“I hate you.”
“So you’ve said.” Catherine stood with a grin and turned to go. Looking back at Jessica, her smile softened as she said, “Jess. It’ll be okay. Stop worrying.”
Jessica nodded and gave a smile back, watched as Catherine left her alone in the office with her thoughts. She replayed all the conversation from last night and a glance out the window showed the big, white Channel Six van pulling into a parking spot. She watched as a sedan pulled in next to it and Sydney exited the passenger side. She was looking down at her tablet, but the sun glinted off her dark hair like it was bouncing off spun silk. Unsurprisingly, she wore business attire. Tan dress slacks and a black short-sleeved top. A black-and-tan lightweight scarf was draped around her neck and the gold watch on her arm slid loosely up and down as she gestured to Jeff near the van, then moved toward the door of the shelter.
Jessica took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I guess it’s now or never.”
*
How ridiculous is it that I don’t get butterflies before going on live television, but I have them now when I’m about to see the woman I made out with last night?
Sydney shook her head at herself. This is how her train of thought had been going since the wee hours of the morning. Sleep had laughed at her and left her bedroom to find more deserving people to visit while Sydney had lain awake trying not to replay every moment of the bathroom incident, but doing exactly that.
Which was infinitely better than replaying that scene with Anna after everybody had left.
She did her best to box up the subject and put it on a high shelf in her brain for now as she pushed through the front doors of Junebug Farms. It was blissfully quiet for the moment—or as quiet as an animal shelter can conceivably be—and Sydney walked into the lobby in full-on TV personality mode. It was the best way to keep control. She directed Jeff to where she wanted his camera. She accepted a steaming cup of mediocre coffee from Regina – Volunteer. She went over the rehearsal schedule with Connor.
I got this. I’m running things. I’m the boss here.
Well, Connor was really the boss, but Sydney didn’t care. This was working. The mantra ran in her head, loud and strong, for the better part of twenty minutes. She was in her zone. In the groove. She snapped her fingers and people did what she said. The wheels were turning on her well-oiled machine. This was going to be great.
Then she looked to her left and saw Jessica walking toward her from the hallway to her office. And the wheels came right off that well-oiled machine. Just…popped off. Spun away in different directions, never to be seen again.
“Hi,” Jessica said, and her smile was pretty, but seemed a bit forced.
“Hey,” Sydney said back, and felt immediately that her own smile was much too wide.
“How are you?” Jessica asked.
“I’m good. You?”
“I’m good.”
They stood facing each other, eyes darting, hands fidgeting, voices silent. Sydney swallowed. Jessica looked off into the distance as the sound of barking seemed to increase for no reason.
“God, good thing I brought my cover-up,” Bridget said from behind Sydney, startling both her and Jessica. “What the hell happened to you guys last night? Neither of you look like you slept a wink.” She shook her head and walked over to the pile of equipment where her makeup case was stacked.
Sydney turned to Jessica, who had flushed a deep red. Their gazes held for a beat before they both burst into nervous laughter. Which actually helped, Sydney realized, as it seemed to break a bit of the tension.
Connor approached them then and began talking about the schedule and that also helped keep any awkwardness at bay. Sydney had to work at it, but she was able to shift her focus to the job at hand. And from the way Jessica seemed to relax over the next hour or so, she seemed to have the same success.
Thank God.
Jessica’s part in the rehearsal went off without a hitch, which did not surprise Sydney at all. The woman was a natural. That lasted about three hours, as there was time built in to the six-hour telethon for video clips, interviews, commercials and other things that didn’t involve either Sydney or Jessica. After the three hours, she set Jessica free and focused on the phone bank volunteers who’d be answering calls, the regular shelter volunteers who would be on camera here and there, and guests who’d be appearing live to bring in their donations. One of those was Emily Breckenridge.
“My mom usually does this,” she told Sydney as they went over her part, where she’d stand, where to look, all that good stuff. “But she’s away on vacation, so she asked me, given my…ties to the shelter.”
