’s voice took Cass by surprise. She felt a lump in her throat. “Thank you.” It came out as a whisper and her voice cracked. She heard Harriet’s chair scrape back and felt arms wrap around from behind.

“I’m here for you, Cass. Anytime.”

As soon as Harriet pulled back and sat down, Cass missed her touch. She was getting used to Harriet’s tactile nature and was growing to like the little touches. She was growing to like a lot of things.

For the first time in years, Cass was regretting her stance on dating, or not dating, in her case.

But could she really trust herself with someone as lovely as Harriet?

There was still the eleven-year age gap.

Cass wasn’t worried about what people thought in the sense of an older woman being with someone younger.

She was more concerned about her proclivity at acting like a bitter old crone.

Harriet was in the prime of her life. Surely she liked to go out to the pub? Maybe even clubs? Cass couldn’t think of anything worse. And Harriet’s friends? They’d certainly tell her she’d lost her mind for dating the bitch next door.

Did they have anything in common? Did Cass want to find out? Well, she would eventually. If they remained friends, they’d naturally get to know each other.

And what if Cass couldn’t fully overcome her issues with sex? Or what if she did, and they started dating, but then Harriet realised Cass had so many other quirks it was too much?

How she wished it were possible to have a personality transplant.

Cass would take it in a second. There was only so much growing she could do.

Even if she won this battle, her character wasn’t great.

Who the hell wanted to stick around a person with mood issues?

No, they weren’t even issues; it was all just her natural character.

“You know, you get this little wrinkle between your eyes when you’re thinking hard.”

“That’s just old age,” Cass snapped back.

“No, that’s called overthinking.”

“It’s just my face.”

Harriet stood. “Come on.”

“Where?” Cass still stood and followed. Her ears were buzzing.

“We’re taking a walk. It’s a lovely afternoon.”

“But—”

“But nothing. Let’s go, Beaufort. Time’s a-wasting and I want to feed the ducks.”