Page 39 of Welcome to Ero-TEA-Ca: We’re Open!

Harriet

H arriet couldn’t understand what she was witnessing. Why was Cass holding Kendal’s hand? Scrap that. Why the hell was Cass kissing her hand?

Shaking her head, Harriet refused to jump to conclusions, any more than she already had.

There was no reason to feel insecure about Cass and Kendal.

Cass had always been upfront about her and Kendal’s friendship.

No need to make a mountain out of a molehill.

As she finished banishing thoughts that would only lead to hurt, she caught Cass’s eye.

Cass gave her a heart-stopping smile before giving Kendal a quick peck on the cheek and hopping off the barstool.

Opening the door, Cass pulled Harriet inside. “Hey, I just need to grab my coat and I’ll be ready to leave.” If Cass caught any of Harriet’s minor concern, she didn’t let on. Instead, she leaned in and kissed her lips, immediately settling Harriet’s nerves.

Hurrying off to the back room, Cass left Harriet standing with Kendal. For the first time since meeting the woman, Harriet felt uncomfortable, and she didn’t like it. Being jealous wasn’t in her nature, and she certainly didn’t want to start now.

“Thank you,” Kendal said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Meeting Kendal’s eye, Harriet gave a questioning smile. “What for?”

“For being who she deserves.” Harriet opened her mouth, but nothing came out. “She adores you.”

“I adore her too.”

“I know.” Kendal winked before giving Harriet’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Okay, I’m ready. Will you be okay locking up, Ken?” Cass was fighting to get her coat on as she spoke. Harriet laughed, trying to help her untangle an arm.

“Shauna will be here in a moment, so no worries. Have a good night.”

Grabbing Harriet’s hand, Cass dragged them outside. The air was frigid, but it meant Cass held Harriet close, so she wasn’t going to complain.

“Did you have a good afternoon?” Cass asked. Harriet was in two minds whether to bring up the scene she witnessed between Cass and Kendal.

“Not bad. We had a couple of rowdy guys come in.” It wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last time she had people visit Ero-Tea-Ca with the sole purpose of making a menace of themselves. Young men particularly enjoyed it, showing their immaturity to the world.

“Pepper spray. Shove that in their faces and they’ll not come back.” Cass’s concern and penchant for violent solutions warmed her more than the arm around her shoulders.

“I can’t go ’round assaulting people, Cass.” Harriet laughed.

“Shame. It would make working with the public a lot nicer.”

Shaking her head, Harriet leaned into Cass. “How you run a successful business that relies on public opinion and patronage is beyond me.”

“The coffee’s good. Simple as that. I suppose Kendal being nice helps, too. If it were left to me, I’d have Gordon and that’s about it.” Cass’s eyes sparkled with mirth.

“At least you can recognise that about yourself.”

Cass grinned. “It’s less about recognising that about myself and more about regularly being told I’m a miserable sod.” They laughed as they walked. The knot in Harriet’s stomach unfurled a little.

“Hey, so you and Kendal looked serious when I turned up. Everything okay?”

Cass let out a deep breath. “Yeah. I went to my therapist today and worked through some stuff. I felt I owed Kendal an apology.”

“Right. Um…do you want to talk about it?”

“I do. But can we get home first? My feet are killing me, and I want to be curled up on the sofa with you for that conversation.”

“Of course. Although we need to make a pit stop because I didn’t order any food.”

“Fish and chips?”

“Deal.”

Content with their evening plans, Harriet marvelled at how different Cass was from when they’d first met.

There was the casual mention of going home together, and her willingness to talk about things Harriet knew she found difficult.

Is that why Kendal thanked her? Because Cass was coming out of her shell?

Whatever the reason, Harriet was happy—genuinely happy. The only thing still causing a slight pang of worry was Cass’s refusal to meet her friends. Two months after the initial invite to their friends-only book club, and Cass hadn’t yet mentioned being ready to attend.

A surge of guilt swarmed Harriet’s mind.

Cass was working so hard on herself, and here Harriet was getting upset because Cass needed a bit more time before meeting her people.

