by Len Webster
Josie laughed as she watched Stevie put the phone on speaker, warned her fiancé that everyone could hear him, and made her way towards the rest of the tables.
“Josie, wanna teach me how to use it?” Ally asked as she pointed at the Gaggia Deco D espresso machine.
“Sure,” Josie said and then led Ally behind the counter to the red and silver machine. She watched as Ally pressed her fingers to the machine, and her eyes widened in astonishment.
“How much does one of these cost?”
Josie knew at that moment that Ally would be a more hands-on boss than her brother had been. She wanted to learn, and Josie was proud to see that determination and wonder in her eyes. “I think this one cost Danny almost fifteen thousand dollars.”
“Wow,” her boss breathed. “And how does one get a new one if it breaks?”
“Don’t worry. I can ask Danny for you.”
Ally turned and smiled. “Thanks, Josie. I know you’re a lot closer to Clara than you are with me and Stevie, but we consider you our friend, too. And as my friend, I have to ask you about Max.”
Josie winced.
Max.
It was too early in the morning to mention him.
When she had left him outside PJ’s, she had taken a taxi home to find that Stella and West were already out for the night, and she had no one to unload to. So Josie had gone to her room, slipped off her heels, and crawled into bed. Then she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling, replaying Max’s words over and over again. It had taken some time until she finally fell asleep in the outfit she’d worn to see him.
When Josie woke this morning, her chest felt heavy, and she knew that no matter what she felt, Max mattered more than her heart. He needed a friend, and she would be that friend. She wasn’t going to let him down.
It was time someone looked after him.
“We’re friends, Ally,” Josie assured, and that smile on her boss’ face faded.
“Julian, seriously, I don’t care if you’re awake. I’m busy,” Stevie said in the distance.
“But, Blondie, I like this dog.” Julian’s voice echoed from Stevie’s phone.
Josie glanced over to find Stevie sitting in one of the booths with her hands by the side of her face; her irritated expression had Josie chuckling.
“Fine,” she breathed, sounding exhausted. “Send me a link, and I’ll think about this dog. You said you liked a Dalmatian after we saw one in Paris. Once you’re done with that, get some sleep, and then go get some greasy food and catch up on some of the paperwork you’ve neglected that Rogers wants by Monday. Je t’aime.”
“Je t’aime, Stephanie,” Julian said in a low voice, and Josie could hear the love. She didn’t have to be fluent in French to know that they had just said ‘I love you’ to each other.
“Josie,” Ally said, getting her attention.
She returned her gaze to find her boss with that concerned expression on her face. “Yes, Ally?”
“Do you want to know the context of what you heard last night?”
Do I?
Knowing would only complicate it.
And she couldn’t have any more complications in her life.
She needed a friend.
Max was there for her.
And she had to be there for him, too.
To be fair to her heart, she shook her head. “No, thank you, Ally. I don’t want context. I just want to be the friend he deserves. Want me to show you how to use the espresso machine?”
Ally let out an exhale and nodded. “Sure. Show me how this works.”
“And a chai latte for Stevie,” Josie said as she set down Stevie’s usual order.
She had taught Ally how to use the espresso machine, but the former socialite found it difficult. Josie had told her it was okay and it would take some time before she knew how to use it expertly. And the only way Josie could remove that helplessness on Ally’s face was to tell her Danny’s secret. And that was that Danny had broken the expensive espresso machine twenty minutes after it had been delivered to the bakery. He had to trade a year’s supply of cupcakes to have one of his connections come in and fix the faulty machine. The problem was that Danny did not read the instructions and left the safety cap on one of the nozzles. It had been a very embarrassing day for her former boss.
“Thanks, Josie,” Stevie said as she reached over and brought the glass closer to her. Then she patted the table. “I just messaged Clara, and it’s like four thirty, and she’s home from her classes. She wants to see you, too, since you didn’t get to see her when she was last in Melbourne.”
Guilt ravished her.
Besides Stella Weller, Clara Parker was one of the closest friends she had ever had. Clara had listened to all her whining when it came to her previous ex-boyfriends and her father. And Josie had almost thrown a party in the bakery when she found out Clara had left her cheating ex-boyfriend, Darren Porters. What Josie loved most about Clara was that she was always there for her. And when she had moved to Boston to live her happily ever after, it was hard not to miss her being in Josie’s life every day.
“Here are your sugars,” Ally said as she handed the packets over and climbed into the booth next to Stevie. Ally set down her cup of tea and peeked over at her. “Josie, do I have to play the boss card? I really don’t want to. But we haven’t hung out together since before Clara got married. You just checked on the cupcakes, and the shop floor looks good. You need a break.”
No way would Josie win against Ally. The almost twenty-year-old had found a backbone, and it was inspiring to see. Since her transplant, she was living the life she had always dreamed of, and Josie was honoured to be part of it. She had always liked Ally. She had always liked all of Clara’s friends. And when Clara had asked her to be a bridesmaid, it surprised Josie to see how accepting her friends were of her. They had made her feel as if she was their friend, too.
