by T J Vertigo
Cayden smelled the rose and smiled. "Sure, yeah."
After leaving the florist, the shop keeper stopped at an ATM. Once she was sure she had everything she hurried home.
* * *
Brooke was out of breath when she got home, and hoped she could bypass her parents. Of course it was impossible, her mother was waiting by the door when she opened it.
"Sweetheart! I don't like this skating in such heat at all! You're all flushed, go right inside and drink something this instant!"
"Ma," Brooke whined, "I don't have time for this right now. I'm going to take a shower."
"Bert, make her drink something!"
Mr. Hewitt glanced at his wife boredly. "Harriet, if she's thirsty, she'll drink."
Mrs, Hewitt ignored her husband with a verbalized huff, got a glass of iced tea and chased Brooke into her bedroom. "Here." she put it on the dresser and sat on the bed watching Brooke dig frantically through her closet. "Wear the light blue dress honey." she suggested, as the garment in question flew past her to the floor.
"No, I don't like that one," Brooke replied, voice muffled. "I know what I'm looking for."
"What then?"
The sun dress with the little flowers. I want that one." Brooke tossed more items of clothing across the room. "Aha!" she emerged from the closet triumphant, holding the dress in the air.
"I'll take that before you throw it on the floor. It could use a good ironing."
"Oh ma, thank you!" Brooke ran over, kissed her mother on the cheek and ran to he bathroom."
Mrs. Hewitt eyed the dress skeptically. She still thought the blue one would look better and fished it out of the pile on the floor.
When Brooke came out of the shower there were three crisply ironed dressed laid out on the bed. She shook her head and covered her eyes. She thought she wanted the flowery one, but now with all these choices she stared doubting her selection. She held all of them up to herself in the mirror and sighed. They all had their merits. The blue one looked great with her eyes and hair, the yellow one showed off her newly acquired dark tan, and the flowery one was the smallest, showing off the most skin. "Tan, vs. hair, vs. cleavage." She muttered, eyeing all the dresses. She grinned suddenly and picked the original one. "Cleavage always wins out."
* * *
Cayden was nervous, so nervous she was standing in the middle of her room in her underwear, talking to herself. "Maybe I should pretend I'm late. Maybe I should just call her and tell her to meet me at the restaurant."
"Not a good idea, missy." Wade replied.
Cayden jumped. "I was talking to myself... and when did you get here?"
"Did you think I'd let you go this alone? I left work early." He said walking directly to her closet. "You'll wear this and this. " he ordered, holding up clothes.
Cayden looked at the outfit with pursed lips. "I'll have to iron the chinos Wade and I do not iron,."
"Silly, that's what I'm here for. Put on that shirt and you'll look edible... and roll up the sleeves to your elbows, your forearms are to die for."
Cayden narrowed her eyes. "Isn't a white button down shirt too boring?"
"Sweetie, you just can't go wrong with an Oxford. It's classy, tasteful and understated. Oh, and wear a T-shirt underneath in case Brooke gets cold in the restaurant and you need to give her your top."
"She's not going to get cold."
"How do you know she won't?" Wade asked.
"How do you know she will?" Cayden argued.
"Listen woman, I know you're nervous but fighting me will get you nowhere. You'll do as I say. Now, get dressed."
"Can I wear my red T-shirt?"
"Cayden! No! White, and not a yellow one you think is white, or a white one with yellow pits. On second thought..." He dug around in her dresser drawers. "This one, this one is perfect."
Cayden frowned, stuck out her tongue and grabbed the shirt. "Yes, dear."
"That's more like it, now give me those wrinkled things and start getting dressed." He left the room with the pants and hummed all the way.
Cayden dressed and looked around her room. "Oh no I have to clan this up! What if she comes back here tonight?" She panicked and began cleaning up frantically.
"Here," Wade came back with the pants to find Cayden's butt sticking out from under the bed. "Woman, get off the floor, you're wearing white for goodness sakes! And you can't be serious about those underwear."
"There's dust bunnies under there and ... what the hell's wrong with my underwear?" She asked defensively, looking down at her skivvies.
