Chapter 22
Harper looked up from the text she was pretending to write, eyeing the Lotus bar.
“I think she’s going to do it.”
Evie stretched, glancing in the same direction as Harper. They had claimed one of the VIP areas, and since it was slightly raised off the floor, it was great for snooping.
“I don’t know… It would be pretty early.”
“Nell hasn’t dated in over a year. Her tolerance is low. I’m telling you, she’s going to do it.”
After a long, unproductive afternoon of shopping, they had ended up where they usually did, back at the Lotus.
It wouldn’t open for a few more weeks, which Harper didn’t really get.
Most of the rooms were fully furnished, including the main room they were currently in.
It was filled with hidden nooks, soft mood lighting, and a long stage running down the center of the room.
A scene all but begging for an audience to captivate.
Most owners would have been eager for customers at this point.
But Natalya was, in fact, particular. She wanted everything to be perfect, including things no one cared about. To make matters worse, Patricia was just as bad, and now spent most of her waking hours in her spacious office.
It had been a long time since she had been that excited about anything. Even Harper couldn’t help but be affected, an odd giddiness forming in her stomach whenever she thought of how splendid this place would look when active.
And someone was getting their fill early. Nell was standing by the bar—her excuse for going being a half-empty drink glass—and was now chatting with one of the people dropping off inventory.
And they were making Nell blush.
“Do you know anything about her?” Harper asked, eyeing the dark-haired, fair-skinned woman currently grinning at Nell.
“Her name is Casey… something,” Evie said. “She’s human. She’s worked with the patrol teams for a few months now. Does a decent job, if I recall correctly.”
Natalya wouldn’t have let her anywhere near the Lotus if that wasn’t the case. And Casey had been around a few times, too, usually to drop stuff off.
Other than a passing look, Harper hadn’t paid her any mind. The only reason she recognized the woman was because Nell gawked at her every time she showed up.
She had a certain charm, Harper had to admit.
And plenty of attractive qualities. Hair cut short, a scattering of freckles over her nose, and a lean but strong physique.
But while Harper could see those elements and find them appealing in a neutral sense, they were catnip to Nell.
She had a type, and Casey matched it to a startling degree.
It might give her a leg up of sorts. Because when Casey spoke—saying something hilarious, by how Nell laughed—Nell covered her mouth and looked down at the floor.
And twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
“See!” Harper said, barely keeping her voice down. “Told you she was going to do it. I could feel it coming.”
“I stand corrected,” Evie chuckled and raised her hands in surrender.
Anyone not in the know would have seen the cutesy reaction as a move of some sort. With a livelihood that involved as much flirting as theirs, getting desensitized to it was an occupational hazard.
For Harper, at least. Instead of treating it like a game, Nell put on a persona when she was working, one that was the polar opposite of how she was in real life. While the differences between Harper and Aurora were distinct but minor, the differences between Nell and Venus were like night and day.
Venus could charm someone out of a full paycheck using only her voice. But whenever Nell was around someone she liked, she got nervous, and whenever she got nervous, she started playing with her hair.
Casey obviously noticed. Her smile widened, and she tugged at one of Nell’s curls.
And then… Harper’s stomach clenched.
“Took you long enough.” Evie grinned as Nell returned to their table. “So? How did it go?”
Nell fiddled with her drink straw. “How did what go?”
“Oh, come on,” Harper said. “You’ve been eyeing the door since we got here, and then all but jumped when she walked in. Tell us how it went!”
Nell widened her eyes, putting on a confused expression that was only believable to people who hadn’t spent years living with her. When Evie and Harper cocked their heads at the exact same time, decidedly unimpressed, Nell sighed.
“It was okay. We… talked.”
Evie’s grin widened. “And what did you talk about? It must have been salacious with how much she made you blush.”
“She did not! Casey was just being nice.” Nell started playing with her hair again. “And… she wanted to know how I was settling in. If I had explored the city yet. And then she asked me out.”
Evie burst into excited questioning, which didn’t make it any easier for Nell to avoid the blushing allegations.
Harper’s heart sank seeing the pink color in her face. Evie being so excited was actually lucky, because it meant Nell was too busy deflecting questions to notice that Harper wasn’t saying anything.
And why, exactly? Casey hadn’t done anything other than be charming, which wasn’t a negative. Especially not since Nell actively sought it out.
