by Aurora Rey
Will smiled. Was it as easy at that? “I’m used to irregular hours. I don’t mind. And I really appreciate the opportunity.”
Graham, who must have been hovering just around the corner, popped her head in. “When do we start?”
Nora laughed, so Will let herself chuckle as well. “I’m helping my sister move later this week. Otherwise, my schedule is completely open.”
“Let me get my reservation book.” Nora stood and disappeared into the kitchen.
Will looked at Graham, who waved her arms around in a silent happy dance. It was cute, but Will was still trying to make a good impression. “Would you be cool?”
Graham rolled her eyes, but gave Will two thumbs up as Nora returned. “I’ve got guests this weekend, but Tuesday through Thursday of next week looks clear.”
Will smiled. “Works for me. Do you know where you’d like to start?”
“One of the rooms upstairs has sadly dated wallpaper. I’d like to remove it and paint. Can that be done in three days?”
“Absolutely. Especially if Graham is helping.”
Graham offered a salute. “At your service.”
Will stood and extended her hand again. It was the professional thing to do, but part of her simply wanted to touch Nora again. When their hands touched, she felt the crackle of a static shock. Nora jerked her hand away. “Sorry,” Will said.
“No, no. I think it was me.” Nora reached out and took Will’s hand.
No shock this time, but Will experienced an entirely different kind of spark. She wondered if Nora did, too. “I’ll see you next Tuesday. Is eight o’clock too early?”
Graham groaned. “How’s nine?”
“Either works for me,” Nora said.
Will looked at Graham, who gave her a playfully pleading look. “Let’s say eight-thirty.”
Graham gave Will a quick hug. “I’ll take it.”
Nora said goodbye and Graham walked her to the door. “Thanks for hooking me up.”
“I’m glad it worked out. I’m so excited we’re going to still be working together.”
“Me, too.”
Will left the inn and headed toward Emerson’s condo, stopping at Wired Puppy for coffees. The wind had picked up and rain seemed imminent. She hunched her shoulders against it and wondered how long she had before it turned to snow. Probably better not to think about it.
She knocked on Emerson’s door. When it opened, she found a bedraggled version of her sister on the other side. “Hi.”
Emerson’s gaze went from Will’s face to the cups in her hands and back. “Oh, my God. How did you know I was on the verge of giving up?”
Will smiled. “I didn’t, but I’m glad I’m here.”
Emerson accepted one of the coffees and stepped back so Will could enter. It took only a second to understand the source and extent of Emerson’s state. Her place was a disaster. Emerson offered a sheepish smile. “It’s going slower than I thought.”
“Slower? Have you actually packed anything?”
“Yes.” Emerson’s answer was emphatic, but when Will gave her a stern look, she recanted. “Some. A little.”
She pointed to a pile of exactly three boxes in the corner. Will shook her head. “You’re terrible at this.”
“I thought I should sort through things, get rid of some stuff.”
“It’s a noble idea. And when you start a month before you’re moving, totally reasonable. When you’re moving in two days, not so much.”
“Oh.” Emerson frowned.
“The closing came together faster than you expected, so it’s not entirely your fault.” It really had. Within a month of putting her place on the market, Emerson had a buyer. And she and Darcy had found an adorable little Cape Cod-style house off Long Pond Road.
“Thanks. Does that mean you’re here to help?”
Will pretended to consider, even though she’d shown up with the intention of helping. “I could be persuaded. Especially since I got a job today.”
“You did? Where?”
“Not full-time or anything. I told you about my friend Graham from work?”
Emerson angled her head. “I think so. Grad student, right?”
“Yeah. She’s staying in town through Christmas. Her aunt owns Failte Inn and hired us both to paint a couple rooms and do some other projects.”
“That’s cool. Are you two…” Emerson trailed off in a way that invited Will to finish the sentence.
“Good friends. Nothing more.”
Emerson looked at her with concern. “Are you still feeling gun shy?”
There were a million different, yet completely honest, ways she could answer that. “No. I mean, maybe a little. I don’t want to make another terrible mistake, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t lonely. I don’t think a celibate life is for me.”
Emerson smiled. “That’s good. You deserve to find someone, or to have some fun if you want to. I know you feel like you stayed with Kai longer than you should have, but she was still the fuck-up in your relationship.”
“I know.” She did know. And Emerson had helped to drive home the point when Will confessed the extent of Kai’s abusive behavior. But that didn’t mean she’d entirely finished beating herself up about it, or questioning her judgment.
“Are you interested?”
Will blinked at her, confused. “Huh?”
“Graham. Are you interested in her?”
Will shook her head. “Oh, no. It’s not like that. She’s very pretty. Smart and funny, too. It’s,” Will paused, “she feels like a kid still. Kind of innocent.”
Emerson smirked. “And you’re so jaded and world-weary?”
Will rolled her eyes. “In relative terms, maybe.”
“Why do I feel like you aren’t telling me the whole story?”
Will sighed. One thing hadn’t changed through the years, even when they hadn’t seen much of each other. Emerson could still read her like a book. It was kind of annoying, considering she was the younger of them. Annoying, but also nice. “I met her aunt.”
