Chapter 17

HANNAH

“Hannah!”

I turned, holding the dirty plates I’d just picked up from a table, to find Olivia beaming at me.

“We’re going kayaking on the river this afternoon. Wanna come?”

I couldn’t help darting my eyes over to George, who was serving a customer behind the counter. Is she coming too? I’d been sneaking glances at George all morning, replaying last night’s kiss in my head. It had been unexpected and confusing but also amazing. I hadn’t felt that type of heated, intense desire for anyone for a very long time. A thrill ran through me at the memory.

And then, after the kiss, everything had felt incredibly awkward.

I’d walked to work with nervous anticipation pounding through me. To my disappointment, George, although friendly as usual, seemed to be behaving like nothing had happened, just like she had after the kiss last night. Although, to be fair, so was I.

My natural impulse was to avoid awkward conversations, and the idea of sitting down with George to discuss our feelings sent my stomach flipping. But at the same time, I wanted to know what, if anything, was going on between us. However, it didn’t look like I was going to get it this morning. With George focused on training Josie, and me and Ben busy with the weekend crowds, there’d been no opportunity for us to have one-on-one time together. And in any event, our workplace didn’t seem like the most appropriate venue to talk about the kiss.

Not that I knew what to say about it anyway. Things were finally going well. I’d gotten those damn books signed. I was writing again, and I was excited about my new manuscript. For the first time, meeting the July deadline didn’t feel completely out of reach. And if I did, Barb would be safe in her nursing home for at least another twelve months, maybe even longer if this book did well. I also loved working at Novel Gossip and my growing friendship with George and her friends reminded me that I wasn’t as introverted as I often thought. I didn’t want things to get complicated with George and risk blowing it all up. Did I even have time to date with everything else going on in my life? And I couldn’t shake the niggling thought that if my friendship with George blew up, so would my ability to write. After all, it’d been her words that had led to my breakthrough. Last, but not least, in the string of reasons why pursuing a relationship with George seemed like a bad idea, was that I’d just come out of a long-term relationship three months ago. Jumping into something new so soon didn’t seem like the smartest move.

But at the same time… George handed a customer a cookie in a paper bag, a warm smile on her face, and my stomach fluttered. Yep, I hadn’t felt this type of attraction to anyone in a long time. Possibly ever.

Olivia followed my gaze and grinned, thankfully misinterpreting it. “If you want me to talk to the boss, I can. You’ve worked every day since you started. There has to be some kind of labor law that I can threaten George with, especially given that she’s coming too. Jenny and Blake will be there as well.”

I laughed. “I finish my shift at two-thirty today, same as George. Josie should be all trained up by then, so she’s closing with Ben. And I’m not working tomorrow at all, so I don’t think your labor lawsuit will have legs. But thanks for the offer.”

Olivia clapped her hands. “Awesome! So is that a yes?”

I paused for a moment. I’d planned to spend the afternoon working on my book, and I was not an accomplished kayaker. In fact, I’d only done it once in my life, with Tania, and it had been an absolute disaster. We’d been in a tandem kayak, and she’d kept getting annoyed because I wasn’t keeping in time with her strokes. She’d ended up insisting, with a huff, that I stop paddling altogether so she could kayak unimpeded by my ineptitude. I winced. When I looked back, there were a lot of red flags in our relationship.

But despite my writing plans and bad past experience, it was perfect weather for kayaking. It seemed a shame to spend a gorgeous warm afternoon holed up inside. I’d also enjoyed hanging out with Olivia, Jenny, and Blake at the pub after the movie night. And while I currently had no idea what was going on between George and me, I always enjoyed spending time with her. In a group setting, hopefully things wouldn’t be too awkward.

“That sounds great!” I said.

I’d work on my book later. Now that Ben was back and Josie was trained, I’d have more time to write anyway. And presumably, I’d be in my own kayak, not at risk of impeding anyone else’s perfect stroke.

GEORGE

Hannah picked up Betty’s empty plate and coffee cup, saying something that made Betty laugh. I’d felt terrible there’d been no cake of the day this morning, especially after Betty rushing to my defense yesterday, but thankfully, Betty had been appeased by one of Romina’s delicious muffins.

