but here’s the thing…” She didn’t want Vinnie sneaking up on them. “I don’t know if what we have is love—”
“Lust, then? Nothing wrong with that. I remember lust.” Tish’s expression turned wistful and she leaned on her elbows.
“Come on. You and Vinnie are great together. I’d like to have something like that. It’s just… well, I enjoy being with Sidney, but we had kind of a spat today. It’s the reason she left early.
“About every night since we met, I go home and shower, then go to her place or she comes to mine. We have dinner and talk, maybe watch a show or Netflix, then we enjoy nighttime activities,” she added with a laugh. Tish didn’t raise a brow, to her brief amusement. “I thought everything was fine. We connect on different levels besides the job. We like the same music and agree on political issues. Lately, she wants us to be more public in our relationship, and I prefer things the way they are.”
“Do you like her, Kit?” Tish asked. “I mean, do you honestly believe you and Sidney could make a relationship last? If you do, it’s worth the hard work you put into it. If she wants you to open up more, acknowledge your feelings without fear of repercussion, you know what’s involved there.”
“Yeah. It’s not like I haven’t tried. We danced at the Den the first night. What’s wrong with being a homebody, too? I love working here, but how many millionaire chocolatiers do you know?”
That got her a laugh. “Baby steps, Kit. Business is good, because we work at it. Nobody’s forcing you to wave a flag. Take it slow and be aware of her. Go to a movie. Then dinner,” Tish said. “The comfort of being out in public will come naturally, and you’ll find people aren’t going to chase you out of town.”
Simple suggestions, and Kit couldn’t argue about any of them. She’d think nothing of licking Sidney’s clit, but holding her hand in front of people? That ought to be a given. Why’s my stomach still queasy, though?
“Let’s say I come out on a grander scale, and Sidney and I break up?”
“You’d rather end it now while you’re somewhat closeted, and spend your days at the double boiler wondering what might have been?” Tish asked. “Why hook up with her in the first place?”
Kit’s head pounded. The interview for the job hadn’t been this strenuous. “She was pretty, and nice and funny. Is. I like her coordinated retro-Eighties outfits, and her pancakes, and her sense of humor.” She missed Sidney now, and ached as her mind replayed their last exchange.
“I hadn’t pegged you for a pessimist, Kit.” Tish rested her chin in her hands, her elbows propped on the desk. “Not the ideal person you want in a chocolate shop, selling candy as gifts for lovers.”
“Hey, I had a hand in strong Easter sales.” She wagged a finger and brought a smile to her boss’s lips. “Thanks for listening to me, though. It upset me when my friend Annalise swept in and asked Sidney to come to the Den for karaoke. I’ve always been jealous of her, how open she is to everybody. She doesn’t care what other people think about her, and I guess I figured if I tried to act the same way I’d get all the heat.”
Tish frowned. “Annalise… you’ve mentioned her before. She’s the one who has a new girlfriend every week?”
“Sometimes a minimum of,” Kit said, an unbidden image of lesbians marching through a turnstile attached to her friend’s bedroom door flashing in her mind.
“You think that’s related? Maybe you associate Annalise’s openness to her inability to keep a partner for the long term?”
Kit pondered the possibility, and decided not with a shake of her head. Annalise never struck her as the type to settle down with one person forever. She enjoyed threesomes and group activity, and the freedom to move freely without commitment. She’d probably be the same person in or out of the closet.
“When Sidney left with the intent of meeting
“Lust, then? Nothing wrong with that. I remember lust.” Tish’s expression turned wistful and she leaned on her elbows.
“Come on. You and Vinnie are great together. I’d like to have something like that. It’s just… well, I enjoy being with Sidney, but we had kind of a spat today. It’s the reason she left early.
“About every night since we met, I go home and shower, then go to her place or she comes to mine. We have dinner and talk, maybe watch a show or Netflix, then we enjoy nighttime activities,” she added with a laugh. Tish didn’t raise a brow, to her brief amusement. “I thought everything was fine. We connect on different levels besides the job. We like the same music and agree on political issues. Lately, she wants us to be more public in our relationship, and I prefer things the way they are.”
“Do you like her, Kit?” Tish asked. “I mean, do you honestly believe you and Sidney could make a relationship last? If you do, it’s worth the hard work you put into it. If she wants you to open up more, acknowledge your feelings without fear of repercussion, you know what’s involved there.”
“Yeah. It’s not like I haven’t tried. We danced at the Den the first night. What’s wrong with being a homebody, too? I love working here, but how many millionaire chocolatiers do you know?”
That got her a laugh. “Baby steps, Kit. Business is good, because we work at it. Nobody’s forcing you to wave a flag. Take it slow and be aware of her. Go to a movie. Then dinner,” Tish said. “The comfort of being out in public will come naturally, and you’ll find people aren’t going to chase you out of town.”
Simple suggestions, and Kit couldn’t argue about any of them. She’d think nothing of licking Sidney’s clit, but holding her hand in front of people? That ought to be a given. Why’s my stomach still queasy, though?
“Let’s say I come out on a grander scale, and Sidney and I break up?”
“You’d rather end it now while you’re somewhat closeted, and spend your days at the double boiler wondering what might have been?” Tish asked. “Why hook up with her in the first place?”
Kit’s head pounded. The interview for the job hadn’t been this strenuous. “She was pretty, and nice and funny. Is. I like her coordinated retro-Eighties outfits, and her pancakes, and her sense of humor.” She missed Sidney now, and ached as her mind replayed their last exchange.
“I hadn’t pegged you for a pessimist, Kit.” Tish rested her chin in her hands, her elbows propped on the desk. “Not the ideal person you want in a chocolate shop, selling candy as gifts for lovers.”
“Hey, I had a hand in strong Easter sales.” She wagged a finger and brought a smile to her boss’s lips. “Thanks for listening to me, though. It upset me when my friend Annalise swept in and asked Sidney to come to the Den for karaoke. I’ve always been jealous of her, how open she is to everybody. She doesn’t care what other people think about her, and I guess I figured if I tried to act the same way I’d get all the heat.”
Tish frowned. “Annalise… you’ve mentioned her before. She’s the one who has a new girlfriend every week?”
“Sometimes a minimum of,” Kit said, an unbidden image of lesbians marching through a turnstile attached to her friend’s bedroom door flashing in her mind.
“You think that’s related? Maybe you associate Annalise’s openness to her inability to keep a partner for the long term?”
Kit pondered the possibility, and decided not with a shake of her head. Annalise never struck her as the type to settle down with one person forever. She enjoyed threesomes and group activity, and the freedom to move freely without commitment. She’d probably be the same person in or out of the closet.
“When Sidney left with the intent of meeting
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