Page 95 of The Hideout

“I’m glad to hear that. I…wanted to come to the bar to say hi to you,” Rachel said, her gaze flitting from Paige to Juliet. “To apologise.”

Juliet lifted a hand. “Really, there’s no need. Neither you nor I was innocent towards the end. The past is the past.”

Paige watched their interaction; that chemistry she once claimed they had was no longer present. Rachel seemed shocked by Juliet’s response, frowning as she switched between them both. “I-I appreciate that.”

“I’m happy to see you’re still here, Paige. Still working at The Hideout?”

“Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

“I have to admit, you look great behind that bar. I think it’s going to be a brilliant venture for you both.”

The hand that held Paige’s shifted. Juliet’s arm was back around her waist. “You’re right. She does look great behind the bar. She looks even better behind the piano, though. You should come by one night when Paige isn’t working. The Hideout wouldn’t be the same without her in it.”

“Oh, I’d love to.” Rachel nodded eagerly. “If that would be okay with you, Paige?”

“Sure. The more the merrier.” She had no reason to worry about Rachel coming to the bar. Paige knew exactly what she meant and what she had with Juliet. The connection was unbreakable. Besides, Rachel seemed genuine in her apology. Paige could spot her games a mile off. “Maybe next Monday? Does that work for you, babe?”

“Next Monday is perfect. Always a quieter night, so we could probably have a drink with you.”

“I’ll be there.” Rachel smiled as she checked her watch. “I’m sorry, but I should head off. I have an appointment.”

“Take care, Rachel. It was great seeing you.” Juliet quickly leaned in and hugged Rachel.

Rachel offered a small wave as she turned and left. Paige watched her walk away, feeling nothing other than happy. Rachel’s heart was in the right place, Paige was sure of it, and so long as she remained on the right side of friendship, she would never deny Juliet or Rachel that. Paige wasn’t the kind of person to hold grudges when it wasn’t necessary.

Paige puffed out her cheeks. “That went well.”

“Much better than I expected it would.”

“Now, I was thinking we could save the cocktail until later…and go onto the dock for some of those pancakes we had that time?”

Juliet squeezed Paige’s hip as they turned away from the city and towards the fresh air down at the water. “I’d love that. I always think about that day.”

“You do?”

Juliet nodded. “Of course. It was the day I realised just how much I wanted you.”

Chapter 29

ROOTS

One month later…

Opening her mailbox, Juliet grabbed the excess number of envelopes the postman had forced inside and locked it again. She’d spent enough time this morning going over invoices and stock; she really didn’t have the energy or the attention span for more paper in her life. She shuffled through them—mostly rubbish—until a large manilla envelope caught her attention. With ‘FAO Paige Ashburn’ scribbled in the top right-hand corner, Juliet rushed into the lift. She knew exactly what this was—something her girlfriend had been waiting weeks for.

The finalisation of her divorce.

Juliet didn’t want to appear too happy; this was Paige’s marriage coming to an end. It didn’t matter if she knew Paige was ecstatic to say goodbye to James or not; it was still shitty circumstances to be in. For anyone, regardless of the reason behind it.

The lift dinged, and as Juliet stepped out on their floor, she stopped for a moment and composed herself. She would hand over the papers, and then she would head to her own apartment. Paige had moved back into 319 last week, but Juliet understood her reasoning for it. Paige wanted to do this right. She wanted to learn about Juliet, and vice versa, without rushing into living together. Juliet didn’t mind whether Paige stayed or not, but it was early days, and having their own space had been a wise decision to make on both their parts.

She knocked gently, hearing movement behind the door. Juliet waited a moment or two—Paige was still wary about answering the door—and then the chain was removed, the lock was turned, and the door opened. “Hi, babe. I didn’t expect to see you yet. I thought you were at the bar?” Paige stepped aside, inviting Juliet in.

“I’ve been there. While there was a lot for me to take care of, it wasn’t as much as I thought. So, I got in and got out as quick as I could. Figured I’d give Henry a few hours off while I’m home.”

“Good idea. Coffee?”

Juliet stopped in the middle of Paige’s living room, the manilla envelope clutched in the hand that hung loosely at her side. “No, I probably shouldn’t. I’m…going to head to my place and wait to hear from you.”

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