Page 34 of The Hideout

“I’m sorry to hear that. If I recall right, she sort of told you the same thing last week, too, so I wouldn’t worry too much.” Paige wiped down the bar, scanning the room for any empty glasses. Empty glasses meant people expected refills. “And anyway, whatever her reason, I don’t know what it has to do with me.”

“Oh, it has everything to do with you. Trust me.”

“Look, if you have something to say, just say it. I can’t be arsed trying to figure it out myself.”

“How long have you been sleeping with her?” Rachel trailed a fingertip around the rim of her glass, her cold eyes glaring through Paige. “Before you started working here? Since?”

“You think I’m sleeping with Juliet?” Paige asked quietly, aware that the bar was packed tonight. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not sleeping with her. I won’t even be here after next week, so you can chill out and stop accusing people of things that aren’t true.”

Rachel sighed and closed her eyes. “She’s really into you, Paige. I don’t care if neither of you wants to acknowledge it, but she is.”

Yeah, the kiss had happened, but Paige didn’t think it had meant so much to Juliet. Okay, it was clear they were attracted to one another, but what exactly had she told Rachel? “And she’s told you this? Because it’s news to me.”

“She didn’t have to tell me. I may have been the one between her legs this morning, but it was your name that she called out.”

Paige’s heart stuttered. Juliet had slept with Rachel this morning? After kissing Paige just last night? No, Paige couldn’t be involved in any of this. It wasn’t the kind of life she wanted here in Liverpool. She pulled her shoulders back and cleared the waver she knew her voice would hold. Whatever was going on between Juliet and Rachel, they needed to sort their shit out. Paige could feel hurt later on, but right now, she had a job to do.

Then it dawned on her.

Juliet was fantasising about her?

That surely couldn’t be true. “E-excuse me?”

“Ask her.”

“I’ll do no such thing. You may be quite happy coming in here and talking about Juliet’s private life, her intimate life, but I’m not about to do the same thing and humiliate her like that.”

Rachel frowned. “What?”

“You’re angry, I get that, but coming in here and saying that…whether it’s true or not, is really shitty. I may not know you very well, but I still thought you were better than that.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Just give me another glass of wine.”

Paige pressed the silent alarm under the bar that alerted Juliet. “Do you have a membership?”

“You know I don’t. But that’s never stopped you from serving me before.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t usually come in here shooting your mouth off either, so no, I’m not serving you another drink. I can’t trust that you will keep the noise to a minimum, and that’s not the kind of establishment this is.”

Rachel’s head whipped around when Juliet came from the back and stood beside her. “It’s time to go, Rachel.”

“Oh, come to her rescue, have you?”

Juliet stepped closer, pushing what was left in Rachel’s wine glass toward Paige. “Get rid of that, please, Paige.”

Paige watched Juliet take Rachel by the elbow and guide her down from the stool. She directed her towards the exit, whispered something in Rachel’s ear, and watched her leave.

With tears in her eyes, Juliet turned and kept her head down as she moved back towards the door she’d come from. She stopped at the end of the bar, glancing up at Paige. “I’m sorry about whatever she said. I’m just finishing up in the office and I’ll be out to help you close up, okay?”

“No rush. I’ll call for last orders.”

Chapter 11

ALL I ASK

Paige swallowed down two paracetamol, closing her eyes where she stood at the kitchen sink. She couldn’t shift this headache, and the longer it went on, the less inclined she was to get dressed today. Just the reminder of Juliet locking up the bar last night had tears in Paige’s eyes. How they’d walked back to the apartment building together in silence. That wasn’t what Paige wanted…but what she did want, she couldn’t have.

As they’d slowly approached the building, she’d considered inviting Juliet into her apartment so they could talk, but it was almost two in the morning, and Juliet looked as though she was barely able to stand for another second. Paige hated that. How Juliet had struggled to work with her last night. How they’d not spoken about anything other than cocktails, or stock, or…the weather. Juliet was intelligent and intriguing. She was fascinating in Paige’s mind. But Paige had somehow reduced her to a quiet introvert who preferred to lock herself away in her office.

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