Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Kate pulled a pint of apple cinnamon swirl ice cream out of her freezer. Hannah had gotten dressed and was sitting at the counter on a kitchen stool. Kate got a couple of bowls and spoons.
“How do you feel about caramel syrup?” she asked.
“On ice cream or…?” Hannah raised an eyebrow.
“I’m ready if you are,” Kate said. She leaned across the counter and brushed Hannah’s pinked cheek with the back of her hand. “I don’t know if your blush means you’re already imagining me licking caramel sauce off you, or if you’re feeling shy.”
“Little of both, if I’m being honest.”
“Good to know,” Kate said, and warmth spread through her. She was pleased that Hannah felt safe enough with her to be honest about her desires. She decided not to investigate why she wanted Hannah to feel safe with her and turned back to serving the ice cream.
“Do you have caramel sauce?”
Kate nodded. “Yes, I’ll grab it. You got me distracted.”
Hannah’s smile widened, and the warmth returned to Kate.
She got the caramel and squeezed it onto their scoops. They each took a taste.
“Oh, my goodness, this is delicious,” Hannah said upon her first spoonful.
“I know, right? It’s from a little place in DeKalb; they only have it in the fall.
“Did you go to school there?” Hannah asked.
Kate nodded. “Well, not to the college there. I grew up in DeKalb. That’s where my family is.”
Hannah continued to eat her ice cream. Kate watched as she turned the spoon over, using her pink tongue to lick the caramel off. Kate clenched her thighs together. Once Hannah went home, Kate planned to give her vibrator another workout.
“That’s what? An hour and a half or so away from Marley Creek?”
“Yep, that’s right.”
“Do you go back to see them often?” Hannah spoke quietly now, and Kate wondered why.
“Oh yeah, I go back all the time. Especially for the holidays. Not Halloween, I’ll be here for that. I keep the store open and pass out treats to the kids and the pets. But like Thanksgiving, I’ll be there, of course.” Kate spooned the last of her ice cream into her mouth.
As the sweet cream melted in her mouth, she looked at Hannah and saw the way her eyes were looking over Kate’s shoulder. Her deliciously pouty mouth was pulled down into a little frown. What had Kate said wrong? Hannah’s family must not be close.
“Is your family far away?”
Hannah slumped on the stool and pushed away her almost empty bowl.
She propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her palm. “They’re in Michigan. It’s about a five-hour drive, which is fine. One of the reasons I moved to Marley Creek was to get away.”
Kate froze for a moment, unsure what to say. She couldn’t imagine not being close to everyone in her family.
“So, no family group chat, huh?”
“Nope.” Hannah said, emphasizing the p as she answered.
Kate gave Hannah a clenched half-smile. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Hannah shook her head, and long curly locks fell in her face.
Kate started to move to push her hair back behind her ear, but then she thought better of it.
She hadn’t meant to end the evening on a heavy note, and she wasn’t sure how to reel it back in, especially since she’d opened her big mouth and asked if Hannah wanted to talk about it.
“Not really.”
Oh, thank God. Relief flooded Kate as if she’d just dodged a bullet.
“Well, at least you didn’t come to Marley Creek to get away from a crazy ex.”
Hannah avoided Kate’s eyes, and a panicked laugh flew out of her mouth.
“Oof, guess I hit a nerve. I can’t say I don’t relate,” Kate responded, and this time, Kate reached across the counter and pushed Hannah’s curls behind her ear.
Hannah leaned into Kate’s hand. Kate brushed Hannah’s bottom lip with her thumb before she stood up.
She picked up their dishes and placed them in her sink.
The clock on the stove read eleven-eleven. Kate leaned back against the sink. “I know I said midnight snack earlier, but I didn’t realize how late it was.” Kate stifled a yawn only to see Hannah yawn widely.
“Did I exhaust you?” She asked as she walked over to Hannah.
“I guess so.”
Kate leaned down and kissed the crown of Hannah’s head. “You’d better go get some rest. It’s a short ride to your place, right?”
