“Uh, yeah, I think I can handle that,” I said, feeling my face go a little red. There was something seriously wrong with me right now. Jen handed me the business card.
“You are the best. Oh, I posted the new schedule. Just let me know when you can’t be here and we’ll work around it.” She patted me on the shoulder and got back to the kitchen. I was supposed to leave in a few so I could get to my other job at the library down the street. I shook myself, slipped the card into my pocket, and went to finish my last few tables so I wouldn’t be late.
Two
I got back to my place at a reasonable time, but I had a ton of publicity work that had piled up during the week. I tried to set myself a schedule and stick to it, but I’d been slacking lately. I had several blog tours to organize and a ton of graphics for a new release, but the second I opened Photoshop I swear my eyes crossed. Maybe a shower first.
I was taking off my clothes and checking the pockets when I found the business card. I hadn’t forgotten about it. Well, I’d forgotten about the card, but not about Lacey. I sighed and set the card on the edge of the sink as I put my hair up. Since I liked to keep my color as long as possible, I only washed it every third day. It was still fading too much for my liking. I was going to have to do another color job sooner rather than later.
Lacey. I had volunteered to talk to her about taking pictures and doing a story of the café. Why had I agreed to that?
Because I would do anything if a hot person was involved. I really was shameless. Shaking my head at myself, I got in the shower and did my thing, but I couldn’t stop picturing Lacey’s beautiful face and feeling the tingles she gave me when she’d walked into the café.
Fuck. When I fell, I fell hard and fast. And I was already feeling something for Lacey. If I let myself, I could definitely fall for her. But falling also scared the shit out of me, which was why I stopped dating anyone when it got too real. It was so much less messy to just fuck and have that be it. I hadn’t been in a relationship in so long that I’d pretty much forgotten what it was like to be in one. Flirting and fucking was so much easier. So much less complicated.
Why was I thinking about this? I needed to get a grip. Shaking my head at myself, I got out a brush to detangle my hair. It was early, but I was exhausted. And I still had work to do. Maybe work would take my mind off of Lacey. That was probably a smart idea. Work was good. Money was good.
Thinking about a pretty girl and how she made you feel wasn’t the wisest choice for me, I had too much else going on. And I didn’t need complications. Nope. I was going to be a professional and contact Lacey in a professional manner because I was a professional.
Maybe if I said it enough times to myself, I’d actually do it.
*^*^*
I stressed the whole next day at the library for my morning shift. I was so out of it, that I had trouble shelving the books, even though I could normally do that in my sleep. I knew I had to contact Lacey ASAP and that Jen was going to ask me about it when I got to work later. So, I sucked it up and got out my phone when I had my lunch break before heading to the café.
Please let me leave a message, please let me leave a message, I thought as the phone rang. Of course, she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hi, may I please speak with Lacey Cole?” I probably sounded like someone who was trying to sound professional, without actually sounding professional. Why was I such a dork sometimes?
“This is she,” she said and I could hear a lot of background noise.
“Yes, hi, hello, this is Anna, from the Violet Hill Café? Jen asked me to call you and work things out with what you had in mind for the photos and the story.” I had practiced what I wanted to say and I still sounded awful. Why was I like this? Why couldn’t I be confident? Oh, right, because she was gorgeous. I had such a weakness for pretty people.
“Oh, hello, Anna,” she said, and I swore she was smiling when she said it. I could just hear it in her voice.
“Hi,” I said again, like a dope. Wow, I needed to get this situation over with so I didn’t embarrass myself further.
“I’m actually doing some work in a friend’s studio. That’s how I found out about the café. Do you want to meet me there and we can discuss?” Oh, well. I guess?
“Um, sure. I have to work until seven tonight, though. Could I come after?” I hoped she would say yes so I could just get this done.
