CHAPTER 27
“Good morning,” India said softly.
“Morning,” Maisie replied before she reached for India’s arm, which was around her middle, and pulled her in closer. “Did I snore?”
India chuckled and said, “A little. But it was cute.”
“It’s cute now because it’s the first time, but it won’t be cute when it happens over and over again.”
“Do you drink that much all the time?”
“What? No. Usually, my friends and I would only go out for drinks after the games. It’s been because of you that I’ve had that much alcohol recently.”
“So, I’m a bad influence on you?” India asked, kissing her neck.
“Yes, clearly,” she replied sarcastically. “Lainey is opening today, by the way. I have time.”
“Time for what, exactly?” India asked, kissing her neck some more.
“You know,” Maisie said, rolling over in India’s arms.
“If you can’t say it, I don’t think we should do it,” India teased.
“Sex,” Maisie replied.
“Sex? Right now?”
“What’s wrong with right now?” she asked, wrapping her arms around India’s neck. “You’re wearing my clothes. I woke up feeling your arm around me and you pressed up against me, and I really, really liked that.”
“I would love to,” India said. “But I have to go to work.” She kissed Maisie’s lips. “And I don’t want the first time we do that to be with morning breath.”
“I have morning breath?” she asked, quickly covering her mouth.
“Everyone has morning breath,” India said with a smile. “But I love that you’re thinking about that.”
“Well, I said I wanted to wait, but not forever,” Maisie replied. “You really have to go?”
“Yes. I need to get home first. I don’t have any work clothes here, and I don’t think I can wear your team sweater there without having to answer a ton of questions.”
Maisie smiled up at her and asked, “Can you spare five minutes, even though I have morning breath?”
“I think that can be arranged,” India said, lowering her lips to meet Maisie’s.
They stayed like that, kissing slowly and softly for longer than five minutes.
Maisie was guessing because she hadn’t been keeping track of the time, but however long it was, it didn’t feel long enough.
When she tried to deepen the kiss, letting her hands roam over India’s back under her borrowed T-shirt, India moaned into her mouth, so Maisie dragged her tongue over India’s bottom lip, attempting to indicate that she would be more than happy with them continuing what they were doing.
“Maise, I have to go,” India said, making no attempt to get out of bed or unattach her lips from Maisie’s neck.
“But you don’t,” she replied. “You could call in sick.” She ran her hands down to the shorts she had let India borrow and cupped her ass. “Or, you could tell them you’ll be late because you got a flat tire.”
India chuckled against Maisie’s neck and said, “I have a meeting first thing about a project.”
“And it can’t be moved?”
“Not really. We have vendors coming in,” India replied, shifting until she was no longer on top of Maisie and causing Maisie to feel a cool breeze due to the absence that she didn’t like.
“I can stop by for lunch, though, or you could meet me in the café, and we can talk about that project. You’ll be on the agenda soon, right?
You can ask them if doing any kind of demo work on the building would interfere with your status. ”
“I forgot all about that, with everything else going on,” she said. “But yeah, that sounds good. Want to shower here?”
“No, I’ll shower at home,” India replied and climbed out of bed. “But not because I don’t like your shower. It’s just easier, with my stuff being there.”
“Okay,” she said. “Want me to make you some coffee before you go?”
“No, I need to get running.”
“Fine, but think of me when you’re using your crazy complicated machine at home.”
India laughed, then climbed back onto the bed, straddling Maisie’s hips, and said, “I pretty much think of you all the time, so that won’t be a problem.”
Maisie smiled up at her as she ran her hands over India’s smooth thighs.
◆◆◆
“So, how was it?” Lainey asked.
“How was what?”
“Sex with your hot new girlfriend.”
“Oh, my God,” Maisie said. “We didn’t do that. And she’s not my girlfriend… Yet.”
“Yet?”
“I’d have to ask her that, or she’d have to ask me that, I guess.”
“It’s not grade school, Maisie. You’re with the woman all the time. She’s not seeing anyone else. Neither are you. You’re together.”
“Not all of us are like you and Paige. You met, and it just happened. You were suddenly together.”
“Yeah, and you and India are suddenly together, too.”
“I don’t think I should just assume that, Laine. I should probably talk to her about it first.”
“Do that. She’s clearly crazy about you. And I can tell you’re crazy about her, too. I watched you take India’s hand when you thought she and that Sophie woman might have been exes.”
“I just held her hand. No big deal.”
“Your eyes gave you away, Maisie. I saw those, too. You were about to pounce. I thought you would say something like, ‘Babe, should we get a table or something?’ to India just to prove that she was there with you.”
