Stop sending themwas what she meant to say, but what came out was “Are you drunk?”
More laughter. “A little bit.”
“Maybe you should drink some coffee before you feed the kittens.”
“Aw, look at you, being all overprotective of them,” Josie teased. “I’m not that drunk. Believe me, I would never endanger them, but it’s very sweet that you care.”
Eve sighed into the phone, annoyed that she found even drunk Josie charming. “All right, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“’Kay. Oh, I hired a bartender tonight,” Josie said.
Eve rubbed at her brow. “What?”
“Adam wants the job, at least part-time.”
“Adam.” She tried the keep the skepticism out of her tone. “Does he have any bartending experience?”
“Not officially, but what he lacks in experience, he makes up for in charisma. The customers love him.”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Josie’s voice was soft and dreamy. A tiny meow drifted over the line, and the sound stirred something in Eve’s chest that felt an awful lot like longing.
“Good night, Josie.”
“Night.”
She ended the call, put her phone back on “Do Not Disturb,” and set it beside the bed. She glanced at the place where she usually put the box of kittens at night. Thank goodness she wouldn’t have to wake up three times tonight to feed them. Good luck to Josie dealing with that while fighting a hangover.
Yep, Eve definitely got the better end of this deal, all by herself in her comfortable bed. Unfortunately, she’d never been a very good liar, not even to herself.
14
Come up before you leave. I need your opinion on something.
Eve stared at the text from Josie, trying to think of an excuse to say no. She’d purposely avoided Josie’s apartment today, not wanting to be alone with her or to see the kittens. Better to keep her distance on both fronts. She and Josie had spent the afternoon interviewing bartending applicants and had successfully filled the available positions, although Eve hadn’t been able to talk her out of hiring Adam. In her experience, hiring friends was a recipe for disaster, but maybe Josie needed to learn that lesson for herself.
At any rate, Eve had planned to make a quiet exit tonight for everyone’s sake. She had no idea what Josie wanted to see her for, and it was probably better that she didn’t find out. She composed a text telling Josie she had a commitment after work, and then she deleted it with a sigh. What if Josie’s request was work-related? So Eve climbed the steps to her apartment a few minutes after six. She rapped her knuckles lightly against the door, half hoping Josie wouldn’t hear her and she could just go straight home as planned.
“It’s open,” Josie called from inside.
Eve gripped the knob and opened the door, where she found Josie sitting cross-legged on her kitchen counter, a row of cocktail glasses in front of her.
“Hey,” she said with a smile.
“What’s all this?” Eve asked, stepping closer.
“Contenders for my new signature drink.” Josie gestured to the glasses in front of her. “But I need your opinion on which one you like best.”
“That sounds more like a job for Adam and Kaia than for me,” Eve said. Taste-testing drinks in Josie’s kitchen was definitely not a good idea. To distract herself, she wandered into the living room, watching the kittens as they staggered around their playpen like little drunks.
“I already did,” Josie told her. “But they wildly disagree on which one I should pick, so I’m counting on you to be the tiebreaker.”
“Which one doyoulike best?” Eve hedged as she knelt and lifted Blanche. The kitten wriggled in her hands, blue eyes wide, belly round with milk.
“Well, I like all of them, obviously.”
“Mm.” Eve set the kitten down and walked to the counter, resting her palms against it as she looked at the row of glasses in front of her. “Do you want to tell me what’s in them first?”
