Dare to Love

by A. L. Brooks

  To her surprise, Ash blushed. Up until now, she’d seemed so laid-back and unflappable. “Thanks, that’s…that’s nice of you to say.”

  Felicity shook Ash’s hand. “I second what she said. If I ever decide to get another one, I know where I’m coming.”

  Ash grinned. “I’d say there’s a very good chance we’ll meet again. They’re addictive, you know.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  Carmen stared at Felicity. That was Felicity’s flirting voice; she’d know it anywhere. What the…?

  Ash’s grin widened, and she held open the door. “Bye. For now.”

  Felicity threw her a stunning smile, then sauntered from the shop.

  Carmen stumbled after her. When the door closed behind them, she said, “What the hell was that?”

  “What?” Felicity feigned innocence, swinging her handbag strap over her shoulder.

  “Don’t give me that butter-wouldn’t-melt look. You were flirting with her!”

  “Perhaps I was.” Felicity laughed and looked up at the sky. “Gosh, what a glorious day!”

  Clearly, she wasn’t going to get anything more from Felicity on the subject, so Carmen dropped it. But it wasn’t forgotten. Later, over lunch, she’d get to the bottom of this.

  Felicity slipped her arm through Carmen’s and tugged her down the street. “Come on. I’m starving. Let’s go somewhere nice to celebrate. And I think we need champagne too!”

  Carmen laughed. “All right, Ms ‘I’ve got my first tattoo’. Let’s celebrate.”

  Chapter 2

  The smell of burnt toast woke Ash on Sunday morning. Then swearing reached her ears from the kitchen area, and she chuckled. Her niece clearly hadn’t yet mastered the art of making breakfast. Although her cursing was coming along nicely.

  Ash pushed back the duvet and climbed out of bed. She dressed in casual clothes and made a quick trip to the bathroom. When she walked into the kitchen, Sophie was busy scraping the burnt bits off a slice of toast into the bin.

  “Morning,” Ash said.

  Sophie spun round, eyes wide. Ash noted the dark circles beneath them and realised that wasn’t the first time her niece had looked so ragged in the last few weeks. “S-Sorry, Auntie Ash. Did I wake you?”

  “Not really. I was just dozing. Everything okay here?” She pointed at the toast.

  Sophie blushed. “Um, no. Your toaster’s a bit fancy, and I kind of didn’t know what I was doing.”

  Laughing, Ash walked over, took the piece of toast from her hand, and launched it into the open bin. “Let’s try this again. You sit at the breakfast bar, and I’ll do the toast.”

  “Can I make you a cup of tea first?”

  “That would be magic.”

  They set about their tasks in comfortable silence, moving with ease around each other.

  “Jam?” Ash asked as she added two more slices of lightly browned toast to the pile on the plate.

  “Got any Nutella?”

  Ash laughed. “Definitely not. I’d weigh a ton if I had that in the house. It’s jam or nothing.”

  Sophie sighed. “All right. Jam.”

  “Cool. It’s in the fridge. Top shelf.”

  Sophie retrieved the jar of strawberry jam and brought it over to the breakfast bar. They munched the pile of toast Ash had made and sipped their tea.

  “You look a bit tired. Didn’t you sleep well on the sofa bed?” Ash asked after a while.

  Her niece wouldn’t meet her eye. “No, it was fine. What time are we going out?”

  Well, that was a deflection if ever I heard one . But she’d cut Sophie some slack. She was fourteen, after all.

  “Whenever you like. I need to shower first.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “Well, you go first, and I’ll have another tea while I wait. I bet you take ages anyway.”

  Sophie stuck out her tongue but headed for the bathroom.

  Ash’s phone pinged, and she glanced at the screen. Another notification from the dating app. Online dating wasn’t Ash’s thing, but a woman she’d met at a party recently had insisted this app was different. She scrolled to it and opened the alert. Her heart lurched. No way . The woman looked so much like Vikki, Ash couldn’t close the alert quick enough. Before she could overthink it, she deleted her profile and uninstalled the entire app. It wasn’t as if she was in a hurry to date anyway—or lacking in offers. She smiled as she remembered the very flirtatious behaviour of that woman, Felicity, yesterday after her appointment. Clients often flirted with Ash; sometimes she was even tempted to follow up on it. But not with Felicity. Sure, she was definitely beautiful, but she’d worn just a bit too much make-up for Ash’s liking. She’d actually found Felicity’s friend Carmen far more attractive. Despite the posh accent, she had a more natural, wholesome look. More real.

