Always, in December(17)

“Max,” he said slowly, and Josie had to suppress the completely inappropriate urge to giggle at the way Max managed to make it sound that condescending.

“Right,” Oliver huffed, “but—”

Max drew away from Josie slightly so he could look down at her, scandalized. Josie shook her head ever so slightly as she did her best to return the look. “You didn’t tell him about me?”

Josie cleared her throat. “I, err—”

“Me and Josie go way back,” Max continued, giving Josie’s shoulder a little squeeze as if to emphasize the point. “Met at a club, oh I don’t know, what was it, Jose, about…?” He looked down at her, his lips twitching as he waited for her to finish the sentence.

    “Err, five years ago?” Josie offered, taking a sip of her cinnamon gin, which was already cooling down dramatically.

“In a club?” Oliver asked, looking at his sister, who merely shrugged, and focused her attention on whatever was inside her cup.

“Yeah,” Max said breezily, “can’t remember the name of it now, but we hit it off and have been friends ever since. She never mentioned me?” He rolled his eyes at Josie as if to say come on now and she fought to keep her face straight.

“No,” Oliver said shortly. “And we’ve been together two—”

“Years,” finished Max, nodding, filling in the blank with the obvious guess. “Yeah, I know. I’ve been in New York most of that time, you see, moved there a few years ago, but Josie and I stayed in touch. I was hoping to meet you on this visit, but, well.” He pressed his lips together and Oliver flushed. Claire took an extra-large gulp of her drink, which brought on a minor coughing attack, though she waved Oliver away when he tried to thump her on the back. “Anyway,” Max continued, “I’m back in London for a bit, so I thought I’d drag Josie to this.” He winked at Claire, using her own phrase from a moment ago, and she smiled feebly back, before wiping her chin with her hand. “You know, get us in the mood for Christmas.” He raised his gin in a salute.

Oliver stared at Max mutely for a moment before looking directly at Josie, who was doing her best to look at ease, pressed against Max’s side, the heat of his body traveling between both their coats to get to her. “Josie, what—?”

    But Max had slipped his phone out of his pocket and was making a show of looking at the time. “Oh, Jose, look,” he said emphatically, shoving the phone under her nose and tapping the top corner where the clock was.

“Oh damn,” Josie said, trying to sound confident. “We’d, err, better go otherwise we’ll miss the…”

“Ice Bar.” Max saved her from having to make something up. Max let go of Josie to pat Oliver on the shoulder, who was clearly trying, not very successfully, not to glare at him. “Great to meet you both, at last,” Max added, with a final, winning smile for Claire, who couldn’t seem to help beaming back, though she straightened her face when Oliver glanced at her.

“Bye!” Josie called behind her, as Max steered her away, linking his arm through hers and dragging her determinedly the other way, which may or may not have been the way to the Ice Bar—she had no idea.

“Did you really live in New York?” Josie whispered the question, though that was probably unnecessary given how loud this place was.

“Nah. Like I said, my parents do now so I’ve been to visit a few times, but thought it would be difficult to explain why he’s never met me unless I was abroad somewhere.”

Josie was quiet for a moment, then, unable to contain it any longer, she burst out laughing. Max stopped, looking down at her, and she slipped her arm from his to clutch her side, not sure why exactly she found the whole thing so funny. Max’s lips twitched. “Thought you might need an out,” he said.

“Yes,” Josie agreed, still laughing. “Yes, thank you, that was…”—she straightened up and beamed at him, Oliver’s incredulous expression imprinted on her mind—“brilliant.” She sighed, and downed the rest of her gin. “He cheated on me,” she explained with a wave, glancing over her shoulder to check they weren’t following.

    “I gathered.”

“At the work Christmas party.”

“Ouch.”

“With a mutual colleague. Cara.”

He shook his head. “What a bitch.”

She let out another little laugh. “Well, it was more his fault than hers, but still.” She sighed. “So thanks, again.”

“You’re welcome.” He glanced behind them. “I know what it’s like—the whole ex thing.” She looked up at him. It was the first real bit of information he’d offered voluntarily. “My girlfriend…She broke up with me earlier this year.”

Josie nodded slowly. “When?”

“May.”

She nodded again. Maybe he was still getting over her, if he’d really loved her. Maybe that partly explained why he’d been so short with her at first. Well, that and the whole knocking him over thing. She wanted to ask more, but Max squared his shoulders.

“So, Ice Bar?”

Josie shrugged. “We can try. I doubt we’ll get in, I’m pretty sure Bia said you have to book.”