Under a falling star, p.6
Under a Falling Star, page 6
“So? Wanna share with the class?”
Not particularly. She couldn’t hold Austen’s gaze. “Confucius says, ‘That wasn’t chicken. Next time, order the shrimp.’”
Austen laughed, the lingering traces of her earlier sadness disappearing. “Goof.”
The return of Austen’s smile felt like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds after a week of nonstop rain. The thought made her roll her eyes at herself. Oh, come on. What’s up with all this sappiness? “Hey, I’m on medication now.” She’d swallowed two painkillers after the first bites of rice. “I’m allowed to be goofy.”
Austen reached out and gently touched her cheek. “I like you goofy.”
Dee’s breath caught. Their thighs and sides touched, even though she hadn’t been aware that she’d moved closer on the couch. “I…I have to tell you something.”
“Relax,” Austen murmured, never looking away. “I already know.”
Dee blinked. “You do?” How had Austen guessed her true identity? And why was she still so calm?
Austen nodded. “Just for the record, I’m gay too. I have fully functional gaydar, and it’s been pinging like crazy since I met you. Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s a pretty strong pull between us.”
Oh. That’s what she means. “Yes, but that’s not—”
Austen laid one finger against Dee’s lips, stopping her. “Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?” She took her hand away.
Dee instantly missed the touch. Then all thought left her as Austen leaned forward and kissed her.
Unlike the heated battles for control Dee usually engaged in, this kiss was warm and tender and nearly made her melt into a puddle.
When Austen finally pulled back, Dee stared at her. All she could think of was the burning desire to pull her back against her body and kiss her again.
A gentle smile curled those tempting lips. “You won’t blame it on the medication tomorrow, will you?”
Unable to speak, Dee shook her head.
“Good. Come on.” Austen stood and pulled Dee up. “It’s almost midnight. Let’s clean up this mess and then go to bed.”
Bed. Dee’s amorous mind latched on to that one word. Oh, yeah.
The expression on her face must have been pretty obvious, since Austen laughed and patted her cheek. “Alone, Casanova.” With all traces of humor gone, she added, “I admit that it’s tempting, but I’m not the type to jump into bed with someone I just met. I want to know you in more than just the biblical sense.”
Her words were like a bucket of ice-cold water being poured over Dee’s head, snuffing out her overactive libido. Austen didn’t even know her full name and who she really was. “Of course. You don’t need to stay.”
Austen wagged her finger at her. “Nice try. I’m staying. Just not in your bed. You have a head wound after all.” She touched the unhurt side of Dee’s forehead with one finger. “If you feel dizzy or get a headache during the night, wake me immediately, okay?”
Dee nodded. She felt plenty dizzy now, but not from the head wound. Numbly, she followed Austen to the kitchen and then led her upstairs to the guest room.
* * *
After the day she’d had, Austen had thought falling asleep wouldn’t be a problem, but now she was wide awake. She lay in bed in Dee’s guest room, arms folded behind her head, and stared up at the dark ceiling. Thoughts of the woman next door made her body refuse to settle down. She reached out and felt her way over to the nightstand until she found the slip of paper she’d put there earlier. In the darkness, she couldn’t read what was written, but the words still rang in her head.
Normally, she was honest to a fault, but she hadn’t been able to tell Dee what her fortune cookie quote really said.
The love of your life is sitting across from you. Stunned, she shook her head. Wow.
She wasn’t in love, of course. Not yet. But there was something about Dee that just seemed to fit. Who would have thought? Certainly not me. She’d never been attracted to overbearing control freak types, and after Brenda, she’d become more careful about getting involved with anyone too fast.
Maybe it was a sign that she was ready to let go of the past and move on with her life.
She put the piece of paper back onto the nightstand, rolled around, and snuggled against the pillow. Was she just imagining it, or did it smell faintly of Dee’s perfume? Breathing in deeply through her nose, she finally settled down. The last thing that went through her mind before she fell asleep was that she could really come to like first days.