“She was there with me.”
Lainey laughed and picked up the stack of books she’d just placed on the counter.
“I’m glad you’re happy, Maise. You deserve it.”
“Thanks. Me too,” she replied just as the door opened and the bells jangled.
Mr. Barnard walked through the door and headed right to the counter, as always.
“Hi, Mr. Barnard.”
“Maisie,” he replied gruffly. “I’m here for my special order.”
“Of course,” she said and turned around to find his book, but there wasn’t anything there under his name. “Lainey, did you take a special order for Mr. Barnard?”
“No,” Lainey replied. “Maybe Sarah did.”
“What book was it?” Maisie asked the man, prepared to look it up in the system for him.
Mr. Barnard seemed to think for a long moment, which was odd for him, and Maisie got worried for a minute because her was getting old.
“Oh. I must not have put it in,” he answered.
“Can I help you put one in now?” she asked.
“I think I’ll just have a look around,” he replied.
“Okay. Let me know if I can help you find anything.”
“I think I know my way around here by now, Maisie.”
“Of course,” she said with a smile.
Then, the front door opened again, and Maisie turned to see Colter Stone walk in, dressed in his easily a thousand-dollar suit.
“Colter?” she asked.
“Maisie,” he replied, buttoning his light-blue jacket over the crisp white shirt before he approached her at the counter. “I need to talk to you.”
“I haven’t decided if I’m going to take you up on your advisor offer yet.”
“Advisor?” Lainey said.
“Can we have a minute, Lainey?” Maisie asked.
“Sure. I’ll help Mr. Barnard.”
“I don’t need any help!” the old man half-yelled as he walked down the right aisle.
Lainey shook her head, smiled, and walked away.
“I doubt you’ll want to take me up on my offer now,” Colter said.
“What? Why not?”
“Look, I had a favor that I was holding on to for you. It wasn’t a guarantee, but Lopez and I go back, and he said that if I gave him something, I could have something. I was going to use that favor to get you your historical status approved, but I had to use it on something else.”
“What?” she said.
“Yeah, I had to pull you from the agenda. Technically, you can get yourself back on. I won’t block you or anything. I doubt any of them will. I just can’t get you on this time. I had to use my favor. Well, favors, really. I had to ask Jameson for something, too, and that–”
“You used up your favors, so now, I’m off the agenda?”
“You can still get yourself on the agenda. You’re a citizen. Anyone can. You just have to follow the process.”
“The process can take months.”
“I know. I’ll try to get you back on myself when I can.”
“Wait. What did you use your favors on?”
“Huh?”
“Colter, what did you use your favors on?”
“Rezoning,” he replied. “We needed some commercial space.”
“Commercial space,” she repeated, nodding.
“For a company that wants its offices here. My uncle’s company, technically.”
“Your uncle’s–” She stopped. “India’s uncle?”
“No, just mine. He’s my dad’s brother. India and I have the same mom.”
“And you just gave up my spot for this?”
“Yes, but it’s not just because he’s my uncle. It’s a massive company, and they’re moving their headquarters here. It’s the possibility of six thousand jobs over the next five years. Maybe more.”
“And you couldn’t get that through without using those favors?”
“I could have, but it would’ve taken–”
“Months?” she interjected.
“Years,” he said. “And we would’ve lost it by then.”
She nodded and said, “You mean that you would have lost it by then. You wouldn’t have gotten your uncle what he needed.
You wouldn’t have gotten credit for all those jobs.
It’s all about you, Colter. It’s not about the city or the jobs or anything else.
It’s just about you and what you want to make yourself look good because you want more. ”
“Hey, I came here in person to tell you. I could’ve just had someone on my staff send an email.”
“You want credit for that, too?” she asked.
“Well, fuck, Maisie. I’m doing the best I can here.”
“You said favors.”
“What?”
“You said favors. Plural.”
“I had to use another one to get India’s thing.”
“India’s thing?”
“Yes. And she doesn’t know, but the parking garage she wants, she wasn’t going to get the permits for. Long story. I got Jameson to agree to issue them.”
“Parking garage?” Maisie said quietly to herself.
“Yeah. Anyway, I’m sorry. I came here in person to tell you that, and–”
“You can go,” Maisie interrupted. “I have lunch plans anyway. I need to go, too.”
“Fine,” he replied. “I’ll still try to–”
“It’s fine. Don’t bother. I can’t trust you or take you at your word, Colter, so whatever you try, I can’t believe it will actually work.”