“Yeah, that works. It’s the Shelly Jones photography studio. Do you know it?” Oh. Yeah. I did. She specialized in taking sexy boudoir photos. Mostly of women to give to their men on Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Not exactly the kind of person I could see hanging out with Lacey, but then again I didn’t know much about her. I’d been tempted to stalk her online, but had refrained out of self-preservation.
“Does eight work for you?” she asked. Shit, her voice was so sexy.
“Yeah,” I said. “Um, see you then?”
“See you then, Anna.” I tried not to imagine her saying my name in the throes of passion. I did not need that in my brain, thank you.
“Okay, bye,” I said before hanging up.
Please let me be more suave tonight. Please.
*^*^*
I told Jen that I was meeting with Lacey after work and she seemed satisfied with that.
“You told Sal anything?” Jen rolled her eyes. Today she was rocking several shades of glittery shadow that made her eyelids look like a galaxy. I would never be able to pull of that look, but she could.
“I’ll only tell her when it’s a definite. You know how she feels about ‘social media clickbait’,” she said, using her fingers to make air quotes.
“Yup, I do.” For someone who was still quite young, Sal was a hardcore Luddite. She didn’t even like people paying with cards, and Jen had had to talk her into upgrading their equipment all the time. But she was a lovable grump and I adored them both.
“So, maybe get something in writing? Like a proposal or something? I don’t know. Just some parameters so we know what’s what.” That sounded like a good idea, and something that hadn’t even crossed my mind.
“I will. I’ll work up something with Lacey.” Why did that sound totally dirty? I could feel myself blushing, but Jen didn’t seem to notice.
“Sounds good.” I got through the rest of my shift and hurried home to shower and get myself presentable before driving over to the photography studio. The lights were off on the first floor of the building, but there was a glow on the second floor. I texted Lacey to let her know I was out front and she told me to come around the back and head up the stairs.
I knocked on the door at the top of the dark stairs.
“It’s open,” Lacey called and I cautiously stuck my head in. She was working, crouched behind a camera and taking photographs . . . of a cat.
“Hey,” I said, not wanting to disturb whatever was going on. The all-black cat sat placidly on an elaborate velvet chaise, not even disturbed by the clicking of the lens or the lights trained on it.
Lacey looked up from the camera.
“Hey, sorry, I was just working with this new lens I got.” She grinned and set the camera on a desk in the corner.
“Come here, Murder,” she said and wiggled her fingers toward the cat. Said cat gave her one look, closed its eyes and fell asleep.
“Bastard,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Lacey swiveled around and turned her attention to me, and suddenly I felt like I was the one under the spotlights.
“So, come on in and have a seat,” she said, motioning to a little sitting area with two chairs and a table in between them.
“Coffee?” she asked. There was a little cart nearby with a coffeemaker on it and several mugs.
“Do you have tea?” I didn’t need excess caffeine right now. She nodded.
“Sure, can do.” She set the machine to dispense hot water and I looked over at the cat.
“You named your cat Murder?” I asked. She laughed.
r /> “It’s the name for a group of crows. Seemed appropriate for a black cat, no?” I nodded and crossed my legs. I was feeling like an interloper. And I also couldn’t stop watching the way Lacey moved. She was just so sexy in that effortless way. I was always drawn to beautiful people and she was one of the most beautiful I’d seen in a while. I was in trouble. I jumped when she walked over and pressed the cup of tea into my hands.
“Thanks,” I said, looking up into her eyes. They weren’t quite brown and they weren’t quite hazel either, but some sort of gorgeous mix. I needed to stop staring at her. Like, right now.
“So,” she said, sitting down across from me. “What did you need from me?” I blushed, even though she hadn’t said anything overtly dirty. I was seriously going to have a breakdown. I needed to get this done as quickly as possible.
“Um, well, Jen asked if you could draw up something in writing? Like a proposal or something. Then she can take it to Sal and they can talk it over. Oh, and I was wondering if you had examples of other stuff you’d done?” She got up and grabbed a laptop off the desk.
