by MJ Duncan
Joss swallowed hard as Maeve ambled toward them.
“Breathe, Joss,” Brock chuckled. “I’m gonna go take this beer to Drew,” he announced more loudly.
“I’ll go with you,” Scott piped up, waggling his eyebrows at Joss before he followed Brock out onto the patio.
Joss shook her head at the way they turned around after passing Maeve to flash her matching excited grins and thumbs up. They were ridiculous, but the support—no matter how misguided—was nice. If anyone had told her she would ever find herself surrounded by this same group of guys so many years after they triumphantly said sayonara to Sky amid an auditorium full of flying mortarboard hats, she would have told them they were insane, but she was glad that Fate, for whatever reason, had seen fit to make sure they all found their way back together.
“Everything okay?” Maeve asked as she drew closer.
“Yeah.” Joss nodded as she ran a hand through her hair and shrugged. “The guys were just being idiots. You doing okay?”
“I am.” Maeve smiled and nodded. “Your friends are great.”
“They have their moments.” Joss waved at the glass in Maeve’s hand. “Can I get you more wine?”
“I don’t know,” Maeve hedged, clearly torn between wanting to say yes and making the responsible decision. “I do need to drive home at some point tonight.”
“I’m sure one of the guys would give you a ride home and you can come get your car tomorrow,” Joss offered. “Or, you know, you could always crash here,” she added before she could register what she was saying. She groaned inwardly at the comment, afraid that it gave away secret desires she would rather keep hidden, but there was no way she could not take it back. “I mean, if George would be okay with that.”
“Oh, she could handle it. Whether or not she will be happy about being treated like a dog for a night, on the other hand…” Maeve huffed a small laugh as she glanced over her shoulder.
Joss’ eyes followed, and she shook her head at the way everybody around the table suddenly became engrossed in anything that was not them. Before she could get annoyed with them for making an already awkward situation even more awkward, however, she was distracted by Maeve turning back to her, the right side of her lower lip caught between her teeth while a half-formed smile tugged at the left. She held her breath as she watched the way Maeve’s lip slipped slowly free, pearl tugging at pink, and her pulse was beating so loudly in her ears she almost missed the words that tumbled from Maeve’s mouth a split-second later.
“I guess one more glass won’t hurt.”
Joss smiled. “Really?”
Maeve nodded. “It’s been a while since I crashed on somebody’s couch. And, well, I deserve to celebrate a little. Right?”
“Of course you do.” Joss took a deep breath and let it go slowly. “Though I couldn’t possibly make you sleep on the couch if you ended up staying here.”
Maeve arched a brow and looked around the open living area as she set her empty glass onto the counter. “I didn’t realize you had a guest room.”
“I don’t.” Joss shrugged. “But you can take my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. I end up doing that most nights, anyways.”
“I can’t kick you out of your own bed,” Maeve argued.
Yeah, well, I couldn’t possibly share it with you and not end up groping you, so we’re kinda at an impasse here, aren’t we? Joss shook her head. “We’ll figure it all out later if we need to.” She picked up the open bottle Pinot Noir that was sitting on the counter. “Pinot okay?”
“Of course.” Maeve ran a hand through her hair and slid elegantly onto the end barstool at the counter.
Joss glanced at Maeve through her eyelashes as she refilled her glass. Maeve was staring off through the open door to the patio with a small, amused smile playing at her lips as she watched whatever antics Scott and the rest of the guys were up to. Raucous laughter filtered through the open door, and she shook her head as she slid Maeve’s glass over to her. “Here you go. Do I want to know what’s going on out there?”
“Probably not,” Maeve said as she turned back to Joss.
It was tempting to turn and see for herself what had her friends laughing so hard, but the lure of Maeve’s smile was too enchanting to resist. Joss returned Maeve’s smile as she took a step back and leaned her forearms on the counter. Hostess duties had kept her from Maeve’s side for too much of the night, and she selfishly wanted the opportunity to spend a few minutes alone with her. “Any word from your editor yet?”