"Orange? Cayden please. Wear the Calvin Klein boxer briefs I got you for Christmas."
"There's nothing at all wrong with my underwear..." She paused and sighed heavily as Wade handed her the boxer briefs. "Did you see my bra? Is it up to your standards?" she asked sarcastically.
"Cayden, what if Brooke were to see those underwear, she'd drop dead laughing. The bra was fine, now change those drawers, put these pants on and lets go!"
La La trotted into the room and Cayden stood up and pointed. "Oh no you don't! It's your tumbleweeds under my bed! Out you hair factory!"
The cat turned around, raised his tail and farted.
"Wade!"
"Oh alright." Wade picked up the cat with much effort and they both left the room. "Like you never fart."
Cayden slammed the door behind them. put on the requested clothes and rolled up her shirt sleeves. She looked in the mirror and raised both eyebrows. "Hey, not bad at all." She turned sideways and put her hands in her pockets, posing. She nodded, liking what she saw and then glanced down at her feet. "Shoes!" she thought nervously. "What shoes.... WADE!"
The door opened and Wade's voice drifted in. "The black lace-ups or the brown loafers."
"Thanks, hey, where's that vanilla candle from the other night?"
"Still in the kitchen, why?"
"I want it."
"Now?"
"For later! In case Brooke comes home with me..."
"OOOOOO!" Wade screamed in delight.
"Don't bust a nut there Wade. If her parents don't like me I'm screwed." Her heart suddenly beat frantically. "Oh no maybe I should cancel. I don't want to meet her parents after all."
Wade snickered. "Don't you worry, you'll be fine. Pretend that they're customers and be pleasant. I've seen you be pleasant to the worst dreck."
"That’s just it. I don’t want them to think I'm a phony. What if I don't like them? Or worse! What if they hate me?"
"Impossible. They can't hate you."
"You're biased. If they don't like me, or I manage to make an ass of myself, which is entirely too possible, Brooke has to live there and hear about it every day."
"Well, it is entirely possible you make an ass out of yourself, but man is it a cute ass. An ass like that can be forgiven very easily for its misgivings." Cayden just glared at him. "Oh Cayd, I don't think it matters at all to Brooke if they like you or not."
"Yeah but it wouldn't hurt if they did." She put on her shoes and stood back.
"True. I'm sure you'll be fine. They have to love you, look at you for cripes sake! You look fabulous, you're impressing the hell out of me."
Cayden smiled. "Thanks, you really do try."
"What are friends for. Now go! I'll get the candle and everything will be fine." He pushed her towards the door. "Oh, and a small gift wouldn't hurt."
Cayden came out of the kitchen with the rose. "Will this do?"
"OH MY GOD! A rose? That's perfect! Don't tell me you thought of that all by yourself?"
The tall woman smiled smugly. "As a matter of fact I did." She said, all puffed up.
"Sweetie, you have nothing in the world to worry about. You have it all under control."
"That's what you think. I hope I make it there without shitting my chinos." She said seriously.
Wade chuckled. "Go get her tiger. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"That doesn't leave much." Cayden laughed.
"Exactly."
* * *
Harriet peered through the peephole on the front door, saw nothing and walked away. Just as she did, Fred's ears pricked up and she ran back over and looked out again.
"Harriet, don't ambush the poor girl."
"Hush up Bert. I have to get her before Brooke does."
"Remember, you only have 5 questions." Bert chuckled.
Mrs. Hewitt glared at her husband. Fred stood up at attention and walked to the door. Harriet flung it open quickly to reveal a startled Cayden. "Welcome! Come in dear!" Harriet exclaimed. "Brooke's not ready yet, but do sit down and have some iced tea while you wait."
Fred danced around Cayden's feet, while the tall woman squirmed uncomfortably. Brooke's mother was giving her the once and twice over and she was not sure what to do with the rose behind her back. "No thanks, I'm not thirsty." she lied. Cayden had absolutely no spit in her mouth whatsoever.
"Well, then, why don't you come in and make yourself comfortable.. is that a flower?"
"Yes." Cayden revealed the rose. "It's for Brooke." she explained shyly.