“Sure thing. This is my site.” I set my tea down and she handed me the laptop, but then came to stand behind me to scroll through it. She smelled like jasmine. Some of her dark hair brushed my shoulder as she leaned forward.
I had to force myself to focus my eyes on the screen.
“Wow,” I said. She had a gorgeous site with tons of unbelievable photos on it. Including boudoir sessions with people of all shapes and sizes and genders and orientations.
“That’s one of my main goals. To make boudoir accessible to everyone,” she said in my ear. I shivered. I needed to get this over with.
“Nice,” I said, my voice hitching a little. I turned my head and our eyes met. She smiled slowly.
“So. Let me show you some of my project. I haven’t launched it yet. I’m working on getting it off the ground. And if there’s enough support I might even do a book.” That was a lot. Damn. She was really serious about this.
I coughed and moved a little further away from her. I couldn’t think. She made me feel drunk. Everything got a little blurry at the edges, but her face sharpened in focus.
The chair had wheels on it, so I slid away from her. She made a little sound that I didn’t know how to interpret. Was it one of disappointment?
“That’s amazing,” I said, spinning in the chair to face her. “Really amazing.” She smiled and a dimple popped in one cheek. Made her even more irresistible. I had a thing for dimples.
“Thanks so much. So, basically, what I want to do is a profile on the café. How it started, what it’s doing for the queer community, that kind of thing. And I’m going to want to interview Jen and Sal and probably some of the employees, and take pictures to go with the stories. If I could talk to some of the customers and get their stories. That’s kind of my thing. Everybody has a story and all that.” I still didn’t know if she was actually queer, and I felt like I needed to know.
“So, what inspired you to do this project?” I asked.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the desk. I tried to keep my eyes on her face.
“Well, I’m a member of the community myself, being both trans and bi. So, who better to tell the stories of queer people than a queer person?” She did a little shrug and I bit my bottom lip.
“Yeah, I agree. As a pansexual person.” There. Everything was out. She showed me hers and I showed her mine. Bisexual. So, she was probably into girls. I hoped.
She took a deep breath.
“So, I can get something typed up and I have boilerplate release forms as well. I’d like to have another meeting with Jen and Sal too. Jen said that Sal was going to be a harder sell on the project, but I’m ready to make a presentation. I’ve been told I can pretty persuasive.” Why did that sound super dirty and totally turn me on? I needed to go home.
“Sounds good.” I stood up on wobbly legs and nearly screamed when something brushed against them, but it was just Murder. I looked down at him and he blinked at me with yellow eyes and just kept purring.
“He likes you. And he pretty much hates everyone,” Lacey said, leaning down to pet him.
“Yeah, well I think we have that in common,” I said, trying to joke. It wasn’t really true. I liked most people.
Lacey laughed and the sound was warm and rich like spiced rum. I needed to stop thinking of her in sexual terms. This was a business thing. Nothing more.
“Would you be interested?” she asked, and I couldn’t figure out what she was asking me.
“Interested?” I said, like a dumbass.
“Interested in being interviewed.” She straightened up and we were nearly at eye level. She would only have to bend a tiny bit to kiss me. Which I needed to stop thinking about. Lacey wasn’t going to be kissing me. I didn’t even know if she was single.
“Oh, that. Um, sure. Yeah, that would be fine,” I babbled and then laughed nervously.
“Great,” she said. I wanted to stare into those eyes and pick out every single color in them and then paint my walls those colors.
I needed to get a grip. She finally blinked and stepped away from me, but her cheeks were a little red.
“So, um, it’s late and I should be getting back,” she said, raking a hand through her hair.
“Where are you staying?” I asked and then wanted to kick myself. That was absolutely none of my business.
“Oh, I’m renting this little run-down cottage. It’s cute and right on the water, so I get up in the middle of the night sometimes and take pictures, or watch the sun rise. Maine is such a beautiful place.” Huh. I’d lived here for so long that I forgot about all its natural wonders. I was usually too busy going from one job to another, or hermiting in my apartment and doing work. I needed to get out more apparently.
