Page 48 of Getting Lucky

“I have to pay for it,” Maisie insisted, but Jack had already gotten out his wallet, and he handed Iris cash as she brushed past him. They’d perfected that dance over many years of takeout.

“You can get it next time,” Jack said, trying not to dwell on the possibility of a next time. “Let’s get the other nightstand.”

They headed up together, the early playfulness fading, the awareness of how close she was buzzing under his skin.

She walked over to the remaining nightstand and looked up at him with a mischievous grin. “Sorry that I almost corrupted your baby sister.”

He laughed. “Did you, though? I guess she’s seen a vibrator before.”

“You heard that, huh?”

“Yeah, but thankfully not much else.”

“I quickly steered the conversation to another topic. I was scared to death she was going to start asking me questions about you.”

He grimaced. “Yeah. Me too. She really likes you, and I’d hate to ruin that if she thinks we’ve slept together.”

“You think she’d be upset?” she asked in surprise.

“She already barely tolerates Addy and Georgie. I’m not sure how she’d handle a girlfriend. And right now, you’re pretty much the only person she likes here in Asheville. I’d hate to take that from her.”

Disappointment flickered on her face, but she gave him a wry look. “Just so you know, she really likes Beatrice, so there are two of us.” Then she added, “But I understand.”

Part of him wished neither one of them understood, that they’d say to hell with it and decide this thing between them was too powerful to deny. That love conquered all. But they weren’t in love, just lust, and lust never conquered anything.

So why did he feel the loss deep in his soul instead of down south?

They carried the final nightstand down and found Iris in the kitchen, pulling plates out of the cabinet. “Do you want to eat now or after we haul the new stuff upstairs?”

“I’m starving,” Maisie said, “but now I’m dying to see what my sister sent me. What if I hate it?” She said the last part with a grin, making it obvious she didn’t expect to hate it, but he wasn’t surprised she wanted to see it before going all in. He certainly would.

“Let me go unpack one of the nightstands. Then you can look at all of it.” He glanced at Iris for her blessing.

“Good idea,” she said, placing the plates on the table. “I’ll help him make sure it’s presentable.”

Maisie laughed. “Presentable? I would hate to catch it with its pants off or without lipstick. Go work your magic.”

Iris laughed. “Careful, or I’ll make him box it all back up.”

Jack headed outside and started working on the nightstand box as Iris surveyed the rest of the furniture. The headboard was lying on part of the box it had come in, and the dresser was perpendicular to the front door.

“I really wish we could get all of this upstairs before she sees it,” Iris said wistfully. “But Maisie’s right. I doubt I can help you get the dresser upstairs.”

“I think she’ll be fine seeing it outside, Iris,” he said as he tore part of the box from the nightstand. “She’s curious and doesn’t want to wait. I can’t say I blame her.”

“But it’s her Christmas present, and she didn’t even get to unwrap it.”

Crap. Why hadn’t he thought about that? What if she’d wanted to unpack these things herself?

“You like her,” she said softly, staring at him intently.

“What?”

“You look like someone stole your precious Prius. It bothers you that we might have ruined her present.”

“I think that makes me a good person,” he said.

“I already knew you were a good person,” she said, then shifted her weight and asked, “Were you dating her before I moved here? It’s obvious you’ve been here before.”

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