Page 24 of Hotel Mallois

"Do you want me to draw you a picture?" Katherine asks, annoyed.

"Sorry, sis, but damn," Caroline smiles, "admit this is huge. Katherine, the ice woman, in love. That's intense, does Rachel know?"

Katherine sighs.

"No, she doesn't, and if I'd known better, I wouldn't have told you either."

"Oh, come on," Caroline takes her hand and wipes the smile from her face, "I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting it, but tell me more. How did it happen?"

"There's not much to tell," Katherine summarizes what has happened with Jodie since they met. "At first I feltvery confused, I thought I just wanted to protect her or whatever, but for the past few days I've been very clear that it's not that, I'm very attracted to her and I can't get her out of my head. And when I kissed her in the elevator," Katherine doesn't even know how to express it, so she just smiles.

"And her?" Caroline asks.

"I don't know, honestly I have no idea what she really thinks about this."

"Then what are you doing here with me?"

"What do you mean?" Katherine asks.

"If you want to know how Jodie feels, you need to go and ask her."

"Now?" Katherine looks at her watch and confirms it's not late.

"Why wait? Stop wasting time with me and go clear things up with her."

"Have I told you I love you?" Katherine says smiling.

"Many times, now go, Mike just got back."

During the ride to Jodie's house, Katherine is nervous while trying to devise a thousand ways to start a conversation that even she doesn't know how to approach. The sound of a notification on her phone pulls her from her thoughts, and when she opens it, she sees it's a message from Caroline in the Taylor sisters' group chat, and she feels like breaking something.

"Katherine is in love!"

The news is accompanied by several emojis including speakers as if it were breaking news, champagne bottles tocelebrate, and two women hugging. Flustered, Katherine watches in horror as Rachel is typing, so she locks her phone before seeing what her older sister says.

"Damn it," she mutters, putting the device in her purse.

"Any problem?" Mike asks, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

"Caroline, she's such a blabbermouth."

Mike smiles without commenting and twenty minutes later, stops the car in front of Jodie's door.

"If I haven't come out in an hour, leave," Katherine says before getting out.

"Alright, have a good night," Mike says goodbye, and Katherine narrows her eyes at him.

Jodie is about to go to bed when she hears the doorbell. Her heart speeds up and she feels a certain fear as she approaches because she's not expecting anyone, much less at this hour. With the chain on, she opens the door slightly and her breath catches when through the small opening she sees Katherine Taylor.

"What are you doing here?" she asks in astonishment, while a pleasant tingling spreads through her body, conquering every last corner.

"Can I come in or do I have to explain from the street?" Katherine responds.

"Yes, of course, sorry."

Jodie closes the door, removes the chain from the latch, and opens it completely to let Katherine in. The owner of the Mallois feels her heart flutter when her gaze locks with Jodie's for a few seconds, then, unable to control hercuriosity, she looks around after feeling that it's almost as cold inside the house as outside. Jodie wears pajama pants, thick socks, and on top, a sweatshirt that Katherine would only wear in the dead of winter.

"The heating doesn't work," Jodie explains, embarrassed. "If you want, we can go to the kitchen, I have a space heater there and it's where I usually spend time when I'm home, it should still be warm."

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