“Why wait? Look when we get back.” She stirred her drink and then lifted the mug, which featured a picture of a Collie on one side and a dog bone with the name of the café on the other. “I like dogs.”
“Maybe.”
She’d lost her mind. What other explanation could there be for her telling Josh to look for a dog when they got back? It wasn’t that Courtney hated dogs. Even though she’d only had one in her life, she liked them. But the last thing she wanted was to get attached to a dog, because at some point Josh would move out and take the dog with him. Whether it happened two months from now or in eight months, it would be difficult enough. She saw no need to add to the pain.
And no question about it, there would be a lot of pain—a fact she could only blame on her herself. She’d told herself from the beginning to keep her distance and make sure their relationship stayed platonic. But had she listened to her advice?
Nope.
She’d done the complete opposite and let him into every aspect of her life. Now there was no turning back.
Yep, her heart was fully invested in their charade, whether or not she liked it.
With a sigh, Courtney tore her eyes away from Josh, who was working on a fire, and back toward the chess game they’d started when they returned. He’d won last night’s game, and she wanted to beat him tonight.
At the sound, he turned away from the fireplace, a bunch of kindling in his hand. “Something wrong?”
Yeah, I love you. If she told him and he didn’t feel the same, it’d make the next several months of living together awkward. Perhaps at some point she’d risk it and tell him the truth but not tonight.
“Just wishing we bought some Schnauzer doodle cookies. They looked good.” A little humor was just the thing to lighten her thoughts.
“We can go back tomorrow and grab a Boxer Biscotti too. Or you can order online and have them shipped to you.”
“Maybe we should wait until you have a dog to feed them to,” she suggested.
Josh went back to arranging the wood while she focused on the chess pieces. If she had any hope of winning, she needed to keep her mind on the game, not Josh’s cute ass or the way she felt about him. Her cell phone on the coffee table rang before she settled on her next move.
A glimpse at the screen confirmed the caller. “It’s my sister.”
Had her mom enlisted Juliette’s help in convincing her to postpone the wedding because of the possible storm? Courtney dismissed the notion as quickly as it came. If her mom had enlisted anyone’s help, it would be her brother’s. Before she picked up the device, Josh’s phone rang too.
After checking it, Josh looked back at her. “Be right back. It’s Ben.”
She didn’t know who Ben was, but with Josh gone for the moment, she’d see what her sister wanted.
“Welcome to the club.” Juliette skipped a proper hello.
“Most people start a conversation by saying hi. Some even ask how the other person is doing,” Courtney replied. “What club are you welcoming me to?”
“The being interviewed by Aimee Trainor one. Your little heart-to-heart was on the show last night.”
Courtney rolled her eyes. That was one club she didn’t care to be a part of.
“My favorite part was your response when she brought up Josh’s past. Reminding her of how similar Trent had been before meeting Addie was brilliant. It really drove your point home.”
She was glad Juliette approved. At the time she hadn’t considered how Trent might feel about having his past brought up. If she could redo the interview, she would’ve left his name out of it. “Since when do you watch her show?”
“Usually I don’t, but Tory called and let me know about it. She saw it while at the airport. I couldn’t resist checking it out on the website.”
On the positive side, Courtney doubted Trent had seen it. Her cousin detested anything and everything about the Star Insider. His wife never watched it either, so unless someone told him, he’d never know she mentioned him Thursday night.
“What are you up to tonight?” Juliette asked, thankfully moving away from the interview. “Allison arrived this morning, and Leah’s in Providence. I thought we could have a girls’ night out since you don’t want a bachelorette party. The four of us can spend the night in Boston. Check out the Excalibur.”
She loved her sister, but their ideas of a fun night out were vastly different. Even if Courtney was around, she might have come up with an excuse to avoid going out with Juliette and their cousins, because dance clubs weren’t her favorite places. She visited them occasionally with her sister or her friends. Often she was ready to leave after about an hour or so.
“Josh and I are up in Bar Harbor until Tuesday.”
“Oh. As in Bar Harbor, Maine? What are you doing up there?”
Unless it involved a tropical beach location, her sister preferred to be in and around the city. While Bar Harbor might have a downtown area, it wasn’t anything like downtown Boston or New York.
“Josh has a house up here.”
“Really? That seems like an unusual spot for him to own a home. Anyway, then I won’t see you until the wedding. I’m heading back to New York on Tuesday for a few days to take care of some things. I’ll be back sometime on Friday afternoon. The wedding is still on, right? Mom’s all worried about the storm we might be getting. When I saw her yesterday, she said she would talk to you about postponing.”
“She called. And Josh and I decided to wait until Sunday night and see what the forecast looks like.” Courtney watched Josh enter the room. Before his cell phone rang, he’d been smiling. He wasn’t smiling anymore, but he wasn’t frowning either. He simply looked deep in thought.
“Either way, I’ll call you.” Or maybe she’d send out a group text message to the entire family, letting them know whether or not the wedding was on. She’d worry about it once they decided. “Have a safe drive back to New York.” After ending the call, she turned the ringer off on her phone. If anyone called, they could leave her a message.
“Was Juliette calling to tell you about the weather too?” Josh asked as he finished arranging the wood and lit a match, then sat down on the other side of the coffee table.
Courtney shook her head, even though Josh’s attention was focused on the flames and not her. “She wanted to share her thoughts on my interview. The Star Insider aired it today.”
Clearly, something other than their chess game or next weekend’s weather was on his mind. She watched his face and waited. When several seconds passed and he remained silent, she spoke up. “Who’s Ben?”
Josh exhaled and looked at her. “He’s my agent.”
“What did he want?”
“To talk about a role. The studio is doing a sequel to Over The Edge. I already told Ben and the producers I’m not interested in doing it. This is the second time he’s tried to change my mind. He’s not happy I’m not taking on a new project for a while.”
His answer didn’t jive with his apparent mood change. “Was that all he wanted?”
“Yeah.” Standing, he walked toward the fireplace. “But while I was on the phone, I got a text message from Naomi. She wants to meet on Monday.”