by Haley Cass
Charlotte shook her head, fixing her eyes directly above Sutton’s shoulder at her incoming father. “Not now.”
And then Jack was there, drawing a startled look from Sutton, who hadn’t even known he’d been approaching. He darted his eyes between them curiously slowly, like he wasn’t sure as though he should have a look of accusation before he settled his gaze on his daughter. “Sutton, I’ve been looking for you. You disappeared.”
She expected there to be a blush that broke out on Sutton’s ridiculously flawless cheekbones, but there was only a slightly sheepish smile. “Yeah, sorry, dad. I just wanted to go get some fresh air.”
“Well, you know I understand that feeling.” He gave a small smile back.
Charlotte stepped back from the Spencer’s. “I had stepped out for a moment as well, and Sutton was kind enough to keep me company.”
Jack nodded slowly, though she could see the query in his eyes as he looked between them once again. It didn’t help that Sutton bit at her bottom lip before she looked at Charlotte through her lashes as she murmured, “You’re welcome.”
A puzzle, Charlotte thought again and she looked at her for just a moment longer than she told herself she should.
“Yes, well, I apologize for monopolizing Sutton’s company. If you’ll excuse me, I should go check in with Dean.” With that, she gave a quick smile and turned away.
It wasn’t difficult to find Dean, who tended to gravitate toward the bar at these sort of events. As Charlotte mingled, generally, Dean would skillfully evade the dance floor and any women wanting to dance with him, while simultaneously making enough small talk over drinks as to not be thought of as rude.
As she walked through the throngs of people, it was the first time at a charity event that she didn’t stop to meet and greet handfuls of people as she walked by. At any event, really. After all, that was their purpose.
Well, networking was her purpose for attending.
But now that she had a bit of space, she was just replaying the last half hour in her head, and it all left her with such a sour taste in the back of her mouth.
Rather than the smile she typically fixed on, even in a bad mood, she was scowling by the time she reached Dean.
“You look like you’re in a delightful mood.” He took a sip of the drink in his hand, pausing for a moment before he wondered aloud, “Here I thought you were on some sort of urgent covert mission, yet instead I find you slinking back in here looking all flushed with Sutton Spencer.”
She didn’t need to see him to know that he was winking; his tone said it all.
She shoved his shoulder. Harder than she’d originally intended, but she couldn’t control the frustration that was still bottled up. “Like I would do that here.” She didn’t say anything about whether or not she would do it with Sutton, because Dean might have been gay, but he was her friend; he knew her, and he had eyes.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the woman in question – not Sutton, but Naomi – come sweeping back into the room as well with practiced ease. God. Charlotte had known that the race for the House seat would be trying, no matter who she was running against.
But she’d really been hoping that she wouldn’t be running against someone that would be a nightmare to campaign against. Not that she’d ever competed against Naomi Young for anything before, but the woman was a nightmare in general, so Charlotte already had the sinking knowledge that this was going to be a battle.
With that thought in mind, she leaned back against the bar and sighed as she held out her hand. “Give me your drink.”
Dean let out an exaggeratedly scandalized gasp. “You want my whiskey? Where is Miss One-Glass-of-Champagne-per-Function?”
Charlotte scoffed as he mocked her rule. But it was a good rule of thumb; she’d seen enough people publicly humiliate themselves at parties like these, where the liquor was high quality and free, to know to never even possibly get buzzed at an event. However, being seen turning down a single glass of champagne or wine, whichever was primarily offered, could make her appear to be too uptight.
It was a balancing act. One that she’d mastered.
But right now, she grimaced as she informed him, “Naomi fucking Young is running for the seat.”
Dean handed her his drink.
Charlotte wasn’t typically someone who was anxious to leave a function early. They were a necessity. Socializing, mingling, schmoozing – all of it was in her wheelhouse.
However, it was less than two hours later – with the fundraiser still going fairly strong – that found her shrugging on her light jacket. Dean had given her a questioning look when she’d told him that she was leaving already, but Charlotte had had enough of this night.
It was intended to be some light socialization, rubbing elbows with people that she would be reliant on voting for her. Including Jack Spencer, who had been the focal point in this plan of hers. She’d had a vague plan of playing it cool when it came to Sutton, because though she knew they should talk, this wasn’t really the time or place.
But nothing really went according to plan. Given the arrival of Naomi, Charlotte knew that the older woman would be the memorable event of the evening for the attendees.
Both Sutton and Jack had left the fundraiser an hour ago, slipping out without Charlotte’s knowledge, which meant she’d lost her chance to win over Jack on his visit, because she knew that his trip wasn’t going to last into the next work week.
And keeping distance between herself and Sutton had been completely thrown out the window in that alcove.
She was ready to go home, get a good night’s sleep, and spend the weekend re-strategizing.
The fresh air actually did feel nice, especially after a long night.
She took her time as she started her walk home. Dean had driven her and had offered to leave with her. But she only lived a short distance away, and she needed some time with her thoughts.