Chapter 6
Austen woke, for a moment not sure where she was. She looked around the unfamiliar bedroom. Then the memories of yesterday rushed back. I’m at Dee’s. And we kissed. Well, she had kissed her, but Dee had immediately returned the kiss. Maybe there’d be more kisses over breakfast.
The thought made her jump out of bed.
Dee had left a spare toothbrush and clean towels for her in the bathroom, so Austen brushed her teeth, took a quick shower, and got dressed.
The blouse was a bit wrinkled, but it couldn’t be helped. Since everything Dee had in her closet would be much too big on her, making her look like a dwarf, yesterday’s clothes would have to do. She just hoped that none of her colleagues would notice and comment on it.
She headed downstairs and found Dee in the kitchen, leaning against the counter in black slacks, a white blouse, and an unbuttoned vest that made Austen want to slip her hands inside and caress her curves.
“Good morning.”
Dee looked up from her coffee mug. “Morning.” She didn’t smile and looked as if she hadn’t slept a wink. Dark shadows marred the skin beneath her eyes.
Austen walked closer and peered up at her. “Are you in pain?”
“I’m fine.” Dee lifted the mug to her mouth, looking more as if she was hiding behind it than drinking from it. “I already took painkillers.”
“On an empty stomach?” Christ, she really needs a girlfriend to take care of her. Austen inwardly rolled her eyes at herself. Yeah, and you’d gladly volunteer for the job, wouldn’t you?
Dee shrugged. “You saw my fridge. I don’t have anything even remotely resembling breakfast. We can get something on the way to work. Or do you want a cup of coffee before we leave?”
“No, that’s fine. I can get something to go.” She had a feeling Dee couldn’t wait to get to work—or maybe to get her out of the house. Her mood had changed. Gone was the playful, open woman from last night. In her place was the grouchy control freak she had first met. Does she regret kissing me back? Austen was afraid to ask, almost sure she knew the answer.
“All right. Then let’s get going.” Dee put her mug into the sink and grabbed her car keys.
* * *
Tell her. Tell her. Tell her. The words repeated themselves in Dee’s mind like the refrain of a bad pop song while she guided the BMW through traffic, driving west on Northeast Broadway. The lump in her throat and the fear in her heart prevented her from speaking. What the hell was wrong with her? She usually wasn’t such a coward. She’d never been afraid of telling people some hard truths. It was part of her job. Just yesterday, she had told the guys in licensing that they couldn’t find their asses on a map, and now she was afraid to tell her brother’s new admin who she really was. Pathetic.
She kept peeking over at Austen, who sat in the passenger seat, hands clutched around a paper cup and the bag holding her banana chocolate chip muffin, not saying a word. The warmth she’d exuded yesterday was gone.
Maybe it wasn’t necessary to tell her anymore. From the looks of it, her interest in Dee had cooled overnight. She probably already regretted kissing her.
When she steered the BMW toward the steel-and-glass office building of Kudos Entertainment, the parking lot was still relatively empty. A quick glance at her wristwatch showed that it was too early for the nine o’clock crowd to arrive. Whew. If she was lucky, they’d make it into the building without anyone seeing them arrive together.
No sooner had she thought it than a red Toyota wheeled into an empty space a few rows over, and Jack Brower, one of her brother’s PR guys, got out.
Great. If Jack Brower knew, Sally Phillips would find out as soon as she set foot into the building. Before lunch, the whole company would talk about how Attila the Hun had arrived at work with the new employee, who was still wearing yesterday’s clothes.
Before she could stop her, Austen got out of the parked car and waved, giving Jack a friendly smile. “Good morning, Jack.”
He returned her smile. “Good morning. Ready for your second day at—?” His gaze fell on Dee. “Uh, see you inside.” He hurried across the parking lot toward the main entrance.
Austen watched him go. “What was that?”