Jesus, could she be more selfish? Cass was constantly stepping out of her comfort zone.

Surely, the least Harriet could do was be a supportive girlfriend.

“That’s a serious face. Everything okay?”

“Just eager to get in the warm,” Harriet lied. If anyone was failing to do their bit in this relationship, it was Harriet. She’d asked Cass to communicate with her, and yet she was the one finding it hard to say what was on her mind. Maybe a little self-reflection was in order.

They wandered to Cass’s house in companionable silence. As per usual, Mr Whiskers stole the limelight as soon as they stepped through the door. Cass set about her nightly routine, leaving Harriet to snuggle the cat.

After a plate of greasy fish and chips and a glass of wine, Harriet was in heaven. She was so relaxed it took a second to register Cass’s shift in mood.

“Can we talk now?”

Peering from under half-closed eyelids, Harriet saw Cass’s nervous demeanour. Sitting up and tucking her legs under, she prepared herself. “Sure.”

“First thing—my mother is getting married.”

“It’s sudden,” Harriet commented.

“It is. I plan to talk to her about it tomorrow. I suppose if she’s happy, I should support her, right?”

Harriet weighed her answer. “I’d wait and see what’s said tomorrow. If you get the feeling something isn’t right, I wouldn’t blindly support it without raising your concerns. But you know your mum. Maybe go on gut feeling?”

Cass looked to be mulling over Harriet’s opinion. “Mmm, you’re right. But actually, the reason I ended up talking to Mum in the first place was because of what I spoke to Dr Herman about. Um…can I tell you?”

Scooting forward, Harriet hooked two fingers under Cass’s chin. “You can tell me anything.”

Cass proceeded to tell Harriet about her session. There was a lot to take in, and Harriet had to stop herself from interrupting several times, but eventually Cass sagged back into the couch, finished talking, looking at Harriet for a reaction.

“I think it’s great you’re going to talk to Lolita. If I haven’t said it recently, I’m very proud of you, Cass.”

Her blush was adorable, so Harriet had to kiss her soundly. It was like a girlfriend law or something. If not, it should be. Adorable Cass should always get kisses.

“As for meeting my friends. I’m glad you brought that up.

I have a small confession.” Cass furrowed her brows.

Harriet ploughed on. “I was starting to worry. Selfishly, I might add. I was getting impatient that you didn’t want to meet them, and I’m sorry.

It’s a big deal, and I shouldn’t have just sprung it on you like that. ”

Cass shook her head. “You didn’t. You asked, and I answered. And for the record, I do want to meet them. But like I just explained, I’m so worried I’ll make an arse of myself or embarrass you.”

“You couldn’t embarrass me, Cass.”

A humourless laugh burst from Cass’s mouth. “Oh, yes, I could. I wouldn’t do it on purpose, I can promise that. But like Herman said, my reflex when triggered is to either lash out or run. If I did that in front of your friends, it would absolutely embarrass you and I’d be mortified.”

“Okay. So, we wait. We’re in a good place, right?”

“Very.” Cass leaned in and kissed her. “We’re only a few months in, and yet I feel so settled with you, Harriet. Is that okay to admit? Tell me if it’s too forward, or too soon.”

“It’s more than okay to admit. So, let’s not rock the boat until you feel more confident.”

Harriet’s eyes fluttered as Cass traced her jawline with a light finger.

“The thing is, honey, it could take years to work through my triggers. I can’t put our relationship on hold like that.

So…maybe you could, um, talk to your friends.

The ones you want me to meet? Tell them a little about my… issues?”

Searching Cass’s face, Harriet saw vulnerability, but also a resolve she hadn’t seen before.

Cass was taking massive steps, and Harriet knew they were partly for her, and for their relationship.

Sourpuss Cass was the most loving and warm person she’d ever met, and Harriet was completely in love with her.

Wow!

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but instead of saying those three words, Harriet chickened out. Instead, she asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes. At least then, if I have a setback, they won’t think I’m a raving lunatic.”

Harriet laughed. “You might think they’re all raving lunatics!”

“Maybe.” Cass smiled. “As long as I get their blessing, that’s all I care about.”