  Yes, but she is clearly straight. And we don’t do straight women, do we?

  She finished her tea, then retrieved her book from the bedroom and slouched on the sofa, reading. As expected, she had a decent amount of reading time as Sophie did indeed take an age. Eventually, however, Sophie appeared looking much fresher than she had earlier, wearing ripped jeans with a Princess Leia T-shirt, her long, blonde hair brushed and shiny.

  “Finally.” Ash rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion.

  Sophie laughed as she flopped onto the sofa beside her. “What you reading?”

  “Nothing you’d be interested in.” Ash smirked. “It’s a lesbian romance. All swooning femmes and tough butches.”

  To her surprise, her niece flushed bright red. Sophie had known Ash was gay since she was old enough to form words. It had never been an issue, and her reaction now was baffling.

  Before Ash could say anything, Sophie leaped from the sofa.

  “You okay?” Ash asked.

  “Yep. Forgot my phone. Be back in a sec.” She shot off in the direction of the bathroom.

  Ash shook her head. As much as she and Sophie got on well, these past few months her niece had been a bit of a mystery. Remember, she’s fourteen. They’re all like that at that age, aren’t they?

  When Sophie returned to the living room, Ash headed off to the bathroom. To her pleasant surprise, she wasn’t greeted by a room that looked as if a tornado had ripped through it. Huh, so in that respect, she isn’t like most fourteen-year-olds . She showered, dressed, and styled her hair. As she exited the bathroom, Sophie was perched on the edge of the sofa, Ash’s book in her hands.

  “Hey, I’m not sure that’s age-appropriate,” Ash called. The novel contained some of the steamier sex scenes in her collection of lesbian romances.

  Sophie jumped as if she’d been shot, and the book flew across the room to land with a loud splat on the floor beside the breakfast bar. She whirled round, her cheeks a vivid red.

  “Hey.” Ash walked over to her, hands held out. “It’s okay. It’s just, you know, got some adult content.”

  Sophie bit her bottom lip. “I…I know. I-I read some of it.”

  Oh crap.

  “Er, right. Well, just don’t tell your mum, okay? And, um, maybe stick to books more for your age.”

  Sophie shuffled from foot to foot; her gaze darted to the book and back again. “What if…what if that’s the kind of book I want to read?”

  Her voice was so quiet, Ash had to strain to hear it. When the words registered, she nearly fell over from the shock. “I… What?” Surely she doesn’t mean what I think she means. Does she?

  Sophie was shaking.

  Ash strode over and gently took hold of her shoulders. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Her niece shook her head, and tears pooled in her eyes. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Okay. Want to sit down?” I need to, even if you don’t. I’m not sure I’m ready for this.

  Sophie nodded and practically collapsed onto the sofa.

  Ash opened her arms, and her niece came willingly into a hug. She tucked her head under Ash’s chin, and her tears dripped onto Ash�
��s collarbone.

  “Hey, come on. Whatever it is, you know you can tell me, okay?”

  Sophie sniffed. “I know. You’re the one person I can tell. But it’s still hard to say it.”

  Ash waited her out, holding her close.

  Sophie still shook but not as badly as before. “I…I think…” She wiped at her eyes. “No, I know it. I…I like…girls.” She whispered the last word, but Ash heard it loud and clear.

  Oh. My. God. was her first thought. Her second was: Shit, Courtney’s gonna go mental . “You do?”

  “Yeah.” Sophie finally looked up at her. She was biting her bottom lip, her eyes wide, as if somehow expecting Ash to have a negative reaction to her announcement.

  “Well, thank you for trusting me with that.”

  Sophie’s smile was wobbly, but her eyes said it all; relief shone through them. “I-I’ve known for a while. I just, you know, wasn’t sure.”

  “But now you are?”

