Atramentum

by MJ Duncan

  “You like her.”

  Joss scoffed and shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I only talked to her for like five minutes. I’m just curious about my new neighbor.”

  He laughed. “Yeah right. Sorry, Joss, but that’s all I got for ya.”

  Joss rolled her eyes and flipped him off. “Whatever. You wanna handle these and I’ll go grab another box?”

  “Sounds good.” Scott slid the book he had pulled from the box into its proper place on the shelf in front of him and picked up another one. “Hey, you wanna go get a drink at O’Malley’s after work?”

  The offer was tempting, but she still had too much to do to spend the night drinking with Scott. “That sounds fun, but I really need to finish unpacking. Rain check?”

  “Of course.” He smiled. “I know the situation kind of sucks, but it’s nice to have you back, Joss.”

  Joss jammed her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she looked around the store. Willy was sleeping in one of the half-open boxes that would have to be emptied after he woke up and she spotted Dickens in the front window, soaking up the sun, and she smiled as she looked back at him and nodded. This was not the life she had been all but killing herself over the last few years, but she felt more at peace than she had in a very, very long time. “Thanks. It’s good to be back.”

  Four

  Joss shoved the sleeves of her compression shirt up her forearms as she jogged around Pine Lake, the small oblong-shaped lake that was just up the driveway from her cottage, and grinned at the feeling of the cool morning air tickling her legs as she hurdled the fallen log that marked the halfway point of her three-mile run. She had been a treadmill warrior back in Los Angeles, hitting the large gym on the first floor of her firm’s building every morning before getting to her desk by five, and while she was still getting used to running at high altitude—after two weeks of running around the lake, the effects of the thinner air were less noticeable by the day.

  So far, she had to admit that coming back to Sky had been a good move. She was working almost as much as she had been back in LA, but with none of the stress. There were no angry clients to manage or demanding bosses monopolizing her time and siphoning her sanity. Every day had a predictable routine to it that was refreshing. She woke up, went on a run, had breakfast, showered, and headed into town to open Atramentum by nine. There were two “high” or busy seasons for the resort town—summer and winter, which combined totaled approximately seven months out of the year—which meant that those months where the tourists were abundant meant long days for local shopkeepers looking to turn enough profit to keep themselves and their stores going. Because it was the beginning of the busy summer season, the store’s hours were extended so they were open until ten every night to capitalize on the tourist dollars wandering the streets after dark, and she and Scott alternated nights closing up. Sunday was the only day the lights were turned off early, the “Closed” sign finding its place on the suction cup hook on the front door no later than six.

  The sound of the birds singing overhead carried her around the northern side of the lake, and she corrected her form—straightening her back and tightening her elbows—when Maeve’s house came into view. The sprawling two-story home was a classic mountain retreat with its split wood plank and stone façade, and it had a dozen oversized windows spanning the back of it that overlooked the lake and Sky mountain beyond. A large stone patio extended from the back of the house down to the lawn that spread all the way to the thin strip of sand that circled the lake, providing the perfect spot to enjoy those magical mountain nights where the temperatures were comfortable and the sky overhead was a breathtaking blanket of stars. It was a gorgeous property, and Joss studied the house as she ran by it each morning, both hopeful she might see Maeve again, and mildly anxious about what she would say to her if she did.

  It had been a long time since anyone had caught her attention like Maeve had done in only a few minutes of awkward conversation and, during her more optimistic moments, she could not help but wonder if anything might ever come from the spark of attraction she had felt that day. Odds were, of course, that nothing ever would—it was one thing to be blessed with a beautiful neighbor, and yet another for that neighbor to be both single and queer—but it was still a nice to think about.

  Joss had taken maybe a dozen steps beyond the edge of the trees when she spotted a familiar dark shape bounding off the house’s back patio. George tore across the lawn, her lithe form looking almost greyhound-esque as she hit her stride, and Joss chuckled under her breath as she slowed to a walk, hoping that George would match her change of pace.

  The last thing she needed was to get tackled again.

  Thankfully, her plan seemed to work, and George’s pace eased from an all-out sprint to a light jog, her tail wagging so hard that it was only a blur behind her. When George was close enough, she shoved her head under Joss’ hand looking for loves, and Joss smiled as she scratched behind her ears.

  “You’re a vicious guard dog, aren’t you?” Joss teased.

  George whimpered and pushed into her harder, nearly knocking her over, and Joss laughed as she stumbled back a step before catching herself.

  “It’s nice to see you too,” Joss assured her. She alternated scratching behind George’s ears and under her chin for another minute or so, and then gave her a couple quick pats on the head. “Okay. That’s enough.”

  George aroo-ed loudly in disagreement and shoved her head back under Joss’ hand.

  “You are too much, George Dylan,” Joss muttered as she gave George’s ears another quick scratch. George’s eyes fluttered shut happily as she turned her head into the fingers digging into the hollow behind her ear, and Joss sighed as she pulled her hand away. “Sorry, bud, that’s it. I have to go to work. Go find your mom,” she added as she began walking away.

  Instead of letting her go, George stood up and gave a mighty shake before hurrying to fall into step beside her.

