by MJ Duncan
Maeve huffed a quiet breath that tickled Joss’ neck and nodded. “Great.” She smiled as she pulled away, raking a hand through her hair that was far too luscious for having spent the night on the couch. “So, I’ll see you soon?”
“Of course.” Joss nodded.
“Good.”
Joss retrieved Maeve’s car keys from the kitchen counter and then followed her to the front door. She stood at the threshold as she watched Maeve skip down the stairs to the driveway, her alabaster skin practically glowing in the dim, early-morning light. She waved once Maeve was behind the wheel, and only turned back inside once the SUV was out of sight.
She looked around her house in the absence of Maeve’s company, and sighed. It felt emptier without her there, but that was a feeling she was just going to have to get used to. There were dirty glasses from the night before in the sink and empty bottles poking out of the recycle bin on the side of the fridge, but Joss ignored it all as she turned toward the spiral staircase to the loft. I’ll clean up later, she mused as she climbed the stairs, her fingers trailing over the cool wrought iron with every step. She pulled her clothes for the day without too much thought—her wardrobe nowadays consisted of varying combinations of jeans and a T-shirt—and then headed back down to shower.
She undressed as the water warmed up, tossing her dirty clothes into the hamper in the bottom of the linen cupboard, and groaned once she stepped beneath the scalding spray. The heat and the steam helped clear away the remnants of the night before, causing the alcohol in her system to seep through her pores, leaving her feeling refreshed and ready to face the day as she dressed. Instead of taking the time to blow dry her hair, a task that would take a good twenty minutes to complete, she pulled it back into a french braid, her fingers dancing through her hair without thought as she worked. She opened the door to help the mirror un-fog as she brushed her teeth, and took a deep breath as she put her toothbrush back on its charger.
I caught my fiancé in bed with my best friend. Joss closed her eyes as the ghost of Maeve’s words iced through her, snuffing out the ember of hope she had foolishly clung to.
She licked her lips as she opened her eyes, and shook her head at the disappointed woman that stared back at her from the mirror. “You’re just going to have to get over this stupid crush of yours.”
Maeve might not be a romantic possibility for her, but she was still a friend, and Joss would be damned if she did anything to risk spoiling that.
Despite the fact that there was a part of her that was brokenhearted over the loss of the possibility of someday with Maeve, Joss could not deny that she still wanted to spend as much time with her as she could before she had to head into town for the day. It did not take her long to gather her things and lock up, and minutes later she was making the familiar trek up the drive in her Jeep instead of on foot.
She pulled to a stop behind Maeve’s SUV in the large driveway, and tossed her keys onto her seat as she jumped out of the car and slammed her door shut. She tugged at the hem of her shirt as she climbed the stairs to the front porch, and avoided looking at her reflection in the glass front doors as she pushed her thumb to the doorbell.
The melodic chime of the bell echoed loudly through the house, and Joss could not help the way her stomach flipped when she spotted Maeve sauntering down the hall to answer the door.
This crush is going to be hell to get over.
Even though she knew nothing would ever come of it, she still took a moment to just appreciate Maeve’s beauty, awed as she ever was by the radiant smile that curled Maeve’s lips. Her heart ka-thumped heavily in her chest as the door opened, and she returned Maeve’s smile, feeling both disappointed that she would never know what it would be like to kiss those lips, and happy that her presence made Maeve smile like that.
“Hey,” Maeve greeted, her smile brightening even further as she waved Joss inside. “You made it.”
“Of course.” Joss stepped into the foyer and looked around. “Where’s George?” Before she had even finished her question, George’s appearance was announced by the sound of nails clattering on the wood floor at a sprint, and Joss was just able to brace herself before the dog jumped at her.
Maeve laughed. “She’s right there.”
“I see that.” Joss scratched her hands up and down George’s sides as the dog spun happily in front of her. “Yes, George,” she crooned as she continued to pet her, “I missed you too.”
George made a sound that was a cross between a yip and a growl as she stared accusingly at Joss.
“I’m sorry,” Joss apologized. “It won’t happen again.”
The promise seemed to appease the Dane, because she snorted and trotted down the hall toward the great room. Maeve and Joss followed, and Joss laughed at the loud aroo George let loose as she climbed up onto the couch that squeaked in protest beneath her paws before she flopped onto it.
“I guess she told me,” Joss chuckled, shaking her head.
“That dog, I swear,” Maeve muttered. “Are you sure you want to deal with her when I’m gone?”
George grunted and shimmied onto her back, the couch springs creaking with every wiggle, and hung her head upside down off the side of the couch as she made herself comfortable.
“Oh yeah,” Joss said, laughing as she followed Maeve into the kitchen. “We’re gonna have a blast.”
Thirteen
“You’re insane.” Scott nodded at the hulking body behind the register with Joss. He grinned and picked up the last box of books to be shelved from their delivery that morning. “You know that, right?”
“I’ve worked with you for how many years and you’re just figuring that out?” Joss quipped, smirking as she glanced over at George, who was standing beside her, paws placed squarely on the counter beside the register. George’s tongue was hanging out, and she panted as she got her head scratched by the customer Joss was just finishing ringing up.