Emerson raised a brow. “And?”
“And she’s gorgeous. Like, movie star gorgeous.”
Emerson made a face. “How old is she?”
“Not old.” Will straightened her posture. “Early forties, maybe? I think she’s Graham’s dad’s younger sister. Or maybe her mom’s. I can’t remember.”
“And you have the hots for her?”
On a most basic level, the answer was yes. She did have the hots for Nora. But even though they’d only spent maybe twenty minutes total in one another’s company, Will felt like it went deeper than that. Not that she could articulate exactly what that meant, but it was definitely more than a passing infatuation. “I’m attracted to her. She has this poise, an elegance to her. I appreciate it and want to muss it up at the same time.” Emerson studied the box in front of her. The lack of response, paired with her refusal to make eye contact, told Will that she didn’t approve. “What?”
Emerson looked up. “What? I didn’t say anything.”
Will shook her head. “You didn’t have to. I can tell.”
Emerson crossed her arms. “What can you tell?”
Will mirrored the gesture. It was how they’d faced off for as long as she could remember. “That you don’t think she’s someone I should be attracted to.”
“You can’t help who you’re attracted to. It just happens. Acting on it is another matter.”
“Okay, fine. You don’t think I should act on my attraction to her.” She was being defensive, but she couldn’t help it. Probably because part of her knew that pursuing Nora would be a terrible idea.
Emerson shrugged slowly, like she was weighing whether or not to say anything. “It’s not that she’s older, but she seems to be in a very different place in her life than you. And if you’re friends with her niece…”
She trailed off again, leaving Will to fill in the rest. Will sighed, irritated with Emerson, but more so with herself. “
I haven’t asked her out. And I probably won’t. For all the reasons you mentioned. And then some.”
“You know I’m not telling you what to do.”
Will sighed. “I know.”
“I just worry about you.”
“I know that, too.”
“And I want you to be happy.”
“Yeah.” Will knew Emerson cared about her. And, despite being younger, had a tendency to be protective of her. It wasn’t that she resented it. She resented the idea that she needed protecting, especially from her own bad choices.
“I didn’t mean to be a killjoy. What can I do to make you feel better?”
Will squared her shoulders and smiled. “Nothing. I’m here to help you, remember? I’m perfectly happy with my life right now. And you’re right. I will find someone and I’ll probably do better if she’s someone even remotely in my league.”
Emerson pointed a finger at Will. “Hey, I never said she was out of your league. You’re a great catch in any league.”
At the compliment, Will’s irritation melted. How could she hold a grudge against her biggest champion? “Thanks. That’s not exactly what I meant, but thanks all the same.”
“I mean it, though. You’re going to make some woman very happy someday. And she’s going to know how lucky she is to have you and treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
Will cringed. “Okay, we’re venturing into pep talk territory here. You know how I feel about pep talks.”
“All right. No more pep. I promise.” Emerson laughed. “I still find it ironic that someone who was on more sports teams than I could even name hates pep talks.”
Will raised a finger. “There’s a difference between getting pumped up for a big game and coming to terms with my poor choices in the romance department. I hate pep talks about my love life.”
“Point taken. I’m done.”
Will took a deep breath. “Great. How about we get to work?”
Emerson looked around, seeming surprised that the chaos hadn’t worked itself out when she wasn’t looking. “Right.”
They spent two hours packing. Now that Emerson had let go of the need to purge, things moved quickly. She did manage to toss some old art supplies and at least a dozen paint-splattered shirts, so there was that. By the time they called it a night, Will guessed more than half the condo was packed.
Emerson surveyed the space with a pleased look on her face. “You’re a life saver.”
“You needed a nudge more than anything, and I’m always happy to give you a kick in the ass. Gently, of course.”
“Of course. Well, it did the trick. I’m no longer terrified Darcy will come over and see how little I’ve done.”
Will arranged several boxes into a neat stack. “How are things at her place?”
Emerson shook her head. “She and Liam are packing and organizing machines. Other than the things strategically left out to use this week, they finished days ago.”
Will smiled. “I love that.”
“Me, too. Except that it’s made me feel like a total slacker.”
“Eh, it’ll pass.”
“Thanks. I’m heading over for dinner soon. Do you want to come?”
“No, you go do the family thing. I’m good.” Will tossed her now-empty coffee cup in the trash and went to the door.
“Okay. I’ll see you Friday?”
Will nodded. “I’ll pick you up to go get the truck at seven.”
Emerson followed. “God, that’s early.”
“I know. See you then.”
Emerson put her hand on the knob, but stopped. “You know I support you, right? And you can date whoever you want. Well, except Kai.”
Will took a deep breath. “I know.”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I know that, too. And I know my track record lately hasn’t been all that great. I appreciate you looking out for me.” Even when it irritated her.
“You certainly did it enough times for me.” Emerson pulled Will into a hug and then sent her on her way.
Chapter Five
Nora pulled into Martha and Heidi’s narrow driveway and cut the engine. She’d been happy that Will couldn’t start for a few days, since she had plans of her own. What had started as a bridge group some ten or twelve years ago had morphed into friendship. Two of those friends had become a second family, sharing birthdays and illnesses, holidays and hard times. It also, as was the case today, included binge watching Netflix.