Without another word, Josie slid into the booth and sat next to Ally as Stevie picked up the iPad and swiped at the screen to unlock it. Then she typed in the code and pressed on Clara’s name. It took a few minutes for Clara to accept the video chat and her face to appear on the screen.
Before she had even said hello, Josie watched Clara flinch in surprise, and a beautiful smile appeared on the screen. In all the years she had known Clara Parker, she had no idea just how beautiful she was and how envious Josie was that she didn’t have her golden brown eyes.
“Josie!”
She smiled. “Hey, Clara.”
“How are you?” her ex-co-worker asked.
“Good. Just opening the store. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to see you while you were here.”
Clara shook her head. “Don’t even apologise. I see those two managed to get to the store early.”
Stevie groaned. “Ally practically stormed the apartment and pulled me out of bed.”
“I’m just glad Julian wasn’t naked,” Ally mumbled next to Josie, causing her to laugh. A naked Julian Moors wouldn’t be a horrible way to start the day. With his boyish charms and those light blues, she wasn’t surprised tough Stevie Appleton had fallen in love with him.
“Trust me, Ally, he would have loved it because then he would’ve used it against you. Like, ‘my sister-in-law is a big perve, Robbie. She saw my—insert some sort of euphemism for his penis.’”
Ally shivered. “I don’t think I could handle that for the rest of my life.”
“Too bad you married his brother,” Clara commented from the iPad.
“Mrs P!” shouted from Clara’s end.
“Mrs P?” Josie asked, eyebrow raised.
“Sorry, give me a sec. I’ll be right back. Kyle left his baseball bat in my car.” Clara had raised her index finger to indicate she would be a second and disappeared out of the camera’s focus.
Josie then got a view of Clara’s huge kitchen. It was an absolute dream. Josie wasn’t one for interior decorating or features of a house, but when you worked with Clara Parker, who dreamed of being a des
sert chef, you were bound to hear about her dream kitchen. And that was what Josie saw. She could see the white marble tops and the large white cabinets with glass panels. The huge stainless-steel stove that almost took up half of one side of the kitchen and all the counter space. It appeared as if Clara’s husband had chosen well and fulfilled her kitchen dreams.
“Have you both been to Clara’s house?” Josie asked as she turned her attention to Stevie and Ally.
They shook their heads.
“We’re headed out there in a few months. We’re gonna go see Keira, too. The boys want to meet Will,” Ally said.
Josie had received many pictures from Keira, Clara’s future sister-in-law, who Josie had spent time with while she was in Melbourne. Keira and Alex’s son, William Archibald Lawrence, was by far the cutest kid Josie had ever seen.
Just as Josie was about to comment on how adorable Clara’s nephew was, a suit-clad Noel Parker appeared on the screen as he entered the kitchen and set his briefcase down on the counter.
“Wow,” Josie said appreciatively as she watched Noel loosen his grey tie. “I feel like such a pervert right now.”
Stevie laughed. “She’s traded up since Darren, huh?”
Nodding, Josie watched as Noel began to peel off his jacket and then set it on the bench. “Oh, she definitely did.”
When his fingers reached for the top button of his business shirt, it was as if all three of them had held their breaths.
Suddenly, they heard, “Noel, wait!”
Noel stilled as he turned in the direction of Clara’s voice, who was still out of frame. “Kyle’s gone, right? God, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I’ve wanted to—”
“I’m FaceTiming,” Clara quickly interrupted.
Josie watched as Noel turned in their direction, and she could just see the blush on Noel’s face as he lowered his hands from his shirt button. “Hey, everyone,” he said, slightly embarrassed.
“Hi, Noel,” Ally greeted with a hint of humour in her voice.
Clara’s husband waved and then cleared his throat. “Baby, I’m gonna go change in the bedroom. It was good to see you, Stevie, Ally, and Josie.”
“Not as good as it was to see almost all of you,” Stevie teased. After Noel had kissed his wife, he left the kitchen. Stevie peered over Ally and smirked at Josie. “It was so nice living with him for a while.”
Josie laughed, knowing exactly what she meant. “You saw?”
“Sadly, no, but I saw that chest a few times. And I heard them at it. He definitely knows how to please Clara—”
“Stevie!” Clara gasped. “Really?”
Josie had been expecting to see a pissed-off Clara Parker on the screen. Instead, Clara had an amused expression on her face.
“As much as you wanna see my husband naked, it’s not gonna happen, Stevie. Now, I feel like I talk to you both every day, so I wanna talk to Josie for a minute.” Clara’s eyes darted over to Josie, and she felt as if she was about to be interrogated. “How are you, Josie?”
“Good,” was all Josie could reply with without actually lying to Clara.
“Anything new?”
“Nope.”
“No new DJs?”
That had Josie laughing. “None at all.”
“Any new guy you’re seeing?”
From the corner of her eye, she could see Ally staring at her, which made her uncomfortable. So Josie’s lips made a fine line as she shook her head. “No. No new guy, Parker.” The oven bell ringing came to her rescue as Josie slipped out of the booth. “I’ve gotta check on the cupcakes. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be right here,” Clara said, and then Josie made her way behind the counter and into the kitchen.
