Then it was over.
She wouldn’t do it anymore. She would find another way to care for Gammy. She would have to get creative to continue donating large amounts of money to MS research, but she would find a way.
She always did.
Johanna’s voice was streaming softly from across the room, so Josie decided to check her messages. She flicked her fingers onto the screen of her phone and reread York’s latest text for the twentieth time
I’m thinking of you, beautiful. Hope your work is going well. I’m looking forward to seeing you again. Maybe not on a Parkour course this time around. Perhaps something more relaxed. I’ll call you later to make some plans. xo
The xo had killed her. She traced the letters with her fingers, missing his lips and his arms already.
She wanted to respond. Josie knew exactly the kind of flirty thing she wanted to write back, but instead, she chucked her phone onto the table. She promised to delete the messages they had exchanged later, when she had time to mourn what could have been a little bit more.
From the glass tabletop, Josie’s phone beeped, and her heart fluttered at the thought that York was sending her another message. Despite herself, she excitedly grabbed the device.
It wasn’t York.
Milo Steiner had sent her a picture.
She held her breath as she opened the file with trembling fingers. Her screen filled with the image of her and York, strolling hand in hand after their date at the Parkour course. A large red circle with a line running through was blocking York’s head from the shot. The threat was clear, but it hadn’t been enough for Milo.
The words tick-tock had been sent along with the picture. Josie blinked back tears and tried to remember how to breathe. It was hard, especially under the watchful eye of Johanna Warwick, who was now gliding back into the room. This lovely woman had given her a job and a place to stay. She was York’s mother, for fuck’s sake.
The entire Warwick family, at least, the half she had met, were wonderful people. Josie felt sick at the thought of what she had to do. Her sanity lapsed for one second as she was tempted to tell Johanna everything. The Warwick matriarch was kind and gentle, surely she could find it in her heart to understand.
That wasn’t possible.
There was too much on the line.
Johanna didn’t owe her anything. She was just some girl who had been hired. She wasn’t even York’s girlfriend. The realization that she and York could never be real made her want to crawl in a hole and die.
“Dear, are you all right?’ Johanna’s features were pulled tight into concern.
Josie tried to brush her off. “Yes. Yup. I’m fine.”
“I don’t mean to pry, Josie, but you’ve gone quite pale. Is it your grandmother? Do you need help with anything?”
“No,” Josie responded, holding back a sob. “It’s just a past client, who is being difficult. Nothing I can’t handle.” Her smile was forced, and she wanted to kick herself for being so cavalier. “Here is the inventory list of everything I have so far. Do you think we could meet another time? I’m not feeling well all of a sudden.” Josie slid a stack of papers onto the table, toward Johanna. She grabbed her purse, and she was out of there, blood thumping through her ears.
Johanna called out for her, but Josie barely registered the words. She needed to have a good cry, then she would do what needed to be done and walk away.
Forever.
Chapter Twelve
Josie
As it turned out, when Josie got back to the brownstone, she couldn’t ignore the crushing sadness in her soul. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and she promised herself that she would use the rest of the day to grieve and cry for York. But once morning came back around, she was going to work double-time to finish Johanna’s job and find a way to steal the vase from Warwick Bank.
She gave herself three days to be out of New York City.
It was an accelerated timeline. It would be damn well impossible, but she had to get away. She had to put as much distance as possible between herself and York, and his compassionate eyes, his warm smile, and his strong embrace.
Josie slipped on her comfort clothes, ordered sushi, and plopped down on the couch with a box of tissues and the remote. She put on Overboard. It had been her and Rose’s favorite movie to watch. Not only because Goldie Hawn was a badass, but because Kurt Russell was a hottie. The fact that those two had been together since 1984 was inspiring. That was 37 years of being there for each other, of a real partnership.
She and Rose had dreamed of the men they would marry one day, hoping they would be as long-lasting as Goldie and Kurt’s relationship was.
York was twenty times hotter than Kurt, which was saying something. And there was no doubt in her mind that if they had worked out, 37 years would have been as easy as pie to get through with York. Maybe they would have had little baby dragons, who could also inherit some of her magic.
Josie watched the movie, letting her imagination and tears run wild.
When the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of her takeout, she didn’t bother wiping her tears away. She padded over to the front door like the sad sack she was.
But of course, it wasn’t the delivery guy.
York was standing on the landing, hands stuffed in his jeans, his tan sweater making his green eyes appear darker. His smile slipped off, and his brow puckered in concern when he saw her.
“Why are you crying?” he asked, taking a step forward to wrap her in his arms.
She stepped away from him. “I’m watching Overboard. It always makes me cry.” Her voice was a watery, wobbly mess.
He arched a brow in confusion, so she went on.
“It was me and my little sister’s favorite movie. I watch it when I’m sad or when I feel like talking to her.”
“Does she live far away?” He tried to move closer again, but she back away.
Josie swallowed hard. “She…” her voice cracked. “She died about five years ago.”
“I remember,” he whispered, recollection flashing in his eyes. “The MS?”
“Complications of it. She got a bad case of pneumonia, and she fought to get better, but her body was already under so much strain.” Josie held her breath. This day was turning out to be quite the emotional roller coaster.
York reached out and took her hand in his. “It’s hard to lose someone.”
“Yeah,” she sniffled. “So, as you can tell, I’m having a day. Let’s talk later.”
She shoved against him, hoping he would get the clue and leave her to her moping. He didn’t. Instead, he closed his arms around her.
“Johanna said you left suddenly. She was worried about you. You were in tears when you barely said bye to her. What’s happened, love?”
The last word out of his mouth made her sob against the solid wall of his chest. Why was he here? Who did that? Who left the very important job, they were basically addicted to, in order to check on a woman they’d only been on two dates with? It made Josie dizzy, and it made the entire situation much more difficult.
“York, why are you here? Really?”
He frowned, pulling away just enough to look down at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I appreciate you checking up on me, but you need to go.”