“Yeah, I’d say you’re pretty attached here.” Sydney had really grown to like Emily, and today that opinion was solidified. She seemed genuine and fun. “How long have you and Catherine been together?” she asked, keeping her voice low in case it wasn’t public knowledge.
Emily’s volume stayed the same, so Sydney had to believe it was known, at least here at the shelter. “Not that long, really. A few months.” She glanced over Sydney’s shoulder, then went on. “We met at the beginning of last winter, but it took me a while to win her over. Lots of expensive wine and fancy gifts. She’s all about my money.”
“She could stand to learn a few things about wine, though,” came a voice behind Sydney, and she turned to meet the smiling face of Catherine Gardner. Catherine looked at her girlfriend and muttered, “Smart ass.”
“You wouldn’t have me any other way,” Emily said.
“This is true,” was Catherine’s reply, and while they didn’t kiss or even touch, their feelings for each other were so obvious and solid that Sydney was sure she could smell them in the air. Taste them. Hold them in her hands if she wanted to.
Not one to have ever been envious of somebody’s relationship, Sydney found herself in unfamiliar territory and it made her feel weirdly unsteady to watch these two. She shook the thoughts from her head and focused on the task at hand, going over things with Emily a second time, then did a quick rehearsal. Concentrating on the work and purposely not looking at Emily while she stood anywhere near Catherine seemed to help a tiny bit.
“You got this,” Sydney said when they finished. “I’m not worried.” And she wasn’t. While Emily wasn’t as naturally relaxed in front of the camera as Jessica, she was good enough. A little nervous, a little jumpy, but mostly fine. And she would only be on for a minute or two. “Be here tomorrow by…” Sydney ran her finger down the schedule on her tablet. “Two. You go on at 2:45. Sound good?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Emily tossed her a salute, then she and Catherine left the set and walked toward the hall where all offices except Jessica’s were.
Jessica…
They hadn’t really had much of a chance to talk about last night, it had been so chaotic all day. And while she’d initially thought that was a good thing, the not talking about last night, now she had the weird desire to. At least a little. Like, just address it, so it didn’t sit there like an enormous pink triangle in the middle of the telethon tomorrow. Today had been chaotic, yes, but tomorrow would be worse, so maybe she should just get it out of the way.
“I guess it’s now or never,” she muttered as she watched the cleanup process around her for a beat before heading toward Jessica’s office.
Sydney stopped in the doorway and just stood there, watching, as Jessica leaned a hip against her desk and gazed out the window, her back to Sydney.
The royal blue top she’d worn today couldn’t have been more perfect for showcasing the sensual beauty of her coloring. It was short-sleeved and had a V-neck, perfect for highlighting her creamy skin and the blue set off her eyes to the point of nearly making you gasp in surprise at the depth of their color. Sydney had almost said something, almost told her how amazing she looked, but didn’t want to embarrass her in front of all the people present. Plus, Anna was nearby and Sydney figured complimenting Jessica might not go over so well with her.
Two more days.
She actually stood there, just watching Jessica, just taking her in, for a long moment before gently clearing her throat.
Jessica turned to look at her, and the blue of her eyes struck from all the way across the room. “Hey,” she said with a hesitant smile.
“Hey back,” Sydney said, then shut the door behind her and walked slowly into the office. “You did great today. Tomorrow will be a cakewalk.”
“Don’t jinx me,” Jessica said, chuckling quietly as she pulled out her chair and sat.
“No worries. You’ll be fine.” Sydney sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and there were several beats of silence. “So,” she said, finally. “About last night…”
“About last night…”
“Yeah.”
“What about last night?” Jessica propped her elbows on her desk and set her chin in her palms as she watched Sydney struggle to find words.
“I thought…we should probably talk about it.”
“Probably.”
“You want to go first?”
Jessica’s laugh punched the air. “Um, no.”
Sydney grinned. She couldn’t help it. “You know what? I was really nervous to come in here, but now I’m not. Now? Now I feel happy. And I’m really glad to be sitting right here with you.” Wait, what?
“You should see the look on your face right now,” Jessica said, pointing at her.
“Yeah, well, this is the face I make when I open my mouth to speak and something I hadn’t planned on comes out.”