Maeve shook her head. “Nothing yet. She’s usually pretty quick with these initial notes, though, so I’m guessing I'll hear from her by the end of the week.”
“And then what happens?”
“More revisions.” Maeve rolled her eyes. “And then we’ll start all over with copy edits. And then line edits…” She sighed. “It’s a process.”
“Sounds like it,” Joss murmured. She cocked her head and toyed with the stem of her wine glass. No matter how much she liked the idea of spending more time with Maeve, she could not help but worry about her four-legged friend up the road. “Are you sure George will be okay?”
“Positive. She has plenty of food and water, and there’s a dog door from her run into the garage, where I have my old futon from college for her to sleep on.”
“Good.”
Maeve smiled around the rim of her wine glass. “You really like her, don’t you?”
“Sure.” Joss shrugged. “I mean, that girl really knows how to make a first impression, you know?”
“That she does.” Maeve chuckled and looked up at Joss through her lashes. “Truth be told, she’s quite smitten with you, as well. She gave me the cold shoulder all afternoon in what I can only assume is retaliation for denying her your company this morning.”
“Well, you can assure her that I missed seeing you guys too.” Joss stared hard at her wine glass, trying to force back the blush she could feel tinting her cheeks. She had meant for her response to be playful, but there was an edge of longing that had crept into her voice she prayed Maeve did not notice. “I’ll make it up to her next time I see her,” she promised, plastering on a wry smile as she forced herself to look up at Maeve.
Maeve’s expression was thoughtful, her keen gaze searching as her eyes roamed Joss’ face. “Can I ask you a question?”
Joss nodded as her heart leapt into her throat. “Of course.”
“What are you doing next weekend?”
Joss smiled. Maybe Scott was right. Maybe I have been missing the obvious. She cleared her throat and tried to look causal as she replied, “Just the usual. Why?”
Maeve shrugged, looking suddenly nervous, and spun her glass on the counter. “I was just wondering if…”
Joss leaned in closer. Is this really happening? Is she asking me out?
“…since you and George get along so well…”
Oh. Joss’ heart sank. George. Not a date.
“I need to fly back to Chicago next weekend for my niece’s birthday, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to keep an eye on George for me? It’s just that she hates being kenneled, and…”
Joss took a deep breath, forcing herself to ignore the icy sting of disappointment that had settled heavily in her chest, and reached out to stop Maeve’s spinning glass. “I’d love to spend some time with George. How long will you be gone?”
“Just a few days. I fly out Friday afternoon and fly back Sunday.”
“That won’t be a problem at all. Can I bring her down here?”
Maeve let out a relieved sigh and smiled. “If you’d like. I mean, she can always stay in the garage and her run if you don’t want to deal with a hundred and twenty-five pound dog in your house. I just need somebody to make sure she has food and water, and I don’t really know anyone else in town—”
“It’s fine,” Joss interrupted her with a smile. No matter how much she had hoped Maeve might have been gearing up to ask her something else, she was more than willing
to look after George for a few days. “Honest,” she insisted when Maeve’s expression turned dubious. “It’s been years since I’ve had a pretty girl spend the night, it’ll be fun.”
Maeve’s smile turned thoughtful, and Joss realized that this was the first time she had ever hinted at her sexuality around her. “I… If you’re sure,” Maeve murmured, her eyes dancing over Joss’ face.
Joss nodded. “Totally sure.” Maeve’s expression was indecipherable, and Joss sighed as she changed the subject. She was too close to drunk to even try to decipher what it meant. “So, when was the last time you crashed on somebody’s couch?”
“I’m sorry?”
Joss waved a hand toward the open door where Maeve had made the quip earlier. “You said it’d been a while since you last crashed on somebody’s couch.”
“Oh.” Maeve nodded. “I…” She lifted her eyes to the ceiling and sighed. “It was just about a year ago, after I’d caught my fiancé in bed with my best friend.”
“Shit,” Joss hissed, feeling like a total asshole. “Christ, Maeve. I’m sorry.”