  “Yeah. Pretty much. I mean, there are some boys I still like. They’re cute, I suppose. But it’s… Girls are just different, you know? They…make me feel different.”

  “Well, you know I understand that.”

  Sophie spat out a laugh. “Yeah, well, that’s why I’m telling you and not Mum.”

  Ash couldn’t say a lot to that. “What about Trina, does she know?”

  “No! Nobody else. Not yet.” Sophie looked as if she’d rather jump into an ant nest than tell her best friend about her sexuality.

  Trina definitely had her head screwed on right, and Ash wished Sophie would trust her. But maybe one day soon she would.

  “Okay, fair enough.”

  Sophie hugged her closer. “Thanks. I knew you’d be okay with it.”

  “Of course.”

  And I am. But what the hell is going to happen when her mother finds out I knew long before she did?

  Chapter 3

  Sorry, something’s come up. Friday instead? Dinner at Georgio’s, 8pm? x

  Gerald’s last-minute cancellation would have annoyed Carmen if she was any kind of “normal” girlfriend. But their relationship had never been conventional, so it didn’t surprise her when her main reaction was one of relief. Her day had been long—in fact, she was still at her desk, and it was past seven in the evening. Realising that she now didn’t have to retouch her make-up, change her blouse, and slip into her going-out heels made her ridiculously happy. Pyjamas and a glass of wine, here I come . She fired off a quick text in return.

  Fine by me. See you then x

  Forty minutes later, she was home, a bottle of wine open, her business suit exchanged for soft yoga pants and a T-shirt.

  She sank into the sofa and put her feet up on the coffee table. Oh yes, that’s better . Her first sip of wine made her moan, the second elicited a sigh. Much better .

  Her phone rang, and she groaned. God, no, I’m done for the day! She glanced at the caller display anyway, unable to break the ingrained habit despite her exhaustion. When she saw the name Tamsyn Harris, her mood lifted, and she quickly answered. “Hi, Tam!”

  “Hello! Have I caught you at a bad time?”

  “No, not at all. Just got home. I have my feet up and a glass of wine in my hand.”

  Tamsyn chuckled. “Sounds perfect.” She cleared her throat. “So, um, Maggie and I were wondering if you were free to visit us tomorrow evening at any time.”

  Why did her star client, the winner of multiple acting awards and one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, sound nervous? “You okay? You don’t sound yourself.”

  “I’m fine. More than fine.” She paused. “So, are you?”

  “Am I what?”

  “Free tomorrow evening.”

  “Oh! Sorry. Hang on, let me check.” Carmen tapped into the calendar app on her phone. “Okay, my last meeting finishes at seven thirty. I’m bound to have a few more bits to do after that, so I could be at yours perhaps eight thirty.”

  “That’s absolutely fine.”

  “Do I need to bring anything? Is this a work meeting?”

  “No. God, no. We just… Well, there’s something we need to tell you.”

  “Is everything really okay, Tamsyn? You’re acting very odd.”

  Tamsyn laughed. “God, sorry. Yes, everything is fine. We’ll explain when we see you, but honestly, it’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Well, okay, then.” Carmen was mystified, but she’d known Tamsyn long enough to trust her when she said everything was fine. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” Carmen said as Tamsyn opened the door. “I don’t know where the time went.”

  “Come on in.” Tamsyn stepped aside to allow Carmen to enter the house. “And you’re not that late. Don’t worry.” She led her through to the living room and motioned her into a seat on the sofa.

  Carmen gratefully relaxed into it, and every muscle in her body sighed with relief. Another thirteen-hour day with no breaks. Had she eaten at all during the day? Probably. She wasn’t hungry now, so that meant she must have found time for something.

  “Maggie’s out walking Gizmo before bedtime. She’ll be back soon.” Tamsyn moved to the centre of the room. “Sorry, when you were a little late, we couldn’t wait as the poor little bugger would be holding on too long.”

  Carmen chuckled. “Look at you, Tamsyn Harris, all domestic and everything.”

  Tamsyn blushed to her roots. “Shut up.”

  “I’m only teasing. I think it’s wonderful.”

