Page 25 of On the Fly
“I doubt that,” she said, but did stop trying to remove her hand from his hold.
“It’s not all bad. I have a point in my favor. I got to see you topless,” he said, waggling his eyebrows, but looking straight ahead.
“I wasn’t topless. My bra covers more than my bathing suit.” Again, he got theyou’re insanelook. He couldn’t remember being this relaxed. Though he had to fight the constant need to push her into any available darkened doorway and have his way with her sassy mouth. The thought tightened his slacks even further, which he hoped she failed to notice.
“Then I’d like to see you in a bathing suit,” he said, not missing a single beat in their banter.
“Now, you stop.” They walked side by side for the length of two shops. Although she was still skeptical, always looking for his angle, he could sense her starting to lighten up. The accusations were more teasing, and their silence was no longer filled with any sort of negative skepticism. He counted both those things as bonuses. There was no more awkwardness; she was comfortable. He was too. Maybe more than comfortable. Maybe, daresay, relaxed, and he never destressed, not ever.
“Right here,” he said, walking toward the door to The Napa Art Gallery. He pushed it open wide and extended a hand, ushering her in first. The place was dark compared to the bright sun outside, and he followed, bumping into her when she stopped just a few feet inside. His eyes took several seconds to adjust. Of its own accord, one hand came to her shoulder, her long silky hair skimming his skin while the other pointed to a trendy desk, devoid of anything but a closed laptop on top. “This way.”
It was remarkable how little had changed inside yet everything looked different. The space offered a utilitarian atmosphere, stark and sparse. But Josh had told him that avoided anything detracting from the art installations, allowing patrons to sink into the artists’ intentions.
“Tom Harris. Omigod.” Emma broke from him, veering over to a large landscape hanging on the wall behind the desk. “I went to college with him. He’s brilliant.”
“Can I help you?” Josh Cooper, his high school buddy and the proprietor, came from the back. He first looked at Emma then at him. It took only a second for recognition to form. “Ander Jorgensen, is that you?”
Ander grinned and walked toward Josh, extending his hand. “It is. I wondered if you were still around.”
“No one ever sees you in town anymore,” Josh said. In their youth, their group of guys spent every available moment together. He greeted Ander with a friendly bro hug, a shoulder tap deal they had perfected in their teenage years.
“I’m afraid that’ll change as we figure out what to do with the airline now that Dad’s gone,” he said, scanning Josh’s features. He hadn’t seen his old buddies in years. Ander was shocked at how long it had been. Josh had crow’s feet crinkling the corner of his eyes, but a body that declared he’d maintained his athletic lifestyle. Ander didn’t feel that old at all, but clearly they’d all aged.
Josh’s face crunched in remorse. “I was so sorry to hear about your father. It was a heart attack, right?”
“Yeah,” he said, not interested in going down that rabbit hole.
“He was too young.” Josh wore an expression that showed regret, but then cut his gaze to Emma, looking at her curiously across the room in front of a painting. He saw the moment interest in a customer turned into interest in the female. “I’ll be back. Can I help you?”
“She’s with me,” Ander said, putting a low growl into his words to drive home his point. His primal instincts instantly rushing forward as his eyes narrowed on Josh’s back. “Emma, this is Josh Cooper.”
“Hello,” Josh said, and Emma smiled brightly and extended her hand. Ander narrowed his eyes further, his brow furrowed as he watched the difficult Emma transform into a kind, gentle woman almost instantly. Something she’d never done with him. He’d had to work for every damn smile. Why hadn’t that look ever been directed toward him? He was her date after all.
“I love your gallery,” she said, looking around in wonderment. Josh stood taller, looking more at ease as he engaged with Emma. That was when Ander remembered Josh had always been the charming one of the group. They’d send him in to get the girls, then divide them up after Josh drew them in.
“You’re together?” Josh asked, looking between them as if Ander hadn’t just said those words.
“Yes,” he said with certainty, attempting to add warning to his tone as he stepped beside Emma.
“No,” she said, looking at him as if he were insane. The good-looking Josh beamed brighter at her. “Well, yes, we’re together,” Emma conceded.
Whatever she was thinking had her playfully slapping at Ander. He read the move as a clear indicator she had just friend-zoned him to his buddy. Josh’s eyes turned his way with that happy I’m-so-good-looking-watch-me-make-my-move smile on his face. Ander froze, lost some of his bluster, and tried to give off his own fuck-you-hands-off vibe. “I worked for his father and now him, I guess.”
“You guess?” Josh asked, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes danced between the two of them in amusement.
“I’m not sure of everything going on in the corporate office, but at least for now, I work with you, right?” she said, sending Ander a perplexed look, before adding a cheekily, “He’s got the reputation of being the terminator at the office. So maybe my days are numbered.” Now both Josh’s and Emma’s humor-filled expression landed on him as she not only friend-zoned him, but firmly shoved him in the work box.
“I see nothing’s changed in Ander’s reputation. We’d send him in to break up with our girlfriends. He had such a gentle, but firm way of breaking a girl’s heart.”
Emma’s smile brightened. She nodded at him as if she happily agreed with Josh.
“What do you do for the airline?”
“I’m the social media director,” she started, but turned toward the large mounted picture that drew her eye when they had first walked in. “But in college, I minored in art history because I loved it. Tom Harris and I were in a lot of classes together. He’s magnificent, so talented.” Emma took the few steps to view the painting from a distance, effectively turning her back on both of them.
Josh immediately sent Ander a questioning look, then held his hands in the air when Ander mouthed a forceful “back the fuck off.” Amusement and challenge danced in Josh’s gaze, reminding him exactly why he hadn’t stayed connected with these guys through the years. Anytime they were together, they became the competitive, shit-giving teenagers they had been all those years ago.
“I thought he would make a name for himself. It looks like he has.”