Maeve shook her head. “Don’t be. It feels like it happened a lifetime ago, if I were to be honest.”
“Still,” Joss argued.
“It’s fine. But I appreciate the sentiment,” Maeve murmured.
Joss shook her head. How anyone in their right mind could ever treat Maeve like she was anything other than something to be cherished was beyond her. “Want me to go kick his ass?”
“Walker beat you to it,” Maeve admitted with a wry chuckle.
That earned Maeve’s baby brother a shit-ton of points in Joss’ book. “Good.”
“Anyway,” Maeve said, her voice lifting on the first syllable in an obvious attempt to change the subject—not that Joss could blame her, “what about you? When was the last time you ended up crashing on somebody’s couch?”
“God, I dunno…maybe in college? I wasn’t kidding when I told you how much I worked back in LA,” Joss added in response to Maeve’s incredulous look. “Hell, my last girlfriend left me because I rescheduled our two-year anniversary dinner three different times and then blew off the fourth attempt so I could fly out to Vancouver for a last-minute meeting with a client. I was pretty much either working or sleeping for the last decade or so. I didn’t have time for getting wasted and crashing on couches.”
“Joss,” Maeve murmured, shaking her head. “Seriously?”
Joss shrugged. “All I cared about was rising through the ranks at the firm. And then…”
“What?” Maeve asked after a moment.
“I didn’t,” Joss replied simply. “I was weird, really. I had poured everything into my career, and it should have been enough. But the hours at the office I used to thrive on became suffocating, for lack of a better word, and I began to realize exactly how much I’d missed out on.” She shrugged. “That’s why, when I inherited Atramentum, I came back to Sky. I was probably on the way out anyway, but having to decide what to do with the store kinda forced my hand, and yeah—here I am.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me too.” Joss smiled. Even though she was still working all the time, it was different. She had a life. She had friends. She had Maeve. Not in the way she might have hoped, but that was life.
“Hey! Perrault! Get your ass out here!” Scott’s voice echoed through the cool night air.
Joss rolled her eyes and glanced out the door to where the rest of her friends were gathered around her patio table. Andrew was shuffling a deck of cards, and a case of poker chips had magically appeared on the middle of the table. She sighed and shook her head. “I’m being paged.”
Maeve laughed and nodded. “I noticed.” She picked up the bottle of wine and distributed what was left of its contents it between each of their glasses. “Come on, Perrault. Let’s go back outside.”
“Ms. Dylan.” Joss arched a brow at Maeve as she picked up her glass. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
“Not at all,” Maeve sassed with a playful wink.
“Bummer.”
Maeve laughed as the guys outside began chanting Joss’ name. “Maybe another night, then. For now, your public awaits.”
“Assholes,” Joss grumbled as she and Maeve made their way back out onto the deck. “Fine! We’re coming! Happy?”
“Indubitably,” Brock retorted, waggling his eyebrows. “Now, ante up. Daddy needs some new shoes.”
Joss smirked and looked at Andrew. “You really make him call you Daddy?”
The table erupted, and Andrew blushed. “No.”
“Shut up, Perrault,” Brock said, grinning as he pecked Andrew on the cheek.
“Just keep it in your pants, big guy,” Joss teased as she retook her seat. She smiled at Maeve, who angled her chair closer to hers as she sat down, and leaned back in her chair, thinking to herself that moving back to Sky was the best decision she had made in a long, long time.
Twelve
“What is that noise?” Maeve demanded in a rough, grumpy voice.
Joss blinked her eyes open and looked around, eventually finding the culprit behind the incessant beeping. She raked the top of her tongue against her front teeth three times, trying to dispel the rancid taste of too much wine from the night before, and leaned forward to grab her phone that was clattering around the coffee table as it chimed and vibrated with her wake-up alarm. “My alarm.”
“Fuck,” Maeve groaned. “What time is it?”
