Prelude to a Kiss

I own nothing of psych, none of it belongs to me, no infringement intended, TPTB got everything, I got nuthin'.

A little short interlude of a chapter. Loafer, they get alone time in the next chapter, I promise!


"So you're Carlton's bride. Juliet, yes?"

Juliet turned to find a lovely older woman standing on the threshold between the boutique's main space and what appeared to be a storage room.

"Yes," she replied, feeling a slight blush at the term bride. So he hadn't felt the need to hide who she was. Another tiny victory and right now, she'd take all the victories she could get.

"Your turn to augment the wardrobes?"

She smiled. "Yeah, guess it is." Part of her had hoped Carlton would come with her, but he'd wanted to stay behind and finalize plans with Vick and Henry for tomorrow's operation. Code for he needed some breathing room, his gaze had pleaded with her silently, and while it stung a little, in the long run it was a good thing. If she was honest with herself, she was relieved at having a little space, too. Everything today had been just so intense and overwhelming, culminating with that video. She was still feeling more than a little tender and exposed post-Let's Have All My Feelings Revealed In Front of a Room Full of Mostly Strangers and Oh, Yeah, My Boss and My Ex-But-Doesn't-Know-It-Yet-Boyfriend's Father.

Yeah, all things considered, this wasn't such a bad errand, really. There was something so incredibly… intimate about the task of picking out clothes for him to wear. Juliet couldn't help but wonder if he'd felt the same or if for him it had just been a chore. They were talking about a man who'd once prided himself on getting two wearings out of a suit in a work week, including the same tie. Admittedly, he'd come a long way since then, however, the typical vast sea of women's clothing was just the sort of thing that was liable to freak him right out. Clearly, this nice lady had helped him.

"What he chose for you looks every bit as lovely as he said it would."

Or not.

"He really picked all of this out?"

"Oh, I helped him narrow things down, but he was very clear about what he wanted." The woman approached, an assessing stare narrowing her pale blue eyes as she took in the tall black boots, the slacks, and of course, the beautiful sweater Juliet wore over the lavender turtleneck.

"He was?"

"Very much so." The woman—Elizabeth, Juliet noted—regarded her kindly. "It should be feminine but not fussy, elegant, but practical, and above all, pretty."

"Um, wow." Juliet stood still for a moment, absorbing. If what Elizabeth had just said was in any way true, then Carlton had pretty accurately described her tastes. Which meant on some level, he noticed things about her. The little things that added up to the big things. That became everything. Then again, why should this information come as such a surprise? He had noticed the scent of her hair all those years ago, even if he'd tried to cover it up with some babbling about shopping lists.

"Indeed." Elizabeth smiled. "Overall, he was rather effusive about you—"

"Wait a minute—Carlton? Effusive? About me?" Juliet was stunned. "We are talking about the same man, right? Tall, salt-and-pepper hair, amazing blue eyes? Probably looked more than a little freaked out?"

"That would be him, yes." Elizabeth tilted her head. "And yes, he did seem a bit freaked out, as you said, at finding himself actually married if you don't mind my saying so."

"I don't mind. It…" She hesitated and shrugged. "It was an unexpected decision for both of us." The nice way of stating it, she supposed.

"And why is that? It's patently obvious you both care very much for each other." Elizabeth's expression as she spoke was kind rather than prying. There was also a pretty healthy dose of shrewdness contained within those sharp blue eyes, making it clear she knew what she was about.

Juliet turned away from that knowing gaze, pretending interest in a truly hideous crocheted chartreuse sweater that didn't seem to have enough stitches in it to justify actually calling it an article of clothing. "Because we work together in an environment where relationships between coworkers are discouraged." And in the spirit of finding it way easier to unload to someone she wasn't ever likely to see again, she found herself adding, "And because he was married before and it… ended badly."

And there in a nutshell lay one of her biggest fears. That the damage from his first marriage was so deep-seated, he'd find it impossible to ever believe she could love him. That she'd want to stay married to him. Although she wasn't ready to share that little tidbit with him just yet. Baby steps, she reminded herself. First, he had to believe she truly wanted to be around him—starting with all the time, and… well, naked would be nice, too.

"Ah." Elizabeth's voice held a note of understanding. "Keeps himself well-protected, does he?"

"You have no idea."

Really, this sweater… thing was beyond hideous. Who would wear this excuse for chartreuse fisherman's netting at a winter ski resort anyhow? And for five hundred bucks? But someone would buy it. She'd seen worse in both Santa Barbara and Miami. She smiled faintly as she practically heard Carlton's biting "Idiots," in her mind. Such a reassuring sound, that contemptuous snarl.

"But you think he's well worth the effort."

Juliet glanced down at her ring. "You have no idea," she said again, almost to herself.

After a beat of silence Elizabeth gently asked, "You aren't really interested in that thing, are you?"

Startled, Juliet turned to find Elizabeth staring critically at the chartreuse fishnet sweater, as if she couldn't believe she had to stock the thing. "God, no."

"Good girl." She steered Juliet away from the fishnet horror. "Carlton did say you were very smart."

Her eyes widened. "He did?"

"He did." Elizabeth looked as if she was fighting back a smile. "First thing he said about you as a matter of fact."

"Really?"

"Really."

And all of a sudden she just wanted to leave—right now. She wanted to find him and just… hold him.

Forever.

Elizabeth laughed gently. "Oh my, what I wouldn't give to see the two of you together. You must stop by at the same time before you leave." Thankfully, she didn't seem to require any sort of a response as she continued, "Now, let's see about picking out some things for you and that lovely husband of yours." She slowed down as they passed a display of elegant lingerie and winked. "Perhaps even something… special to help him freak out in an entirely different manner?"

Even as she felt the heat of a blush spreading across her chest and up her neck, Juliet couldn't help but grin. "Oh, Elizabeth, I like the way you think."