“Shit,” Dee muttered. “He saw us arrive in the same car.”
Austen turned and studied her. “Are you worried about what he and the rest of our colleagues might think?”
Dee shrugged. “Aren’t you?”
“We don’t work in the same department, so this,” Austen pointed back and forth between them, “shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Dee said nothing.
“Oh. I get it now. You’re not out at work.”
Dee snorted. “Please. Even the cleaning ladies know I’m a lesbian.”
“What is it, then?”
This wasn’t a conversation Dee wanted to have in the company’s parking lot. She scrubbed her hands across her face. “Austen, look…”
Austen lowered her gaze. “I understand. It was just one kiss, and you were on pain medication, right? If you want us to just forget about the whole thing and not see each other again…”
Dee couldn’t stand the insecure, hurt expression on Austen’s face. “No!” Before she could think twice, she stepped closer and pulled Austen into her arms. “No, that’s not what I want. It’s just…”
Austen’s arms came around her, and she leaned her head against Dee’s shoulder. She exhaled as if she had waited the entire morning for a hug. “Yeah?”
The warmth of Austen’s body against hers didn’t exactly make thinking any easier. “It’s just complicated.”
Austen leaned back a little and smiled. “Aren’t all good things?”
Who could resist that smile? Certainly not Dee. She smiled back. “Maybe.”
“Do you want to meet after work and talk about whatever is bothering you?” She caressed Dee’s back, making her tingle even through her suit jacket.
Dee squared her shoulders and nodded. Austen deserved to know the truth, no matter the consequences. She would tell her tonight. “My house, around eight? I’ll even get some groceries and cook.”
“Good. Want me to bring dessert?”
With any other woman, Dee would have answered with an innuendo, but they were standing in the company parking lot and she was overly aware of how inappropriate a sexual relationship between them would be. “No. You don’t have to bring anything.”
Just when she was about to pull back from their embrace, a silver Jaguar XJ pulled into the parking space next to the BMW and her brother got out.
Dee hastily let go of Austen and stepped back, but it was too late.
Judging by the frown on Tim’s face, he’d already seen them.
“Good morning, Mr. Saunders,” Austen said, smiling brightly.
Tim’s gaze flicked from Dee to Austen. “Good morning.” He turned his attention back to Dee, who cringed inwardly and hoped he wouldn’t call her “sis” and give away her secret before she had a chance to tell Austen the truth. “Can I talk to you for a second?” he asked.
“Uh, sure,” Dee said, even though it was the last thing she wanted. She knew what he would say. She was in for some brotherly ass-chewing—a well-deserved one. Shoulders slumping, she followed him to the elevator.
* * *
As soon as they reached his office, Tim took up position behind his desk and gestured at her forehead. “What happened to you?”
Dee waved him away. “Nothing.”
“Okay, if you don’t want to talk about it, would you mind explaining what the hell you think you’re doing with my new assistant?” Tim leaned across his desk and put the two-inch height advantage he had over her to good use.
Dee glared back. “None of your business.”
“None of my business? None of my business?” Tim’s face took on an unhealthy color. “Oh, it damn well is my business—quite literally. This company can’t afford to be slapped with a sexual harassment suit just because you couldn’t keep your pants zipped. Jesus, Dee, why can’t you go to a lesbian bar or a club and pick up some other hussy?”
Blood roared through Dee’s ears. She slapped both palms on the desk, making it rattle, and leaned forward, right in Tim’s face. “Shut up! Austen isn’t a hussy!”
Tim stared at her and then dropped onto his desk chair. From there, he continued to look at her. “Okay, okay. I never said she was. But getting involved with her still isn’t a bright idea. I really thought my new admin was smarter than that. To get involved with the company’s COO on her very first day…”
Dee’s anger deflated, and she sank onto the visitor’s chair. “She doesn’t know.”
“Doesn’t know what?”
