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She didn’t seem to hear it. “Sure, if being Susie Homemaker is amazing.”
“Nothing wrong with that, if that’s what makes her happy.” I paused, still unsure of why I was calling. I liked Chelsea, but I couldn’t see things developing with her even if she was into women. She felt younger than she actually was, and there was a vast gulf between our life experiences. Even so, something kept me coming back to her. “Is this weird for you?”
Now she sounded surprised. “I don’t know. Maybe a little bit.” She took a breath. “Actually, I’m surprised by how not-weird it is.”
I toyed with a strand of my short hair, imagining what it would feel like to twirl her long locks around my fingers. “Me, too.”
“I guess this isn’t what you’re used to.”
She still had no idea how inexperienced I was. I’d been on dates, though, so I was going to pretend she meant that. “Not in the least.”
“So, how does this usually work?” she asked. “You’re the expert. You’re going to have to take charge.”
She knew a whole lot more about casual sex than I did. And I still wasn’t sure about going down this path—but somehow, now that I’d taken the first step, I didn’t think I could stop.
“I’d like to see you again.” I spoke slowly, making the decision as the words came out. “Soon. Friday, if you’re free.”
“Okay.” There was a blush in her voice. “I can do that.”
“All right. I’ll call you on Thursday.”
“Sounds good.”
We were suddenly both shy. “Enjoy your week, then.”
“You too, Tara.”
We hung up, and only then did it hit me.
I was going to see her—twice—before Friday night.
14
Chelsea
I had been off work for the entire long weekend—but the bars had been open, and now I had to work doubly hard to resupply everything they’d run out of.
As I proceeded through my usual rounds on Wednesday, the stop at Vino and Veritas weighed heavily on my mind. I was going to see Tara, which would be weird because we’d already scheduled our date.
A second date with a girl—and whatever happened, I was going to keep seeing her at work. Where exactly was I going with this? It was supposed to be a quick and simple experiment, and now it was getting so complicated.
I was starting to like Tara as a friend, as a human being. She was cool and funny, and she’d was actually really kind as well. She’d been through a lot in her life, but rather than becoming bitter or spiteful, she’d used it to become a better person.
Hopefully we could stay friends after. There were no feelings involved, so it could work. But once I tried things with her, was that just going to be it? It would be easy to stop if I didn’t like it—but what if I did? Would we keep doing it, just for fun?
I bit my lip as I pushed the dolly up to the door of V&V. “Just be cool,” I said to myself. “It’s not a big deal to see her. Just act like she’s anybody else.”
But she wasn’t. She was Tara. That was the problem.
I didn’t even hit the handicap button, and she was already opening the door with her usual charming smile. She looked especially adorable today with her hair combed to one side and her eyes glowing. I gave her a wink. “Hey there, hot stuff.”
“Let me get that for you.” She reached for the barrel.
“The beer?” I raised an eyebrow. “This is my job. Do you want me to sell the books for you?”
“I’m trying to be chivalrous here.” Her lips twitched, which made me think about kissing them.
A jolt went through my core, and I stepped aside. “Okay, go for it.”
