Claire Decker Bundle

by Claire Decker

  “Here’s your keys, by the way,” Jackie said, pulling a key ring from the pocket of her jeans. “One for the front door and one for the room. I’m sure you trust me,” she said with a laugh. “The landlord just thought each room should have its own key.”

  “Thanks and of course I trust you,” Emily said as she unpacked her bed sheets. “I’m still going to be looking for a place. I don’t want you to think you’ve got a new roommate for life.”

  “Look, you can stay as long as you want. I was already planning on getting a roommate so don’t feel like you have to find somewhere right away although you’re probably used to having your own space.”

  “I guess I am but I’m so busy with work right now. I don’t have time to cook or to sit in the living room and watch a movie so…”

  “Well, whatever you want to do is fine with me,” Jackie said, emptying another box.

  “Oh I forgot to tell you about this charity golf event that Lynn invited me to.”

  “When’s that?”

  “It’s sometime next month. I can’t remember the exact date. It’s on at her old golf club in Florida. You should think about coming.”

  “Lynn invited me?” Jackie asked.

  “Yeah but there’s only a few rooms left so don’t leave it too long.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Good. We’re already booked in. Since she’s one of the celebrity guests we get a complimentary upgrade to some kind of suite. I can’t wait,” Emily said, a huge smile on her face. “I could use a break from work.”

  “I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

  “No way. Lynn invited you and plus, think about all of the women that are going to be there,” she said with a wink.

  “So now you want to be the matchmaker?”

  “I have to keep trying, Jackie. You can’t be single forever.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Chapter 9

  “So what was wrong with Zoey?” Emily asked as she finished off her chow mein. “I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now.”

  “Nothing.”

  “I know you don’t want a relationship but what if she felt the same way? Would you still see her then?”

  “I don’t know,” Jackie said between bites of sweet and sour.

  “I mean, she’s smart. She’s in law school. She’s mature for her age. She’s gorgeous really. What’s not to like?”

  “Yeah, maybe I would if she didn’t want a commitment but then we’d just have an open relationship and I don’t want that either.”

  “I’m just saying…”

  “How’s work going? Did your firm get that case?” Jackie asked, eager to change the subject.

  Emily stood up and brought her dish into the kitchen. “Not only did we get the case but I’m second chair!”

  “That’s great, Em.”

  “I wish I could tell you more about it but you know, confidentiality…”

  “It’s a medical malpractice case, right?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it in the news,” Emily said as she sat down next to Jackie. “Are you okay with everything here? I know it’s only been a week but-”

  “Of course. We get to spend more time together now that you’re living here.”

  “If I wasn’t already a workaholic I definitely am now,” Emily said with a laugh.

  “What’s Lynn think of the new case?”

  “She’s happy for me. I don’t know if she realizes how much work it’s going to be for me, how much more responsibility I’ll have with this case,” Emily said quietly.

  “I’m sure she’ll understand.”

  “You know how she had a key to my place before?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How would you feel about her having a key to this apartment?”

  Jackie hesitated for a minute.

  “It’s fine,” Emily said quickly.

  “No, no, no it’s okay. I was just trying to remember where the other key is. I always keep one or two spare sets around.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course,” Jackie said, standing up. She padded over to the kitchen and started looking through the drawers.

  “It’s just so much easier when I’m working crazy hours for her to have a key.”

  “Here it is,” Jackie said.

  “Are you really sure?”

  “Yes,” Jackie said, giving her the keys. “I’m sure.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said, giving her friend a quick hug.

  Chapter 10

  Living with Emily was going much better than Jackie had thought it would, probably because Emily was hardly there. Even when she was there she was hard at work dealing with her new case.

  It really was the ideal situation for Jackie. She was already counting down the number of weddings she had left and now with her rent halved, it looked like it was all going to work out.

  A knock on her apartment door brought her away from her thoughts. She moved her laptop onto the coffee table and walked over to the door barefoot. She wondered who it would be at 8pm on a Sunday evening.

  Jackie looked through the peep hole. Lynn. She opened the door and greeted her with a warm smile, trying not to let her eyes travel the full length of her body. Even though Lynn was dressed casually in skinny jeans and a black tank top, Jackie thought she looked amazing.

  “Hey. You know you didn’t have to knock,” Jackie said, motioning Lynn to come in. “Emily gave you a set of keys, right?”

  “She did but…” Lynn tucked a lock of blond hair behind her ear. “I don’t know, I didn’t want to just walk in. Emily said she’d be back around seven but I know that doesn’t happen most of the time.”