In an effort to try to not think about strategizing – she really wanted to regroup tomorrow and just clear her head – she reached into her pocket for her phone, where it had been stashed away all night.
Caleb – 8:47PM
My day off from the night shift, and you’ve claimed
rights to my boyfriend’s time. Not fair. You owe me.
Charlotte – 10:58PM
I don’t owe you anything. Dean is a grown man, he
just clearly prefers my superior company.
It was when she saw the other texts that she had that gave her pause.
Sutton – 10:01PM
Hey, so I was just wondering . . . did you mean what
you said to Naomi earlier?
Sutton – 10:02PM
I mean, about us being friends. Because you told her
we were, but I understand that might just be something
you said in the moment, because of . . . whatever was
going on back there.
Sutton – 10:04PM
This is probably, like, weird. I don’t mean for it to be.
It’s just that I have, you know, come to think of you as
a friend. Even though there’s clearly a lot we don’t know
about each other.
Sutton – 10:05PM
Like that you’re the President’s granddaughter!
Okay, well she isn’t President anymore, but still.
Sutton – 10:15PM
I just realized you probably don’t have your phone
on you right now. I don’t even know where you would
be carrying it in that dress.
Sutton – 10:18PM
You can ignore that last part. Actually, you can ignore
all of these.
Charlotte bit her lip even as it curled into an unstoppable smile. She might not have chosen for their circumstances to have turned out the way they had, but it wasn’t terrible.
She enjoyed that she could see the laughing woman in the picture on the app melding easily with the gorgeous woma
n in the with the expressive eyes.
Though she’d come into the evening unsure as to exactly how to approach Sutton, she found herself hitting the call button rather than typing out a reply. It just seemed easier and somehow more appropriate now.
It only rang twice before Sutton picked up. “Charlotte?”
“Who else would you expect to be calling you from my phone number?”
She heard Sutton moving around in the background for a moment before Sutton answered, “I don’t know,” she waited a beat. “Maybe your boyfriend, Dean.”
Charlotte found herself chuckling, an actual, full-on laugh. “I can’t believe you actually thought that.”
“Well, I didn’t know! I was just . . . telling you what I thought.”
“You thought I troll for hookups with women online to cheat behind my boyfriend Mayor of New York Dean Walker’s back, and the first thing you do is promise that you won’t tell anyone,” Charlotte summed up, teasingly, primarily for her own benefit. Their situation earlier hadn’t truly afforded her the time she’d needed to really appreciate the fact that Sutton was earnestly honest in that respect.
Unlike the majority of people Charlotte knew and associated with on a daily basis.
Sutton was quiet for a few moments – Charlotte actually pulled the phone away from her ear to check that Sutton was still on the line – before she could hear her sigh quietly.
“So . . . you got my texts.”
Charlotte turned the corner onto her street, wondering what exactly was going through Sutton’s head. It was surprisingly hard to tell what Sutton was thinking sometimes for someone who was so transparent.
She answered truthfully, “Well, I’ll admit that meeting you caught me off guard.”
“It wasn’t intentional.”
Which made Charlotte huff out a laugh, picturing Sutton’s open shock. “Clearly.” When it became clear that Sutton didn’t have anything to say to that, she added, “You being Jack Spencer’s daughter was certainly unexpected, to say the least. And, as you are aware, I’m a very private person, so . . .” she trailed off, tipping her head back to look at the sky as she reached into her pocket to find her keys.
It was difficult to verbalize exactly what you were thinking about a situation such as this, when Charlotte hadn’t imagined it was one she would be in.
Sutton sounded disappointed, “I understand. It’s – it’s not . . . I didn’t imagine that you’d be you, either. Obviously. Um, I didn’t think that my stepping out of the closet meant that I was coming out to the granddaughter of the most powerful woman in the country.”
“Believe me, I didn’t know that by answering your message, I would be coming out to anyone who would connect to my real world.” She nodded at the doorman who worked at her building, giving him a small smile as she continued into the lobby. “But whether or not we planned it, you are in my real world already. So, it’s already done.”
She wanted to say that the puff of breath she heard Sutton exhale was through a smile. Like the excited one she’d worn earlier. “So, we are friends, then. For real.”
She smirked. “Do you think I slink around in dark alcoves with people who aren’t my friend, darling?”
It took her a few moments to realize that Sutton’s silence this time was entirely deliberate, as she waited a determined amount of time before saying, “Well . . . I do have it on good authority that you had somewhat of an experienced past with women in all manner of places.”
Charlotte’s mouth fell open. “Excuse you!”
Sutton laughed, loudly, and she could picture the flush on her face. It was a nice image and despite so many of her plans for the night having fallen flat, she found herself grinning as she walked through her apartment door.
Though entirely unforeseen, maybe she could use a friend like Sutton.
“Now that we’re friends, maybe we should get together sometime, for a planned meeting? Rather than a surprise run-in?” She proposed. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak, and there was no going back.
“Yeah, we could get a coffee. Or, well, tea for me. It’s kind of our thing.”
That pulled her up short. “We have a thing?”
