He loomed over her shoulder. Not a bit of mirth showed on his face. Stray beams of sun highlighted his white hair like a damn halo, distracting her and sparking flames she’d been doing so well extinguishing.
She shrugged out of his grip and took three steps back. “Stay out of my life, Jon. We’re friends, but you aren’t my keeper, and you aren’t going to ruin the one afternoon I get with everyone.” She could feel her chest rise and fall in an ever-increasing rhythm and cursed the heat blooming over her fair skin, the telltale blush shouting her distress.
“Not this time, Margaret. I hardly see you anymore. Why?”
“Maybe I get tired of your girlfriends sneering at me from their great heights. Or maybe, you and I just aren’t as close as we once were.” All lies.Damn. Damn. Damn.
Jonathan’s jaw clenched. “What treatment did your mom have to have? Is she sick?”
Mags clenched her own jaw, creating lie number…who knew. “She got really sick with bronchitis and had to do breathing treatments. Jesus, nosy much? My family is not your concern.”
“The hell they aren’t,” he growled. “Why did you tell your mom you were starving and ordered two meals when you didn’t order anything but fucking water? What’s your answer to that, then?”
Save her from O’Faolain stubbornness. “Mom has missed me, and she enjoys hearing funny stories. Telling her that I was stuffed on scones and cream isn’t nearly as amusing as eating enough for a grown man. That’s it now, Jonathan. You’re going too far.”
“One more question. If you’re so stuffed to the gills, why do you look like you’ve dropped a full stone? You look sickly,” the prick added unnecessarily.
“My apologies for not having Jasmine’s glow. Without sounding like a broken record, I’m aware of your taste in women. You don’t need to list all the ways I don’t measure up. You made your distaste for what I have to offer clear a long time ago.”
Mags was furious now. Furious that he reduced her to defending herself. Doubly furious that she brought up that horror show of a New Year’s Eve kiss. Way to let him know she remembered it.
Without listening to another word from his infuriating mouth, she stormed past him and practically ran back to their friends’ table. He eventually joined, a menacing look on his face, and a storm cloud encamped about his person. Their friends kept eyeing him. Daniel, Jonathan’s first cousin and closest friend besides Ciar, whispered something in his ear, but Jonathan just shook his head.
In the meantime, they collectively agreed to ignore Jasmine and her snarky comments. Mags’ favorite, “I’m bored, baby.” Jonathan didn’t acknowledge her and, in fact, managed not to speak to anyone for the rest of the lunch, including his date.
Mags was nursing her third water, dreaming of the ramen cup she’d be slipping in the gallery’s breakroom microwave the moment she returned home, when Blair caught her attention.
“Can I come see your new place today?”
Fuck my life.
“New place?” Bébhinn gasped. “What the hell?”
“Wait, what?” Gray asked.
“You were supposed to tell everyone, Mags,” Blair signed with a frown. “Mags has had her own place for almost three months now.”
Blair raised her brows in an “I never said I would lie for you” look. “Yeah, geez, sorry guys. Mir helped me find a place where I could live and work out of. Forgive me, guys. I should have toldyou that my bedroom was free. I’ve been so damn busy, I barely remember to brush my teeth lately.”
Bébhinn swept her apology away with the wave of a hand. “I don’t care about that. Dad bought the townhouse for me to use however my friends and I chose to use it. I’m just pissed you didn’t let me help you decorate your new place.”
“Me too, asshole!” Gray added.
“Why don’t we all go now,” Bébhinn said excitedly.
Mags hated shooting the idea down, but having her friends see the pallet on the floor and her clothes shoved in grocery bags screamed mortifying.
Her sewing machine, fabrics, stranded cotton, sketches, embroidery hoops, and patterns were perfectly arrayed, organized, and tidy. She was proud of her workspace and had taken several pictures of it for her website, neatly cutting out the bare surroundings.
She had gone to buy a cot soon after she’d moved in, because that wooden floor was as hard as stone. Unfortunately, after seeing the price of even that small piece of furniture, she couldn’t sign off on the expenditure until she was actually earning money.
She needed at least another month to make the space less tragic, though she knew she wouldn’t be able to put her friends off that long.
She could feel Jonathan’s angry glare drilling into her face, which she studiously ignored. Why he was angry was anyone’s guess, though if she had to guess, he wasn’t happy that she’d brought up the kiss. She never had before, and he probably would have been much happier had it stayed buried. He needn’t worry, she sure as hell would never tell her friends about one of the worst, most embarrassing moments of her life.
“Sorry, guys. Today won’t work. I’ve got a few more long days ahead of me until I finish my first piece.” She gave a “woohoo”and high-fived Gray. “The client wants it for a luncheon next weekend. Plus, I haven’t had time to really buy much of anything for the place. It really is mainly a work studio, which you’ve seen in those pictures on my website.”
“It is a beautiful space,” Blair signed and smiled. “It looked like there was a ton of natural light. I know just the plants you’ll want.”