"How sweet! Bert do you see the flower? Isn't that charming?"
"Yes, Harriet."
"Come, sit down." The older woman shuffled Cayden to the couch. "Oh! How inconsiderate of me! I'm Harriet and that's my husband Bert."
Cayden was halfway to sitting when she was introduced and struggled awkwardly to stand up again. She extended her hand to Mr. Hewitt.
Bert raised both his eyebrows and shook her hand, hiding a smirk at how clammy Cayden's hand was. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Cayden."
"Yeah, same here." The shopkeeper replied, finally sitting and giving her shaky legs a rest. Harriet was grinning wildly at her and she knew she was in for it so she created a diversion. "You know, on second thought, I would really like that drink."
Mrs. Hewitt ran to the kitchen and Bert cleared his throat. Cayden looked over at him nervously.
"So, you really like Brooke do you?"
"Yes, sir." Cayden said, her dry throat making her voice crack a bit.
"You're not going to screw her around like that idiot Grant, are you?"
Cayden struggled to swallowed. "No, sir."
"Good. Brooke made a bad choice last time around, and I fear sometimes she doesn't think too clearly. The way she talks about you, the sun rises and sets out of your behind. It would be terribly unfortunate if I had to tell her otherwise."
Cayden smiled weakly. She never knew Brooke thought that of her. She never knew she had such power. "Sir, I will do everything I can to make Brooke happy. You have my word."
"Is it any good?" Bert asked, looking Cayden dead in the eye.
"It's all I have." She replied honestly.
Mr. Hewitt narrowed his eyes a bit, considering the intent behind Cayden's conviction. "Alright. I have your word."
Cayden breathed a silent sigh of relief and wondered just where the hell Harriet was with her drink. She was about to choke.
"Here you go!" Mrs. Hewitt appeared and Cayden polished off half the glass of tea at once. "I knew you must have been parched, it's so hot out there today."
Cayden nodded, relieved that she was able to swallow the wad of cotton that formed on her tongue.
Mrs. Hewitt leaned over in her chair and smiled brightly at the tall woman. "So, tell me, where abouts do you live?"
"Chelsea. I was lucky to find such a great place in that location."
"Chelsea? My, my, that's a very nice neighborhood. The shop must be doing well for itself then."
"Yes, it does, but I do have a room mate. It's next to impossible to live alone in the city."
"Oh, yes, yes," Harriet nodded. "So, what does your room mate do?"
"He works in apparel... does Brooke know I'm here?" Cayden asked, glancing around the room.
"I'm sure she does." Harriet replied. Bert started to get up, but she shot him a look. He sucked his lips, shook his head and sat back down. "What about your parents? Do they live in the city?" Harriet continued.
"No, they retired early and moved to Vegas." Cayden saw Harriet's eyes light up and quickly covered herself. "We have other family in Vegas. Mom volunteers with the elderly and dad plays golf. They don't gamble."
"Vegas, what an interesting place. Do you go there often to visit? Do you like to gamble?" Mrs. Hewitt asked in a semi-hushed tone.
"No, I don't really care for the noise and the chaos. I will occasionally play a few hands of Blackjack, but that's the extent. I visit them every Christmas, we have a family thing then."
"Oh, I enjoy the casinos! I love the slot machines, but I never win much. I love the excitement!" Harriet said with much enthusiasm.
Cayden shifted around uncomfortably, wondering if she should scream or something to alert Brooke she was there.
"So, about this lesbian thing..."
"Harriet!"
"Cayden's not embarrassed are you dear?"
Cayden was too mortified to do anything but blink.
"See? So, how does this lesbian thing work?"
Cayden drank down the rest of the tea. "Pardon?"
"Well, my sister is a lesbian, oh yes, it's not completely foreign to me, but you just don't ask questions. These days, you young lesbians are much different than in the old days. You parade around, proud and all. So, what's the difference? I mean, if there's no man and woman, who pays for dinner?"
Cayden blinked rapidly a few times, then glanced over at Bert, who had pretty much the same expression as Cayden. "Uhh, well.... no, there's no man and woman.. no, that's not right, sometimes there IS a man and a woman, a butch and a femme girl.. and well... but that's not me really.... and I'm ... uhm..."