Sutton laughed again, this time just a quiet little chuckle that almost sounded nervous as she explained, “Well, you told my dad that we met accidentally over coffee. And then we did actually meet at Topped Off. So, uh, maybe it’s not like a thing, but it could be.”
Her eyes rolled, even as a small smile played on her mouth and she shook her head. “Sure. We’ll meet for coffee and tea. Our thing.”
Chapter 7
Sutton pulled open the door to Topped Off, already scanning the tables as her stomach fluttered with excited nerves. Only to be a little let down when there was no familiar face already there.
She was supposed to meet Charlotte for their coffee date – uh, meeting – in only five minutes, and she’d run from campus to the café, as the class she’d been in ran a bit over time. For the first time in the semester so far, the students in her class had been engaged enough to want to talk more about the topic – well, a few of them. Which was exciting, and it made Sutton feel proud, like she was actually doing a good job.
But of all days for it to happen, of course it was when she had plans with Charlotte. Not that it appeared to have mattered all that much, anyway.
With a deep breath, she rolled her eyes at herself; she should be glad that she had arrived before Charlotte. She figured that out of the two of them, she was the one who needed the extra minute to gather herself.
Despite the fact that they’d started texting again in the last few days like they had before their unexpected meeting, and that their conversations weren’t stilted or awkward, Sutton was still a little nervous.
It certainly didn’t help when Regan called to her from behind the counter across the room, “Don’t worry, your date isn’t here yet!”
Sutton let the door close behind her, shutting out the chill, before she hurried across the café as she shot back, “It’s not a date!”
She’d been saying the same thing for days, ever since Regan learned about the coffee . . . meeting. Regan had that jovial, mischievous look in her eyes though, and for the life of her, Sutton truly didn’t know what she was thinking when she suggested Charlotte meet her at Topped Off. It was just her go-to place, and it had been a thoughtless action to suggest they meet there.
At the very least, she should have chosen to meet there after Regan’s shift ended in an hour.
“Maybe it’s not a date date, but it is a coffee date. And do you know who coffee dates are for? People who want to go on a date but think asking for one is too forward,” she adopted mockingly helpless tone, fluttering her eyelashes for effect.
Sutton wanted to be exasperated, but was mostly amused. Throwing a look over her shoulder at the door – no sign of Charlotte, still, even though it was officially their agreed upon time – she worried at her bottom lip before giving in. “What gives you the authority to say that?”
Regan quickly restocked cookies in the display case without even needing to look, which was good for her because she was busy giving her the Sutton-is-oblivious-and-I’m-going-to-teach-her-something-new look that she’d perfected when they’d been eleven and she’d told Sutton about French kissing and that people don’t only have sex with the person they’re married to. “Because, babe, I work in a coffee shop. I see all the coffee dates.”
An unattractive snort escaped from the back of her throat. “Maybe you should write a book with your omniscient knowledge.”
Regan rolled her eyes. “You can mock me all you want, but I know what I’m talking about. Just like I know that you want it to be a date, because you’ve wanted her since you first saw her picture, and now you have a little crush –”
“Regan!” Sutton quickly looked around to make sure no one was listening and that Charlotte hadn’t walked in at some point. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she wished that the counter w
asn’t there to separate them so she could put her hand over Regan’s mouth to stop her.
“I know she totally wants to bang you. And I know that it’s a minute after she’s supposed to have met you here, and if she doesn’t get here soon, you’re going to be a nervous wreck.”
She finished by reaching over to tap her finger against Sutton’s nose before it was slapped away only a second later as Sutton glared.
“I told you that I don’t have a crush. We’re friends.”
“And I told you that you can’t lie to me. Sutton, you can barely lie in general, but you can’t lie to me at all,” she informed her smartly, before she clucked her tongue in disappointment.
She crossed her arms defensively. “We’re friends.”
Of course, she was attracted to Charlotte; Sutton honestly doubted that there was a person who was attracted to women who wouldn’t be. But there was nothing between them beyond Sutton’s attraction, Charlotte’s playful occasional flirtation, and the foundation of a friendship.
Regan only gave her a dubious look.
Sutton sighed. “Can I just have a tea please.”
After a moment, she glanced at the clock. Charlotte was now three minutes late, and Sutton knew that was weird, because the Charlotte she’d been talking to for over a month seemed to run on a perfectly timed schedule. “And a coffee.”
The way Regan’s smile shifted into a saccharine-sweet grin tipped Sutton off to what she was going to be saying even before she sighed out in an exaggeratedly dreamy tone, “A coffee for Charlotte.”
When her phone rang a second later, she jumped as she felt a little jangle of her nerves. Charlotte could be canceling, because maybe she didn’t want to really be friends like this, or –
Or, it was just her mother, and Sutton was being paranoid. Calming herself, Sutton bit her lip for a moment as she debated whether or not to answer. She was waiting for Charlotte, the lesbian to whom Sutton was attracted, and her mother always had a knack for being able to read her, even when she couldn’t actually see her face.