She grabbed her belongings, dug out a key, and unlocked her door.
He couldn’t let this happen. “Marlie, I—”
She escaped inside her apartment and shut the door, not looking his way once.
Jennie watched her and then winced. “Our timing always sucked.”
“Yeah,” he said, staring at the closed door. Then he stepped back. “Come on in.” Why did he feel like he was cheating on Marlie by letting Jennie into his apartment? He and Jennie had decided to be friends, right?
“Thanks.” Jennie walked inside and kicked off her boots, heading right for his sofa to set down the lattes. “So, this is totally awkward.”
He finally let himself relax and prowled for the adjacent chair, reaching for a latte and swallowing down half of it before his butt even hit the cushion.
Jennie settled on the sofa, her blond hair up in a ponytail and covered lightly by snow. She slid out of her coat, revealing a pink sweater over dark jeans. “I—” She cleared her throat. “Who was that woman, Bosco?”
He took another drink. Not in a million years would he discuss Marlie with her. “I appreciate the coffee but need to get ready for work. What’s up?”
She shifted uneasily on the sofa. “I’ve been thinking ever since we met up at the Clumsy Penguin the other night, and—”
“Jennie. Come on,” he said as gently as he could.
She set her latte down. “I was wrong to end things. We were good together. You know we were.”
Yeah, they had been. But even then, something was missing. His gaze moved toward his door and then back to her. “We tried three times.” They’d get into a rhythm, his job would call, and he’d have to leave. She’d put on a brave face each time and then break up with him while he was away, saying that she couldn’t handle it. He understood. Still did. Wasn’t going there again. “We’re just friends, Jennie. It’s all we can be.” However, she was a good reminder right then about his choices and his job.
She flushed. “You didn’t have to move on so quickly.”
He wasn’t going there with her. “We broke up six months ago—for the final time. It was the right decision for us both.” He looked over his shoulder at the clock on the microwave. “I want the best for you.” It was the truth. He stood.
His door opened, and Rory walked inside, looking from Jennie on the sofa to Bosco’s bare chest and unbuttoned jeans. “Come on.”
Jennie stood and yanked on her jacket before stomping into her boots. “As always, it’s good to see you, Rory,” she snapped.
Rory shook his head. Then he stalked to the kitchen and opened the fridge door, ignoring them both. He rustled around and dug out an orange that looked a little green.
Bosco ushered Jennie to the still open door. “Thanks again for the coffee,” he said.
She turned and slid her hands up his chest.
He took an immediate step back.
Her arms dropped. “Just think about it,” she murmured, glancing toward Marlie’s door and then back.
“No,” he said. “Take care of yourself, Jennie.” Then he shut the door and turned to look at his brother.
Rory tossed the orange into the garbage. “Have you lost your mind?” His eyes swirled an irritated hue.
“Maybe,” Bosco allowed. “But not like you think.” This was the perfect reminder of why he didn’t have space in his life for a relationship, regardless of Marlie’s appeal.
Even so, all he wanted to do was march to her apartment and make sure she was all right. “I have to get out of here. Want to go to breakfast?”
“You’re buying, numbnuts,” Rory retorted, heading for the door. “Should we invite Marlie?”
“No,” Bosco growled. He needed time to think, away from his sexy neighbor.
Marlie tiptoedbeyond Bosco’s door, breathing a sigh as she reached the snowstorm outside. After returning to her apartment, she’d taken a quick shower and prepared to get organized for the day when her phone buzzed with a call from Anna Albertini to meet for brunch.
She reached her car and pulled away from the curb, calling Anna. “I’m on my way. But I was thinking, weren’t dead bodies showing up around you or something like that?” Yeah, her mind had been so full of Bosco, their crazy night of sex, and then Jennie on the doorstep that she’d forgotten all about Anna’s problems and her being carried out by Aiden just the day before.