"Harriet, leave the poor thing alone!"
Cayden sighed and smiled gratefully at Bert who merely nodded. The tall woman quickly occupied herself with the tiny dog who was prancing around her legs. She picked him up and began cooing at him.
"You must love animals Cayden, what with the job you have, and just look at how well Fred takes to her, Bert! You must have a gift." Harriet said sweetly. "Do you have a dog?"
"No, a cat."
Harriet grimaced. "I don't like cats. They climb up higher than me and can jump on my head at any given moment."
Cayden couldn't help but chuckle. "Not my cat. He's a bit larger than average. He's a Maine Coon and they can grow to be 20 lbs, but with the way my room mate spoiled this one, he's probably breaking some sort of record."
Brooke walked into the living room and came to a skidding halt, her mouth hung open and she stomped her foot. "MOTHER!"
"What?" Harriet asked innocently.
"How long has she been here?"
Cayden jumped up and stared at Brooke. She looked hot.
"She just got here honey."
Brooke glared at her mother for a few moments before walking over to Cayden and hugging her. "Oh, you look great and you smell delicious."
"Wow, I can say the same for you." She handed Brooke the rose. "Here, I got this for you and I had no idea it was going to match your dress."
"Oh Cayden, it's so gorgeous! Where did you get a lavender rose?"
Cayden blushed shyly. "I have my sources."
"Sit Brooke! I was just going to ask Cayden a question."
Brooke glanced at her father who held up 9 fingers. "Oh no.. you've asked just about enough questions for tonight. We have to go!" She hooked her arm with Cayden and walked them both to the door.
"It was a pleasure meeting you both." Cayden said over her shoulder.
"Likewise." Bert agreed with a wink.
Cayden swallowed hard and eked out a smile.
PART 28
A S SOON AS the door closed behind them, Brooke took Cayden's hand and looked up at her apologetically. "I'm sorry about my mother."
"She wasn't that bad, except when she asked me about the lesbian thing. That was rough." Cayden half-joked.
Brooke stopped walking and her eyes went wide. "She what? What lesbian thing?"
"I think she just wanted to know who's on top." Cayden chuckled.
"Oh, God." Brooke buried her face in Cayden's chest out of embarrassment. When the tall woman stiffened up, she realized what she had done and pulled away quickly. "I'm sorry. I just, I was..."
Cayden cleared her throat nervously, but she wasn't too nervous to smile. "That's alright, I didn't mind that much." She looked Brooke over and her smile got even bigger, the blonde looked really good.
"Thank you for the rose, it's beautiful." Brooke said with a genuine smile, sniffing the purple flower. "It smells so good too." She gave Cayden a little hug. "But not as good as you, mmm."
Cayden bent over and sniffed Brooke in an obvious fashion. "You smell pretty good yourself, fancy, like a woman. I like it, and you look really hot."
Brooke beamed. "Thank you." she leaned close and whispered. "I'm not wearing a bra."
Cayden's stomach flopped. She looked down at Brooke's chest reflexively and grinned wolfishly before she could stop herself.
Brooke slapped the tall woman playfully. "I knew you'd like that."
"Oh, I do, and if I must say so, I think they look just fine."
"Are you telling me you don't like the Wonderbra?" Brooke asked, smiling seductively.
"Are you kidding?" Cayden's eyebrows leapt into her hairline. "Of course I do, but, there ain't nothing wrong with them all on their own."
Brooke chuckled, and pulled Cayden along by the hand. "Sweet talker. Come on, let's get a cab."
Cayden allowed herself to be dragged along, and felt the childish urge to stick her tongue out at every person who they passed just because they didn't have Brooke pulling them along. She was quite happy to be attached at the hand to such a fine looking woman, and began to wonder why she didn't feel the least bit uneasy about it.
"Cayden, the cab is waiting."
Brooke interrupted her from her thoughts and the shop keeper smiled, and scooted into the back seat. After telling the driver where to go, she made a show of measuring the distance between their legs and frowned. "I do believe that there's at least 2 inches of space between us and that will never do."
