Page 28 of Shameless Expectations

Her phone chirped next to her.

Zoe: You coming still?

“Fucking hell.” Monti snagged the phone, her jacket, and a bag. She raced through the motions as she left her van and walked toward the little restaurant in the center of downtown where they were meeting.

Zoe sat in a small chair right up front when Monti got there. She held out her arms for a hug, and Monti walked right into them, grinning. “Fuck, it’s been a while.”

“Do you think you could ever show up on time?” Zoe laughed lightly and squeezed Monti right back. “You’ll have to tell me all about where you’ve been.”

“Definitely.”

They walked to the table that had been waiting for them. Monti relaxed, an ease falling over her that she had missed. Zoe had always been astute and understanding. She was someone who could never do anything wrong in Monti’s book.

“So where have you been?” Zoe leaned forward on the table, ignoring the menu in front of her. Her dark brown eyes were lit with energy and excitement.

Monti had missed that too. “All over. I spent some time up in Vancouver and the BC area. Drove up to Alaska for a few weeks.”

“Oh! I’ve never been there!” Zoe laughed lightly and leaned back into her seat. “Was it cold?”

“I went in summer.” Monti pulled the beer she’d ordered closer to her. She spun the chilled glass in her fingers, not taking a sip yet. “Tell me what you’ve been up to. Still working with that hot boss?”

Zoe’s cheeks turned bright red. “Um. Kind of. Working with is a good way to say that. We started our own company together.”

“Did you?” Monti raised an eyebrow and leaned back into her seat, finally sipping her beer. “I sense there’s more to that story.”

“It’s a long story.” Zoe drank her own beer, her gaze falling to the tabletop.

This was something shameful, that much Monti could tell. She didn’t want to push, though. She wanted to know what Zoe was thinking, everything that she’d been through in the last year since they’d seen each other. Monti licked her lips and leaned into the silence. Zoe was never one who dealt well with the quiet. If Monti waited long enough, Zoe would spill. Most people did.

Although she suspected Athena was very comfortable with quiet.

Where had that thought come from?

Monti dug her fingers into her thigh underneath the table. Athena was a client, and she had to keep reminding herself of that. She might not have a practice anymore, but there was no doubt in her mind that she wouldn’t have met Athena if she hadn’t been seeking some sort of therapy—massage or psychological.

“Earth to Monti!” Zoe teased.

“Sorry.” Monti shook the thoughts of Athena from her mind. “I was thinking about this new client I’m working with. She’s taking up a lot of mental space for me.”

Zoe hummed like she understood, but how could she? “Do you remember that girl who lived next door to you in the dormitories?”

“Jazz?”

“Yes!” Zoe’s eyes lit up. “I had such a crush on her, and you kept telling me to stay away from her.”

“You didn’t, did you?” Monti wrinkled her forehead in concern.

“I did. Once. I was super drunk, and I just wanted to know what all the fuss was about.”

“Did you even get anywhere?”

“I puked all over her boots.” Zoe giggled.

Monti laughed. “You never could hold your liquor.”

“No, I couldn’t.” Zoe fiddled with the napkin in front of her. “Seems that hasn’t changed much over the years. I thought for years that just working with Gwen was going to be enough for me, but it really wasn’t.”

“Glad you finally realized that.” Monti’s beer was halfway empty before the waiter came over to take their food orders. Zoe was a much slower drinker, and rightfully so. “So what did you figure out about yourself?”

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