“Oh, don’t be worrying her over needless things, love. I’m sure you’ll introduce me to her when the time is right for you.”
Harper focused on her hands. She really did want Cait and her mum to meet, but what if Cait wasn’t keen on the idea? What if Harper was getting ahead of herself with all of this? Harper really didn’t want to put any pressure on this relationship. Because if she lost Cait, she really would crumble and disappear.
Cait meant more than Callie ever had.
“Would you mind if I give it a little bit more time? I’m not sure if Cait is at the point of meeting parents and stuff, and I don’t want to scare her off.”
“I understand.” Kath squeezed Harper’s hand before letting go. “But I’m staying for a little while if that’s okay? I’ve missed you a lot since you left.”
“Lunch?”
“Lunch.”
Cait yawned as she dragged her feet up the stairs, her aching body relieved as she reached her front door. Though Harper wouldn’t be greeting her, it didn’t matter. She would be with her girlfriend in no time at all, providing she didn’t fall asleep as she walked through the door. Cait just needed to grab her overnight bag, and then she would be on her way down the street. Harper didn’t know it yet, but Cait was spending the night. That wouldn’t be overly surprising, but the fact that she didn’t have to rush back to the B&B for 7 a.m. would.
C: Heading to you in the next ten minutes.
Cait didn’t expect a reply from Harper, she just felt better announcing her impending arrival. She did it every night, and each time, she was greeted by a waiting Harper at the door, the fire lit and ready for the evening.
But then Cait’s phone pinged in her hand, the vibration shocking her slightly.
H: Could you give me a couple of hours? I have my mum here. I think she’s leaving soon.
Cait frowned. Why didn’t Harper want her to meet her mother? Perhaps something had happened, a family crisis of some kind.
C: Is everything okay?
H: Of course. Yeah.
C: Okay, well if you want me to come over later, just let me know. I’ll settle down for the time being.
H: She’s definitely leaving soon. I promise.
Cait didn’t have the first idea of what that meant. Did Harper not want them to meet? Was she keeping Cait a secret? Cait really hoped that wasn’t what this was.
C: She doesn’t know about me, does she?
H: She does. And she can’t wait for the day when she meets you.
C: No time like the present…
H: Really? You’re sure you want to meet her?
C: Well, since I’m not planning on going anywhere, I would love to meet her. Should I bring anything?
H: Just yourself. See you soon x
Cait’s shoulders relaxed; she hadn’t known she’d been tensed up since Harper’s first reply. But instead of worrying, Cait had simply asked the question she had on the tip of her tongue. The outcome being that she would now spend those extra hours with Harper. Precious time, in Cait’s opinion.
Cait rushed into her bedroom, almost ripping her phone charger from the wall and shoving it into her bag. She wouldn’t need pyjamas; they only ended up on the floor anyway. With that thought, Cait grinned and slung her bag over her shoulder.
Okay. Time to be sensible. This moment is huge for you. Cait didn’t often discuss her past, but it was one that had never included meeting someone’s parents. It wasn’t really an issue for her, it had just never happened. But even if she had met numerous parents over the years, this one was still the one that mattered most.
Just be yourself. This is going to be great. Cait had to keep that in her mind. If she didn’t, she would become a bumbling mess on arrival.
Satisfied that she was ready to leave, she gave herself the once over in the mirror, and left her flat. As she rushed down the stairs, offering a small smile to the couple sitting in the lounge, Cait’s eyes focused on the front door. Harper was outside, her leg bent with her foot leaning against the dry-stone wall.
Cait opened the main door with a frown. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just thought I’d meet you and walk down with you.”
“To the next block?”
Harper shrugged. “Wanted a moment alone with you before my mum grills you for the next hour.”
“She’s really going to do that?” Cait swallowed. What if Harper’s mum didn’t like anything Cait said?
“I’m joking. Mum’s laidback. Don’t worry.”
“Right. Okay.”
