Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Kate hadn’t seen Hannah for nearly two weeks.
The last time they’d been together was the night Hannah had read the tarot cards.
Kate was almost certain that the sex they’d had that night was probably the best she’d ever had.
Maybe tonight they could reenact another romance novel scene.
Kate chuckled, thinking about Hannah’s wavy hair and glasses and the movies where the hero would suddenly find the heroine attractive once her hair was tamed and her glasses were off. Hetero men could be so dumb.
Last night she’d splurged on Oma’s pierogies, so all she needed to do was run upstairs after work, warm up the fluffy pockets of carb goodness in the oven, and she’d be ready to go.
Hannah had said she would meet Kate at Hop’s Heaven, and that had seemed fine, but now she was having second thoughts.
This was a date, and the first time they’d gone out in public.
She should have offered to pick up Hannah.
Maybe she should text her, that way at least she’d know for sure that Hannah was still planning to come.
Kate frowned. Where had that come from? Probably from the massive trauma of Brittany leaving her.
She really hated that Brittany was making her question finally opening up and trusting someone, more than two years after their breakup.
The weather was unseasonably warm this week, and that had put a damper on her sales.
Even though it was only a little over a month until Christmas, there was no shopping urgency happening.
Thank goodness she had some new online orders coming through her shop, but if things continued the way they were going, there was no way she’d be able to buy the building.
She had to come up with a new revenue stream that wasn’t buying wholesale pet items and reselling them at retail prices, but she’d been unable to come up with anything doable.
She’d even tried googling ways to make money fast as a business, and that had been a major waste of time.
The last thing she needed was to try some kind of shady get-rich-scheme.
She closed out of her accounting software and did a final lap around the empty store before turning off the lights and locking the door so she could go upstairs to change into her orange and brown buffalo plaid shirt and a clean pair of jeans.
It was already after seven, and she hadn’t eaten since lunch in anticipation of the amazing spread of food she knew would be at the brewery.
Her stomach growled just as her phone pinged with a text from Jax.
Jax
Are you on your way yet?
Kate quickly typed that she was on her way. Which of course she wasn’t, but Jax had known Kate long enough now that they knew this meant she was leaving her place in about fifteen minutes.
Kate sent a text to Hannah, asking if she wanted Kate to drive. Hannah answered yes. Once Kate had changed her clothes, she double-checked that she had everything she needed–which was just the aluminum pans of pierogies–and left.
***
Hannah had Brandee on FaceTime; she couldn’t decide what to wear and needed a second opinion.
“What do you think about this?” Hannah asked. She was wearing a gold-colored cable-knit cold-shoulder cropped sweater paired with a pair of deep brown high-waisted wide-legged pants.
“You know you look good in everything. You have the perfect body for any outfit.”
“Please, I barely have any boobs.”
“Listen, big boobs are like such a pain. Literally—do you know how often my back hurts?”
“Sorry. They do look amazing.”
Brandee rolled her eyes. “Thanks. Back to you, I really like this outfit the best.”
“I’m so nervous! What if I don’t know anyone?”
“You know tons of people in Marley Creek! You’ll probably know almost everyone there.”
“You think?”
“I’m sure. Jax will probably be there, right?” Brandee asked.
“Probably? Maybe? I have no clue!”
“It’s going to be fine. Kate is picking you up, right?”
“Yes, I can barely believe it. I’ve gone over to her place so many times, and the last time I saw her, we drove separately to her place. Should I be worried?”
“What do you think you should be worried about?”
Hannah sat down at the desk in her bedroom. She’d splurged on an LED mirror, and now she tapped it on and began doing her makeup. “That this is a test to see if I get along with her friends? I mean, there must be a reason why she’s waited this long to be with me in public.”
“I don’t know her.”
“Right, but still tell me what you think?”
“I’m taking a class this semester that’s all about social-emotional development in elementary school-aged children, and one thing we’ve learned is that all behavior is communication. That’s not limited to kids. It totally applies to adults.”
“I know this sounds super dumb, but I thought maybe this is a new-to-me lesbian relationship thing and I just didn’t get it.”
Brandee shook her head. “I love that eye shadow.”
“Thanks!”
“You never sound dumb to me. I can’t say I know the ins and outs of lesbian relationships, but my gut says that it’s a Kate thing, not a queer thing, and I kind of get it.