Hannah stood up and glanced around the room.
“Your purse is next to your shoes. By the door.”
Hannah walked over to the door and put on her shoes and coat. She slung her purse crossbody.
“Well, that was—” Hannah started to say.
“Amazing? Mind-blowing?” Kate said and smiled.
“Great, I was going to say great.”
“I’ll take it.” Kate kissed Hannah slowly, enjoying the taste of caramel on her lips. When she broke off the kiss, she looked into Hannah’s unfocused eyes. She hadn’t noticed the flecks of gold mingled in her brown eyes.
“Y-you keep me off balance,” Hannah murmured.
Kate wanted to say, so do you, Hannah. But she wasn’t ready for that level of vulnerability, so she just said, “I’ll talk to you soon. Text me that you got home safe.”
“Mm-hmm,” Hannah said as she turned and walked out the door.
Kate wrapped her arms around herself. When she took a deep breath, she swore she still smelled Hannah.
Was she getting too interested in her? It almost felt inevitable.
Hannah was everything she could want in a woman.
But what did she really know about her? Why didn’t she go home?
What was the deal with her ex? Shit, she really wanted to know if Hannah’s ex was a man or a woman.
Kate ground her teeth. She needed to stop spiraling.
Hannah had it right. Family and ex problems were for therapists, not the person you were enjoying fabulous sex with.
Besides, Kate had a lot going on. The most important thing right now was to secure her home and her livelihood, and that started tomorrow when she met with Dr. Echols. Her phone dinged. It was Hannah letting her know she was home. The text simply said, “Made it.”
Short, sweet, and emoji-free. Kate responded with a thumbs-up emoji and put her phone on the charger.
Then she took a quick shower and climbed into bed.
A bed that was barely cold after her adventures with Hannah.
She rolled over and tried to get the gentle curves and sighs of Hannah out of her head.
But it was no use. It was time to pull out her favorite toy and relieve the ache.
***
Kate walked into Books and Breads ten minutes before she was scheduled to meet Veronica Echols—the perks of living just a few doors down.
A line of commuters getting their morning coffee before hopping on the train stood waiting for their orders.
Donnie Larson, a tall, stocky guy in his mid-forties, sporting grey hair and a trimmed salt and pepper beard, was behind the espresso machine, cranking out the drinks.
As fellow small business owners, they’d bonded over the last couple of years.
She gave him a wave, and he nodded back.
Then she found a small empty table with a view of the door and sat down.
She’d wait until Dr. Echols arrived before ordering, and hopefully by then the crowd would be heading out to the train.
The scent of fresh coffee mingled with cinnamon made her stomach growl. She hoped Donnie would still have a pumpkin strudel-topped muffin left when she ordered. The entire store was decked out for Halloween, with leaf garlands hanging over the windows and cutouts of witches and bats on the walls.
The most impressive decoration was the pumpkin display on the book side of the store.
Kate recalled Donnie talking about it at the last Marley Creek Business Community Meeting.
He’d run a contest for kids to decorate pumpkins as their favorite book characters.
She saw a Pete the Cat, a Cat in the Hat, and a Clifford the Big Red Dog in the mix.
Donnie was so good at having community involvement while also promoting his business.
She needed to work on that—now more than ever.
Kate allowed herself to wallow as she waited for Dr. Echols to arrive.
Outside, the wind had picked up, and she watched a colorful mix of red, yellow, and brown leaves fly by.
Cornstalks had been tied around the streetlights along Main Street, and she imagined the rattling sound they must be making.
Kate sighed; she loved this time of year.
She remembered the year when Oreo was a puppy, and she and Brittany had decided to do a theme for their costumes.
Kate had been a garden gnome, complete with a beard, and Brittany had dressed as a flower.
Kate’s stomach tightened, thinking about how she’d removed her petals one by one that night.
Oreo had been dressed like a bumblebee. The corner of her mouth ticked up.
She rubbed her chest. He was the best dog.
