Page 53 of Bleed the Shadows

“Take her to dinner.” He nodded. “What if she won’t go?”

“Do you want it to be easy or do you want Maeve?”

He stared at me. I should have known better than to think he’d say it.

Bram would never admit to wanting anything.

I shrugged. “So stop whining and make her an offer she can’t refuse.”

34

MAEVE

I spentmy next shift at Lushberry organizing the holiday merchandise. I loved Christmas, and even though the work wasn’t exactly challenging, there were worse things than hanging out in the store, listening to the Christmas music that was piped in through the speakers.

Everyone was in a good mood, holiday shoppers out buying gifts for friends or looking for the perfect party dress. It made me feel like I was part of a normal life, a life with people who didn’t feel like there was a giant hole in their lives that only seemed bigger at Christmas.

Plus, it helped me keep my mind off of Bram.

I was pretty sure we needed to stay out of the kitchen since everything bad that happened between us had happened there. Although kneeing him in the balls hadn’t been bad in my book.

Like Reva said, he’d deserved it for trying to kiss me without so much as an apology for refusing to do it when we’d been fucking. I wasn’t a toy for him to throw away only to pick up again when he felt like playing.

Still, I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t wanted it. I’d been dying to kiss him since that first night in the kitchen, and he’d beenright there.

I might have kneed him in the balls, but he’d gotten his revenge even if he didn’t realize it, because I lost sleep thinking about that almost kiss, imagining what it would have been like to finally feel his lips, his tongue sliding against mine.

I was stocking the last of the red sequin cocktail dresses we’d just gotten in when Hannah called me from across the store.

“Someone’s here to see you,” she said from the row of registers at the back of the store.

I wove my way around the racks of clothes arranged around the store and was rounding a case of jewelry when I saw Bailey standing by the registers.

My heart sank and my cheeks flamed with guilt. “Bailey, hi!”

Her brown hair fell in waves around her green wool coat, and even though her makeup was on point and perfect as always, I could tell she was worried.

“Hi?” She shook her head. “Jesus, Maeve, where have you been?”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

I owed her like, ten texts.

“Don’t say you’re sorry. Just tell me where you’ve been.”

“I’ve just been… you know, around. I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy.”

She frowned. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

I nodded. “Do you have time to grab a bite?”

“Maeve, come on, I always have time for you. You know that.”

Her words only made me feel worse for being such a shitty friend.

“Give me a second,” I said.

I told Hannah I was going to take my lunch, grabbed my bag, and met Bailey back out on the floor.