JULES
“You okay, hun?”Barbs eyed me with concern. “You’ve been unusually quiet all day.”
“Yep. Just stressed about the bar.” I forced a smile and refilled my coffee mug. I shouldn’t be drinking caffeine this late in the day, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep regardless. Max’s directive to steal Josh’s painting had kept me up every night since I received his text three days ago.
“I’m sure you’ll do great.” Barbs opened the fridge and handed me a Saran-wrapped plate of apple pie. “Here. Pie always makes things better.”
My smile was more genuine this time. “Thanks, Barbs.”
“Anytime, hun.” Barbs winked and left, her mug of beloved Earl Grey tea in hand.
I sipped my coffee and grimaced at the bitter taste. I loved a lot of things about the clinic, but its coffee wasn’t one of them.
While I choked down the drink, I stared at my dark phone and waited for it to light up with another text from Max. It never did.
He’d been clear. I had one week to steal Josh’s painting or it was game over for me.
Three days had already passed, which meant I had four days left.
My next sip went down the wrong pipe. I erupted into a fit of coughs, shaking so hard some of the liquid splashed out of my cup and scalded my hand.
“Fuck!” I wheezed. I placed the remaining coffee on the counter and ran my hand under cold water, all while coughing my lungs out.
“Everything okay?”
I jumped at the sound of Josh’s voice behind me. I knocked over the mug in the process and spilled the rest of my drink down the front of my dress.
“Fuck!” I repeated, more emphatically this time.
I reached for the paper towels, but Josh beat me to it. He yanked a handful off the dispenser and mopped up the coffee running down my leg while I tried to salvage my ruined outfit.
It wasn’t happening. The stain had already settled deep into the fibers and turned a substantial portion of the blue skirt a deep, ugly shade of brown. I finally gave up and tossed the paper towel into the trash with a small scream of frustration.
“I guess that answered my question.” Josh eyed me with concern and the tiniest hint of amusement. “Bad day?”
“How’d you guess?”
“My deductive powers are one of my many impressive talents,” he quipped. “Coffee spill aside, you’ve been distracted all day.”
“Stressed about the bar.” I mumbled my go-to excuse. To be fair, I was stressed about the exam. It just wasn’t my main stressor.
My stomach cramped with guilt.
I’d spent the past three days brainstorming over how to extricate myself from my Max dilemma, but I couldn’t think of a feasible solution that didn’t involve revealing the truth about my past.
Perhaps my friends wouldn’t judge me, but I was terrified of how Josh would react. For years, he’d thought I was a horrible person, or at least a horrible influence. The last thing I wanted was to prove his initial impressions of me right when we were finally making progress in our relationship.
“Well, if you need a study partner, I happen to know a devastatingly handsome and intelligent one.” Josh paused. “I’m talking about myself, by the way.”
Despite my tension, a small laugh rustled my throat. “Of course you are. I appreciate the offer, but you’ll distract more than you help.”
“Understandable. My looks have distracted many a student. It’s one of the pitfalls of having this, I’m afraid.” He waved a hand in front of his admittedly spectacular face.
“It is uniquely hideous.” I patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they weren’t judging. People are much more open-minded these days.”
His chuckle settled on my skin like a rich velvet blanket. “God, I want to fuck you so bad right now.”
I wasn’t a prude by any means, but heat cascaded down my neck at hearing him state that so directly in the middle of the clinic kitchen.
“Josh.”
“Yes?” He lifted one eyebrow. “You need to get out of that dress soon anyway. What better—”
“Am I interrupting something?” Ellie’s voice cut into our conversation.
We hadn’t even noticed her arrival.
I immediately stepped back and winced when the hard kitchen counter dug into my lower spine.
“I was helping Jules with her spill.” He gestured at my dress without missing a beat. His features were a mask of professional civility, but the devilish gleam in his eyes remained.
“Oh, wow, that sucks.” Ellie wrinkled her nose. “I hope it’s not a new dress.”
“It’s not. Hot date?” I quickly switched subjects.
The office closed in ten minutes, and Ellie had already changed out of her business-appropriate blazer and pants into a dress and heels.
Pink stained her cheeks. “I’m, ah, going to the movies with Marshall.”
I hid a smile. She’d finally gotten over her crush on Josh and switched her attention to Marshall. I wasn’t sure whether my and Marshall’s kiss spurred that along—we always found people more desirable when other people found them desirable—but I was happy to see she’d moved on.
For entirely unselfish reasons, of course.