26. Tyson
TWENTY-SIX
TYSON
Josie’s hands press against my chest as we both look in the direction the sound just came from.
I don’t know if I’m relieved or annoyed to find a grinning Jude staring back at us. Charlotte stands next to him, her mouth hanging open as she holds on to the handle of a stroller.
“Tyson,” Jude says, drawing out my name before letting out a whistle. “Was not expecting to find you here…” His gaze moves to Josie as I set her feet back on the ground. “In this position,” he finishes, his gaze bouncing between us.
I clear my throat, stepping only far enough from Josie to ensure she isn’t still pressed up against the wall.
“Hi, Jude,” I manage to get out, my ears feeling hot at being caught. “Hi, Charlotte…and hi, Ava.”
The stroller faces Jude and Charlotte, so I can’t see baby Ava, but she lets out a happy squeal at her name.
“Enjoying the weather?” Jude asks in a knowing tone. He lifts a blond eyebrow as he stares at me, clearly amused.
I look over at Josie, finding her wide-eyed and blushing, but there’s a slight smile that plays on her lips that gives me hope that she isn’t completely mortified about being caught.
“Um,” I say, my free hand scratching the back of my neck as I try to come up with a response. “Yes, very much so.”
Josie lets out the smallest giggle, and the sound brings a wide smile to my face. I can’t believe we were just caught making out like a bunch of teenagers. Something about that is hilarious.
“Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” Jude asks, his gaze moving from me to Josie as the amused look doesn’t leave his face.
My eyes go wide because, in the flurry of being caught, I didn’t even think to introduce Josie to my friends.
“Yes, of course. This is my neighbor, Josie. Josephine Russell, actually. Arthur’s granddaughter.
Josie, this is Jude Kensington and his girlfriend, Charlotte.
And you can’t see her, but in the stroller is the cutest baby in the world, Ava. ”
A spark of recognition dawns in Jude’s eyes as he looks at Josie. He nods his head. “I knew you looked familiar. This is the woman you were asking if I knew when we were here golfing the other day, right?”
I swear I blush at his words. My gaze immediately rips from Jude and stares at Josie instead. She’s already looking at me, her grin almost as amused as Jude’s. She stares at me for a few seconds longer before looking back at Jude. “Probably not me.”
A choking noise comes from deep in my throat.
She’s amused because she thought I was asking about another woman, not her.
“No, it was definitely you,” I add, my voice a little strained.
“It was after we first met via Mouse. You were here at the club. Jude knows everyone, so I was asking if he knew your name since you didn’t give it to me. ”
The smile on Josie’s lips falters for a moment as she stares at me, her eyes softening slightly.
Before she can respond, Charlotte speaks up. “Are you spending the summer here, Josie?”
Josie pulls her gaze from mine and meets Charlotte’s.
She gives her a warm smile, and the thought hits me then that I think they’d get along great.
I want them to become friends, which is a dangerous thought because I’m beginning to picture double dates and spending time at the club, mixing the people I care about with her, which is something I shouldn’t be doing when we’re just starting to get to know one another, and I don’t know if she’s staying after she finishes writing this book or not.
“Undecided. I’m here working for a little over a month and haven’t quite figured out my summer plans after that.”
“That’s awesome. Are you here on family business, then?” Jude asks. Ava lets out another little squeal, stealing his attention for just a moment before he looks back at Josie and waits for her answer.
“Not exactly,” she responds, her stare moving to her feet for a moment. “I don’t work for my grandfather.”
Jude cocks his head to the side as his focus shifts to me for a moment. In our line of work, it’s fairly uncommon to choose anything other than the family business for a career. My guess is he’s wondering why Josie isn’t involved with Arthur’s company.
“What do you do, then?” Charlotte asks kindly.
I haven’t gotten to know her well quite yet, but I’ve spoken with her a few times while she worked as a bev cart girl here at Pembroke, and at the gala the other night when she showed up with Jude.
Despite that, I love that she genuinely seems interested in finding out more about Josie.
Josie’s hand tightens around mine, and I can’t help but wonder if she gets nervous sharing what she does with new people.
She shouldn’t be embarrassed by it at all.
It’s the coolest thing ever that she’s an author.
But the blush creeping on her cheeks tells me maybe she’s a little shy talking about it.
I absentmindedly pull our intertwined hands to my mouth, pressing a kiss to the skin of the back of her hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world to do, before looking at Charlotte. “She’s an author. She’s famous, and she writes romance books.”
Charlotte’s eyes go wide at the same time Josie lets out a sputtering sound as if she wasn’t expecting me to tell anyone about her profession.
“I’m not famous whatsoever,” Josie offers.
At the same moment, Charlotte points at Josie with her eyebrows raised. “Oh my God, I knew your name sounded familiar! I read one of your books after my sisters and my mom bullied me into it because they said how great it was.”
“Hopefully, you enjoyed it,” Josie responds, her words kind but her tone a little timid since she’s shy about telling others she’s an author.
“Are you kidding? The book was incredible. I’m not much of a reader—hence why my family had to pressure me into it to begin with—but I couldn’t put the book down.” Charlotte lets out a laugh before looking over at Jude and lowering her voice. “And the sex? Dear God, it was so hot.”
I look over at Josie just in time to see her cover her face with her free hand for a moment, clearly not expecting that to come out of Charlotte’s mouth.
I can’t help but laugh. I find it adorable that she’s bashful about talking about being an author.
“Anyway,” I speak up, trying to save Josie from any further embarrassment. It’s been a wild few minutes for her, and I’m not trying to overwhelm her or embarrass her with everything that’s happened. “Josie and I are going to go now. She’s got a book to finish.”
“It was very nice running into you on our walk,” Jude begins, his voice full of humor. “And it was very nice to meet you, Josie. Hope to see you around.”
“Yes,” Charlotte agrees, her voice soft. “It was so good to meet you. Please don’t be embarrassed by anything. I want to see you again so we can talk more about you being a famous author.”
Josie tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “It was nice to meet you too. See you around.”
“Bye, Bishop. Let’s plan some golf soon.”
I nod and give Jude a wave before stepping forward and pulling Josie along with me toward my car.