“Oh, sweetie. You don’t need their blessing. I love my friends and family, but they don’t get a say in my relationships. Ever.”

“But it would be nice if we all got along, right?”

“Well, yes—”

“So, I want to make a good impression. I’ve already got some ground to make up after ratting you out to the council for smoking pot.”

“We weren’t actually smoking pot, so really you just made yourself look a bit of a tit doing that.” Harriet smirked. She jerked her body away from Cass’s tickling fingers.

“No need to rub it in,” Cass replied playfully.

A buzz from Harriet’s bag interrupted their banter. Pecking Cass on the nose, she grabbed her phone and read the incoming message. “Crap!”

“What’s wrong?”

With a dramatic flair Kevin would be proud of, Harriet flung her head back and stared at the ceiling, letting out a loud huff. “It’s Diane’s birthday next week and she wants a family meal to celebrate.”

“Okay. And you don’t want to go?”

“I had a bit of a falling out with my parents,” she admitted.

“When? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Good question . “I didn’t want to burden you with it, I suppose.”

Cass sighed. “But that’s not how partnerships work. I’m here for you. Well, I want to be if you let me.”

Settling further into Cass’s side, Harriet breathed her in. “You’re completely right. I’ll do better. This thing with my parents is tiring. It was nice to concentrate on something good in my life, especially when I finally won you over and got you to admit how great Ero-Tea-Ca is.”

Cass scoffed. “I’ve said no such thing.”

“Mmm hmm. I promise I’ll do better.”

“It’s not about doing better. It’s about you trusting me with that part of yourself. That’s all I want.”

“I do, Cass. It’s scary how much I trust you—trust us. Maybe that’s partly the reason for being secretive with this whole parental blowup. Once you’re involved in all my family drama, there’s no going back. It’s a big step. Although, I’ve already started planning our future together in my head!”

Oh, she didn’t mean to say that out loud. Or maybe she did. Cass was right. She’d put her faith in Harriet. A lot of faith. It was time Harriet returned it. Her parents weren’t easy, but they were a part of her life. She wanted Cass to know her, entirely, messy relationships and all.

Cass’s arms held her tighter. “What have you been planning?” There was an edge of wonder laced in her words. Harriet looked up into inquisitive eyes.

Shifting nervously, Harriet drew in a breath. “I’ve thought about us living together. Getting another cat to keep Mr Whiskers company. Going on holiday. If you’d ever consider getting married again…and kids. There, happy?” She wasn’t sure why she felt raw, but she did, and it made her agitated.

Leaning forward, Cass grinned. “Hey, I’m the only one in this relationship who gets to be snarky. You’re the sunshine to my clouds.”

“I wasn’t being snarky,” Harriet shot back. She’d just left her heart out there for the world, aka, Cass, to see, and she was getting mocked for being a bit on edge. Charming.

“You’ve really thought about all that?”

Harriet melted into Cass’s body the second her arms pulled her in. She felt Cass’s breath ghost across her forehead and the warmth of her lips kissing her gently.

“Yes. I have.”

“I want to come with you to Diane’s birthday meal if that’s okay?”

Pulling back, Harriet met Cass’s eyes. “You do? But my parents will be there and it’s going to be awful.”

“Exactly why I want to be there with you. And why I want to meet your friends. Let’s say the week after next? You’re having another book club, right?”

Pushing back until Cass was at arm’s length, Harriet stared until her eyes felt too dry. “Cass, are you sure?”

“I am.” Cass pulled her back in. “On the condition that you talk to me, Harriet. Please. No more keeping secrets or worrying how I’ll react. If all those fantasies are to come true, we have to be a team.”

Swallowing, Harriet breathed in Cass’s scent. Did that mean Cass wanted what she did? “So…we can talk about living together in the future? And marriage?”

“We can talk about anything you want. Talking doesn’t mean we have to rush into anything. But I like the idea of us planning our future. It makes me feel safe.”

“Oh, Cass.” Harriet needed the talking to stop and the lovemaking to start. She wanted to show Cass just how safe she was in Harriet’s care. “I need you in bed, Cass. Now!”