Page 107 of Almost Love

Clementine chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m excited about this, don’t get me wrong. As usual, my staff have no qualms, because they believe we can do it. I don’t know why it’s weighing on me.”

“You’ve always trusted your crew, so why stop now?”

“You’re right.As always,” she said, a slight teasing tone in her voice. Rhiannon always helped her sort through the noise in her head in a way that wasn’t condescending or annoying.

“Comes with the territory of being a therapist. Here’s what I want you to do—talk to your staff. Express your concerns and work together to find a solution.” At her nod, Rhiannon smiled. “Okay, next change.”

“I’m looking into expanding.”

“Finally!”

Laughing, she brushed a hand through her thick hair. She hadn’t styled it in days, not when Oakley kept messing it up. “We’ve seen a sudden rise in customers thanks to a few social posts. While that’s great, I never intended for it to be a place where you could sit with your coffee and eat some cake. We’ve got two small tables and a big one for cake tastings. We need more room.And, if we do well at the Fling, we’re going to have even more new customers.”

“I’m impressed that you’re thinking so far ahead. The last time we talked about this, you shut me down.”

“I was scared. I mean, I’mstillscared. What if it fails? What if I don’t find the right space? What if it’s out of the way? Those questions are going to keep haunting me. This really wise woman once told me thatwhat ifsare my brain’s way of making silly excuses.”

Rhiannon flipped her hair over a shoulder. “Such a wise woman.”

Clementine chuckled. “I’m seeing a few shop spaces this afternoon with Mack.”

“All you need to do is keep an open mind. Have expectations, obviously, but know that the vision in your mind won’t always fit into the spaces you find. You have to be open to adjustments, if necessary.”

“I know. Mack already warned me that I can’t show up with rigid ideas in mind.”

Rhiannon smiled and made another note as she said, “How are things with Oakley?”

“They’re good.”

“You know I need more than that.”

Huffing out a breath, Clementine crossed her arms over her chest. “They’rereallygood. We had sex, we’rehavingsex. Intercourse sex and it’s…incredible. We’re learning what does and doesn’t work and maybe even getting carried away a little. He’s still asking questions, checking in every step of the way. We’re exploring all of this together and that somehow makes it even better?”

“I’m glad that you found someone who meets you at your point of comfort, because that’s the most important thing. What about your fears?”

She made a face and looked away. “Still there. But from the start, I’ve found myself really comfortable with Oakley. I like the way he makes me feel.”

“That’s a good segue into my next question: have your feelings for him changed?”

“Yes.”

“Does he know?”

She shook her head, remembering the look in Oakley’s eyes the first night they slept together. She could see all her emotions and feelings reflected back at her, but both of them seemed hesitant about voicing their thoughts. This inherent fear of being the one to put herself out there and not have the other person not say the same thing would always linger. There was no doubt about their feelings, but Clementine couldn’t be the first to say it.

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way and he was only behaving like this to get into your pants?” Rhiannon said at her silence.

She huffed. “I love when you can read my mind.”

“Let’s do thewhat ifgame here, but make it positive.”

“What if…” she trailed off, pretending like she hadn’t already played the game by herself. “What if he’s exactly what I need.”

“What if he’s the best change of your life.”

“What if he really does love and want me.”

Rhiannon nodded. “What if he’s in this for more than sex.”

---