She missed even his stinky farts. Outside she watched as a man jogged past with his dog, and that made her even sadder.
Oreo and Brittany were gone, but at least she had her business now.
Hannah popped into Kate’s head for a moment.
She wondered what Hannah was going to dress as for Halloween and what her plans might be.
Kate imagined Hannah dressed up as a witch in a low-cut black dress with a thigh-high slit and glossy black boots.
She shifted in her seat, the sadness over her past life gone with the wind.
She checked her phone and saw that Veronica Echols had texted.
The vet was looking for a parking spot and would be in shortly.
Kate grinned, happy that downtown Marley Creek was so busy on a Wednesday morning that parking was hard to find.
The line for coffee and baked goodies had wound down.
Kate took a selfie and posted it under Pupcakes and Clawssaints and tagged Books and Breads in the post. She wished she were better at social media, especially now.
Shaking her head to dispel the doubt that kept creeping up ever since she’d opened that email from Mrs. Fisher, she looked back out the window and saw a very tall, curvy woman.
Her hair was jet black and in a long black braid.
She opened the door and walked in. Kate waved at the woman, who walked over and put her hand out.
“Hi Kate. It’s great to meet you.”
Kate shook her hand, admiring the autumnal flannel jacket she was wearing. “Thanks for coming out this morning. I love your coat.”
Dr. Echols smiled slightly. “Thanks, it was my ex-girlfriend’s.”
Kate widened her eyes, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”
Veronica squinted her eyes for a moment as she unbuttoned the coat. “Oh, Oh.” She waved her hands, “Nothing like that. We broke up. She moved out and left the coat. After a while, I decided it must be mine now, and I started wearing it this week.”
Kate wiped her hand across her forehead. “Phew, I thought something tragic had happened.”
“There were a couple of weeks when I thought something tragic had happened too. Then I saw her posting on social media with someone new, and I got over it.”
Kate smiled. She liked Dr. Echols. “I think we’re going to get along well.”
Veronica winked. She had rich brown eyes and gorgeous eyelashes. Kate realized they were likely fake or, at the very least, quite enhanced by mascara, but in any case, she was stunning.
“Does this place have pumpkin spice lattes? I know it’s so basic, but I love what I love.”
“They do. In fact, Donnie makes his own mix with pumpkin puree so it’s less sweet than the chain coffee stores.”
“Perfect. I’ve been told I’m sweet enough without extra sugar.” Veronica rolled her eyes as she finished her sentence.
Kate chuckled, and they walked up to the counter, where Kate introduced Veronica to Donnie, and they got lattes and pumpkin strudel muffins.
They sat back down at the table. Veronica took a sip of her coffee and sighed. “You were right; this is divine. Best one I’ve ever had.” She leaned toward Kate. “And I’ve had a lot of them.”
“You should let Donnie know. He’ll appreciate it.”
There were only a couple of other customers. One was at a table working on their laptop, and the other had just received their coffee and was heading out.
Veronica turned toward the counter and lifted her extra-large to-go cup. “This pumpkin spice latte is amazing, Donnie!”
“Thank you!” he said loudly back.
Kate had done her research on Dr. Echols, and now having met her, she thought she was the perfect person for the rental space. “I saw that you have a mobile vet business.”
“Mm-hmm,” Veronica said as she ate her muffin. “About that. I’m looking into options to open a brick-and-mortar clinic, hopefully before the end of next year.”
Kate was so excited she had to stop herself from dancing in her seat. To say this was going better than she’d hoped was the understatement of the year. “I love it. Did you know that the storefront next to my shop is currently available?”
“No, I did not.”
“If you have time, would you like to see it after we finish here?”
Veronica checked her watch. “Let’s do it.”
Kate grinned widely. Things were coming together. In her current cheerful mood, her thoughts turned to Hannah, which was odd. Why did being happy bring Hannah to mind? Was she starting to feel things for her? God, she hoped not. She didn’t want to ruin a good thing.