Studying the carpet in her brother’s office, Dee said, “Who I am. She thinks I’m just some grunt slaving away in operations.”
Tim gave her an incredulous stare. “You slept with her without telling her who you are?”
“No.”
“But you just said that she doesn’t know.”
Dee rocked forward onto the edge of her seat. “I didn’t sleep with her.” For some reason, her brother seemed to think she was a female version of Casanova, just because her relationships never lasted for very long. She didn’t care what he or anyone else thought of her, but now she wanted to set the story straight because of Austen. She stood. “And you don’t have to worry. Nothing else will happen between us. As soon as she finds out who I am, she won’t want anything to do with me anyway.”
He must have seen the regret in her eyes, because his stern expression softened. “Sorry, Sis. You really like her, don’t you?”
Dee just shrugged.
“But believe me; it’s better this way.” He rounded his desk and slapped her shoulder in a brotherly way.
“Just promise me that you won’t say anything to her. I want to tell her myself.” Austen deserved that much from her.
Tim made a zipping motion across his lips. “I won’t say a word. And now tell me what happened to your forehead. It looks like someone drove over you with a lawn mower.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“What happened?” he asked again.
“I found out that wishing on a falling star is a dangerous thing.” Not just for her head, but for her heart too.
“What are you talking about?” Tim looked at her as if he was starting to doubt her sanity.
“When I went to hang up that damn snowflake, the tree topper fell and hit me. Your admin drove me to the ER and stayed the night to keep an eye on me. In the guest room.”
The disapproving frown on his face faded. “Ah. So that’s why you drove to work together. Sorry for jumping to conclusions.”
Not all of his conclusions had been wrong, but Dee didn’t want to admit that. “I’d better get to work. Talk to you later.” She turned and left his office before he could ask any more questions.
Chapter 7
Austen sat at her desk, her fingers lingering over the keyboard, but she hadn’t written more than Dear Mr. Schaefer since booting up her computer ten minutes ago.
The shouting from behind Mr. Saunders’s closed office door kept distracting her.
She had thoroughly misjudged her new boss. Yesterday, she had thought him to be fair and friendly, but clearly, he was more like his sister, Attila, than she had known.
What an asshole. Poor Dee. She tried to eavesdrop and find out why he was shouting at her, but the thick walls muffled the sounds, and she didn’t dare get up to put her ear against the door.
Mr. Saunders’s office door opened, and Dee slunk out. The confident stride Austen had gotten used to was gone.
“God, Dee.” The letter on her screen forgotten, Austen jumped up and rushed over to her. “Are you okay?”
Not looking at her, Dee nodded.
“What did he want?” Austen marveled at how protective she already felt of Dee, even though they’d met only yesterday. She was ready to march into Mr. Saunders’s office and tell him off. “You’re not even working in marketing, so what gives him the right to shout at you like his maniac sister?”
Dee visibly flinched.
“Hey.” Austen touched her forearm.
The door to the outer office opened, and Sally stepped in, her purse over her shoulder.
Quickly, Dee pulled back. “I need to go write that report.”
Austen watched her retreating back until the door clicked shut behind her.
“Good morning,” Sally said, glancing back at the door. “What did she want? Did you see those stitches on her forehead? Looks like someone tried to bash her head in. Too bad they didn’t succeed.”
What the…? Austen took a step toward her colleague, ready to throttle her. “That’s not funny, Sally. The tree topper from our Christmas tree crashed down on her. She could have lost an eye.”
Sally hooked one thumb behind the strap of her purse and gave her a disapproving look. “Jesus, don’t take my head off. You’re still new around here, so you don’t know her as well as we do. If you did, you wouldn’t defend or hang out in the ladies’ room with her.”
“I know her well enough to know she doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”
Sally shook her head at her. “Let me give you one piece of advice that’ll spare you a lot of heartache. Don’t get involved with her. I hear her girlfriends never last much longer than her assista—”
