In the break room, she fired up the Nespresso and found a couple of Blackwood Cellars tumblers to hold their coffees. She pointed to a pair of festive tins sitting on the counter. “Help yourself. April and Brody did a huge holiday bake-a-thon over the weekend and brought in a bunch of Christmas cookies.”
“They asked me if I wanted to join them, but I’m useless in the kitchen.” Jess took out a gingersnap and a shortbread cookie and wrapped them in a napkin. “Want one?”
“I’d better not. I’ve been indulging a lot.” Monday night’s cocktails had no doubt packed a truckload of calories, and she hadn’t worked them off with her usual punishing run. “Cappuccino okay?”
“Definitely.” Jess bit into one of the cookies. “Mmm. Buttery shortbread goodness. I knew I made the right call coming here in person.”
Once the cappuccinos were ready, Victoria handed Jess a tumbler. They walked down to the main floor of Blackwood Manor, then out the back entrance, toward the gardens. A few visitors were out, savoring the cool, sunny morning. When they reached an empty bench facing the pond, Victoria sat and gestured for Jess to join her.
Jess tilted her face up to the sun. “To think, the high in Chicago is only supposed to reach twenty degrees today. With an eighty percent chance of snow.”
“You don’t miss it?” When Jess first moved to Chicago, Victoria had envied her for breaking away from Southern California and trying something new. But Jess’s luck had been so bad she’d lived there less than a year before retreating home.
“I loved my job, but the weather sucked, and my ex was a total jerk. Moving back home wasn’t easy, but I’m glad I did it. Things with Connor are going great, and in three weeks, I’ll finally have a place of my own.” Jess brought out her phone. “Want to see?”
Victoria took the phone and scrolled through the pictures. The tiny apartment barely looked big enough for one person. A small living area. A cramped galley kitchen. And a bedroom the size of her walk-in closet. Still, if Jess was excited about it, she could feign enthusiasm.
“Nice. Looks…um…cozy.”
“If by cozy you mean small, then you’re right. It’s barely six hundred square feet. But it has hardwood floors and a big picture window in the main room. Besides, I won’t be spending much time there since it’s ten minutes from Connor’s place.” Jess took her phone back and tucked it into her messenger bag.
“Not to be nosy, but why didn’t you move in with Connor?”
Jess leaned back on the bench. “He asked me the same thing. But we’ve only been dating—likeactuallydating—for two months. And I’ve never lived on my own before. I’m psyched to have a place I can decorate any way I want. I can’t wait to hit up IKEA for some cute furniture.”
Victoria could see the appeal. Not of the IKEA furniture, but of a place to call her own. A place where she could invite guests to spend the night without worrying about the repercussions.
“If you’re interested, they had another unit on the third floor. Same layout as mine—one bedroom, utilities included.” Jess gave her a cheerful grin. “We could be neighbors.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for that step.” Victoria smoothed her hands over her skirt. Even if she disliked being under her father’s thumb, she couldn’t imagine dealing with a move right now.
“I probably wouldn’t leave either if I lived in a mansion. One day, I’ll have a house of my own. Like, if my book ever becomes a best seller.”
Victoria could vaguely remember Jess working on a novel when they were kids. One of those sprawling, epic fantasies likeLord of the Rings. “Is this your fantasy novel?”
“God, no. I abandoned that years ago. I started writing a murder mystery in March, set at Big Bear. Right now, I’m working on my revisions. Leaving clues is harder than I expected.”
Murder mysteries were Victoria’s catnip. The twistier, the better. “Can I read it?”
Jess beamed. “If you want, you can read this draft once I’ve finished revising it. I’d love some feedback. I need to know if the killer’s too obvious and if the clues make sense. That would be great.”
She looked so enthusiastic Victoria experienced a rush of guilt. Why hadn’t she asked Jess about her writing before? She needed to work harder at responding to other people’s needs.
When her phone pinged, she took it out, if only to keep up the illusion of working.
Her father had sent a text.Headed home from Napa. Back by 2. Briefing meeting at 3.
Ugh. Briefing meetings with her father were the worst. She shoved her phone back into the pocket of her blazer. “Sorry. That was my father. He’s flying back from Napa today, so he wants to meet this afternoon for an update on the big wedding.”
Jess sipped her cappuccino. “It’s going okay, right? Connor said you roped Rafael’s family into working on the decorations.”
“They’ve been a huge help. When Missy foisted all her craft projects on me, I wanted to drive off a cliff, but Rafael came to my rescue. He’s been so helpful.”
As soon as she said it, she wanted to take the words back. Because the grin Jess gave her was so smug that heat rose in Victoria’s cheeks. She suddenly wished they’d chosen a bench in the shade.
“Soooo…” Jess drew out the word. “When did it happen?”
“I’m certain I don’t know what you mean.”