  The sound of the front door opening reached Carmen’s ears, and seconds later, Gizmo trotted into the room. He rushed straight up to her and leaned in for an ear rub.

  “Well, hello there, young man. How were the streets tonight? Did you make sure we’re all safe?” Carmen lavished some serious attention on the gorgeous little dog, and he lapped it up.

  “He did,” Maggie said as she entered the room.

  Carmen extricated herself from Gizmo’s attention and stood to give her a hug. “Hi.”

  “Hello, you. Long time, no see.”

  Carmen pulled back from the embrace. “I know, I’m sorry.”

  Maggie smiled, then turned to Tamsyn and gave her a lingering kiss.

  After pulling back from their embrace, Tamsyn walked over to a small table on which stood a bottle of champagne in a cooler and three glasses. Carmen hadn’t even noticed that so far. Wow, my brain must be really fried to miss champagne right in front of me .

  “Are we celebrating something?” she asked. “Or is this just your regular Thursday night champagne?” She smirked when Tamsyn rolled her eyes.

  “Ha ha.” Tamsyn finished pouring the three glasses and handed one each to Maggie and Carmen. Tamsyn and Maggie shared a look that Carmen couldn’t decipher as they took each other’s hand.

  “So, we asked you over because we have an announcement.” Tamsyn paused and seemed to be collecting herself. Were those tears she blinked back?

  Maggie leaned in to Tamsyn. “Want me to say it?”

  Tamsyn visibly swallowed. “No, I can do it.” She turned back to Carmen. “We’re getting married!”

  “Oh my God, that’s fantastic!” Carmen rushed over to them both.

  Mindful of their champagne, the three of them shared a clumsy hug.

  “That’s just the most wonderful news.” Carmen was genuinely happy for them. Delighted, in fact. Their story was almost a fairy tale, and she couldn’t have wished for a better ending for them both.

  Once again she wondered just what she and Gerald were doing, playing at being in a relationship when it was nothing of the sort. It didn’t help that everyone else she knew in her age bracket was either engaged or already married. She pulled away from the hug and ensured she had a smile on her face when she met their gazes. “So, when and where?”

  “September 26th,” Maggie said. “And at the cottage.”

  “Oh, I love that! It’s perfect!”

  “Will you come?” Tamsyn asked.

&nbs
p; “Of course! Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Carmen grinned. “Tamsyn Harris saying, ‘I do’, and to a woman at that. I assume you’re not inviting the Daily Mail?”

  “Ha bloody ha. No, we’re not. In fact, none of the press are invited, and Tony’s hiring a top-notch security firm to make sure no one attempts to trespass.”

  “Good!” She gazed at them. “God, I’m so pleased for you both!”

  “Thank you.” Maggie gave Carmen a warm smile. “And I’m glad you could pop over tonight. We wanted you to be one of the first to celebrate with us. After all, you played a major role in making sure this could come to pass.”

  “Oh, that was nothing. Well, nothing much once I’d got this one to admit she had a heart.” Carmen thumbed in Tamsyn’s direction.

  “Whatever,” the actress said.

  Maggie chuckled.

  Tamsyn raised her glass in a toast. “To Carmen. Friend first, agent second.” Her brown eyes were filled with affection, and Carmen’s cheeks heated. “I will be forever grateful for what you did two years ago, my friend. Thank you for teaching me that there was definitely more to life than a career and for helping me bring this amazing woman back into my life.” Tamsyn turned her gaze to Maggie, who took her hand and brought it to her lips to kiss.

  The depth of love between the two women was like a living, breathing entity holding space in the room, so palpable Carmen could almost reach out and touch it. She shivered as an intense wave of longing washed over her.

  After a few moments, Tamsyn seemed to remember there was someone else in the room, her blush adorable as she looked back at Carmen. “Um, sorry. Where was I?”

  “Thanking our friend.” Maggie threw Carmen a warm smile.

  “Oh yes.” Tamsyn held out her glass, and Maggie followed suit.

  Carmen clinked hers against theirs, and they drank.

  After a couple of sips, which gave Carmen time to compose herself—her emotions were all over the place after what she’d just witnessed—she raised her glass. “To the greatest love story I ever heard. Long may it continue.”