Maeve had left for Denver earlier that morning to fly home to the Midwest, and Joss had run out to pick up George as soon as Scott arrived for his shift. Friday was one of the few days where she got home early enough to have an actual dinner that was not from a bag or a microwave, but she felt bad leaving George alone until she got off work. Bringing a Great Dane that had a penchant for running into people to Atramentum was perhaps not the brightest idea Joss had ever had, but so far it was working out beautifully. George was loving all the attention she was getting from customers, Willy Shakes was purring happily from his spot in the window as he watched her, and Dickens was tolerating her presence better than he did most interlopers—even moving down a shelf on his usual bookcase to watch her.
“Have a good rest of the day,” the man said, giving George a few solid pats on the top of the head before he smiled at Joss, picked up his books, and walked out the door.
George tilted her head to watch him leave, and Joss chuckled as pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of George standing at the counter. Maeve was probably still on her plane, but Joss still sent her the picture with a note, George wants Scott’s job. It’s okay if I pay her in Milk-Bones, right?
To her surprise, her phone buzzed with an incoming text not even twenty seconds later, and she smiled as she read Maeve’s reply. That’s hilarious. Go for it.
Joss looked over at George and winked. “Your mom says I can hire you.”
George yawned and dropped back to the floor, giving a hearty shake before she turned in a small circle and curled herself up in a ball at Joss’ feet.
“Don’t look too excited,” she told George as she typed out, Wasn’t expecting to hear from you so quickly. Are you already in Chicago? Her phone rang a moment later, and Joss smiled as she answered it. “Hey, lady.”
“Hey lady, yourself,” Maeve replied with a laugh. “Why is my dog at Atramentum?”
“Because I felt bad leaving her home all alone while I worked,” Joss answered matter-of-factly. “Besides, she’s doing great. She sold three copies of your book
s already.”
“Well done, Georgie-girl.”
Joss laughed as she spotted the shop’s more surly resident edge closer to the front counter. “Yeah. And she’s even getting Dickens to loosen up.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Tell me about it. So, are you in Chicago already?”
Maeve groaned. “I wish. I’m still in Denver. Flight’s been delayed twice already for mechanical issues.”
Joss hummed understandingly. “It’s better than crashing though, right?”
“Well, when you put it that way…”
“You’re welcome.”
A tinny voice echoed through the phone and Maeve sighed. “All right. They’re saying we’re going to board now. Here’s to hoping we make it.”
“George and I will keep our fingers crossed. Hey, do me a favor and shoot me a text when you land. George is going to be worried sick until she knows you’re safe and sound on terra firma once again.”
Maeve chuckled. “I will.”
“Good. Have fun this weekend.”
“I will try my best. Give George a love for me.”
“You bet. See you soon.”
“Bye.”
“Bye,” Joss murmured.
“Bye,” Scott repeated in a sickly sweet voice. “She’s pathetic, isn’t she, George?”
George huffed and covered her eye with her paw.
“Thanks for the support. Traitor,” Joss teased, nudging the dog with her foot. She laughed when George just growled and tucked herself into a tighter ball.
Scott laughed. “Seriously, though. What's your plan for the weekend? Are you going to bring George in here with you every day?”
“Why not?” Joss shrugged. “She's used to being around Maeve all the time, so it'd be mean to leave her home alone all day while I'm here. Besides, it's not like she's causing any trouble.”
As if to prove Joss' point, George let out a loud snore as Willy Shakes leapt from his perch to cuddle up against her, the normally affable cat giving Scott the stink-eye as he curled himself into a ball on her back.
Joss grinned. “See?”
“That is pretty cute,” Scott admitted as he leaned against the edge of the counter. “So besides work, what do you have planned for your weekend with that one?”
“Haven't thought about it. I mean, it's not like George is an actual kid I have to keep entertained or anything. I’ll take her on a walk at night, and on my run in the mornings, but she seems fine just hanging out.”
The bell above the front door jingled to life with new customers, and George jolted back into action, dumping Willy onto the floor as she stood up to check out their arrivals. The women were pretty, one tall and blonde and the other a short brunette, and they both stopped just inside the door to gape at George, whose chin was resting on the counter beside the register as her tail smacked against the side of Joss’ thigh.
“Wow. Big dog,” the brunette said.
“You got that right,” Scott agreed. “Welcome to Atramentum. Can I help you find anything today?”
George popped up into a textbook counter-surfing posture, back straight, forearms planted firmly on the countertop, and gave the woman a dopey grin. They both laughed and came over to pet her, and George chuffed happily as she soaked up the attention.
“You are adorable,” the tall blonde told George.
“What’s his name?” the brunette asked.
“Her name is George,” Joss shared with a smile.
“As in, George Elliot?” the brunette guessed.
Joss shook her head. That had actually been her first guess too, and she had been surprised when Maeve revealed the true origin of George’s name. “As in the character from the Nancy Drew novels.”
“That’s awesome,” the brunette chuckled. “Great name.”
“I didn’t pick it, unfortunately, but I’ll let her mom know.” Joss winked. “I’m just babysitting her for the weekend.”