They linked arms, taking a slow pace out of the driveway of the B&B. “Mum is one of those women who is quite happy telling the world that she has a gay daughter. But she’s also one of those people who silently mouths the word lesbian as though it’s the biggest secret in the world.”
“Ah. One of those.” Cait laughed. “My mum is the same.”
“Then this is going to be fine. Mum is really going to love you. And about before…” Harper paused. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want you to meet her, I just wasn’t sure if you were ready for that.”
“I’m ready for everything with you, Harper. There’s not a single thing I’m wary of, okay?”
Harper turned her head, leaning in to press a kiss below Cait’s ear. “Okay.”
“How was your day?” Cait huddled closer to Harper, resting her head on her shoulder. “Did you get everything done?”
“I did. In record time.”
“Remind me to take some business cards from you. And if you want a spot on my website, some promotion, let me know. I’m due an overhaul in a few weeks…”
“Thanks. I will.”
They arrived at Harper’s front door. Cait was more than ready to get inside and relax. She just hoped that would actually happen given the fact that Harper’s mum was in town. But then she realised just how wonderful Harper was, and all of her fears dissolved. Cait knew without any hesitation that Mrs Grey would be just like her daughter.
“You ready?”
Cait nodded, certainty rolling through her. She straightened her back, put on her best smile, and followed Harper inside. “One hundred percent.”
The living room lighting was warm, just a small lamp illuminating one corner of the space. The fire roared as it often did at night, and a woman who had a striking resemblance to Harper was standing in the brightly lit open-plan kitchen.
She smiled a wide smile, shoving her gloves into her pocket. “Hi. I’m Kath. Harper’s mum.”
Cait crossed the space, offering a hand. “Cait. Lovely to meet you.”
Kath studied Cait, but that smile remained as she shook her hand. When Kath narrowed her eyes slightly, she looked like Harper’s twin. Her hair was a shade or two darker than her daughter’s, but that rare blue eye combination was definitely in the family. “I’m really sorry for sticking around this late, but we got talking, and, well, here I still am.”
“Don’t apologise for visiting Harper. I’m sure she’s loved having you here.” Harper didn’t really discuss much from back home, but Cait didn’t worry. If Harper’s relationship with her parents was strained, she surely would have mentioned it. “Can I get you a hot drink?”
“Oh, no. Thank you.” Kath tightened her scarf. “I really should make a move. But I’d love to come back soon for a visit. Maybe a day when you’re both available?” Kath eyed Harper. “Would that be okay with you, love?”
“Of course, Mum. Just let me know what day you’re thinking of heading up, and I’ll make sure we can all spend at least a few hours together.”
“Let me know the date, and I’ll have Jude take care of the B&B.”
“Jude?” Kath asked.
“My brother.” Cait shrugged her coat off, hanging it inside the hidden closet. “And before I forget, Harper, I bumped into Fred this morning when he came to the B&B.”
“Fred?” Harper looked confused. Cait had to remember she didn’t know many people yet.
“The milkman. He’s
going to add you to his round. I’ve put you down for one bottle every other day for now. If you want to change it, you can.”
“A milkman? How cool is that!”
“Well, you’re forever going out first thing in the morning when it’s freezing because you ran out. Now you won’t have to.”
“Thanks, babe.” Harper leaned in, pressing a kiss to Cait’s cheek. “That means a lot.”
“Well,” Kath cleared her throat. “I think I’ve seen all I need to see for the time being.”
Cait and Harper frowned, switching from one another to Kath.
“I just…wanted to be sure that you two were happy together. And you are.” Kath opened her arms and took Harper into an embrace. “I’ve never seen you smile like that before, love. It’s beautiful.” Kath pulled back, holding Harper at arm’s length. “Please, can I come back and spend the day with you?”
“You’re welcome here any time, Mum.”
“Cait, it’s been wonderful meeting you.” Kath hesitated with her hand held out, but Cait shook her head, instead pulling her into a hug.
“We don’t really do handshakes around here, Kath. We’re all a bunch of huggers.”
