Page 30 of Welcome to Ero-TEA-Ca: We’re Open!

“Sure.” Gesturing to the empty seat, Harriet continued to fuck up her paperwork in the name of needing something to do with her hands.

It was either that or sit on them, because as soon as she’d clapped eyes on Cass, with her hair flowing over her shoulders, Harriet wanted nothing more than to bolt out of her seat and attack Cass’s face with her own. She was out of control!

“So…” Cass left the sentence hanging and Harriet on the edge of her seat. “Thank you for giving me some time.”

“You’re welcome.” She’d done the right thing by keeping her mouth shut yesterday. She internally high-fived herself.

“Would you come over tonight for dinner? I’d like to talk properly. But not here. Or we could go to your place. Whatever. I just think we need privacy.”

Harriet was already nodding. “Sure. I’m happy to come to you. My place is further away, and it doesn’t have a Mr Whiskers.”

The smile Cass gave her bolstered her already improving mood. They were going to talk. About the kiss. The knicker-dropping kiss. Now, the content of their impending talk could go either way, but at least Cass wasn’t ignoring it or pretending it never happened. That was good.

“Okay. So, tonight?”

“Tonight.”

Cass stood. “Would you like another tea?”

Shaking her head, Harriet clamped her legs shut. The mention of more liquid had her bladder shouting in protest. “No, thanks. I’ve already had too much.”

Cass cocked her head and grinned. “Are you doing the pee dance sitting down?”

“Maybe.” Harriet grimaced. “Okay, yes. I need to…” Rushing out, Harriet slammed the loo door shut, cutting off Cass’s laughter.

Great, she could add that to her rapidly growing list of ways she’d embarrassed herself in front of Cass.

Whatever. They were going to talk. Tonight.

Harriet beamed the entire time she peed.

The queue was already four people deep when Harriet made it to the front of the shop. Cass was happily taking orders and chatting. Not wanting to curb her flow, Harriet slipped in next to her and began making pots of tea.

It really was a wonderful thing to witness.

Cass was flourishing in front of Harriet’s eyes with every passing second.

Where was the skittish sourpuss Harriet knew?

Sure, Cass still frowned when she dealt with a difficult customer, and her bluntness edged on the side of rudeness at times, but she looked lighter.

It was halfway through the afternoon and Harriet had just stepped behind the counter after eating lunch when the true magnitude of Cass’s progress really hit home.

A young woman waltzed in. She was extremely good looking and confident.

There was an air of dominance about her that made Harriet a little weak at the knees.

Cass had finished greeting the new customer in her usual manner when the conversation clearly changed.

Just out of hearing distance, Harriet saw Cass stand a little taller.

Her back was stiff, but she stayed rooted in place.

On the brink of stepping in, she hesitated as Cass walked the customer over to the glass dildos.

She stood there talking for several minutes before picking up one of the toys.

Harriet saw the slight tremor in her hands, but nothing more.

After a few more minutes, Cass placed the toy in an empty carry box, took it to the till and rang up the order. With her new purchase and a pot of peppermint tea with a side of fruitcake in hand, the woman sat herself in a window seat.

Harriet’s attention immediately went to Cass, who was scribbling something in a notepad. As soon as the pen stopped writing, Cass looked over at Harriet. “I’m going to go to lunch now, if that’s okay?”

“Sure.” Should Harriet say something? Cass didn’t give her a chance.

She scooted past and headed for the staff breakroom.

Taken aback, Harriet dived into work. There were shelves to fill, and cakes to replace.

But no matter what she did, Harriet’s mind was solely on Cass and what she’d just witnessed.

The rest of the day passed with relative ease.

Ronnie came in to pay the bill for Tori’s coming out party.

They discussed the plans and guest list. Everything was finalised, meaning Harriet could begin baking.

Cass served and waited tables. It was easy.

Everything in Ero-Tea-Ca was easy, just the way Harriet had planned it.

But then closing time came around, and Harriet found herself suddenly on a cliff’s edge. It felt like the outcome of tonight’s discussion would lay the foundations of the rest of her life. Dramatic, but true. Cass was different. She held a sway over Harriet, which Harriet had never felt before.

Their budding relationship was delicate, but also built to last. Call it intuition, or too much herbal tea.

Harriet just knew Cass was an important part of her future.

The problem was communicating that to Cass without her thinking Harriet was just young and idealistic.

Maybe part of her was romanticising their situation, but that was normal when you met someone who made your heart flutter, right?

Ugh, she was overthinking again.

Cass flicked the last of the lights off and opened the door, waiting for Harriet to leave the building. “Do you want to come straight over, or go home and change?”

If Harriet was sure tonight would end positively, she’d have chosen to go home, shower, and get spruced up.

But she wasn’t sure. And if it went badly, she’d just crawl home, eat a tub of ice cream, and fall asleep on the couch.

No point doing that with a face full of makeup. “I’ll just head home with you.”

“Great. Let’s go.”