Page 51 of The Hideout

“It’s not,” Paige lied. “I’m moving on. It didn’t work out for me there.”

“Really? I thought you liked it at The Hideout.”

And there it was. Just what Paige had suspected. “I don’t remember telling you the name of the bar.”

“Oh, no. I…looked it up. It might be membership only, but it’s not as secret as it wants to be.”

“It’s not marketed to be secret. It’s not some underground criminal ring, just a private bar.”

Harriet laughed. “Well, it doesn’t really matter what it is anymore if you’ve left.”

Paige dragged a hand through her hair, staring down at her coffee cup. “Yeah. You’re right. So, anyway, I just called to let you know that I’m moving on. Scotland this time.”

“Paige, why are you moving further and further away?” Paige heard the concern in Harriet’s voice, but her best friend could relax. So long as she continued to stay away from her hometown, she would be perfectly fine.

“Got to go where the work is, my friend. Scotland has a lot to offer. I think I might head to one of those tiny islands. Live a life of solitude.”

“You do realise you have a husband at home, don’t you? Considering you’ve been married for five years, you seem to forget that.”

Paige scoffed. Harriet had no idea. “Trust me, James doesn’t let me forget.”

“It’s just that I’m worried about you. You didn’t even come home for your wedding anniversary, Paige. I know you’ve been through a lot with your mum passing away, but maybe it’s time to stop running from your problems and go home to be with James. He misses you.”

Paige instantly frowned. How would Harriet know what James was feeling? And why was Harriet using her mum to guilt her into going home? Paige had lost her mum over eighteen months ago; she’d dealt with it. Or was this James putting ideas in Harriet’s head as to why she refused to come home? Likely, given the fact that James wouldn’t reveal the true reason. “Are you in regular contact with him or something?”

“No, but I see him most Friday nights at the pub when I finish work. You know, they have a vacancy there.”

“At the Forest Arms?” Paige’s brows lifted. Was Harriet suggesting she work at their local and only pub? Not in a million years. “They always have vacancies there. What does that tell you?”

“That it’s fate?” Paige heard the hope in Harriet’s voice, but it didn’t change anything. She was done with living that life. Now that she was here, enjoying her time with Juliet, she couldn’t possibly revert to what she’d once subjected herself to. “Paige, are you there?”

“I am, but I have to go. My cab is here, and my train leaves in thirty minutes.”

“You’re really going to Scotland?!” Harriet shrieked.

“I’m really going to Scotland. I’ll call you once I’ve found a place to live for the time being. Take care of yourself.”

“Y-yeah. You, too.”

Paige lowered her phone, exhaling a sigh of relief when Harriet cut the call. She didn’t have time to sit around lying to people, nor was it how she wanted to do this, but Paige needed more time to enjoy her budding relationship with Juliet before she left Kent behind once and for all.

“Everything okay?”

Paige turned, smiling at Juliet where she stood in the kitchen. “Sure. Harriet thinks I’m leaving for Scotland.”

“She believes you?”

Paige shrugged. “There’s no reason she wouldn’t. She’s always gone with it in the past. She was shocked that I’m going so far away, but it’s not Harriet I’m worried about. It’s James who needs to believe the story.”

“Paige, I know this is incredibly difficult for you. The position you’re in. But don’t you think it may be easier to come out and lay it all on the table rather than continuing to run?”

“I’m not ready yet.” Paige hoped Juliet could understand, that she wouldn’t start to back off, but it was a possibility Paige had to consider. “It’s not even the coming out part I’m worried about. That…I can’t wait to do. It’s everything else. Speaking to him face to face, being around him when I need to get my things from the house. The confrontation.”

“I know.” Juliet crossed the floor and opened her arms to Paige. She kissed her forehead and smiled. “Whatever you think is best. I just don’t want you to continually torture yourself about this.”

“You want the truth?” Paige pulled back, a brow lifted. When Juliet nodded, Paige wrapped her arms around her waist. “This, what we’re doing…I don’t want to lose it yet.”

“We won’t—”

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