The footsteps receded. Then vanished entirely. The only sound present now was Harper’s shallow breathing, hitting Maya’s skin like warm caresses.
“What the…” Harper’s voice was a near whisper, but it came through as clearly as a shout.
Maya turned towards her, only then realizing how close they were. Their faces were inches apart, and Maya’s hands were settled on either side of Harper’s head, keeping her in place.
For a moment, Harper just stared at her. Then she smiled, her features bright with surprise.
“What the hell kind of spy move was that?”
Chapter 6
Thisnot-date had turned very date-like all of a sudden.
Harper hadn’t meant it to. Sure, she’d asked Maya out because she was charming and funny and maybe, a little bit, because of that damn smile of hers. But it was also because she was easy to talk to. After only a few minutes of conversation, you had to put in effort not to relax.
But it wasn’tjusta few minutes. It had turned into hours. Several hours, ending in this current, highly non-romantic state, with them taking a late-night stroll along the riverside.
“You are wasted at a place like the Lucky Penny, you know that?” Harper gestured at the padded leather jacket. When Maya had noticed Harper was getting cold, she handed over the jacket and didn’t take no for an answer. “If I were you, I’d run for the hills. Or just somewhere that will appreciate your skill set. The Penny doesn’t really reward talent.”
“Sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me. Did I annoy you that much already?”
“Come on. No one would work at that shithole if they had other options. You have the personality of someone who has options.”
“First impressions can be deceiving. I’m not that special.”
Harper nudged her with her elbow. “You put up with me for an entire day. That makes you very special.”
It wasn’t the only way she stood out. More than once, Maya had said or done something that Harper should have been able to respond to, but which instead stole her voice entirely.
The only other person who’d been able to make her tongue-tied like that was her girlfriend back in high school, and that was mainly because of the experience gap between them. Twenty-five-year-olds had a leg up on most teenagers.
But for once, Maya was the one who’d been caught off guard. Her soft, surprised smile at least suggested as much.
“What about you?” Maya nudged Harper back. “You’re working at the Lucky Penny, too. I find it hard to believe that you can’t go anywhere else.”
Harper’s smile stiffened. She’d heard that kind of question before. Kieran had thrown it in her face often, bristling whenever she reminded him that she had chosen this line of work and wasn’t interested in leaving it.
“I like my job,” Harper said flatly. “I’m good at it. And it’s fun and pays well, most of the time. I’m not looking to make a career change, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“That’s not what I’m implying. I may only have one shift to base my opinion on, but the Lucky Penny doesn’t fit your talent. Any other club would be lucky to have you.”
Harper nearly stopped in place. The question had made her go on the defensive by habit, so she’d read Maya’s tone wrong. As preaching rather than curious.
“That’s not how this kind of conversation usually goes,” Harper said. “People tend to have opinions. And they rarely keep them to themselves.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.” Maya sighed, eyes going distant. “My folks aren’t the most understanding types. They believe being a lesbian is something that fades if you pray hard enough. They weren’t going to change, and neither was I, so I left the day I turned eighteen. Almost ten years out, and I’ve never looked back.”
She shrugged, looking out at the water. “They didn’t even try to stop me. I had been a problem for a while in their eyes. Slacking in school and hanging out with the wrong people. If anything, they seemed relieved when I left.”
Harper tensed. Even though it hadn’t been the intention, the words hit like needles.
“That isn’t easy to go through. Same thing happened to me.”
Maya gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Was it also because of your dating preferences?”
“Not exactly. Me being bi was just one of several things my parents took issue with.” Harper tightened the jacket around herself. “Multiple factors were involved with me leaving. Let’s just say it like that.”
She hadn’t evenleft, really. And she couldn’t say that she had never looked back either, even though doing so would have saved her a world of hurt.
