Page 113 of Touch of Class

“I trust you.” Daphne laughed lightly. “After all these years and the pressure and the grief. I trust you, Gillian.”

Her heart squeezed at the simple faith she wasn’t sure she’d earned.

Daphne kissed her again, this time on the lips. “It’s been a while since I let myself trust anything, so thank you, because I know right now and with my whole being that whatever you decide, it will be the right choice. All I want for and from you is the same level of certainty. We both deserve that.”

Twenty-Four

A vibration in her pocket alerted Daphne to the fact that her session was coming to a close. Her client must’ve felt it, because she gently rolled over and stretched out on the bed. “That was so lovely. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Daphne said, grateful to hear none of her residual tension had tainted the experience. She’d done her best to show up and be fully present today, constantly reminding herself she wasn’t hurt or abandoned. She’d chosen to send Gillian on her way, and she’d make peace with whatever she’d decide, at least intellectually, only climbing into bed and wrapping her arms around someone else did draw a heavy contrast between how her morning had gone and how she wished it would have.

Still, one of the benefits of cuddle therapy was that it was very hard to soothe someone else’s nervous system without also soothing your own, and she tried to focus on her gratitude for that while her client packed up her things and headed out.

As she stepped into the hallway to say goodbye, she nearly bumped into Tegan, who seemed to be doing the same thing.

“Hey,” she said as the door closed behind both of their clients. “Got a few minutes?”

Daphne checked her watch, even though she already knew the answer. She didn’t have another client for an hour, and while she’d hoped maybe Gillian would be around the office, a quick peek through the waiting room showed her the door was closed with no light coming from underneath it. “Sure, my office or yours?”

Tegan smiled. “You’re a brave woman to willingly offer to step into a therapist’s office unprompted.”

“I live on the wild side.” They took the few steps needed to slip inside Tegan’s neat and cozy space. “But if you ask me to lie down on the couch, I’m going to charge you, not the other way around.”

Tegan laughed. “We can both stay upright and in our own seats. In fact, you take mine. I’ll take the couch.”

Daphne accepted the offer and watched Tegan settle in, but she couldn’t shake the sense that their position would do little to protect her from the questions likely to follow. “Is that to lull me into a false sense of security?”

Tegan smiled. It was a pretty and genuine expression that likely put a great many people at ease. “I’m not about to grill you. I mean, a part of me may be hoping for some hot gossip, but I mostly wanted to say thank you.”

She arched an eyebrow. “For?”

“I guess the easy answer would be yesterday. I had so much fun, but I also had fun at Friendsgiving, and the trunk or treat event, too.”

“And that’s unusual?”

“No, I always have fun with this group, but lately I get the sense something big is going on with Gillian, and while I don’t understand the full scope of what it is, I wanted to say, I approve.”

“I can appreciate the sentiment.” Daphne shifted in her seat, not quite sure where to go from there. “But I’m not sure it’s warranted.”

“Oh, it is.”

“Tegan, I don’t know what you’ve seen. Obviously, you’re astute and probably observant beyond my frame of reference, but I don’t think I can accept thanks or approval for something I don’t even understand. What’s going on between Gillian and me isn’t a set thing, or a … I don’t know anything for certain. We’re in a state of flux, and I’m doing everything I can to stay calm and centered and trust her to figure out what she wants.”

“What about what you want?”

She lifted a shoulder with forced casualness even as her chest constricted. “I’m not sure I trust myself to know that at this stage, either. But again, I’m working not to get ahead of myself. The ball is kind of in her court, and I know she can handle it, not just because she’s very good at handling things on courts, but also because she’s a deeply good person.”

“She is,” Tegan affirmed quickly. “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a more honorable and upright human than our Gilly. She’s also deeply stressed out and overworked and committed to taking care of her people even if it comes at a personal cost to her, which it has, repeatedly. I’ve never known her when she’s not in the midst of trying to manage something or someone.”

Daphne managed a smile of her own. “I’ve noticed.”

“I’m sure. She’s dedicated and measured and meticulous and totally self-regulated.”

Daphne remembered the sight of her spread out on the table and had to fight to stay present. “Most of the time.”

“Unless you’re around.”

Daphne narrowed her eyes at the woman across from her, wondering if she could read minds.