“Where are you from?” I needed to stop asking questions, but my brain kept firing them out through my mouth.
“Tennessee, originally, but I’ve lived all over. I’m a bit rootless. Can’t seem to find a place that feels like home.” I’d always lived here. I couldn’t imagine moving from place to place like that. I’d feel so lost.
I nodded and it seemed as if our interaction had come to a natural end.
“Well, it was nice to see you again,” I said, heading toward the door. “And I look forward to talking more with you.”
“Thanks for coming, Anna. I really appreciate it. And you’ll be seeing so much of me that you’ll definitely get sick of me.” She laughed.
“Don’t count on it,” I said over my shoulder as I headed out the back door of the studio and down the stairs.
Three
The next week, I saw Lacey a lot. But it wasn’t enough. The more she was around, the more I wanted her around. Somehow she’d impressed Jen and Sal with her presentation, and had commenced work on her profile. She’d taken action shots of Jen assembling sandwiches, interviewed them both, and had also done an interview with Daisy, since Violet Hill was what helped her reconnect with Molly. It was all very sappy and cute. I teased Daisy about it mercilessly, but she just had a dreamy look in her eyes ninety percent of the time, so I was pretty sure my teasing went in one ear and out the other.
“You’re so in love with her, it’s gross,” I said to Daisy as she squealed and launched herself at Molly when she came to pick her up from work. It was like they hadn’t seen each other for years instead of just a few hours. I didn’t know what that was like. And then Lacey walked in and my heart jumped and started beating super-fast.
“Hey,” I said walking over to her. “Dirty chai?” I’d gotten to know what she liked and didn’t like. It made me feel like a creeper, but also exciting that I knew things about her.
“Yeah, sure. And maybe a BLTA?” she asked. It was basically a BLT with avocado instead of mayo. We also had a version with veggie bacon for all the vegetarians/vegans that we served. What was it with queers and being vegetarians/vegans? It was such a cliché, but it was so true.
> “You got it,” I said, stumbling a little bit on my way to put in her order.
“You totally love her,” Daisy said in sing-song as I passed the half-wall that separated the bakery from the rest of the kitchen.
“Huh?” I said, looking back at Lacey, who was busy with her phone.
“You’ve got the biggest fucking heart-eyes right now,” Daisy said as she took off her apron. Molly nodded in agreement.
“I do not,” I said, and actually rubbed my eyes.
“Do too,” Molly said with a little giggle. I rolled my eyes.
“Whatever,” I said under my breath and turned toward the kitchen. I could still feel them watching me.
“Stop it,” I said before I went back to taking care of my tables.
“Never,” Daisy called after me as she headed out the door.
****
“So,” Lacey said on her way out. “I’d love to do an interview with you, if you have the time? I’m only here for another week, and then I’m off to my next project.” My heart actually sank down to my feet. I mean, I should have known that she was going to be on her merry way, but to hear the words from her lips made them real. This sucked. I had just met her, but imagining her leaving felt like a horrible wound opening in my chest. What was wrong with me?
She was still waiting for an answer from me. Oops.
“Oh, yeah, sure. When did you want to do it?” I cringed at how that sounded. I couldn't keep my mind off dirty things when she was around.
“Whenever you have time. I’m pretty much open.” Yeah, I definitely needed to get my mind out of the gutter, but I wasn’t sure if that was ever going to happen. At least not around Lacey. She made my mind go to dirty places with just her presence.
“Oh, yeah. I have some work to do tonight, but maybe I could bring my laptop and I could multitask?” It would help me be more professional if I could get myself into work mode when I was with her. That would be much better.
“Sounds good. I have some editing to do in the studio, so that would be great. How about around eight?” I nodded and she gave me another one of her smiles. I still hadn’t gotten used to my reaction when she smiled. Like the sun was coming out from behind the clouds and I was completely drunk at the same time. It was a strange feeling.