Kate had already set up the table and was putting a black tablecloth with sparkly silver cat outlines all over it on the table. Hannah blushed as once again, she was treated to the long, lean lines of Kate.
“I love the tablecloth. It’s so much cuter than the plain black cloth I brought,” Hannah said.
Kate turned around and crossed her arms. “Thanks, I found it at the community garage sale back in June.”
Hannah nodded. “Cool. I —ah— love all the decorations.” The butterflies were still in full force in her stomach. She felt keyed up like she’d just had a quad espresso. Hannah waved her hands at the windows of the store where a scene from “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” was painted. “Did you paint it?”
Kate nodded. “I did. I minored in visual arts in college.”
“It looks great! I did a painting night a couple of months ago at Jesse’s Pub, and my picture was so awful. The instructor tried to fix it. But it’s a disaster. I shoved it in the back of my closet. I thought of hanging it up ironically for the Halloween season, but I haven’t gotten around to it. But your windows—they always look amazing. I had no idea you were the artist all this time.” She gasped as she ran out of air. Crap, she’d done it again. When she was nervous, she had to fill the silence with words, all the words.
“Ah, thanks.” Kate said. Then she turned and walked to the back of the store and into a room.
Wow, Hannah had managed to clear the room within five minutes of entering. “Chill out, you dumbass,” she said to herself. Then she winced. She’d promised herself and her therapist that she would work on not calling herself names. Thetote lid popped off of its own accord. Hannah began taking items out and arranging them on the table. It was six feet long, so she placed the items for sale on one side and left the other side to use for the pet readings.
Kate walked out of the back room. She had put on black lipstick and was wearing a witch’s hat. In her hand, she was holding a couple of gauzy black capes. “I thought it would be fun to look the part.” She walked behind the table where Hannah was standing.
She was close enough that Hannah could see that her eyes were more green than blue as she’d previously thought. Kate handed her a cape. Hannah took it. “You remind me of my cat, Smoky.” Hannah pressed her lips together as her chest heated. Maybe she could find some tape around here and tape her mouth shut before Kate thought she was completely bonkers.
Kate tilted her head. Their hands brushed, and the surprise of a static shock made Hannah jump. Kate looked at her hand and then back at Hannah. Hannah was hoping the floor would open up and take her away.
“How do I remind you of your cat?”
Hannah’s ears felt hot. “It’s your eyes. Plus, you’re in all black. Smoky is a black cat with piercing green eyes.”
The corners of Kate’s mouth ticked up, and Hannah’s mouth went dry. She wanted to bask in the glow of that smile all night long. “Oh, good. It was a compliment. I assumed it was, but you never know.” She winked, and Hannah felt a thrill down to her toes.
Unsure of what to say, Hannah looked back into the bin and pulled out the velvet bag that contained her tarot cards. She was embarrassed anew that hers was a beginner set that included short descriptions of what each card represented. She couldn’t wait for the day when she would have a real set of cards and was confidently doing readings for humans instead of pets.
“Well, are you going to try it on? Let’s see if you look like a proper psychic.”
Hannah pushed up her glasses and shook out the cape. She awkwardly placed it around her shoulders. The cape smelled like what Hannah imagined Kate smelled like, clean and fresh like a spring day after a rainstorm.
“Here, let me help you,” Kate said, and then she was in Hannah’s space. She was just a couple of inches taller than Hannah. Her shoulders were broad, whereas Hannah tended to round her shoulders. She wished she had the confidence Kate had. Kate tied a bow while Hannah stood with her hands balled at her sides. The desire to reach out and put her hands on Kate’s hips was overwhelming. She wanted to kiss Kate’s soft, thin lips, mussing the black lipstick. Kate brushed her hands over Hannah’s shoulders and stood back.
As she stepped back, Hannah leaned toward her, drawn to her orbit like Mercury to the Sun. She forced herself backward and gripped the table. Trying to remind herself she didn’t even know for sure if Kate was single, Hannah almost missed the way Kate’s eyes flicked down and then slowly up her body. She was glad she’d worn her favorite black sweater. The deep V-neckline and the slim cut accented her small waist and made her barely B-cup breasts look fuller than anything else she owned. Heat pooled in her abdomen. Was she imagining things? Awkward as she was, could Kate, who was a freaking goddess, be interested in her?