“Must be hard in your line of work then.”
Sydney kept grinning.
“So…you’re not happy to be sitting here with me right now? That was a lie?”
“No,” Sydney said with a firm shake of her head. “That was the absolute truth. I’m happy now. And I was happy last night in the bathroom of the bar. I also learned something then.”
“Yeah? Care to share?” Jessica had shifted so her chin rested against just one fist as she gazed at Sydney with such intensity Sydney was sure she could feel the heat from it.
“Yes. I learned that you kiss just as amazingly as I imagined you did.”
“You imagined kissing me?” Jessica asked, and her cheeks flushed a bit.
“I did. And you blush a lot.”
“Shut up, I do not.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“You like to tease me,” Jessica said, and her voice had gone husky. And sexy.
Sydney swallowed hard and said, “I didn’t come in here to tease you. Honestly, I was just going to leave it alone, not mention anything. Like last time. But…” She stopped, worried she’d already gone too far. It was as if her mouth had a mind of its own, just saying random things that she’d had every intention of keeping to herself. What was it about this woman?
“I was, too. And then Catherine said—”
“Wait. Catherine knows?” Sydney sat up a little straighter.
Jessica gave her a look. “Yes. And I’m surprised I didn’t burst into flames and turn to a pile of ash given the eye daggers Anna was throwing my way. I just have to ask…are you two…officially a thing?” She didn’t like asking the question, that was obvious.
“No.” Sydney put every ounce of certainty into her voice that she could. “We’re not. Officially or unofficially. She’s become a little…inexplicably possessive, considering I’ve never indicated, intimated, or even pretended we were together. We’re not. And we never were.”
Jessica still didn’t look completely convinced
“Look.” Sydney released a huff of frustration and regret. “I didn’t know she worked here. We met in a bar once, before I was even assigned to the telethon, and—”
“Uh, yeah, I know about that. You don’t have to…”
Sydney really wanted to explain, but she let it slide for the moment. “How did Catherine know?” Sydney asked.
Jessica arched an eyebrow. “Really? ’Cuz I’m pretty sure everybody knew. We were in the bathroom together for a long time. With the door locked. I imagine my face was red when I came out. Your lips were swollen…” Jessica’s eyes dropped to Sydney’s mouth.
“They were?” Sydney asked very softly and raised a hand to her lips.
Jessica nodded, her eyes going a little bit dark, and Sydney watched, entranced, as Jessica stood up, rounded the desk, her gaze never leaving Sydney’s. Once in front of her, she took Sydney’s hands, pulled her to her feet, gently cupped her face with both hands, and pressed their mouths together.
Sydney’s breath hitched. Her heart rate kicked up dramatically. Her eyes closed. Her hands landed softly on Jessica’s waist, held tight as the kiss started tentatively, but quickly went from sweetly harmless to something a bit deeper, and then a bit deeper still. With Sydney in her heels, they were about the same height, so when she pulled Jessica closer, their thighs pressed together, their breasts melded.
God, this woman.
Sydney couldn’t understand it, but she couldn’t get enough. She pushed her tongue into Jessica’s mouth, wanting to get closer somehow, knowing it was impossible, but trying anyway. Jessica’s tongue pressed back, and Sydney heard herself release a breathy moan as she cupped Jessica’s chin in her hand, seriously contemplating the idea of making out with her all day long.
And she might have…if the stunned voice hadn’t interrupted them.
“Wow.”
Both of them jumped, the sudden sound startling them apart, and Sydney turned to meet the pained eyes of Anna St. John standing in the doorway.
Jessica made a sound of anguish. “Anna…”
“What the hell, Jessica?” Anna stared, her eyes full of hurt and accusation. “Has every woman in this place decided to make sure I can’t be happy? Is there a rule I don’t know about?”
“Oh, Anna, no.” Jessica took one step toward her, but Anna held up a hand and the expression on her face must have warned Jessica back, as she stopped. It would have kept Sydney rooted to her spot, too.