Hannah’s outfit of navy shorts, white sneakers, and a white silk blouse flattered her figure and accentuated her dark eyes and hair and pink lips. My gaze lingered on her lips for a moment before I came to my senses. Stop ogling your employee, George!

Someone cleared their throat behind me.

“Do you want to go on your lunch break soon, George?” Ben asked. “The three of us will manage more than fine. So, actually have a proper break this time—don’t just chow down a BLT in the kitchen and run back out like you have the past few weeks.” Ben glared at me.

I smiled. Having Ben, Hannah, and Josie all working front of house with me was an enormous relief. Finally, it felt like my staffing issues were under control. Another good reason not to screw things up with Hannah.

“That would be great, thanks. I’ll see if Blake is free to meet at Builders’ Arms. If she is, I’ll probably head off in fifteen minutes.”

I shot a text off to Blake. A good night”s sleep had not cleared up my confused feelings over yesterday’s events, and I was desperate to talk to Blake about it—just not at Novel Gossip, in full sight of Hannah. My phone pinged. Blake could make it. I exhaled.

Twenty minutes later, Blake leaned back against the wall of the Builders’ Arms beer garden. A warm breeze sent dappled light, filtered by the large oak tree overhead, moving in patterns across the bricks.

“No Novel Gossip this time? I wanted to see what the cake of the day was,” Blake said, looking slightly disappointed.

I grimaced. “There was no cake of the day. It was my turn to make it last night, and I forgot.” Romina and I shared cake-baking duties.

“That’s not like you.” Blake frowned, leaning forward. “Is everything okay?”

“Well, I was going to wait until our food arrived to launch into the details, but since you asked…” I gave Blake a run-down of yesterday’s events, beginning with discovering Hannah signing books just before 3 a.m. and ending with last night’s kiss.

Blake’s eyes got wider and wider.

“So, yeah, that’s why I didn’t bake the cake last night. I was exhausted and also more than a bit distracted,” I finished.

“How are you feeling about everything today?” Blake took a sip of her water.

I frowned. “I’d been hoping everything would be clear when I woke up this morning, but that didn’t happen. I still feel weird Hannah didn’t tell me who she is and that she went to such great lengths to keep it a secret from me. But at the same time, it seems like she was avoiding the topic out of anxiety rather than for any sinister purpose.” After hearing about Hannah’s difficult childhood, I had a good deal of sympathy for her.

Blake nodded. “And the kiss?”

“It was incredible in the moment. But afterward it was super awkward. And to make matters worse, at the time, I thought she wasn’t an employee anymore, but it turns out she still is. So all my worries about there being a power imbalance still stands.” I sighed. “The whole thing is a blur—I’m not even sure who instigated it. I think it was mutual, but what if I instigated it and she just went along with it out of awkwardness or because she felt she had to?” I winced at the thought.

Blake raised an eyebrow. “George, have you ever been kissed by someone you didn’t want to kiss?”

I nodded.

“And what did you do?”

“Well, with the boy in seventh grade, I pushed him away. When it happened in a gay bar in Tampa, I pulled back from the woman.”

“Uh-huh. So, last night, did Hannah push you away?” Blake leaned on the wooden table and stared at me.

“No.”

“Did she lean into the kiss or move her lips, her tongue, her hands?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks as I remembered Hannah moaning into my mouth, her hands pressed on my back, her tongue in my mouth.

Blake grinned. My body language must have given me away. “Well, I’ll take that as a yes,” she said.

Dan, the owner of Builders’ Arms, arrived with our food, placing a burger and fries in front of me and a Caesar salad in front of Blake.

As soon as he left, Blake continued her cross-examination. “And did Hannah do anything to suggest she wasn’t into it?”

I paused for a minute, thinking back. “No.”

“Uh-huh. And who ended the kiss?”

“I think it ended kind of mutually. Like the kiss just came to its natural conclusion.”

Blake smirked. “So, in light of all that evidence, what do you think the chances are she wasn’t into the kiss?”

I shook my head, holding back a chuckle as relief washed over me. “Okay, okay, Detective Mitchell. I see your point.”

Blake’s smirk widened into a grin. “Hey, I’m a doctor. I like facts. But I think you’re overthinking things, perhaps because of your parents’ experience and what happened with Alexis. It sounds like you guys had a lovely, mutual smooch.”

