Page 64 of Head Over Heels

"It's an idea."

"Josie?" Tilly's voice pulls me out of my Josie-bubble. "You realize what's happening, right?"

Josie shakes her head. "What are you talking about? What's happening?"

Tilly snorts. "She's wheedling her way into your heart."

Josie shakes her head. "No, it's not like that. She's just a friend, Till. The rest is for show."

Tilly smirks. "A friend you want to touch constantly."

Josie shakes her head. "We're all touchy-feely, Till. You are, too."

She raises an eyebrow. "But you don't fuckmeon the kitchen table."

I step away from Josie, stung. "It was the dining room table," I tell Tilly hotly. I look at Josie, who looks as surprised as I am at Tilly's snide comment. I need to get out of here.

I can't breathe.

"I'll be downstairs when you're ready to go."

I spend a long time staring out the window, watching the sun sparkling on the water. I don't understand how all my thoughts revolve around this woman I met less than two months ago. Yes, I need her for appearances, and I agreed to spend time with her because that's what she wanted. But I never thought she would find her way into my heart.

I was with Katie almost four years before she decided to look for greener pastures. It took me less than a week to get over her—to realize I was happier without her constant need for more of me.

Is that what I'm doing to Josie? She doesn't even want to spend the time with me that she's entitled to. I slump against the window. Maybe I need to stop spending time with her. The rumors about Woodhouse have stopped, so there's not much need for us to be seen together in public—at least not for a while. It hurts to think about giving up our time together.

"She's all yours, darling." Tilly's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "I'm going to get out of here."

I can feel her eyes on my back. I don't turn around.

Her breath is suddenly against my neck, in my ear. "Try the bed next time."

I yank my head away from her. "There won't be a next time."

"Well, don't be like that. A beautiful woman, warm and pliable under those long fingers of yours…"

At least she has the decency to step out of my personal space.

I wipe the tear from my cheek before I twirl around. "Don't talk about her like that." I take a step into her space. "She's a person who deserves your respect. She's not a piece of meat."

Tilly raises an eyebrow. "You can respect a woman and still worship her body."

I turn back to the window, hiding my face. "Be safe on your way home." I try to swallow back the lump in my throat.

Yes, you can still worship her body.

She's quiet for a minute. "Hey. I didn't mean to upset you."

I half shrug. I noticed Josie pulling away from me before Tilly started joking about it. "She doesn't do feelings. I get it." I wish Tilly would go already.

"Florence." When I don't answer, she puts a hand on my back, stepping next to me. "She's going through enough shit with all this stuff, with her grandpa being a creepy pervert, all of it. She needs all of us right now, especially you."

"Well," Josie's voice comes from the stairs, "I certainly didn't expect to come down and find the two of you in a compromising position."

"I think," Tilly quips, looking up at her friend without missing a beat, "that your idea of a compromising position is different from mine." She leans closer to me to whisper in my ear. "Keep working that CEO charm on her, Boss. It's working." Laughing, she kisses my cheek before turning to Josie. "Jealous?"

I hear murmured conversation behind me, but I keep my eyes on the water in the distance. Tilly leaves quietly, and Josie comes up behind me.

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