Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Moving Maisie’s bedroom furniture was more complicated than Jack had thought it would be when he’d first offered. She hadn’t known the furniture was coming, so she hadn’t been prepared to move her old stuff out. The bed was made. Clothes were in the dresser. Condoms were in the nightstand.

He hadn’t opened the drawer to see them. He was basing that assumption on memory. Unless Maisie had used the remaining packages since he’d last been there. The jealousy that raced through his blood at that thought caught him off guard. He wasn’t usually the jealous type.

He paused in the doorway, bracing himself for the flood of memories. If Iris hadn’t been behind him, he might have given himself a moment, but she had to be wondering how he knew Maisie’s dogs and why he seemed so familiar with her house. He didn’t want her to realize he’d spent some quality time in her bedroom.

And quality time it had been.

Maisie glanced around the room in dismay. “Sorry. I guess I hadn’t considered this part. Maybe we should reschedule. It’s not supposed to rain or anything, so the boxes should be fine outside.”

Iris rolled her eyes. “Don’t be dumb. We’ll just strip your bed, stack your clothes on the closet floor, and grab a bag for the stuff in the nightstand drawers.” She walked over to the nightstand closest to the hallway door. “Do you want me to get started on that one?”

“No!” Maisie and Jack cried out at once.

Iris’s eyes narrowed as she glanced between them. “Okay…”

Shit.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “How about I go down and move the living room furniture around to make room for this stuff? Then I can unbox the new stuff out on the lawn.”

“Yeah,” Maisie said. “Good idea.”

As he headed down the stairs, he heard Iris ask Maisie, “What’s the big deal? Do you have sex toys in there? I’ve seen a vibrator, you know.”

Jack did not want to think about how she could have seen sex toys. They’d likely belonged to Genevieve. Or maybe a friend. He wasn’t sure which to hope for.

It didn’t take him very long to move the living room furniture, and he used a pocketknife he kept in the glove compartment of his car to start unboxing the new stuff. Mary—or more likely, Molly—had good taste. The pieces were real wood, not the MDF stuff a lot of newer furniture was constructed from, and the finish fit with the farm-style look that was so popular.

He’d unboxed the headboard and dresser and started on one of the nightstands when Iris appeared in the doorway, the dogs at her feet.

“Maisie says she’s ready to bring stuff down.”

“Okay.” He pocketed his knife and followed her upstairs, prepared for strange looks or a minor interrogation from his sister. Instead, she bounded up the stairs with more energy than she’d shown since moving to Asheville.

They started with the bed—the mattress and box spring, then the metal bed frame and headboard. After they got it down the stairs, Maisie headed to the front door to see what had been in the boxes, but Iris stopped her.

“No! It’s like a makeover. We have to do a big reveal.”

An amused grin lit up Maisie’s face. “Are you in cahoots with my sisters?”

“No,” Iris said. “I’ve just always thought that would be fun.”

Jack tucked that thought away. Iris hadn’t wanted to decorate her room in the Buchanan house, but maybe Adalia could help him and they could do a big reveal.

Or Maisie.

Iris was becoming attached to her, much more so than Adalia, so maybe that would be better. Or maybe he was just looking for an excuse to justify spending time with her.

“Okay, then,” Maisie said. “I won’t look, but I’m not sure you’ll be able to help Jack get it all upstairs.”

Iris propped her hands on her hips. “I’m stronger than I look.”

Maisie laughed. “We’ll see about that.”

The dresser was harder to get down than the bed. It was a two-person job, and Maisie insisted on being the other person, saying Iris had her work cut out for her with the new furniture. They managed to get it down without crushing Jack (who held the bottom end) or putting a dent in the wall. They had gotten one of the nightstands down when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Iris shouted from the bedroom, which she’d been casing like an interior decorator. She raced down the stairs.

“I have to pay for it,” Maisie insisted, but Jack had already gotten out his wallet, and he handed Iris cash as she brushed past him. They’d perfected that dance over many years of takeout.

