Friction(38)

"Hmm, if you say so." She returns her focus to her sweaters. We work in silence for a few minutes, with me occasionally pulling the string of an old toy or hitting a power button to ensure something is still in working condition and Mom humming "Cheek to Cheek." I'm in the middle of dropping an armful of Barbie dolls into a contractor bag when she clears her throat.

I glance up to see her lightly pinching the skin at her neck. "What's wrong?"

"You get paid next week?"

It's something I've been anticipating since the moment Jace offered me the job and before I knew precisely what I would be pitching, and my nod is a bit more enthusiastic than I intend. "Why? Do you need me to give you something toward—”

She rubs her throat more vigorously, lifting her other hand to stop me. "No, no, nothing like that. I just remember you said you wanted to look for a place of your own."

"Yes, that’s right."

"I was just thinking that maybe it would be best if you just stayed here longer. To save up your money." I raise my eyebrows, so she shifts her gaze to a pair of pink and white Converse tied together at the laces and sitting at the top of a box of shoes. Judging from their size, they must have belonged to her because I had inherited my father’s large feet. "You're not bothering me."

When I moved in with my mother two months ago, my only goal was to get the hell out and into my own place as quickly as humanly possible. But hearing her asking me to stay lessens my resolve.

"Are you sure this is just about saving me money?” I say, trying to keep my tone light and teasing despite the lump that’s formed in my windpipe. “I’m beginning to think you love having me around, even if I do lose my phone and keys every five minutes and I make a lot of noise when I flush the toilet in the middle of the night.”

Her head is bent and her black bob partially shields her face, but I still make out the ghost of a smile quirking her lips. She lifts her slim shoulders slightly and softly confirms, "I like your noise better than Tony and Gaga's."





Thirteen





Lucy





“Hey, hold on for a second. I have something incredible to show you, Sunshine.”

The moment I get to work on Monday morning, shivering with my hands shoved deep in the pockets of my quilted coat because the weather is absolute shit this morning, Daisy stops me at the workshop door. She gives me a fluorescent pink, heart-shaped Post-It note with a name and number written in neat, rounded print. "Allene at Body Talk left a message for you over the weekend," she says excitedly, clasping her hands together behind her platinum blond head as she bounces on the heels of her tall lace-up boots. "Do you have any idea how much I love her show?"

Folding the note in my palm, I meet her smile with a grin of my own. "Almost as much as you hate John Mayer?"

"Exactly. Are you working on getting ad space on her program or..."

I hoist my laptop bag higher on my shoulder. During my research into all things sexy, I had stumbled across Allene's show. It comes on every weeknight from six to nine—which is kinkily ironic—and for the last week and a half, I've shunned my usual pop stations in favor of tuning in on the way home. I had contacted her last Thursday with a request to discuss ads and a possible interview with Jace. Her radio station is based out of Albany, which is only a few hours drive from Boston.

When I tell Daisy this, she lets out a squeal of approval.

"Jace’s always hated the idea of interviews, but I give zero fucks because this will be amazing for business. Allene is huge." She plops down in her chair and rolls it back toward her desk, not seeming to notice that my expression has gone from excited to apprehensive in a matter of seconds at her revelation about Jace's aversion to interviews. It’s not like he’s ever mentioned that tidbit about himself to me. "You, my friend, are rocking it."

I let out a shaky laugh. She might not be saying that after Mr. EXtreme curses me out for seeking out Allene without first getting his approval. "We'll see what she has to say, and of course I’ll have to talk to Jace."

"Well, keep me in the loop. And seriously, coffee and pastries are the key to Exley’s dark heart.” She scrunches her nose and tilts her head from side to side. “Well … unless you’re into all that other stuff.”

“I’m not,” I say frostily, snapping Daisy’s gaze up.

“I didn’t think you were, Sunshine.” She smiles, but I can tell it’s taking an insane amount of effort for her not to laugh out loud. “I was just voicing my thoughts.”

Embarrassed, I promise her I’ll let her know the second I hear back from Allene then I take off toward my office. Once I power on my laptop and place my frozen excuse for a healthy lunch in the break room freezer, I put on my best I-have-big-balls face and approach Jace's office right down the hallway.

The door is partially closed, but when I give it a few light taps, it creaks open. I swallow hard at the sight of the woman with Jace. Her long legs are crossed toward him and red hair cascades down her back as she throws her head back, laughing at something he's said. It takes me a few moments to place who she is—after all, the last time I saw her, she was totally nude and not in a black dress that molded perfectly to her curvy body—but my throat goes dry when she looks behind her and arches her brows.