“Thank God!” Kath laughed. “Now, I’m going to go home and arrange a day to come and treat you both to lunch down at the lake. I’m sure you can recommend some places, Cait?”
“That I can definitely do.”
“Cait is also the local tourist information centre, aren’t you, babe?”
“Unofficially, yes. If you need anything, I’m your girl.”
“It’s really been wonderful meeting you.” Kath sighed with what sounded like contentment. That meant a lot to Cait. Knowing Harper’s mum approved of Cait, trusted that she would take care of Harper and Harper would take care of her in return…it was everything Cait never expected this evening. Their time alone with one another was thrilling, but Cait felt as though she’d just received approval. Life was coming together. “I’ll send you a little message when I get home, love.” Kath took her bag from the dining table and headed for the door. “Goodnight, ladies. Look after one another.”
“We will,” they said in unison, garnering a laugh from all three of them.
Cait wrapped an arm around Harper’s waist, pulling her against her as they followed Kath to the door. As the cool evening air blasted them through the door, a shiver ran through Cait. But Harper sensed it, tightening her own grip on Cait’s waist. “Goodnight, Kath.”
“Goodnight! Don’t be strangers.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The sizzle of bacon had Cait’s nostrils flared. This morning, she was starving. With her toast buttered on one plate and Harper’s eggy bread about to come out of the pan, she rested back against the counter and blew out a deep breath. She had another hour before she needed to leave for the supplier and standing in the B&B’s kitchen really wasn’t how she wanted to spend that time.
Tom spun around, a cheesy grin spreading on his mouth. “Bacon.”
“Thanks.” Cait handed the plate over, noting the suspicious look in his eyes.
“And the eggy bread? That’s yours, too?”
“Yep.”
Tom stopped, the pan hovering over the stove mid-air. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“I’ve no idea, but I pay your wages, so I’d mind my own business if I were you.”
Jude breezed past her, whistling. “Harper not coming down for breakfast?”
“Harper?” Tom splayed one hand across his chest, mock astonishment on his face. “Well, well, well.”
“Thanks, Jude.” She gritted her teeth. Could nobody leave her alone around here?
“What? What did I do?” Jude spun, genuine confusion on his face. She couldn’t blame him; she hadn’t exactly told her brother to keep quiet about her relationship.
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“Is Miss Cait Taylor hiding a body upstairs?” Tom narrowed his eyes, smirking as he refused to plate up the eggy bread. “Because I’m fairly certain nobody who goes by the name of Harper is on the books here.”
“First of all, your dramatics are wasted, Tom. It’s really not a big deal. Secondly, hand over the eggy bread before you’re looking for another job in the next ten seconds.”
“Ooh,” Tom teased. “Someone needs to run upstairs, and it’s not for breakfast.”
“FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TW—”
“Fine. Relax.” Tom tossed the breakfast onto the plate, dropping the pan as he held up his hands. “Jesus. I think I need to speak to this lady of yours. She’s clearly not getting rid of all that pent up…whatever it is.”
Cait turned on her heel, rolling her eyes as she walked away. “Jude, make sure Tom doesn’t leave until this kitchen has been scrubbed to within an inch of its life.”
“Oh, come on!” Tom huffed. “I was only playing…”
“Bye, Tom. Have a lovely shift.”
Cait rushed towards the stairs before someone else could stop her, taking them two at a time. She didn’t make it a habit to eat from the B&B when she wasn’t working; she’d learnt her lesson in the earlier days. Because they had so many regular guests, they would often interrupt Cait at the dining table, expecting her to be working. But this morning, she was all out of anything that could potentially be a sustainable breakfast.
She balanced Harper’s plate against her wrist, her own bacon on toast sitting beneath it, and pushed the flat door open with her hip. Harper was snuggled up in the bucket seat in the window, her beautiful hands wrapped around a huge cup of coffee.
“Breakfast is served.”