Remember how I blew Luc off after we spent New Year’s Eve together?
Even though I liked him, I was too scared to try.
I said that I had too much going on with work and taking care of Chris, but was that really true? ”
Hannah used her eyelash curler as she mulled over what Brandee had just said. “So, you think she’s scared?”
“What do you think she is trying to communicate?”
“I’m not sure. I know we both have super shitty exes.”
Brandee sighed. “Don’t we all.”
“Mine takes the cake, though.” Hannah put lip primer on.
“I’m so glad you got away from him and came to Marley Creek.”
Hannah reached over to get her favorite lipstick.
As she pulled it out, she couldn’t help but glance at a small, round scar on the inside of her arm.
She’d thought about getting a tattoo to cover the burn mark, but she decided to keep that reminder just in case Chad ever showed up and she started to think fondly about him.
She twisted the tube, revealing the bold poppy red.
He had hated her in red lipstick, so now she wore it all the time.
“You and me both. If I never see him again, it will be too soon.”
“You didn’t see him when you went back home for Christmas last year, did you?”
Hannah rubbed her lips together, and then she responded. “Nope.” Hannah ran her hands through her hair, adjusting the way it framed her face.
“You are so hot, I’d do you. Especially if you came bringing the cookies you said you were going to make,” Brandee joked.
“Want to see how they turned out?”
“Sure!”
Hannah shut off her mirror and the light in her bedroom. Smoky hopped off her bed and scampered to the kitchen, expecting a treat.
“Let me just give Smoky one of the cookies from Kate’s place.” Hannah pulled out a cat treat.
“Meow, meow.”
“You have the loudest cat.”
“He’s my guard cat, loud and with a full set of claws, ready to attack.”
Hannah opened a plastic container of frosted cookies. She moved her phone so Brandee could see them.
“My mouth is watering. I bet they taste delicious.”
“It’s the first time I’ve made brown butter icing. They are seriously to die for.”
“I’m going to sneak out of the house and show up at Hop’s Heaven.”
“You should!”
“Girl, it’s a school night, so I’m going to be asleep before nine o’clock.”
“Maybe I can make you some soon.”
“Hey, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? You should come over. Luc’s family would love to have you.”
“Thanks, but I don’t want to crash the first major holiday you and Luc will have with his family. Besides, maybe Kate will invite me to come with her to her family’s.”
“Well, if that doesn’t happen, come by us, with or without the cookies.”
The door buzzer sounded loudly in her kitchen. “That’s Kate! I’ve got to run!”
“Have a great night, Han! And feel free to call me tomorrow and tell me all about it!”
“Thanks, Bran!”
Hannah rushed over to the intercom. “Kate?”
“It’s me!”
“Do you want to come up? Or should I just come down?”
“Can you come down? I’m starving.”
“Sure.”
Hannah got the cookies and shoved her feet into her ankle boots.
Nervousness had her pulse racing and her breathing shallow.
She locked the door behind her and trotted down the stairs.
She pushed open the heavy door to the vestibule and swallowed a gasp.
Kate had her hair slicked back in a pompadour, and she was wearing that black leather jacket with the wide lapels.
Today she had on black pleather pants that fit her like a glove.
Hannah had only seen Kate with a little mascara on, but tonight her green eyes were outlined with kohl, and on her lips was a shimmery mauve lipstick.
Hannah ran her tongue over her top lip. She was ready to skip Friendsgiving and drag Kate up to her place and ravage her.
Kate put her hand out and Hannah took it in her free hand. Kate leaned over and kissed her cheek. “God, you smell delicious.”
“It’s the brown butter pumpkin cookies.”
Kate gave her a sidelong glance, “It’s not just the cookies.”
“You’re making me blush.”
“I’ll do more than that later.”
Hannah melted against Kate as Kate caressed her ass, leaving a trail of heat in her wake.
“Jax will kill me if I don’t show up with the pierogies they paid half for; otherwise, I’d be dragging you off to bed right now.”
Hannah’s nipples were hard from the heat in Kate’s eyes. “I never knew how much I was missing before I met you.”
They began walking toward Kate’s car. “How so?” Kate asked.
“The guys I was involved with, they never made me feel wanted like you do.”
“They were morons.”
“They were,” Hannah said as she got into the car and fastened her seatbelt.