8. Mav
EIGHT
MAV
“I needed that,” I tell Lia. Stretched out in my bed, I bend my arm behind my head and stare at the ceiling. Fuck, I could go for a cigarette right now, but I stopped smoking.
Some shit my agent tossed out about optics and the youth. As if vaping is any better.
“Me too. I’ve been working nights to train the new girl,” Lia says, looking at me.
I feel her stare on my face but don’t take the bait. If she wants to talk, she will, whether I prompt her for her shit or not.
“Aren’t you curious about the new girl?” Lia asks after a beat. She shifts her weight, draping her frame over my chest and looking down into my eyes.
I roll my lips together, curious. Unlike many of my past hookups, Lia isn’t looking for anything. She doesn’t play mind games or try to manipulate me. She’s down to fuck, and sometimes, that leads to a casual conversation or a quick bite. She knows the score, the same as me.
I twirl a strand of her pale hair around my finger. Tug. “What’re you playing at?” I ask. Mckenna’s words from the kitchen filter through my mind.
What the hell are you playing at, Maverick Tate?
Fuck if I know. I work a swallow against the ball of emotion that lodges in my throat when I think of Mckenna. When I think about Mckenna with some fuckwad taking her for a ride.
Who the hell is she spending her nights with? And why, when I’ve got easygoing, fun Lia splayed out and naked, do I give a shit about Mckenna at all?
She shakes her head, her eyes narrowing. “You really don’t know.”
Irritation flares. “You playing games now, Lee?”
“No. I’m just surprised.”
I huff. “‘Bout what?”
“The new girl is Mckenna.” She gives me a look as if she’s carefully gauging my reaction to this news.
I sit straight up in bed, shaking her off me. Lia snorts, rolling onto her side and propping her head up with her hand.
“What the hell?” I say, but my mind is already rewinding the past few weeks.
Mckenna’s late nights. Her exhaustion. Her weight loss. The way my comments have yet to land. How she drew a line in the sand and let this little cold front we’ve got going play out.
“Why wouldn’t she tell me?” I wonder aloud.
What are you playing at, Mckenna Byrne?
“That was my question.” Lia sits up next to me. “It’s weird. When she first moved in, and then when she showed up for a job, I thought she was taking advantage of you. Of this.” She waves a hand around my plain bedroom that feels like no one lives in it. Years ago, I used to bunk here with Allegra, but those days are in our rearview now.
The Burnt Clovers have exploded, and the fact that I still crash in my old room at the brownstone is something my brother and bandmates regularly poke fun at.
“Mckenna’s not like that.” It’s strange to hear myself defend her, but for all the things she does to piss me off, she’s never tried to take advantage. If anything, my success has always irked her.
“I know,” Lia agrees.
I narrow my eyes. She doesn’t volunteer any additional information.
“You hungry, Mav?”
At her simple question and blasé attitude, I wonder if she’s the one playing mind games. It’s not that Lia and I haven’t grabbed a bite in the past, but it’s usually because I had a session and needed the food and am not a complete dick, so I picked something up for her too. Not because one of us asks the other one to eat.
Still, curiosity about my reluctant roommate has me saying, “Sure.”
Lia grins. “I know an Italian place around the corner.”
“Great.” I pull myself from bed and toss on a pair of joggers and a T-shirt.
Lia cleans herself up and dresses.
On the way out the door, I can’t stop myself from glancing at Mckenna’s closed bedroom door.
“She picked up a shift,” Lia explains.
“She’s been working a lot.” It’s a statement, now that I know the truth. Even I hear the edge of concern in my tone. Why the hell is she working at a café? Why did she fucking lie when I asked if she’s in trouble? If Mckenna Byrne needs cash, she’s in fucking trouble and realizing that she’d rather hide her job than confide in me hollows out my chest.
She really doesn’t trust me.
“Around the clock. She’s a shit server but one of the hardest working.”
I look at Lia and read her expression’s sincerity mixed with surprise.
“I thought she’d be stuck-up or something,” Lia admits.
I snort. I see where Lia’s coming from. Mckenna gives off pretentious, standoffish vibes when you first meet her. At least, that was my first impression and when I teased her for it, she doubled down. Instead of softening, she blew me off. It’s why I take little jabs at her—because she won’t give me an inch. At first, I thought it would be this funny, playful thing between us. I mean, Allegra is one of the coolest girls I know, and I hit it off easily with Ivy and Nova. But Mckenna, Mckenna’s been a tough nut to crack from the get-go.
“But she’s really cool,” Lia says. “I like working with her, especially now that she’s picking things up.”
I nod and follow Lia out of my house.
It’s weird, two girls I know clicking. I mean, Allegra connects with everyone, but she’s Derek’s woman and more like my sister. On the other hand, Lia is a woman I fuck, and Mckenna is…a fucking annoying and confusing presence in my life.
“This is the place.” Lia gestures to a small Italian restaurant I’ve walked by hundreds of times but have yet to venture into.
Inside, it’s warm and authentic, and I automatically like it.
I smile at the hostess and murmur a thank you as we’re seated. Glancing at the menu, I debate between chicken parmigiana and a pizza.
“You think we should bring Mckenna something?” Lia asks.
I look at her, thrown by the question. “Huh?”
“She’s been working a lot lately, picking up every shift she can. Hell, she’s working tonight for me.” She chews the corner of her mouth as she peruses the menu. “Can’t go wrong with penne and marinara sauce.”
“Whatever,” I say. What the hell? Lia wants to bring Mckenna, my irritating roommate who constantly comments on my sex life and has seen Lia fucking topless, dinner?
A horrible thought occurs to me. “Are you and Mckenna friends?”
Lia shrugs. “We could be. She’s actually really nice.”
I feel my upper lip curl on its own accord. I mean, sure, Mckenna isn’t a terrible person. But she’s not pleasant either. “She’s annoying and judgmental and a pain in the ass.”
Lia chuckles. “I bet a lot of people describe you the same way.”
Huh? I frown. Is Lia fucking right?
I mean, I’m sure Mckenna would have chosen those adjectives to describe me but… Lia and Mckenna are fucking friends.
“You’ve gone to the dark side,” I accuse her.
She laughs again.
“Can I start you with something to drink?” Our server appears at the side of our table.
“Oh, I’d love a glass of Cabernet to start,” Lia says. “And we’re also going to put in a to-go order for after lunch.” She looks up at the server. “Penne and marinara.”
“No problem.” He scribbles down the order.
“For you, sir?” He looks at me, nearly does a double take, and glances back at his notepad.
“Just a Coke.” I close my menu. “And a Margherita pizza.”
“I’ll do the caprese salad and minestrone soup,” Lia tacks on.
“Perfect. I’ll be, um, right back with your drinks.” The server scurries away.
“You made him nervous,” Lia accuses me.
I shrug. “I have that effect on people.”
Lia laughs again like I’m joking. Shit, am I losing my touch?
I frown. Is Lia really becoming more Mckenna’s friend than my fuck buddy? I tug at the collar of my T-shirt. It’s hardly restrictive, and yet, it feels too damn tight.
What is even happening right now?
Save for the fact that Lia is good people, and I enjoy fucking her, I don’t care who she’s friends with.
But Mckenna, damn, I want to know so many things about her. Too many things.
I frown, pressing my lips together. Since Mckenna showed up, she’s invaded my living space, disrupted my social gatherings, and now, she’s stealing my friends.
It’s bullshit. It’s annoying.
It’s fucking with my head, and the fact that I’m more concerned than angry terrifies me.
I think I’m crossing over to the fucking dark side, too.