It was just a bit of leftover worry. Not unexpected, after all the mess with her last boyfriend. But this was a new place, with new people. A much-needed fresh start. Evie had broken the trend of awful partners, so why shouldn’t Nell be able to do the same?
Why shouldn’t Harper?
“You okay?” Evie nudged Harper’s arm. “You’re being quiet.”
Evie had always been too perceptive for her own good. Which was actually a mark against whatever hesitance Harper was feeling. Evie hadn’t spotted any cause for concern, so it probably wasn’t there at all.
Harper shrugged. “I’m fine. I just thought you weren’t dating right now. That’s all.”
“That was only because I kept making bad decisions.” Nell’s gaze fell, and she smiled. “Casey doesn’t feel like a bad decision. She’s sweet. And funny, and… She’s just different.” Nell gave Evie a playful shove. “And a she, too. Which I bet you’ll be gloating about.”
“I will do no such thing.” Evie flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I’ll be relieved. Since you’ve finally developed a sense of taste.”
Nell snorted, almost choking on her drink. In their lineup of failed relationships, most of them had involved men; something Evie teased them about relentlessly. But never in a mean way.
The three of them being queer was part of why they had bonded so quickly. Not everyone got how it felt to be othered because of your identity. To feel alone because of who you were and who you fell in love with.
When you found people who knew what that was like, they were hard to replace. And they got to make prodding comments without consequences.
Despite that, Harper couldn’t offer any reaction beyond a weak smile. An ugly feeling had coiled in her stomach, tightening and tightening.
She shouldn’t feel envious. Evie being more excited about Nell’s possible relationship than Harper’s real one wasn’t cruel, or even conscious. She couldn’t help where her thoughts took her.
But having Evie shoot nervous glances at her neck every time they saw each other still stung.
“Do you want to come over tonight?” Nell asked Evie. “Patricia finally got ahold of a lawyer who’s worth a damn, so we’re looking after Lucas until tomorrow. Just so he doesn’t overhear anything he shouldn’t.”
Evie smiled. “Can’t handle him on your own?”
“He doesn’t want us to handle him,” Harper said. “We’re old news. If you’re not there, he’ll complain about it.”
Evie’s worry that Lucas wouldn’t remember her was voided the moment he laid eyes on her. He hadn’t even said anything. He’d just sprinted right into her arms, giving her such a hard hug it was almost a tackle.
He also didn’t know everything that was going on. Once he was older and could better understand it, he would be told. Until then, he was happy being pampered by Evie whenever she saw him.
“I’d love to come over,” Evie said. “It’s actually good timing. Natalya will be busy. She’s handling things on her own for a while, so the apartment is going to feel pretty empty.”
Nell eyed Harper. “What about you?”
“What about me?” Harper said, sipping her ice water.
“I’m just wondering if you’ll be there. You know, given that it’s been over a week since you spent the night in our apartment.”
A few drops of water went down her windpipe, and Harper started a loud coughing fit.
“Nell! Really?”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing! It’s the opposite, actually. It at least supports my belief about Maya being ridiculously decent. I’m surprised you haven’t vented about her by now.”
She should have. Harper usually had stuff to complain about at this point. And she never stayed at someone’s place for more than a single night. Any longer, and they would start bickering.
That hadn’t happened with Maya. In fact, just ten minutes after leaving her apartment that day, Harper had started missing her.
Maya might be sappy, but Harper was even worse.
“So you two are getting serious?” Evie picked at a napkin. “Sounds like it at least.”
“It’s just new,” Harper said, a little quicker than intended. “It’s fun. I like fun, and so does she. That’s all.”
Neither Nell nor Evie seemed to buy that, though their reactions were polar opposites. Nell looked delighted, while Evie’s shoulders had gone stiff.
“That’s good to hear.” Evie brushed her thumb over her scarred wrist. “I’m happy for you.”
Her voice was frail. And the fact that she was trying to hide it and failing miserably only made it sting more. Especially as Nell noticed, too, the joy draining from her eyes.
She fixed it as she usually did. By talking her way through it.
Whenever Nell sensed an argument in the air, she would pivot the conversation as far away from it as possible, and in this case, it involved chatting about all the things they were still missing from the apartment and really needed to get at some point soon.