  “She’s not back yet,” Jackie said, closing the door and following Lynn into the living room. “This new case must be a killer. She’s not even taking a day off from what I can see.”

  Lynn sat down on the couch. “I know. I’m happy for her but I hope it’s not too much. She seems to cope with stress well but I’m sure there’s a lot on the line with this one.”

  “There is. Do you want something to drink?” Jackie asked.

  “Maybe a glass of wine. Whatever you have is fine.”

  “Is Chardonnay okay?” Jackie asked, pulling a bottle of white wine from the refrigerator.

  “Sure.”

  Jackie poured two glasses and joined her on the sofa.

  “So have you thought any more about what you want to do now that you’re retired?” Jackie asked, closing the lid of her laptop and pushing it to the other side of the coffee table to make room for their glasses.

  “I have actually. I haven’t done anything about it yet but I have been throwing some ideas around in my head,” Lynn said, taking a sip of her wine. “I’m thinking of doing private golf instruction.”

  “That’s a great idea. You’re already a well-established name in the golfing community so you don’t even have to worry about that side of things. Have you played at any of the local courses?”

  “There’s one in New Jersey I really like and they have a great program for kids coming up,” Lynn said, sitting back. “I think it might be the right thing for me to do.”

  Jackie glanced down at Lynn’s full lips. “It sounds like the perfect fit.”

  “I’m going to look into it more and then make a decision,” Lynn said reaching for her glass. “Are you coming to Tampa for the charity event?”

  “I don’t know. Emily told me about it but I have to check my schedule.”

  “Even if you’re not into golf, it’s a lot of fun,” Lynn said.

  Jackie was tempted but she didn’t think she wanted to see the two of them together for a whole weekend. Then again, the prospect of being around Lynn for that long was incredibly appealing. Since she hardly saw Emily any more, she never seemed to see Lynn for more than a few minutes.

  “I’ll think about it,” Jackie said with a smile. The sound of a key in the door caused both of them to look
over their shoulders.

  “Hey, Em,” Jackie called. “Will I get you a glass of wine?” she asked, getting up off the couch.

  Emily dropped her briefcase beside the door and gave Lynn a quick kiss on the lips. “Sure, Jackie. Thanks.” She apologized to Lynn for being over an hour late and sat down beside her.

  Jackie watched them from the kitchen as she poured another glass of wine and topped up her own glass up. I can’t go to Tampa. No way.

  Her stomach was in knots as she handed the glass to Emily. How did this happen? What if they get married?

  Jackie sat on the leather chair that was beside the sofa and opened her laptop up, doing her best to put aside those feelings that were becoming more intense by the day.

  Chapter 11

  Jackie’s baked ziti was ready just in time for Monday Night Football. She brought her dinner over to the coffee table along with a bottle of beer and sat down to watch the game.

  Emily came in after the first quarter was over. “Hey, you’re home early,” Jackie said over her shoulder. Anything before 9 pm. was considered early these days.

  “I decided to take my work home with me,” Emily said, standing behind her and checking the score. “To be honest, I just needed a drink.”

  “There’s beer in the fridge and baked ziti in the oven.”

  “Thanks,” Emily said, heading into the kitchen. “Do I smell garlic bread?”

  “You know it.”

  Emily practically groaned as she dished out her food onto the plate.

  “Long day?”

  “Yeah. I’m getting used to it now but sometimes I just need to unwind,” Emily said sitting down next to her. “I think I’ll watch the rest of the first half before I even think about doing any more work.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Oh my God, Jackie. I didn’t know you could cook. This is delicious,” Emily said between forkfuls.

  Jackie shrugged. “I just felt like pasta.”

  Emily cleared her plate and collapsed back into the couch with her bottle of beer. “That was amazing. Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  “Did you get a room for the charity golf weekend?” Emily asked.

  “They’re booked out.” Even though Jackie had already decided that she didn’t want to go and be stuck watching Emily and Lynn all weekend, she called the hotel anyway. If they were fully booked, it was the perfect excuse. They’d been sold out for weeks.

  “Shit.”

  “Why?”

  Emily sighed. “I can’t get away.”

  “At all?”

  Emily shook her head. “Work is too crazy. I can’t even take a lunch break half of the time, never mind three days off.”

  “I would’ve gone but the hotel’s fully booked.”

  “I haven’t told Lynn yet that I can’t go,” Emily said, peeling the label off her beer.

  “Do you think she’ll be upset?”

