Page 25 of Undeniable You

Juniper would have absolutely loved it.

Where are you? I’m definitely going to have to get that for her.When it came to buying clothes, I had no impulse control when it came to Juniper while I would wear the same pair of sweatpants until there were too many holes in them.

What’s her size?She asked and I told her.

Don’t you dare buy it for herI responded. Jo couldn’t keep doing too much for us.

Sorry, too late. It’s in my cart now.

I growled and shook my head. Why did Jo doing things for Juniper bother me so much? For half a second I wanted to call her and tell her not to buy that shirt, but that would be an absurd thing to do.

I really did need that nap. I put my notifications on silent and set my phone aside. Jo and I could talk later. Nap now.

Chapter Nine

Jo

I knew Larison was mad about the shirt, but it was on sale and I had some reward points so it was actually a steal. She really got mad when she thought I was being extra for them. Did she get angry at Sophie when she did the same things? I guess it was complicated with me working for her, but still. I was an employee, sort of, but I was also a friend. I hoped. I was a friend, right?

Larison didn’t respond for a while and I was busy doing errands, but I couldn’t help but check my phone every few minutes.

Once I got home, I wondered what she was doing. Frustrated with myself, I put my phone aside and unpacked everything before I parked myself on the couch with a TBR list of books that I was determined to get through this weekend. The last book in a series I loved was coming out next week and I was doing a quick re-read of the previous four books so I had the story fresh in my mind for the new release.

I lied to everyone about what I’m doing this weekend. Even Sophie.

The message from Larison was unexpected and didn’t have the fun tone of our earlier exchanges.

What are you doing this weekend?I asked because now I really wanted to know. Did Larison lead a secret double life? That was so hot if she did. I mean, hotter than she already was, which was off the charts.

I told my parents that I was with friends this weekend and I told my friends that I was with my parents this weekend. I lied so I could have my apartment to myself for two days. Alone. Am I the worst person in the world?

I couldn’t hear her voice, obviously, but the message dripped with anxiety. No idea why she was telling me about it, but a little flutter of excitement went through me because she was confiding in me. Telling me something that she hadn’t told anyone else. It made me feel special in a way that was warm and delicious.

You’re not even close to the worst person in the world. There’s a big difference between that kind of lie and the kind of lie that hurts people. I’m pretty sure if you told everyone that you needed some time to yourself, they’d tell you to take it anyway.

From what I knew about her moms, that was definitely true. And I did know Sophie well enough to say it was true for her as well. Larison did everything she could for Juniper and having a few days to herself didn’t make her a monster. She needed to believe that.

I know that. But the guilt is real. God, why am I like this?This wasn’t the kind of conversation I wanted to have over a messaging app, so I hit the button to do a video call, not caring what I looked like or if the lighting in my living room was flattering enough. Larison had seen me wearing my glasses plenty of times now.

She answered after a few seconds. “Hey, I didn’t mean to interrupt your weekend.” Right away she was apologizing. Her hair looked damp and was up in a messy bun. Judging from what was around her, she was in her bedroom. There was something intimate about this call that made my breath catch in my throat and my hands sweat a little bit.

“No big deal at all. I’m just reading.”

“You know you’re off the clock.” She wasn’t ending the call though.

“Just consider this overtime. I’ll just take my payment in snacks from the pantry or something.”

Larison smiled and she looked so much like Juniper it was astonishing. Yes, I knew how genetics and all of that worked, but seeing Juniper’s expression on Larison’s face was still pretty wild.

“I feel like I should be paying you overtime or something.”

I shook my head. “Nope. This one’s on me. I calledyou, remember?”

She looked so…cozy. Relaxed in a way I didn’t see her when she came home. Her day of solitude had been good for her, clearly.

“So, what did you do today?”

She paused for a second, as if she was going to tell me she had to go or that we shouldn’t be talking but then she told me.

---