Page 46 of Hot Rabbi

“This--You look relaxed. Also, I’m seriously digging the scruffy look. It’s doing it for me,” she said, gesturing to the phone screen with her fingers before reaching down to pull her shirt over her head and then toss it in the direction of the hamper in the corner. Her hands went to the buttons on her jeans and she leaned back to undo them.

“Oh yeah? You think I should stop shaving for the summer?” She could tell she’d pleased him, there was a little bit more color in his cheeks at least.

“You better hold off, it can get pretty hot here in the summer. Better see how you handle it. But for winter? Oh, baby,” she said, winking at the phone screen. She was kicking her jeans off her legs while she removed her bra.

She realized she’d just basically implied that she planned to be with him in the winter and got up from the bed, suddenly uncomfortable. Deev padded into the bedroom and chirped at her. Shoshana ignored the cat, tossing her jeans into the hamper and going to the dresser to pull out something to sleep in. She heard an exclamation behind her and half turned back to the phone.

“Sorry, what?”

“What the fuck is that,” David said. He sounded shocked, but also like he was trying not to laugh. Shoshana turned all the way around to look at what could possibly be the problem. Deev had settled himself in full view of the phone’s camera.

“My cat?” Shoshana said, then returned to her dresser drawer. She pulled out an oversized shirt and pulled it over her head. “Did you not see him yesterday?”

“I’m pretty sure I would remember a cat that large. My mother’s Pomeranian isn’t that big,” he said. He was definitely laughing now. Deev blinked lazily at the phone and lifted a paw to inspect. He started meticulously cleaning his toe beans.

“Deev is a Maine Coon. They’re supposed to be big. Also, he’s mostly floof,” Shoshana said affectionately, climbing back onto the bed behind the cat and scratching behind his ears. Deev made a purring chirrup, his head following her hand so that she couldn’t immediately stop the scratch.

“I just can’t believe I missed an animal that size,” David said, this time more genuinely perplexed. “I know I was caught up in… well, you’re a pretty enticing distraction, but still!”

“Why do I feel like I should be insulted by that?” Shoshana said mildly. Then she laughed, settling down on her side. She immediately had to lift up because she realized the position of the phone meant the cat was more in frame than she was. “To be honest, men aren’t his favorite. He’s a little territorial. He was probably in the guest bedroom sulking.”

“Oh, well,” David said, his eyes rolling as though this were perfectly normal and the cat was just an eccentric roommate. “So, are you really okay?”

“About Baxter?” Shoshana said, stopping her fingers on the cat. Deev looked at her reproachfully, then started bathing himself to show it didn’t matter. “It’s complicated. I mean--I don’t want him to leave. He’s my best friend, you know. But at the same time… if I’m honest, I’m worried about him. He and Chris have been on and off for years. They’re good together when they’re together, but they both have shit they’re working through. Also, he didn’t just quit, he’s committed to staying the rest of the month. So, I have him for three more weeks.”

“Why exactly is he leaving? Are they moving or something?”

“Yes, and,” Shoshana said pointedly.

This was the bit that was complicated. Because under normal circumstances it was the bit, she would be genuinely ecstatic for Bax about.

“They’re buying this old gingerbread Victorian in Victorsburg. It's this town about an hour up the mountain.”

“There’s a ski resort around there, right?” That David was aware of such a thing shouldn’t have surprised her. She’d seen the man naked. She was very aware of what his body was capable of. It was obvious he wasn’t afraid of physical activity. But she was surprised. She shifted position on the bed, leaning her head on her hand to consider the phone screen. He caught the look on her face, and he smiled but didn’t comment.

“There is, the town itself is very picturesque and there’s a lot of little shops and boutiques. Sort of like here, but smaller. More niche. They’re going to restore the house and open a B&B. He showed me their business plan and it’s really solid.”

“But…” his voice trailed, his expression was patient. She wasn’t sure why she was annoyed suddenly. She should appreciate his interest. He was actively listening. He cared.

“I don’t know,” she said. She knew he wasn’t trying to interrogate her. Maybe it was that she’d already hashed all of this out with Abi and Leah. She picked at an invisible spot on the quilt by Deev’s head. The cat nudged her hand with his head to remind her she could be doing something useful like scratching behind his ears.

“Shoshana, do you not want to talk about this? If you want to change the subject, we can.” David’s voice brought her back to the conversation. He shifted on his bed, the phone moving as he reached for something on the bedside table. She realized it was a glass of water and waited for him to finish drinking, then put it back on the table. It only took a few seconds, but in that time, she felt something like freefall. Not quite panic, not quite vertigo.

“Am I that obvious? I’m being a pain in the ass, aren’t I?” she said, feeling miserable. She ran a hand through her hair and caught a snag. She was suddenly very interested in picking it free and not looking at him. After a moment she bit her lip, looking at the phone. He was watching her, his expression neutral.

“No, you’re not being a pain in the ass,” he said, and she believed him. His expression turned just the smallest bit sardonic. “I’m getting the feeling this is that problem with vulnerability, though.”

“Oh, you’re good.” She laughed, falling back on the pillow to stare up at the ceiling for a long moment. She knew how to parse out her emotions, she was used to doing exactly this in therapy. She wasn’t sure why she was so reticent about doing so with David, though.

After a long moment, she made herself vocalize what was happening inside her.

“I’m angry with myself because I know this isn’t about me. He’s one of my best friends and I want him to be happy. I’m so excited for him, but I’m worried he’s making the wrong decision, and I know it’s none of my business, so I’m feeling a little powerless. Also, I fucking hate change and I have no idea what I’m going to do about the shop. I’m going to have to hire four people to replace him because he takes care of so much, and I don’t even know all of the things he handles.”

“That’s a lot of feelings,” he said.

“Yeah.” Shoshana realized she was close to tears. She didn’t want to cry again, especially not in front of him. “When my dad retired, the store was in a bad place. I mean, we turned a profit but that was mainly on the upholstery stuff that I handled. His eye for what sold wasn’t the greatest anymore and he didn’t really want my input. He only retired because he physically couldn’t do the work. So I was stuck with this store full of furniture that was really dated, and a reputation around town as a place people’s grandparents shopped in, but that wasn’t exactly where you went for the next best thing. Bax offered to help me with the books. I really thought I was going to have to liquidate everything and sell the joint.”

“What changed?”

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