I snorted. “Even if you’re right, Hannah is still an employee, so she’s off-limits.”

Blake stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and started eating it, a thoughtful expression on her face.

I stared at her, waiting for her to swallow it so she could impart whatever words of wisdom she was developing as she chewed.

“The reason you’re worried about the employee thing is mainly the power imbalance, right?”

I nodded.

“But you said she’s a bestselling author. Why do you think she wants to work at Novel Gossip? Maybe it’s not for money. Perhaps it’s more like a hobby for her—like Dad being my receptionist so he can chat with people—or maybe even research for her book? And if that’s the case, maybe the power imbalance stuff isn’t relevant. If things didn’t work out between you, and she didn’t want to work there anymore, perhaps it wouldn’t be a big deal for her at all. If anything, you might need her more than she needs you, given how run off your feet you’ve been.”

I frowned. “We don’t know what her financial situation is. She could have debts to pay off or sick family to support and need the extra cash.”

“Yeah, fair point.” Blake furrowed her brow. “Let’s say the whole power imbalance thing wasn’t an issue. Would you be interested in exploring things further with her?”

“I think so. She’s gorgeous, funny and I love spending time with her.”

“But?” Blake asked.

“I guess my only other concerns are whether I really have enough time for a relationship at the moment and the fact Hannah is H. M. Stuart. Things have been so hectic at work lately. I’ve lost some customers to Dippin’ Donuts because of how understaffed we’ve been, and I’ve had no time to focus on planning events.”

“Well, now that you have Josie and Hannah on board, won’t that solve the first problem?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Blake was probably right, but I still had Betty’s friend’s comment ringing in my ears. “I still haven’t even wrapped my head around the fact that Hannah is H. M. Stuart. It…well, the whole idea of dating my favorite author feels a bit unreal.”

“Honestly, it sounds like you’re overthinking this whole thing. You dated one of your favorite politicians. Why not your favorite author too?” Blake raised her eyebrow. “Seriously, what is it with you and famous people?” She chuckled.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I hadn’t made that connection before. But Hannah was different to Alexis. Alexis had actively sought media attention—she needed it to be elected. Hannah was the complete opposite. The Hannah Taylor I had kissed wasn’t famous. Only her alter ego, H. M. Stuart, was. And given Hannah kept her pen name secret, it wasn’t like I’d have to deal with the sort of unwelcome media attention I’d experienced dating Alexis.

“Yeah, maybe. Anyway, despite your forensic analysis of our kiss, I’m still not at all convinced that Hannah is interested in actually dating me.”

“In that case, why don’t you just talk her about last night and your worries about the power imbalance, and see what she says. Maybe she’ll be able to put your mind at rest.”

I sighed. “I’m sure that’s the sensible course of action. My brain is just feeling fried at the moment. I’m taking Monday off—my first day off in months—so I think I’ll see how Josie goes tomorrow now I’ve trained her and how they cope without me on Monday. If that all goes well, then I’ll be less worried about having time for a relationship, and it will also give me some time to work through my feelings.” I popped a fry in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed it.

If Blake was right about Hannah’s motivations for working at the café, then Hannah being H. M. Stuart could make me feel more comfortable about pursuing a relationship with her. A buzz of excitement rose in my chest.

“Well, give it some thought.”

“Yeah, I will. In the meantime, I’ll just keep things friendly but professional with Hannah, which shouldn’t be too difficult since she’s not working tomorrow. Olivia invited her kayaking this afternoon, but at least that’ll be a group activity, so no risk of accidental kisses.”

Blake grinned. “You once offered to chaperone me and Jenny. We can return the favor if you’d like.”

I chuckled. “I should be fine. Kayaking isn’t exactly the most romantic activity, especially not with my technique.”

“Oh, really? I look forward to seeing it,” Blake said with a laugh.

I took a bite of my burger, already feeling a lot better. Talking to Blake always helped. We hadn’t solved anything, but she’d helped me work through my concerns. All I had to do now was avoid any more intimate situations with Hannah until I had time to assess the new staffing arrangements and my feelings for her. Monday was only two days away. How hard could that be?