Kate stepped further away from Hannah. “Let me get you a chair. People should be coming soon. Whenever I’ve held an event here, everyone who attends is surprisingly on time.”
Hannah’s palms started to sweat. “I should move my car. Where should I park?”
“Drive a block down to the alley and then you can park right behind the store. It’s the door with the puppy painted on it.”
Hannah grinned, “A puppy, that tracks. Okay, I’ll be right back!” She felt her pocket to make sure she had her keys and then she rushed outside. Once she was back in her car, she quickly started the vehicle and drove behind the building. Hannah put the car in park and took a moment to rest her head against the steering wheel. If only she had her deck right now. She could ask the cards if she had a chance with Kate. She closed her eyes and tried to center herself.
It had been over a year since the first time she had seen Kate, when, at first glance, she’d felt the stirrings of a crush. Zaina had been in the midst of months-long morning sickness, so she’d asked Hannah to attend the Marley Creek Business Association’s new business breakfast for her. Any meeting that involved a free meal was one Hannah wanted to go to. Plus, Donnie’s Books and Breads catered it, and that meant getting her favorite bagel, jalapeno and cheddar cheese, for free. She’d had her mouth full of bagel when Kate had walked into the room. Hannah had gasped and almost choked. Kate was wearing the heck out of a pair of black pants and a silky wrap shirt. The lush fabric of her outfit gave a softness to the sharp angles of her face. When she’d looked at Kate, she’d been drawn to the confidence she exuded. Her poise was more than the competence of age, although she had to be at least a decade older than Hannah. From that moment, Hannah craved learning all about the woman, and now here she was in Kate’s space for the next three hours.
Chapter Two
Kate Sterling’s stomach growled. She realized she hadn’t eaten anything except a bag of fruit snacks hours ago. She needed to make a plate of the food she was putting out for the guests for herself. Glancing at the time on her smartphone, she saw an email notification. Unable to help herself, she opened it. Mrs. Fisher, the landlord of her building, wanted to discuss her lease renewal at Kate’s earliest convenience. Kate’s shoulders bunched. She had a terrible feeling about the impending conversation. Mrs. Fisher’s husband had passed away last fall. Since then, every time Kate had talked to Mrs. Fisher, she’d been sure to mention that she wanted to sell the building and retire to the Florida Keys.
This building wasn’t just where Kate’s business was located. It was also her home. She lived in the two-bedroom apartment above the two storefronts that made up the first floor of the building. The upholstery repair shop that leased the other storefront had closed last year, and no one had moved in. Herstomach clenched. No wonder she hadn’t eaten. How could she focus on anything when her business and home were on the line?
A soft voice murmuring distracted Kate from her worry spiral. Kate turned and watched Hannah. She sat at her table shuffling cards. Her red hair was plaited into a braid that hung down her back between narrow shoulders. Her small nose couldn’t seem to keep hold of her glasses. They continued to slide down as she cut the deck in two. Hannah’s glossy pink lips pursed as she flipped a card over and placed it on the table. Kate hated to interrupt whatever Hannah was doing, but she could really use help to set up the snacks and drinks for the people and pets before they started arriving. Kate knew how much her regular patrons, especially the human ones, loved free food samples. She paused, wanting to watch Hannah for just a moment longer. This girl was cute. She had seen her around at local business events, but they’d never done much more than nod hello. Now that she was right here, Kate could appreciate her subtle beauty. She rubbed her thumb against the fingers that had been shocked when they’d touched Hannah’s. There was something about Hannah that made Kate want to get to know her better. She was almost sure she wasn’t misreading the cues Hannah was giving.
Kate shook her head; she didn’t have time to pursue this line of thought. It was time for the store event that would basically kick off the holiday season. This was when she made enough money to survive the lean months of January, February, and March. Squaring her shoulders, she walked over and stood in front of Hannah’s table.
“Do you have a second?”