  “George,” Joss half-groaned, half-laughed. “You need to go home so I can finish my run and get to work.” George’s big brown eyes twinkled merrily as she continued to match her pace, and Joss rolled her eyes. “You’re going to follow me all the way home, aren’t you?”

  George shoved her head under Joss’ hand again.

  “Right.” Joss gave George’s head a disbelieving pat. She was going to have to take her back to Maeve before she could finish her run.

  She eyed the house, weighing her options. The quickest thing to do would be to knock on the sliding glass doors that opened onto the back patio, but that seemed a little too forward when it was not quite eight o’clock on a Sunday morning. It would take longer to go around the house to the front door, but the doorbell would give Maeve time to throw on a robe or something if she was still in her pajamas and not ready for company.

  Of course, Joss thought as she looked down at herself, after over two miles of running at high altitude, she was not exactly in the best shape to see Maeve, either. She was sweaty and gross, and though she really liked the idea of seeing the blonde again, she would have preferred it be after she had taken a shower.

  She sighed as she looked down at George, who was smiling up at her. “Okay. You win. Let’s take you back to your mom so I can get going.”

  Figuring that she may as well give George a little workout since the dog seemed to have quite a bit of energy, she patted her on the side and then took off at a quick jog. She normally followed the edge of the lake because it felt less like she was trespassing, but in deference to saving time, she cut across the lawn. She looked over at George, who was running easily beside her, and grinned. It was fun having somebody to run with, even if that somebody was the goofiest Great Dane she had ever met. “You’re good company, you know that?”

  George chuffed happily.

  “Of course you do,” Joss chuckled.

  They slowed to a walk as they neared the deep front porch that was protected from the elements by an overhanging roof. Joss to
ok a deep breath to try to get her breathing back under control as she and George climbed the stars between the large stone pillars that supported the high, peaked roof, and let it go slowly as they stopped in front of a pair of massive mahogany-framed glass front doors. She pressed the doorbell that was set into the frame, and grabbed George’s collar as they waited.

  “You’re lucky you’re cute,” she told the dog when Maeve rounded a corner down the hall wearing a pair of black yoga pants that showed off her long legs, and a loose-fitting, pale blue Columbia University hoodie that fell to the top of her thighs. Her hair hung loose around her face in deliciously tousled waves that made Joss think of lazy mornings in bed, her feet were bare, and her eyes crinkled in adorable confusion behind the same black frames she had worn the last time they met when she spotted Joss and George on the porch.

  “Joss?” Maeve asked when she opened the door.

  The fact that Maeve remembered her name made Joss smile, and she nodded. “Um, good morning.” She rolled her eyes at the raspiness that had crept into her voice and cleared her throat. “Sorry to bug you so early, but I was finishing my run around the lake and I ran into George. Not, you know, literally, this time,” she added quickly when a horrified expression flashed across Maeve’s face. “She just came out to say hi and then she seemed to want to follow me home, so I thought I’d better bring her back to you…”

  “Did she?” Maeve asked, arching a brow at George, who dropped her head and tried to slink past her into the house. Maeve laughed and gave George an affectionate pat on the behind as she passed. “I’m sorry about that. She’s usually very well-behaved.”

  “No. It was fine. I just didn’t want to inadvertently kidnap her or something and have you be all worried.”

  “Well, thank you. I appreciate that.” Maeve smiled and ran a hand through her hair as she gave Joss a quick once-over. “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?”

  Having a cup of coffee with the woman who had captivated her thoughts over the last two weeks sounded like a dream come true, but Joss shook her head. For as much as she loved the idea of spending a little time getting to know her new neighbor, she had to get to the store. “I would love to, but I’m afraid I need to get ready to head into Atramentum for the day.”

  “Of course. Perhaps another time, then.”

  “Yeah,” Joss agreed as her eyes dropped to the smile curling Maeve’s lips, tracing what she was sure was not meant to be an incredibly seductive smirk before she forced her gaze higher. “That, uh, would be great.”

  Maeve curled her fingers around the edge of the door, letting it hold some of her weight, and nodded. “I look forward to it.”

  “Me too.” Joss rocked back on her heels, trying her best to appear nonchalant as she tipped her head at the driveway behind her. “Right.” She nearly missed the top step and had to grab the railing to keep from falling. Fuck. “Well. I’ll, um, just…see you later, I guess.”

  Maeve’s smile widened, though, to her credit, she did manage not to laugh. “Enjoy the rest of your run.”

  Joss backed slowly down the steps, feeling for the edge of each board with the toe of her shoe so she did not make an even bigger fool of herself. She flashed what she hoped looked like a confident grin, and waved a hand in the direction where George disappeared. “I’ll do my best. Tell George thanks for running with me.”

  “Any time,” Maeve chuckled, the rich sound of her laughter making Joss’ stomach flutter. “Really.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Joss said. She lifted her hand in a small wave goodbye that was immediately mirrored by Maeve, and she shook her head as she turned on her heel and started for home, a single thought running through her mind on an infinite loop with every step she took.

  Was she just flirting with me?

