Maggie #3
Jules immediately lowers his voice to an exaggerated whisper. “You slept with him.”
A laugh bursts out of me so hard my shoulders shake.
Jules points at me triumphantly. “There it is.”
I drag both hands through my damp hair adjusting the clip. “It just…”
I lose my words. All I can think about is Alexei’s hands on me, and his rough voice by my ear.
Lord.
Jules watches my entire internal spiral happen in real time. His eyebrows climb nearly into his hairline.
“It was that good?!” he whisper screams.
I purse my lips without answering.
“Oh, honey,” Jules says with fake sympathy. “You’re down bad.”
“I hate that phrase.”
“But am I wrong?” he insists.
I peek at him from under my lashes. “No.”
Jules drops back into his chair and folds his arms like he’s preparing for serious investigative journalism. “All right then. I need details.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I’m not askin’ for diagrams. I just need to know if he’s actually good in bed or if he just stands there lookin’ expensive.”
A horrified laugh escapes me. “You can’t say stuff like that with a straight face.”
I bite down on my smile and glance toward the desk, suddenly very interested in the donation forms scattered across it.
Jules gasps and drops his head back against the chair again. “Oh, he ruined your life.”
A laugh loudly this time.
“He was…” I shake my head slowly, a smile creeping across my face. “Very thorough.”
Jules slaps a hand over his heart like he’s been personally attacked. “Maggie Hayes.”
“I’m not discussin’ this with you.”
“Oh, you absolutely are. You can’t leave me hangin’ darlin’.”
I chuckle, and Jules watches me for a second before some of the teasing leaves his face. Not completely. He’s still Jules. Dramatic, nosy, and entirely too invested in my business.
“And Ivy?” he asks.
My chest squeezes. “I miss her already.”
His expression turns thoughtful instantly. “Well,” he murmurs. “There it is.”
I look down at the desk. There’s a scratch along the edge from when a scared shepherd mix clawed it during a storm three years ago. I focus on that instead of the ache in my chest.
I shake my head slowly. “That little girl will wrap herself right around your heart before you even see it comin’.”
“Kids do that.”
I continue to stare down at the desk, tracing the scratch with one finger. “I hated leavin’ before she woke up.”
Jules’s expression gentles even more. “You snuck out.”
“I had to.”
“Maybe.” He lifts one shoulder. “But children notice more than people think.”
Guilt twists low in my stomach. I already know he’s right. Ivy notices everything. The quiet parts, especially.
Jules leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Look at me.”
I do.
“I’m not tellin’ you to run.”
I huff out a quiet laugh. “Well, that’d be richer than pound cake comin’ from you.”
“I’m serious, Maggie. I like him more than I expected.”
That surprises me enough that my eyebrows lift.
Jules sighs dramatically. “Yes, yes, write it down. Hell froze over. I saw how he was with Ivy. Men can fake charm. They can’t fake the way they are around children.”
My chest warms at that.
“But,” Jules continues, “you jump in with your whole heart. Every time.”
“I don’t,” I say defensively.
“You brought home a one-eyed raccoon because it looked lonely.”
“He was injured.”
“You cried when he got adopted by that sanctuary.”
“He liked me,” I say, lifting my chin a little.
Jules points at me. “Exactly my point.”
I sink lower into my chair.
“Happy endings aren’t guaranteed,” he adds.
I swallow hard. “I know.”
“You read all those books because deep down you still believe people get chosen and loved and kept.”
I try to joke. “Well, now you’re makin’ me sound emotionally unstable.”
“You know what I mean.”
I do. That’s the problem.
He leans back with a sigh. “I just don’t want you gettin’ hurt.”
My throat tightens, and I fidget with the papers in front of me. “I’ll be careful.”
“Maggie.”
“I mean it,” I promise.
He gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me. I’m not sure I do either. Being careful stopped the moment Ivy hugged me good night, and Alexei kissed me.
