Page 96 of The Hideout

Paige’s brows drew together. “O…kay. Is something wrong?”

“Not at all. But I do have something for you, and I wanted to give you a little while to yourself while it digested, you know?”

Paige remained confused as she dried her hands on a tea towel. “What do I need to digest?” And then fear clouded her eyes. “Wait, what’s happened? Has Henry seen something we’re not going to like?”

“God, no.” Deciding she wanted to put Paige out of her misery, Juliet handed the envelope over and kissed Paige on the cheek. “Your divorce correspondence. If you need me, I’ll just be at mine, okay?”

Paige stared down at the envelope in her hand. “O-okay.”

“Hey.” Juliet lifted Paige’s chin and smiled. “I’m so incredibly proud of you, baby. And I love you. Let this sink in, and then if you want to come to mine, the door is open.”

Paige smiled in return, leaning in and kissing Juliet. “Expect me there soon. I don’t really have anything in here that needs to sink in.”

With a caress of Paige’s cheek, Juliet offered her a single nod and stepped towards the door. “I’ll put the coffee machine on. See you soon.”

“Babe?”

Juliet turned in the hallway. “Yes?”

“Lock the door when you get to your place. Please.”

“I will.”

“Promise me?” Paige watched Juliet expectantly. “I know you think you’re safe once you’re inside the apartment block, but promise me?”

“Paige, I promise.” Juliet placed a hand to her chest, her head cocked ever so slightly. “Now, you do what you need to do and I’ll see you when I see you.”

“I’ll have a sugar in my coffee.”

Juliet smiled as she closed the door, breathing a sigh of relief. She hadn’t known what Paige’s reaction would be, but it couldn’t have gone any better. Now she just had to wait patiently for her girlfriend to join her. They had a few hours together before work got in the way, but a few hours were far better than nothing at all.

As Juliet closed her apartment door, she felt someone pushing on it. “I told you I wouldn’t be long.” Paige grinned as Juliet allowed the door to swing open. “So, how was the bar?”

“Quiet. Full of paperwork. The usual.”

Paige locked the door and took a step closer to Juliet. Her arms sat safely around Juliet’s waist, relaxing her further. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I’ll come in with you and help.”

“And I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that you already do enough for me.”

“So?” Paige lifted a shoulder. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Juliet adored it when Paige said things like that. It meant they were a team…a partnership. “Okay, I’ll tell you what. You can come in with me tomorrow on our day off and work on that signature cocktail while I finish the invoices. Deal?”

Paige grinned. “Deal.”

“Now, tell me about your day. You were still sleeping when I left your place this morning.” Juliet hoped Paige wouldn’t always have a ‘her place’—she’d much prefer a ‘their place’—but this was working well.

“I woke up about ten minutes after you left. I had a call.”

“Oh?”

“From the woman whose apartment I’m staying in. She…offered me a twelve-month contract. I decided to take it on the spot. It came with a reduced rent, and I couldn’t turn it down. It means I don’t have to look further afield and be too far away from you. Having said that, if you’d rather I looked elsewhere—”

Juliet cut Paige off with a heated kiss. She didn’t dare allow her to finish that sentence. Paige was going to be close by; she couldn’t ask for anything more. “I’m so happy you’ll be staying in this block.”

“She did say I could stay there free, but I want to build my life, and I want to do that without a free ride, you know?”

“I do know.” Juliet lifted a hand to Paige’s cheek. “That’s very honest of you. Anyone else would have taken the free apartment. But that’s just one of the things I love about you, Paige. Your honesty and your willingness to better your circumstances. You know I’ve got you, no matter what, but yeah…you’re something special.”

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