“You can get it next time,” Jack said, trying not to dwell on the possibility of a next time. “Let’s get the other nightstand.”

They headed up together, the early playfulness fading, the awareness of how close she was buzzing under his skin.

She walked over to the remaining nightstand and looked up at him with a mischievous grin. “Sorry that I almost corrupted your baby sister.”

He laughed. “Did you, though? I guess she’s seen a vibrator before.”

“You heard that, huh?”

“Yeah, but thankfully not much else.”

“I quickly steered the conversation to another topic. I was scared to death she was going to start asking me questions about you.”

He grimaced. “Yeah. Me too. She really likes you, and I’d hate to ruin that if she thinks we’ve slept together.”

“You think she’d be upset?” she asked in surprise.

“She already barely tolerates Addy and Georgie. I’m not sure how she’d handle a girlfriend. And right now, you’re pretty much the only person she likes here in Asheville. I’d hate to take that from her.”

Disappointment flickered on her face, but she gave him a wry look. “Just so you know, she really likes Beatrice, so there are two of us.” Then she added, “But I understand.”

Part of him wished neither one of them understood, that they’d say to hell with it and decide this thing between them was too powerful to deny. That love conquered all. But they weren’t in love, just lust, and lust never conquered anything.

So why did he feel the loss deep in his soul instead of down south?

They carried the final nightstand down and found Iris in the kitchen, pulling plates out of the cabinet. “Do you want to eat now or after we haul the new stuff upstairs?”

“I’m starving,” Maisie said, “but now I’m dying to see what my sister sent me. What if I hate it?” She said the last part with a grin, making it obvious she didn’t expect to hate it, but he wasn’t surprised she wanted to see it before going all in. He certainly would.

“Let me go unpack one of the nightstands. Then you can look at all of it.” He glanced at Iris for her blessing.

“Good idea,” she said, placing the plates on the table. “I’ll help him make sure it’s presentable.”

Maisie laughed. “Presentable? I would hate to catch it with its pants off or without lipstick. Go work your magic.”

Iris laughed. “Careful, or I’ll make him box it all back up.”

Jack headed outside and started working on the nightstand box as Iris surveyed the rest of the furniture. The headboard was lying on part of the box it had come in, and the dresser was perpendicular to the front door.

“I really wish we could get all of this upstairs before she sees it,” Iris said wistfully. “But Maisie’s right. I doubt I can help you get the dresser upstairs.”

“I think she’ll be fine seeing it outside, Iris,” he said as he tore part of the box from the nightstand. “She’s curious and doesn’t want to wait. I can’t say I blame her.”

“But it’s her Christmas present, and she didn’t even get to unwrap it.”

Crap. Why hadn’t he thought about that? What if she’d wanted to unpack these things herself?

“You like her,” she said softly, staring at him intently.

“What?”

“You look like someone stole your precious Prius. It bothers you that we might have ruined her present.”

“I think that makes me a good person,” he said.

“I already knew you were a good person,” she said, then shifted her weight and asked, “Were you dating her before I moved here? It’s obvious you’ve been here before.”

And there it was. “Would it bother you if I had dated her?”

She hesitated. “I’ve never really known any of your girlfriends before.” Her eyes widened. “Is that why she’s so nice to me? Because of you? You two were flirting in the parking lot.”

“No, Iris. We haven’t dated and she genuinely likes you.” Both things were true. He couldn’t call their night together dating, and he wasn’t about to admit they’d hooked up. “And we have mutual friends, remember? She’s friends with River, Finn, and Addy.”

“Not Georgie?”

He hesitated. “I’m sure they’re friends too. But she and River and Finn have been hanging out for years. And the girls’ nights with Addy started this fall before you moved here.”

“Are you dating her now?”

“No. I’m not dating anyone.” But his heart sunk, because it was obvious the thought of him dating Maisie bothered her. “How about I hold the headboard upright so she can get a better idea of what it looks like?”

