Page 25 of The Hideout

Yeah, me too. Paige shouldn’t be surprised that Juliet had changed her mind about Rachel. She still stood by the fact that they were far more attracted to one another than just escort/client. And besides, Paige had turned Juliet down. “I’ll be around for a little while if you need anything.”

“I’m sure I can manage.” Cara looked Paige up and down, and then she rolled her eyes as she walked away.

Paige couldn’t be bothered with an attitude like that. She wasn’t here to make Cara’s life difficult. She was here to help the bar succeed. Really, that should have been Cara’s reason for being here too. Paige slowly walked towards Juliet’s spot, her stomach lurching when she found Rachel palming Juliet’s thigh. The bar may have been winding down, only two clients finishing their drinks out of sight from Juliet’s spot, but was that really necessary? If Paige didn’t break it up now, Rachel would be fucking Juliet on the couch in the next thirty seconds if she had her way.

But then she watched Juliet place a hand on Rachel’s chest, gently insisting she stop whatever she was trying to start. Interesting. And then Paige read Juliet’s lips when she gave Rachel a stern look and told her to stop.

“Hi, Rachel.” Paige lowered her rucksack to the floor beside a chair, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

“Oh, hi. I didn’t think you were here tonight.”

Paige shrugged. “Always am. I was finishing up out the back.”

“That’s nice.” Rachel sighed when Juliet shifted away from her. “So are you going home now?”

“I was supposed to be hanging out here with Juliet, but I think I’ll probably get going.” She eyed Juliet, saddened that she’d turned down that drink. But then the thought of having to share Juliet sat firmly at the front of Paige’s mind. She didn’t do sharing, so turning down that offer was probably a wise decision. “Since we’re closed tomorrow, I’ll see you Friday at three.”

“I thought you were staying?”

“I was staying to talk business. But you look like you’ve got other things going on.” Paige decided she would enjoy a whiskey before her walk home. She turned to the bar and ordered herself a drink. When Cara turned to the whiskey shelf, she added, “And whatever these two are drinking.” She threw a twenty-pound note down on the counter, watching Cara work.

“Paige, you don’t have to do that,” Juliet called out.

“It’s just a drink. Relax.” Once Cara set the drinks down in front of her, Paige took Juliet’s and Rachel’s, offering them over. “Here you go. Enjoy the rest of your night together.”

Rachel frowned. “T-thank you.”

“Welcome.” Paige nodded, her eyes briefly finding Juliet’s. What she found when she looked into them shocked her. Juliet seemed disappointed that Paige was leaving. Saddened that they wouldn’t be spending time together. But Paige couldn’t sit here with Rachel when Rachel was obviously trying to keep Juliet’s attention away from her. It was quite clear that Juliet’s escort had a problem with Paige being around. “I’ll see you Friday.”

She turned back to the bar, sitting up on a stool as she nursed her whiskey. She stared down at the glass of amber liquid, exhaling a deep breath through her nose.

“And there was me thinking she was the reason you’d gone distant on me.” Paige heard Rachel say, not as quietly as she likely thought she had. “I see how she looks at you, but Paige knows her place around here.”

Nope! I’m not doing this.

Paige knocked back her whiskey, grimacing as she brought the glass back down to the counter. She wasn’t sitting here listening to Rachel discuss her with Juliet. Fuck that. “Night, Cara. See you Friday.”

“Yeah, see ya!”

Paige slid off her stool, took her rucksack, and glared at Rachel. “My place is behind that bar where Juliet has employed me to be. You have no reason to feel threatened by me being here.”

And then Paige walked away, taking the stairs up to street level two at a time. She heard Juliet call her name, but she couldn’t deal with this. Tonight had been a whirlwind compared to what Paige was used to. She couldn’t hack the drama. And even if she could, she didn’t want to.

Maybe Liverpool isn’t going to be the quiet life you hoped it would be.

“Paige! Wait!”

Paige turned to find Juliet rushing after her down the side street.

“I’m so sorry about that. She called me to say she was outside. She had a terrible time tonight with a new client. Please, come back inside.”

“I can’t. I have to go.”

Juliet leaned forward and took Paige’s hand. “Please, you can.”

“So, it’s back on with you two then?” Paige pulled her hand from Juliet’s. She had no idea where it had been since she’d gone into the back of the bar to end her shift. “I knew you were into her more than you wanted to admit. But…if you can be honest with her, tell her what you want, then I think you could be great together.”

“N-no. We’re not back together in any way at all. Client or not.”

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