“Really?” Lucas whined. “I don’t get why I have to. I only have those optional assignments left.”
Lucas being too bright for his own good had been an issue for a while. He’d already skipped a grade, and his classes were still boring him.
“You have to because studying is a skill, and you need to practice.” Patricia sighed. “But I don’t know if I can stay. It’s Friday, and I should really—”
“Don’t even think about it,” Harper said. “You have the night off. No one expects you to show up, and it’ll stay that way. Stay home and relax for once.”
Patricia looked ready to protest, but Harper’s dismissing tone held enough logic to be convincing. Or maybe Lucas’ wide eyes did the trick.
“Fine.” Patricia gestured Lucas over so she could give him a hug. “But we’renotstaying up late. You have an early day tomorrow.”
Lucas groaned, but didn’t complain beyond that as he started going through the last of his homework. Patricia took out her phone, fingers swiping over the screen.
“Workaholic,” Harper said through a fake cough, rifling through the chaotic mess of clothes that was her suitcase.
“It isn’t work. I’m just checking if Maya has a shift tonight.”
Harper nearly fell off the damn couch. Somehow, Patricia didn’t notice, but Nell sure did.
“Oh?” Nell saidinnocently, sitting down next to Patricia. “Why are you doing that?”
“Maya’s doing Colton’s job for him,” Patricia said. “She’s started walking the girls to their cars when he’s too lazy to do it. Since I won’t be there to remind him of his duties, I need to make sure everyone will be okay.”
Nell obviously hadn’t heard a word she said. She was too busy grinning at Harper, who was mouthing some graphic threats back at her.
Patricia must have sensed the tension in the air—or maybe she just noticed Harper’s crude hand gestures—because she looked upfrom her phone.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” they said in unison, though Nell’s version came out amused while Harper’s was a near snarl.
“They’re whispering about dating,” Lucas said, attention on his homework.
Patricia turned fully towards Harper, brows furrowing.
“What is he talking about?”
Rather than conjure up a suitable response, Harper just opened and closed her mouth in a manner she suspected looked awfully fishlike.
“I have to get ready for work.” She shot up from the couch, poking Lucas in the side as she went past him. “I hope you get nightmares, you little scamp.”
Lucas giggled as she hurried towards the bathroom. A cold shower would help. Both with the blushing and with drowning the inappropriate thoughts that perked up whenever Maya was mentioned.
There was no point to those goddamn thoughts. Harper knew the rules. The drama ensuing from mixing work with romance always resulted in someone getting hurt, jealous, or just plain resentful.
But following the rules had never been her forte. She’d been sneaking around with Kieran for long enough to get proficient at it. Would it really be so bad to take her and Maya’s near-daily conversations in the direction they both obviously wanted them to go?
Yes, it would. Her keeping Kieran a secret hadn’t ended well. And though Maya might act cool about a lot of things, that wasn’t a guarantee of future behavior.
She had said she would be fine dating someone with Harper’s profession, but that could change. Such as when she had towitness Harper taking off her clothes in front of strangers and then not get upset about it.
It didn’t even matter. Maya would find someone else. Someone who wasn’t dragging around a cargo plane’s worth of baggage. Both their lives would be a lot less messy if they kept the current trend. If they stayed just friends.
Friends who blatantly flirted with each other every goddamn chance they got.
Chapter 8
Maya had worked in plenty of unsavory establishments over the years, but the Lucky Penny was in a league of its own.