Joss laughed and flopped back onto the couch, not needing to look at the screen to know what time it was. It was early, perhaps only a few hours after they had fallen asleep—though when that had happened, she was not exactly sure. The rest of the group had filtered out sometime around eleven, but the two of them had polished off another bottle of wine as they lounged on the couch and talked about everything and nothing and all the things in-between.
It had been the most enjoyable evening Joss had had in a long time, which made the headache she was suffering now more than worth it.
“Quarter-to-six.”
“Goddamn. You seriously get up this early every day?”
Joss nodded. “Yup.”
“You’re insane.”
“Scott keeps telling me that,” Joss agreed. She groaned and scrubbed her hands over her face, and could not contain her smile as she turned to look at Maeve, who looked as beautiful as ever. “Rude.”
“What?” Maeve licked her lips as she turned her head toward Joss, her hair scrunching up behind her head as it rubbed against the back of the couch. Her eyes were clouded with sleep and her skin looked so soft and warm that Joss’ lips tingled with the urge to kiss her.
Joss shook her head. She needed to stop thinking like that. “Nothing. Headache,” she lied. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit,” Maeve grumbled. “But nothing a cup of coffee won’t fix.”
Joss smiled and shook her head. “I don’t have any.” Something dangerous sparked in Maeve’s eyes, and Joss held her breath as her body reacted to it.
“How do you run out of coffee?” Maeve demand.
“Really?” Joss sniggered. “Coming from the woman who loads hers up with enough hot chocolate to send a three-year-old bouncing off the ceiling.”
“The question is still valid.”
Joss shrugged and leaned her head onto the back cushion of the couch so she was mirroring Maeve’s posture. “I’ve been having my morning coffee with you. I guess I forgot to restock my stash because I never make any here.”
Maeve huffed a disgruntled sigh and nodded. “Ugh. Okay. I’ll give you that one. Good point.”
“Thank you.”
“We need to go to my house then.”
“We do, huh?”
Maeve nodded. “Yeah. I need coffee.” She frowned, her brow furrowing as she looked at Joss. “You’re not actually going to go for your run today, are you?”
Joss laughed. “God, no.”
“Good.”
“Physical fitness is
important,” Joss intoned in a mock-horrified voice.
“Not as important as coffee,” Maeve declared. She took a deep breath and pushed herself to a sitting position. “Fuck, I am too old to drink like that,” she muttered as she cradled her head in her hands.
Joss giggled.
“What?”
“I’ve just never heard you swear before. I’ve been censoring myself because I didn’t want to offend you.”
Maeve waved her off. “Curse away, my friend. I have two brothers, I’ve heard it all.” She sighed and leaned her elbows on her knees. A small, enigmatic smile curled her lips as she looked at Joss, and she shook her head. “Thank you.”
“For getting you wasted?”
“Yeah. It’s been a long time since I had fun like that.”
“Good,” Joss replied. “I’m glad.”
“Let’s wait a while before we do it again, though.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Joss agreed as her headache pulsed viciously behind her eyes.
“Come on, Perrault,” Maeve groaned as she got to her feet. “Coffee.”
“Just lemme shower real quick and then I’ll meet you up there.” Joss stood and stretched. “I’ve still got to open this morning.”
“You need more employees.”
Joss shook her head. “Nah. The summer season will be over in a couple months, and then I’ll cut back the store’s hours again until after Thanksgiving.”
“You’re a workaholic.”
“I freely admitted that last night.” Joss smiled. “Now, go home, Dylan, so I can shower and you can make us some coffee.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Maeve quipped, snapping off a quick salute for good measure. She rocked back and forth on her heels for a moment before she hummed softly and reached out to pull Joss into a light hug. “Seriously, Joss. Thank you.”
“Oh.” Joss wrapped her arms around Maeve’s waist, just barely resisting the urge to bury her face in the crook of Maeve’s neck. She smiled at the feeling of Maeve’s head resting on her shoulder, and sighed as she squeezed her tight. Even after a night of drinking, Maeve smelled like heaven, and Joss pressed her cheek against the side of Maeve’s head as she assured her, “It was my pleasure, Maeve. Anytime.”