The women nodded in understanding and looked at each other. “Well, should we pick up a few books? We’re going to need to head out soon so we can get down to Denver to catch our flight home.”
“Where are you two visiting from?” Joss asked conversationally.
“New Hampshire,” the brunette answered, the blonde smiling shyly as she nodded and looked around the shop.
“And you came to Sky on vacation instead of somewhere with a beach?” Joss teased.
“Mackayla is doing research for her next novel,” the brunette shared, smiling at her companion. “Besides, it’s been a fun trip. We have trees back home, but the mountains are spectacular.”
“Next novel? So you’ve written others?” Scott asked. When the woman the brunette called Mackayla blushed and nodded, he added, “Would we carry them?”
Mackayla shrugged. “Possibly.”
“If we do, we would love it if you’d autograph our stock,” Joss said. “It’s not often we have authors through our door. We’ll move them out to the front here, and set up a little display to draw attention to them.”
“Oh, wow. That’d be great. Thank you,” Mackayla murmured.
“Our pleasure,” Joss assured her. “Well, yeah. We’ll let you get to it, then. If you need any help finding something, just let us know.”
“We will,” Mackayla said with a smile as her companion gave George’s head one last pat. “Thank you.” She tilted her head toward the back of the store. “Charlotte?”
“You know you should totally ask Maeve to autograph her books too, right?” Scott asked once the women had disappeared into the stacks.
“I’m not taking advantage of my friend like that,” Joss said, shaking her head. “Besides, George here”—she gave the dog’s side a solid thump—“is moving enough of her mom’s books on her own.”
“I’m just saying…”
“I know what you’re saying, Scott. And the answer is still no,” Joss replied, perhaps a little more forcefully than she needed to. The edge in her tone had him instantly backing down and George regarding her curiously, and she sighed as she scrubbed her face with her hands. “Just drop it, okay?”
“Okay, fine,” he said, holding his hands up in defeat. “Sorry.”
Joss shook her head. She shrugged. She had been feeling especially protective of Maeve ever since she learned about what had happened with her ex-fiancé, and Scott’s comments just pushed her buttons. “I’m sorry. I’m just…”
“Looking out for your lady. I get it.”
“She’s not ‘my lady’.”
“You want her to be.”
“Doesn’t matter what I want,” Joss muttered. She had kept Maeve’s revelation to herself, not wanting to betray her confidence, but she needed him to just back off. She knew that he was just teasing, but it hurt more, somehow, knowing for sure that friendship was the most she would ever have with Maeve. “She’s straight.”
Scott froze, his eyes widening in surprise at the definitiveness in Joss’ tone. “You’re positive?”
Joss ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Yeah. So just back off, okay? She’s my friend, and I’m not going to take advantage of that just to sell a few books.”
“Okay.” He studied her for a moment and then reached out to give her arm a gentle squeeze. “For what it’s worth, she’s missing out.”
Joss shrugged. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure. Now,” he continued, his voice rising, “why don’t you and George go hang out at your place for the rest of the day while I handle things here. You’ve earned a little break, and she looks like she could stand to stretch her legs.”
Joss looked at George, who she swore was staring hopefully back at her, and laughed. “Okay.” She glanced at Scott. “You’re sure?”
“Positive,” he assured her with a wink.
“All right, then.” Joss reached beneath the counter for George’s leash, and clipped it to the dog’s collar. “You wanna go for a ride in the car, George?”
George licked her
hand and dropped back to the ground.
“Looks like a yes to me.” Scott moved out of the way so Joss and George could squeeze past him. “Have fun.”
Joss gave George’s head a light pet and nodded. “We will.”
It took her almost twice as long as usual to get to her car because of people stopping her to ask about George, and Joss blew out a quiet breath of relief once she got George settled in the backseat of her car. “Let’s go home.”
She hurried around the back of the car, and laughed when she climbed inside to find George sitting on the passenger’s seat. “Really?”
George grinned and licked her cheek.
“All right, but you better behave. No trying to climb onto my lap like you did on the way over.”
George gave her a crestfallen look.
Joss shook her head. “No. It doesn’t matter how cute you are. You’re not driving.”
George huffed and pointedly turned her head to look out the window.
Joss chuckled and lifted her phone to snap a quick picture. George looked too cute sitting there with the top of her head pressed against the roof of the jeep, and Joss knew that it would make Maeve smile. George looked over at her at the sound of the shutter clicking, and Joss nodded to herself as she got an idea. She dropped the phone into the cup holder and arched a brow at George. “Whattaya say we send your mom lots of pictures this weekend?”
George’s tongue lolled out the side of her mouth and she made a happy chuffing sound.
“Good.” Joss gave George’s cheek an affectionate pat and just barely dodged another kiss. “You wanna go for a run when we get home?”
George barked and began practically vibrating on the seat, her entire body shaking with the movement of her tail that was trapped beneath her behind.
“Excellent.” Joss cranked the ignition and shifted into reverse. She backed slowly out of the spot, and pulled to a gentle stop before putting the car in drive, mindful of her copilot who was not wearing a seat belt. George looked at her as they rolled forward, and Joss grinned. “This is gonna be fun.”