Harper got to her feet, taking her plate from Cait and not moving until she’d leaned in for a kiss. “Thanks. This looks great.”
“And if there is a knock on the door,” Cait paused, reaching for her ketchup, “don’t answer it. It’ll be Tom.”
“Um…Tom?”
“The young man who has just made your breakfast. Jude went and mentioned you, so now he’ll obsess about us until he’s met you.”
“Why would he do that?” Harper took the couch, leaving a space for Cait to snuggle in beside her.
“Because my love life is the only interesting thing that goes on in this place. Tom is lovely, but I don’t have long with you this morning and I’d like to enjoy it without any interruptions.”
“Understandable.”
“So?” Cait took a bite of her breakfast, dripping ketchup down her chin.
Harper reached out and plucked a tissue from the side table, handing it over. “So, my mum has already sent me a text with the next six months’ worth of dates she has available.”
“She’s great. I love that. I’m planning on calling my own mum this evening when I’ve finished here. She should probably know that her daughter is on cloud nine, shouldn’t she?”
Harper tucked her legs beneath herself, pulling apart her eggy bread. “Will she be happy?”
“That I’m dating?”
Harper nodded; her mouth was full.
“She will. She always asks if there’s someone when she calls me. I know she just wants to see me happy and not alone, so I think she’s going to be all out ecstatic when I tell her.”
Harper blew out a deep breath. “This is getting really serious, isn’t it?”
Cait slowly chewed her food, eyeing Harper’s profile. She appeared relaxed, but Cait wasn’t quite sure how to take that comment.
“I didn’t for one second think I’d be dating so soon after leaving Callie,” Harper explained. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure it would ever happen. It was the last thing on my mind as the dreaded drive here hit me back in January.”
Cait had to admit that she was surprised to see Harper sitting here, too. As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, she had promised herself that her personal life would improve. Cait didn’t know what those improvements would produce, but to be sharing breakfast with a woman she was desperately hoping to spend forever with…no, that wasn’t what she had in mind. Getti
ng out more, maybe some extra healthy eating, picking up a book more often and making time for herself…yes, all of that.
“Cait,” Harper said, twisting in her seat as she interrupted Cait’s thoughts. Those full blue eyes glared back at her, soft, but Harper appeared hesitant. “Are you enjoying spending time with me?”
“I’m not sure I’d call it enjoyment,” Cait paused, dropping her toast to the plate and wiping the crumbs from her hands. “I mean, of course I’m enjoying it, but it’s more than that for me, Harper. I know things have been hard for you, and I’m not sure anybody would expect you to be sure about your future any time soon, but I really want to be a part of it. I want to be it.”
Harper slid her plate onto the coffee table, frowning as she scooted closer to Cait. “Don’t for one second think that I’m not sure about this with you. I totally am. I just want to know that you like having me around. People are different, Cait. I don’t want whatever I did wrong with Callie to spill over into this relationship. The thought of not making you happy, of being here too much…I want to do this right.”
Cait got to her knees on the couch, holding Harper’s face as she stared down at her. “You know if Callie ever shows up here again, I’m going to shake her hand. I may even buy her a drink.”
“Why?”
Cait leaned down, smiling into a kiss. It wasn’t heavy or filled with passion, but a simple slow kiss packed full of gratitude. “Because if she was here with you, I wouldn’t be.”
Cait’s heart swelled when Harper smiled from ear-to-ear. “You’re right.”
“Sometimes I am.”
“I wasn’t coming, you know…”
Cait’s forehead creased. “What do you mean?”
“I was going to pull out of buying the house. I was going to move back in with my parents and look for something to rent on my own. I laid in bed in Mum’s spare room the week before I was due to sign on the dotted line and decided I wasn’t going to go through with it.”
“What made you change your mind?”
Harper smiled. “I had a dream that week. I was walking with someone. Hand in hand. I couldn’t see their face, I had no idea who they were, but we were laughing. Holding one another. Just…happy. Here, in The Lakes.”
Breaking Routine Page 21