“And you,” Anna said, and in an instant, the anguish turned to rage. “What’s your deal? Are you trying to make out with every woman here? Do you have a bet with somebody? Who’s next on the list? Catherine? Lisa?”
Sydney swallowed hard, couldn’t manage words. Instead, she lamely shook her head, feeling so many things all at once: embarrassment, anger, indignation, sympathy. Also, horrible. She felt horrible.
“Sure seems that way.” Anna turned flashing eyes back to Jessica. “Do you think I’m stupid, Jess? Do you think I didn’t know what was going on in that bathroom last night? While I sat at that table feeling like a fool? You apologized, so I thought I’d give you the benefit of the doubt that you actually meant it, but then I walk in on…” She moved her hand in an all-encompassing gesture. “This.”
“Anna,” Jessica tried again, and it was as if Sydney could see her shift into Placation Mode, something she must have to do with donors at times. Or people who surrendered animals maybe. It was damage control and, despite the gracelessness of the situation, it was soothing. “Nobody planned this. We didn’t plan this.” She tried again to take a step toward Anna, but stopped after one. Her voice was gentle. “I’m so sorry we hurt you. It wasn’t our intention.”
“We didn’t plan this? It wasn’t our intention? There’s a ‘we’ now? You guys are a thing?” Anna turned her angry gaze on Sydney again. “You work fast.”
Sydney shook her head again, annoyed that it seemed to be the only response she could come up with. “There’s no we,” she said quietly, feeling like a scolded ten-year-old, thinking things couldn’t get any more awkward until they did, as Connor showed up, peering over Anna’s shoulder from the hallway.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his confused eyes darting between the three women, his face obviously registering the tension.
“Oh, no big deal,” Anna spat. “I just came in here to ask Jessica something and found her with Sydney’s tongue down her throat. You know, nothing unusual. Just
another day at Junebug Farms.” She turned and pushed her way past Connor, disappearing down the hall.
Several moments passed while Connor looked from one of them to the other, Jessica brought her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes, and Sydney stood still, shaking her head slowly from side to side.
“Well,” Connor said. “That wasn’t awkward at all.” He waited another beat before saying to Sydney, “I’ve got a few things to go over with you when you get a minute. I’ll be”—he jerked a thumb over his shoulder—“out there.”
Sydney, grateful for a reason to stop shaking her head, nodded instead. “I’ll be right out.”
Connor held her gaze for a moment—she couldn’t quite read his expression—and then he turned to go.
The room was quiet as Sydney looked after Connor for a beat. When she finally turned her gaze back, Jessica was looking at her shoes. Several beats went by.
“I can honestly say,” Jessica began. “I have never had something go from so good to so bad quite so fast.”
“I’d have to agree with you,” Sydney said. “And I work in television, so that says a lot.”
Their smiles were faint, but they were there.
“I feel awful,” Jessica said with a grimace.
“Me, too.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Did you…lead her on?”
Sydney pressed her lips together and turned her gaze out the window. She could lie. She could feign indignation, throw Anna under the bus. But this was Jessica asking, and for some reason, Sydney wanted to be honest. She blew out a breath. “I think, in her mind, maybe I did. It wasn’t my intention, I swear. But…yeah, if you asked Anna, she’d probably say I did.”
“Why?” There wasn’t any accusation in Jessica’s voice, which surprised Sydney. She seemed more curious than angry.
“I didn’t want to rock the boat.” At Jessica’s raised eyebrows, she said, “I know. I know. It’s ridiculous, now that I look at it. I just…Anna and I had that…encounter a few months ago. A one-time, meaningless little…thing. We kissed, really. That’s all. We didn’t even know…each other.” She released a sigh of frustration. “You know all that, it’s just embarrassing to admit. I knew I had this project, and I wanted to do a good job. I didn’t know I’d run into her here. I never expected to run into her again, to be honest. But, there she was, and I just didn’t want there to be any weirdness. I thought if I could play along, not upset her or make her feel bad, just keep things in a good, friendly space until after the telethon, it would make life easier. Turns out that was a really bad call.” She gave a half-grin/half-grimace.
Dare to Stay (Puppy Love Romances Book 3) Page 18