  Five

  Sunday was typically Atramentum’s slowest day of the week as tourists filtered in and out of town, more concerned with the logistics of their vacations than doing any kind of shopping. But this Sunday was not following true to form as Joss ran herself ragged, helping customers find the book they might not have known they were looking for and then ringing up their purchases. From the moment she flipped the sign on the door to “Open”, she had been in constant motion, hurrying from one end of the store to the other and trying to keep a smile on her face as her first cup of coffee of the day went cold on the counter beside the register.

  The unexpected business was great for her bank account, but it was even better for her sanity because it left her barely had any time to breathe, let alone continue to try to deconstruct her little run-in with Maeve from earlier that morning.

  She was ninety-eight percent sure that Maeve’s coffee invitation had been nothing more than a neighborly gesture, but there was a part of her that was not entirely convinced. Perhaps it was blind optimism on her part, but Maeve’s smile had been so warm and easy that it was hard to ignore the little voice in the back of her head that whispered “What if?”. She had replayed their brief conversation more times than she could count during her quick run home and even quicker shower—and the only definitive conclusion she had been able to reach was that she had been as bumbling and awkward as Maeve had been stunning and collected.

  The constant flow of customers lasted until the early hours of the afternoon when Scott arrived to begin his shift, and Joss sighed with relief when he walked through the door.

  “Oh, thank God,” Joss said as the door closed behind him. She was half-tempted to lock it so he could not escape, but that would get in the way of them actually doing business. “It’s been insane today.”

  His eyebrows lifted in surprise as he looked around the store. “Really?”

  “Yeah. It’s been beyond nuts.” Joss rolled her eyes as her stomach growled. “I hate to bail right when you show up, but I’m starving. Can you handle things for half an hour so I can go grab a sandwich from the deli?”

  He nodded and shooed her away from the register. “Of course. Oh, and before I forget—what are you doing tonight?”

  “I dunno. Probably just hanging out at home. Why?”

  “My softball team is down a woman for the next few months and we’re looking for a replacement. Gotta field three to be legal, and we’re down to two. You still play?”

  Joss shook her head. She had grown up playing, and had been a decent player once upon a time, but the last time she had taken the field was for her sorority’s Greek League. “I haven’t played since college, honestly. Hell, I don’t even know what happened to my glove. I guess I can run over to Dick’s after work and pick one up if you guys are really that desperate.”

  “We are exactly that desperate.” Scott grinned. “And I have a spare glove you can use if you want.”

  Joss appreciated the offer, but she had always hated using somebody else’s equipment, preferring the feeling of a glove fit to her own hand. “Thanks.” She stepped out of the way of a customer who was approaching the counter with a couple of books they wanted to buy. “Maybe I’ll just use that until I can get one broken in?”

  “You find everything you need?” Scott asked the man as he took the books from him and prepared to ring them up. The man nodded, and Scott looked over at Joss as he swiped the barcode of the first book in front of the scanner beside the register. “That can work too. I’ve got things here, go grab some food.”

  After the morning she had just survived, Joss did not need to be told twice, and she smiled her thanks as she ducked out the door before he could change his mind.

  Traffic on Summit was bustling. The metered spaces along the curb were all taken—something that was unheard of for the last weekend in May because schools were not yet out for summer vacation—and Joss idly wondered if this was a sign of how the rest of the season would go. It would be great if it was, though the idea of having the next three months be as busy as her morning had been made her cringe a little inside.

  Time-wise, it was a push between walking the block up Summit and then t
he two down Main to the deli and driving, and because the weather was nice, she decided to hoof it. She amused herself with watching the downhill mountain bikers that were streaking down the arcing dirt paths that were cut into grassy ski-slopes in front of her as she walked, and marveled at the fact that, to some people, barreling down the side of a mountain on a bicycle was a good time.

  Although the lunch rush should have been over, the line inside the Italia Deli was still three deep, and she sighed as she took a number from the red dispenser just inside the door before retreating to the far wall to wait her turn. She took off the blue and green flannel she wore over a plain black tee and tied it around her waist as she waited, and rolled her eyes at a mid-twenty-something guy in a red fleece and cargo shorts who winked at her.

  Fat chance, buddy, she thought to herself as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

  She studiously ignored the guy as she deleted a couple of junk emails from mailing lists she should just take the time to opt out of, grateful that he seemed to take the hint as he started talking to someone else. With her inbox cleared, she opened her twitter feed to catch up on the latest Hollywood gossip and the latest info from her friends scattered around the country. Twitter and Instagram were pretty much the only consistent form of communication she had with her friends from UCLA, and she was in the middle of typing out a reply to her senior-year roommate’s tweet when a familiar voice interrupted her.

  “Hello, again.”

  Joss’s stomach flipped as she looked up to see Maeve standing beside her in a pair of faded jeans and a white T-shirt, with an amused smile quirking her lips. Her pink and gray Asics looked brand new, and she had a designer handbag draped over her left shoulder that probably cost more than a few of Joss’ monthly car payments combined. She looked casual and elegant in a way that only celebrities ever seemed to be able to pull off, and Joss’ heart fluttered into her throat when their eyes met. xx