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Jo pushed the curtains aside to let in some sunlight and opened the windows. Instantly the mood improved.

Jo yawned and took down her messy bun before putting her hair back up again. There were dark circles etched under her eyes and her sweatpants and wrinkled T-shirt had seen better days.

“Sit down,” I said, pointing at her couch that was covered in textbooks and printed out articles. Jo sighed, shoving everything aside before sitting down. I set her burrito on a plate and added some rice and beans, taking it over to her before I made up my own plate.

“You need to hire a cleaner,” I said.

Jo snorted. “Yeah, with what money?”

“That’s what credit cards are for. You’re working so hard and you need some help. Need to outsource some of this.” I’d clean her house if she’d let me. Jo was fiercely independent like I was, and she’d never allow me to do that though.

Jo took a massive bite of her burrito and thought about that. “Maybe. It would be nice to remember what living in a clean space feels like. I just ordered more underwear because I’m out.”

She must really be tired because normally she wouldn’t have admitted something like that to me.

“Jesus, Jo. You have a washer and dryer.” I was jealous beyond words that she had a laundry closet in unit.

“I know,” she said, frowning. “I just…” she trailed off.

“Okay. That’s it. Once we’re done eating, I’m going to start your laundry and you’re going to lay there like a lady of leisure.” I wasn’t going to leave here until she had some clean clothes.

“I know I should fight you, but I can’t,” Jo said. She devoured everything on her plate, so I got her seconds while I gathered and sorted her laundry and got the first load going and did a little bit of tidying. Nothing major, just putting papers in a stack, tossing old protein bar wrappers, and bringing empty glasses and coffee mugs to the kitchen so I could start loading the dishwasher.

“I didn’t invite you over to be my maid,” Jo said.

“Shut up. You would do this for me.”

Jo did shut up because she knew it was the truth. We’d met years ago when we had a gen ed college class together in undergrad and had become friends from the very first day. She’d fully supported me when I’d dropped out of school and had been there for those terrible days before I’d gotten my feet under me. Jo had been the one to encourage me to apply for the job at Sapph. I hadn’t had a bartending certificate, but I’d spent summers working at a restaurant and knew how to mix drinks. The owners had taken a risk on me and I’d always be grateful for that.

The least I could do for Jo was some laundry and picking up.

“Please tell me bar stories so I can stop thinking about school,” she demanded, and I was more than happy to do that while we ate some ice cream I’d found in the back of her freezer that she’d forgotten she bought.

So I told her all my best bar stories that I’d been saving up for her.

“Hold on,” she said, sitting up. “Something is different.” She pointed at my face and made a slow circle with her finger.

Her eyes were a little brighter now that she’d eaten, and her energy had perked up too. Jo’s mind was sharp, and she knew me well.

Shit.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, looking away from her face.

Jo’s eyes went wide. “Oh, there is something you’re not telling me. Reid Elizabeth, you tell me what’s going on right now.”

Fucking hell.

I gave Jo the rundown of the whole Sophie situation and she thought it was hilarious.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying all this. I’m so glad my inevitable doom is amusing to you.” I got up to put the laundry in the dryer and start a second load of washing.

“Wait, why inevitable doom?” she asked, propping herself up on some of the couch pillows.

“Because this whole thing with Sophie was supposed to be platonic. And then I had to ruin it by developing very inconvenient feelings. She’s Kaylee’s sister, Jo. Kaylee, who completely fucked up my entire life.”

Jo held her hand up before I could get going. “Listen. I will not discount that what Kaylee did was super shitty. It was. But she didn’t fuck up your entire life, Reid.”

I opened my mouth to argue with her, but she gave me that stern look I couldn’t wait to see her unleash on her students instead of on me.