She grabbed the six pack from the seat next to her and headed to the side door. She knocked, but walked in without waiting for an answer. She found Martha and Heidi in the kitchen. Bowls of popcorn, snack mix, and M&Ms took up most of the small island in the middle of the room.
Nora chuckled. “Did you invite the whole neighborhood? I would have brought more beer.”
Heidi rolled her eyes and tipped her head in Martha’s direction. “Don’t blame me. She has no self-control.”
Martha huffed. “If you’re going to binge watch something, you might as well binge.”
Nora nodded. “She has a point.”
“Please don’t encourage her.” Heidi shook her head but slid her arm around Martha’s middle and squeezed.
“But I do think one shouldn’t watch six hours of television straight without some heavy-duty carb loading,” Nora said.
“Exactly.” Martha took the beer from Nora and opened three. “And if we’re entering a world where a lesbian can be on the Supreme Court, it will also be a world where I can eat all the Chex Mix I want.”
They each took a bottle and a bowl into the living room, setting up a buffet of sorts on the coffee table. Martha picked up the remote and navigated them through the menu. Nora helped herself to a handful of popcorn. “This feels much more civilized than queuing it up at midnight.”
“Agreed. We’re too old for that nonsense.” She hit play and Nora settled in for some mindless entertainment.
After three episodes—complete with heckling, commentary about wardrobe choices, and cheering a particularly steamy same-sex kiss—Martha looked over at her. “Stretch and pee break?”
Nora nodded. “Sounds good.”
They wandered into the kitchen, taking turns using the restroom. While Heidi was in, Martha folded her arms and leaned back against the counter. “How’s life at the inn?”
Nora shrugged. “Quiet, at least in relative terms. Weekends are still full, but I’m empty two nights this week and three next.”
“Graham still there?”
“Yes. She’s going to stay until Christmas. My sister and her husband are coming up and we’ll do Christmas here.”
“Oh, that’ll be nice. I know you haven’t gone there the last couple of years.”
Nora rolled her eyes. “Much to my sister’s chagrin. I hate traveling in the winter, though, and it’s a surprisingly good week for business.”
“Well, this seems like a win for both of you. Anything else going on?”
Nora’s mind went immediately to Will. Not that she would admit that. Even if Martha and Heidi were her best friends, there were some things she simply didn’t confide. Will, and whatever feelings she stirred up, fell squarely in that category. “Not much.” After saying that, she realized the other, non-weird reason Will was on her mind and almost laughed at her hypervigilance. “I’m using the down time to freshen a couple of rooms. New paint, waxing floors.”
“Did you hire someone?” Martha raised a brow. “I know how much you hate that sort of thing.”
She thought back to her halting attempts to do some of the initial work on the inn. She’d already become friends with Martha and Heidi. They’d shown up one day to help out and found her half covered in paint and swearing at a paint roller. Not her finest moment. “Sort of. Graham wanted some projects to earn her keep and one of her friends from the fleet was looking for winter jobs to tide her over.”
Heidi emerged just as Nora finished her sentence. “Who’s looking for w
inter jobs?”
“Graham’s friend that Nora hired to do some painting at her place.”
“Ah.” Heidi nodded. “Is she Graham’s age?”
Nora shook her head. “Older than Graham, but still on the young side. At least compared to us old biddies.”
Martha wagged a finger. “We are not biddies. We are women in our prime.”
Heidi leaned forward and looked at her suggestively. “Is she gay? Is she hot?”
Nora rolled her eyes. “You’re incorrigible. I doubt she’s even thirty.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I shouldn’t assume it, but she’s probably gay. She seems it.”
Heidi nodded again. “Good looking?”
Nora ran fingers through her hair and looked at the refrigerator. She didn’t want to lie, but she had no intention of articulating just how attractive she found Will. Doing so would ensure that Martha and Heidi would want to talk of little else. And since she was doing her best to think of Will less rather than more, that was the last thing she wanted to do. She shrugged. “In a way. Kind of fresh and wholesome looking I’d say.”
“So, girly?”
“Oh, no.” Nora thought about the way Will’s pants hung on her hips. The muscles in her arms. The way the super short hair on the back of her neck begged to be touched. She made an involuntary noise that she had to quickly cover up with a cough.
“So, she is hot.”
Nora sighed. “She’s got to be twenty years younger than us and she’s working for me. Two very compelling reasons for me not to have an opinion on the matter.”
Martha shrugged. “But that doesn’t stop you from having one. It’s human nature. And if you’re being reticent, you probably think she’s attractive.”
Nora reminded herself that she liked having friends who were astute, and direct. “She happens to fall into the category of women I find attractive, yes.”
“Category of women?” Heidi shook her head. “I think you might be trying too hard.”
“If I am, it’s because I’m smart enough to know I have no business being attracted to her.”
“But you hired her.” Martha folded her arms.
“Graham asked me to. If anything, I think Graham might have a thing for her. And if the feeling is mutual, I’d just as soon see for myself what she’s all about.”