Once inside, she breathed out a sigh of relief and stood still for a moment to get her bearings. Since the bakery was quiet, she could hear the girls out on the shop floor talking as Josie made her way towards the oven.
“Is Josie okay?” Clara asked.
“She’s okay,” Ally answered.
Josie was thankful that Ally quickly changed the subject and spoke about Clara attending Boston University. With a heavy exhale, Josie wrapped her hand around the oven handle and pulled it open. She stepped back as the heat escaped and reached for an oven mitt. Once it was on, she pulled out the first tray to see that the raspberry and lemon cupcakes still needed another five minutes to get that golden colour to them. It was one of Clara’s recipes that was still beloved by so many customers.
Josie pushed the tray back inside and closed the oven door. She reset the timer for another five minutes and made her way to the bench. She would have to start prepping the icing bags for the lemon curd icing. Deciding to let Stevie and Ally speak to Clara for a little while longer, she headed towards the large pantry for the lemons. Just as she reached the door, she felt her phone vibrate in her jeans pocket. Once she opened the pantry door, she pulled out her phone and then flicked the light on.
When she unlocked her phone, a message from Max greeted her. She hated that she felt butterflies at just the sight of his name. But everything he had said last night, and the way he had said it, only added to her confusion. No man had treated her so sincerely. It was a nice change, but she knew he only valued her as a friend.
She had to value him just the same.
And that meant not ignoring his message like she had the last.
Max: Morning, Josephine. I’ve got a few cases my dad wants my help on. We still on for this afternoon?
Josie: If you need to help your dad, Max, seriously, help your dad. We can reschedule.
Max: Josephine, I don’t think you realise it, but you’re my first and only priority. Trust me; he doesn’t need me around for the whole day. What time do you finish work?
The thought of her as his priority had her smiling. She knew it had to do with his promise of not letting her down. That was the thing about priorities—they would always change, and she knew that her being his would, too. But for now, she’d revel in it and believe it meant more than she knew it should.
Josie: I have a few things to do after work, and my books are at my place.
Max: You need a hand?
Those ‘things’ she had to do was visit her mother in the hospital.
There was no way she’d let Max into that part of her life, no matter how friendly they were.
Josie: I’m good, thanks. I’ll text you my address later if you wanna meet at my place?
Max: Sounds good to me. I’ll see you later.
Josie: I’m running late. So late. I’m so sorry, Max. Are you already outside my apartment building?
Max let out an amused laugh. He was tempted to call her after he’d been standing outside her building for ten minutes. Josie’s apartment building appeared to be a renovated warehouse in Collingwood. It was in an impressive area that most university students couldn’t afford, but then again, Josie’s father was a diplomat. Though Josie was very headstrong, he knew she might have taken money from her absent father to pay for her livelihood. Shaking his head, he ignored the topic of Josie’s finances and texted her back.
Max: I am outside. You’re lucky I’m not charging you a fortune.
Josie: I’m so sorry. I promise I’m on my way. The code to get into the building is 3662. Once inside, go straight until you see the elevator. Use it to get to the 3rd floor. My apartment number is four. Just knock on the door. Stella’s home.
Max: Stella’s your best friend?
Josie: And my roommate. She’s sceptical but means well. If she doesn’t offer you a drink, there are plenty in the fridge. She doesn’t play happy host very well.
Max: All right. I’ll see you soon.
Josie: I’m so sorry, Max.
Her apology only had him laughing.
Max: It’s seriously fine, Josie.
Once Max had pressed send, he shoved his phone back into his jacket pocket and headed towards the large industrial warehouse doors. When he glanced over to his left, he saw the
keypad. After he had typed in the security code, he pressed the green button. A loud beep sounded, and he knew the doors had unlocked. Max pressed his palm against the steel door and pushed on it, opening it easily. When he stepped inside, he was surprised to see that he was standing in an indoor garden. Tropical trees and flowers lined either side of the path, and a small pond was there with a stone bench by it. From the outside, Josie’s apartment building appeared boring and run-down. But he was surprised to see it so decorated. It was definitely a hidden treasure.
Noticing the elevator at the end of the path, he made his way towards it, up some small steps, and past the reception desk with the smiling man behind it until he reached the steel doors. Max stretched out his arm and pressed the up button on the keypad and waited. Moments later, the doors opened, and he stepped inside and pressed Josie’s floor. When the doors closed and the elevator began to rise, he heard soft, tranquil music rather than jazz. It was strange. He’d never come across an apartment building as unique as Josie’s. When he reached Josie’s floor, he stepped off the elevator and headed for her apartment. Once he stopped in front of the door with the large number four on it, he knocked.
Max waited some time for no answer.
Then he knocked again.
This time, he heard footsteps then some mumbling. When the door opened, a frowning blonde woman greeted him. Her hair was tied into a top knot, and she wore a blue dressing gown.
“Oh,” she said, disappointed. “Should have known you weren’t West.”
“Are you Stella?” Max asked.
The woman before him crossed her arms over her chest, squinting at him. “I might be a Stella.”