“That should help,” she said, slightly subdued. “I want it to be perfect for her.”

“Sometimes we can’t have perfect,” Jack said. “Sometimes we have to settle for second best. Especially if the people involved are doing the best they can.”

She gave him a long look. “Are you talking about you and me now?”

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “But it’s true just the same.”

She pushed out a sigh. “Lift up the headboard, and then I’ll go get her.”

“Okay.”

She went inside and he had the headboard upright by the time Iris walked out the door, tugging Maisie behind her. Maisie was covering her eyes with her fingertips and the dogs were jumping up on her, barking in excitement.

“If you let me trip, I’ll give you poop duty at the shelter for two solid weeks,” Maisie grumbled, but Jack heard the grin in her voice.

“I’m not going to let you trip,” Iris said in an exasperated tone as she led her down the steps. “Okay. Stop right there and look.”

Maisie dropped her hands and took in the furniture, showing no reaction.

Jack told himself he hadn’t picked it out for her, so he had nothing invested in this, but he found that wasn’t true. She’d said she was attached to the furniture in her house because of her parents, and this new set was vastly different from the stuff they’d hauled downstairs. What if she didn’t like it? Would she feel obligated to keep it? He didn’t want her to be unhappy.

But then a small smile lifted those kissable lips, and she glanced at him. Was she thinking about the new memories they could make in this bed? Was it wrong that he was?

“Well?” Iris asked, obviously wanting her to like it too.

“Relax, kid,” Maisie said. “I like it.”

“Whew,” Iris said dramatically. “But obviously you can’t use your old bedspread. You need a new one. And curtains too. It’s a total redo.”

“Slow your roll,” Maisie said with a laugh. “One step at a time.”

“How about you help Maisie figure out how to redo her room, and she can help you with yours?” Jack suggested, trying to sound nonchalant. But Maisie and Iris were coming to mean something to each other. And he sensed both of them needed this.

Iris gave Maisie a questioning look, and Maisie shrugged in response. “I’m game if you are.”

Iris hesitated. “Okay, but we do your room first.”

Maisie snorted. “That’s a load of crap. We’ll do it at the same time. Now let’s eat this disgusting pizza combination that your brother picked out, then haul the furniture upstairs.” She turned around to head inside, calling over her shoulder, “You’re lucky I’m letting you eat before you finish the job.”

“Hey!” Iris said as she followed her inside. “We paid for it!”

Jack laughed, loving that Iris liked her so much, not that he was surprised. Maybe the idea of the two of them dating would grow on her.

They grabbed slices of pizza as they sat around Maisie’s table, the two women giving Jack grief about requesting pineapple, although Maisie conceded it wasn’t that bad. But the best part was that Iris was acting happy. Genuinely happy. Maisie was obviously good for her.

When they finished eating, they hauled the new furniture in, which was a lot sturdier than the stuff they’d brought down to the living room. The nightstands, headboard, frame and even the mattress and box spring had gone up okay, but the dresser was tougher. They had to stop multiple times for Maisie and Iris to shift their grip or take a break before they got it up the stairs and into the room.

They’d just gotten the dresser in place when Jack’s phone rang. He fished it out of his back pocket, surprised when he saw Adalia’s name on the screen. She usually texted.

“Hey, Addy,” he said, wiping the back of his arm across his forehead. “Everything okay?”

“Everything is far from okay. It’s a freaking disaster.”

A million worst-case scenarios ran through his head. Jezebel had gotten into a fight with Tyrion. Or Dottie had decided to deep-fry Twinkies in the back yard. Or, God forbid, Lurch had peed in the kettles again. “What happened?”

“They’re coming,” Adalia said, her voice strained.

“What?” he asked in confusion. “Who’s coming where?”

“Victoria and our father. They’re coming to Asheville, Jack.” She paused. “They’re coming to the engagement party .”