Page 77 of Cat Sloan is Swirling

I forgot to tell you how cute you looked in flannel.

Cat smiled. She didn’t know how she’d gotten so lucky to have a friend like Elena, but her head couldn’t possibly think about that now.

Her thoughts drifted to Elena’s lips and how they felt pressed against hers. They were soft but firm and Cat couldn’t stop herself from kissing Elena back. That wasn’t the biggest shock though. When Elena interlaced their fingers, Cat was immediately reminded of the dream she’d had months ago. For weeks she’d hoped to have the dream again so she could see the woman’s face.

When Elena pulled away and smiled, Cat realized Elena was the woman in her dream. They were walking along the lake and when she looked at the woman in the dream it was Elena giving her the most contented smile.

Could Elena not only be the woman in her dreams, but also be the woman who would make her dreams come true? Was that just a fake kiss for Hattie’s benefit or was it real?

Cat touched her lips and could almost feel the heat from Elena’s lips. Since they had to keep up this charade there was a very good chance another kiss would happen. If and when it did, Cat hoped it wouldn’t lead to more confusion for her, but maybe give her answers.

Was she ready to move on from Hattie? More importantly, was she ready to trust her heart? And what about Elena, was she ready to explore her sexuality? What would they discover?

“Enough.” Cat sighed. “I’ve got to get some sleep.”

The next morning Cat walked into the living room to answer the front door and expected to find Elena standing there with a soft smile.

“Hey, little sister,” CeCe smiled, holding a drink carrier with three coffee cups.

“What’s all this?”

“Can’t I bring my little sister breakfast on Sunday morning?”

“You can,” Cat said, stepping aside so she and Alexis could walk into the house. “But I don’t remember you ever doing it.”

“Donuts.” Alexis grinned, holding up the box as she followed CeCe inside.

“You looked like you were expecting someone else,” CeCe commented, carefully lifting the cups from the carrier. She handed one to Cat then to Alexis.

“I did?”

“Mmhmm.” Alexis nodded. “That bright smile wasn’t for us.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Cat replied. “I’m happy to see you.”

“Right.” Alexis smirked. She opened the donut box while Cat took three plates out of a cabinet.

Once they all had a donut and were sipping their coffee, CeCe looked at Cat. “After what you told us last night about Hattie being back in town, we wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“And we want to know how Elena is helping you,” Alexis added.

Cat grinned. “We’re pretending.”

“Pretending?” CeCe raised her eyebrows.

Cat nodded and took a bite of her donut. She could see the confusion and anticipation on their faces as she swallowed. “Elena came by to pick me up from the bookstore and Hattie was still there. She walked over and kissed me.”

“She what!” CeCe exclaimed.

“I love it,” Alexis said with a wide smile.

“She once asked me what I would do if Hattie came into the bookstore and we had this plan. Elena kisses me, showing Hattie that I’ve moved on and she’s missed out.”

“Did it work?”

Cat shrugged. “Sort of. Hattie said she’d be back, but Jessica said she could tell Hattie was totally surprised and it rattled her.”

“Was it pretending?” Alexis asked.

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