  “Just disappointed, really. We don’t get to see much of each other so I think she was looking forward to the weekend away,” Emily said, returning her attention to the game.

  “I’m sure she’ll understand.”

  “Would you go in my place?” Emily asked, turning towards her.

  “What? Why?”

  “You were thinking of going anyway. Just stay in the suite that Lynn and I were booked into. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” Emily said, taking a sip of her beer.

  “I don’t know. I wouldn’t like to just show up. She was expecting a weekend away with you, not me.”

  “Yeah, but you guys get along. Everything’s booked. It’d be a shame to waste it.”

  “I can’t share a room with her though,” Jackie said, her mind already dreaming up insane fantasies where Lynn throws herself at her.

  “Why not?”

  “Because… Wouldn’t that be weird?”

  “Why would that be weird?” Emily asked. “It’s not like you two don’t know each other. I’m sure they can put another bed in the room.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It’s okay if you don’t want to go. You were talking about taking a vacation not that long ago so I just thought-“

  “Maybe see what Lynn has to say first,” Jackie offered. “She might be happy going away for the weekend by herself. I’m sure she’ll know loads of people there.

  “Alright,” Emily said. “I’ll see what she thinks.”

  Jackie couldn’t concentrate on the game. Her mind kept creating different scenarios where they were alone together and tipsy.

  “Oh you know who I met today?” Emily asked. “Well, she admitted that she’s kind of been stalking me. Zoey.”

  “Zoey?” Jackie asked. “Why is she stalking you?”

  “She’s in her final year of law school. She wants a job,” Emily said. “Do you want another beer?”

  “Yeah,” Jackie said. “I hope she’s not pressuring you-”

  “It’s not like that,” Emily said as she took two beers out of the refrigerator. “She was really nice about it. I just said that I’d keep an eye out for anything.”

  “Did she mention me?”

  “Ah Jackie, always self-obsessed,” Emily said, handing Jackie a beer.

  “What?”

  “Just kidding but no she didn’t mention you.”

  “Good,” Jackie said, bringing the bottle to her lips.

  “You’re so charming,” Emily said, giving her a little shove.

  Chapter 12

  Emily text Jackie from work on Tuesday and told her that Lynn was happy to have her come with her to Tampa. She thought it was a great idea Emily had said.

  Jackie had spent the rest of the day tearing her closet apart trying to find the right clothes to pack. She needed something to play golf in, a bikini, something dressy… She filled her suitcase with what she had and then went shopping to get some golf gear.

  That was Tuesday. Now, Jackie was standing beside Lynn as she checked both of them in. Jackie took a deep breath and tried not to stare at Lynn. She could over hear her explaining to the receptionist that Jackie was staying there instead of Emily and would they be able to get an extra bed in their room.

  Jackie pulled out her phone and sent Emily a quick text to let her know that they’d arrived safely. When she looked up, Lynn was walking towards her.

  “Here’s your key,” she said, handing Jackie her key card. “They don’t actually have any extra beds. The hotel is completely booked.”

  “That’s okay,” Jackie said, swallowing the lump in her throat. “It’s a suite though, right?”

  Lynn nodded.

  “I’m sure there’ll be a couch or something,” Jackie said, putting her phone back in her pocket. “Will we go check out our room?”

  “Yeah. I wouldn’t mind freshening up.”

  Jackie followed Lynn to the elevator and down the hall of the sixth floor. Their room was massive with a king sized bed in the middle of the room, piled high with pillows.

  “Wow,” Jackie said, surveying the room. “I think there’s a separate living room,” she said, leaving her suitcase against the bed and walking into the adjoining room.

  Lynn followed her into the next room. “It’s definitely spacious.”

  “I’ll sleep in here,” Jackie suggested. “It’s pretty much like having two separate rooms.”

  “Yeah, it is.” Lynn checked her watch. “I’m going to get ready. My tee time is in two hours.”

  “Sure.”

  “Emily was going to join me… I don’t suppose you play golf?” Lynn asked.

  “I used to play a lot growing up but since I moved to Manhattan, I hardly do.”

  “Is that a yes, then?”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind me joining you,” Jackie said.

  “Are you kidding?” Lynn asked with a smile. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  Jackie went to get her suitcase and unpack. She hadn’t played in over a year but she was confident that after a few holes she’d be okay.<
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  She got dressed in a pair of teal and white plaid shorts along with a plain white polo and tied her hair back in a ponytail. She pulled her hair through the back of her white baseball cap and checked in reflection in the mirror.