An explosion of barking tears through the kennel room, followed by one of the volunteers yelping in alarm.
Jules closes his eyes immediately. “That better not be Kevin.”
I snort. Kevin is a tiny orange cat with the soul of a violent criminal.
Another crash echoes down the hallway.
Jules stands immediately. “That’s definitely Kevin.”
We hurry out of the office together. Sure enough, chaos waits in the hallway.
Kevin hangs halfway up the front of a kennel like a furry demon while two volunteers stare at him in horror.
“I told y’all not to make eye contact with him,” Jules says impatiently.
“He bit through my clipboard,” one volunteer says weakly.
“Because he smells fear.” I kneel slowly near the kennel. “Kevin,” I say in my warm animal voice. “Now what exactly was your plan here, sugar?”
Kevin hisses.
Jules folds his arms. “That cat owes me money.”
I bite back a smile. “Come here, you tiny menace.”
Amazingly, Kevin hops down and marches straight into my arms like he didn’t just terrorize half the building.
“Unbelievable,” Jules mutters.
Kevin presses his face against my chin while purring loud enough to vibrate against my chest.
“Oh sure,” Jules says. “Now he’s a saint.”
“He just likes me better.”
“He likes you because you enable his crimes.”
I grin, not denying it.
The morning continues in the usual shelter chaos, with phones ringing, dogs barking, and volunteers asking questions nonstop. It’s normal, comfortable chaos.
At one point, while I’m restocking medication bottles in the supply room, I catch myself reaching for my phone without even thinking about it. Hoping there’ll be a message from Alexei.
My stomach jumps as soon as I realize what I’m doing.
Well, that’s a problem and a half.
Jules notices from across the room. He lifts one eyebrow slowly, his lips pursing.
I immediately shove my phone into my back pocket. “Don’t.”
Jules lifts his iced coffee with an innocent expression. “Oh, honey, I didn’t even say anything.”
I point at him accusingly. “You were about to.”
“I simply witnessed a woman descending into emotional ruin in real time.”
“Go clean kennels.”
Jules puts one hand on his hip. “I’m the manager.”
“Then manage yourself into a mop bucket.”
He grins down into his iced coffee.
A few minutes later my phone buzzes. My pulse jumps before I even look.
Alexei.
Just seeing his name does ridiculous things to me.
Alexei: My daughter has informed me Winston and Daisy miss you already.
I stare at the screen, smiling like an idiot.
Me: Well, now I’m gonna spend the whole day feelin’ guilty.
“Mm-hmm.”
I jerk around. Jules stands in the doorway holding a clipboard with the smug expression of a man who lives to embarrass me.
“You have got to stop appearin’ out of nowhere.”
“You smiled at your phone,” he points out.
“That’s not illegal.”
“It should be.”
I bite back another grin while looking down at the screen.
Alexei: You can fix that. Dinner tonight.
Then I type carefully.
I’m startin’ to think your house might be dangerous for me.
Three dots appear almost immediately.
Alexei: And yet you’re still coming tonight.
My shiver runs down my spine. I smile harder.
“Maggie,” Jules says with deep concern, “you’re glowing. It’s upsettin’.”
“Oh hush.”
He studies me for another second. Then his eyes warm despite himself.
“Well,” he murmurs, “I hope he deserves you.”
That takes me by surprise. Under all the teasing and drama, that’s who Jules really is—protective, loyal, always on my side.
I bump my shoulder lightly against his while walking past him toward the hallway. “You’re stuck with me, you know.”
“Unfortunately.”
“I mean it.”
One corner of his mouth lifts. “I know, honey.”
Then Kevin screeches from the lobby like a tiny banshee.
Jules closes his eyes. “That cat is going to be the death of me.”
I laugh as we head toward the noise together. And for a little while, with the barking dogs, Jules’s constant jokes, and Kevin causing trouble, I almost believe my life still makes sense. Almost.