“Okay, then.” Josie couldn’t help her smile or the relief swelling inside her. “No picking up women in art galleries for either of us.”
Eve laughed softly. “Fair enough.”
They finished their meal and walked outside. Josie was quiet, letting Eve take the lead. She’d texted Kaia earlier and asked her to stop by and feed the kittens, so she was obligation-free if Eve wanted to take advantage of it. But maybe, especially after Josie had just pressed her on their relationship, she would want to maintain the status quo and head back to Josie’s for the night.
Eve called an Uber for them, although Josie didn’t see what address she’d entered into the app. They were quiet while they waited, but Eve threaded her fingers with Josie’s as they stood together on the sidewalk.
Their car arrived, and they climbed in. It was almost immediately obvious that they were headed toward the East Village, not Brooklyn, which meant they were on their way to Eve’s apartment, and suddenly, Josie’s stomach was filled with butterflies. She wasn’t sure why, but this felt like a big deal, one more step into Eve’s private world.
Twenty minutes later, their Uber pulled up in front of a sleek high-rise apartment building that was almost exactly like what Josie had pictured in her head when she imagined where Eve lived. She smiled a little as she slid out of the car.
“Wait.” She rested a hand on Eve’s shoulder. “Before we go in, will you show me the trash can where you found them?”
Eve nodded, leading her around the corner. She gestured to one of the large city-managed bins. There were thousands like it all over Manhattan. “The police never made any progress finding out who dumped them in there.”
“Not surprising, unfortunately,” Josie said. “They’re awfully lucky you found them.”
She followed Eve to the front of her building, exchanging greetings with the doorman as they walked inside. The lobby was modern, with black marble floors and gray painted walls, a world apart from the decades-old brick and wood in Josie’s building. They stepped into the elevator, which took them to the eighth floor.
Eve let them into an apartment on the front side of the building, standing back and gesturing Josie in ahead of her. She walked into a small but well-appointed living room. More gray-painted walls with hardwood floors stained so dark they looked almost black. That was where the similarity with the lobby ended, though.
Eve’s living room was sleek and modern, yet comfortably lived in. Maybe because she hadn’t expected to have company tonight, she’d left a throw blanket tossed over one side of the couch, a notebook and a mug on the coffee table. The walls, as expected, boasted an impressive selection of art, a mixture of black-and-white photography and colorful abstract paintings. Josie walked slowly around the room, taking it all in. The paintings added warmth and personality to the room that would have otherwise been lacking.
On the other side of the room, there was a small galley kitchen and a door that probably led to the bedroom. Josie peeked through, finding that Eve made her bed every morning whether she expected company or not, but the thin cotton gown she’d slept in last night was tossed over the end of the bed. Josie wandered to the dresser, having noticed photos there, while Eve lingered in the doorway.
But as Josie got a closer look at the photos, she saw that they were all of Eve with another woman. And not just any woman. These were pictures of Eve and her wife. With a horrible sinking feeling, Josie realized she’d overstepped. She shouldn’t have just barged into Eve’s bedroom without an invitation.
Was this why Eve had initially balked at the idea of coming to her place tonight? She’d known what Josie hadn’t…that she would see these photos. And by bringing her here, she’d allowed it to happen.
Josie looked at her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“It’s fine,” Eve said quietly from the doorway. “Go on and look.”
Josie blinked moisture from her eyes as she turned toward the photos. She saw Eve and Lisa at a Pride event with a rainbow flag wrapped around their shoulders, kissing for the camera. A wedding photo sat beside it. Eve wore a stunning white dress, with a snug lace bodice and a loose skirt that billowed behind her as she gazed adoringly at her wife. Lisa was a beautiful woman, with wildly curly brown hair and a radiant smile. She wore a white suit, one arm wrapped tightly around Eve’s waist.
Josie’s gaze fell on the next photo, and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. Eve’s hands rested on Lisa’s belly, which was obviously rounded. They’d been expecting a baby. Had Lisa been pregnant when she died? “Oh God,” she whispered as she turned to look at Eve.
Eve kept her gaze on the floor, but Josie could feel the tension radiating from her all the way across the room.
“Eve…”
Eve shook her head, bracing a hand against the doorframe.
Josie walked to her and rested a hand on her shoulder, unsure what to say. She felt Eve’s breath hitch, saw her jaw clench before she turned her face resolutely away from Josie’s gaze. She was trying not to cry in front of her, and that broke Josie in a way nothing else Eve had shared with her ever had.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, wiping away a tear of her own.
When Eve finally faced her, her eyes were dry, but they gleamed suspiciously bright. “Well, now you know.” Her voice was hoarse.
“You lost them both in the crash?”
Eve nodded, and Josie had a vivid image of her in that wrecked car, trying desperately to save Lisa and their unborn child as their lives drained away. Josie knew—on some level, at least—what that felt like. She’d held her father as his blood soaked her clothes, as his eyes went glassy and the last breath escaped his lips.
Eve had fractured her back in that crash. What must that pain have been like, on top of everything else?
Tears spilled over Josie’s eyelids as she wrapped her arms around Eve, drawing her close. “You’ve lost so much…too much. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Don’t cry for me,” Eve whispered against her neck.
