Page 71 of Maneater

“It is, but I think it’s long overdue,” I say with a smile, then sigh. “Plus, I uh, had a conversation with my boss yesterday, before the party. We talked about you.” Her eyebrows lift, asking a question without saying anything, and for a moment, I think I see a flash of something—worry, maybe? But then I realize she is probably worried about my boss not approving of this, so I explain quickly.

“Upper management fraternizing with guests is a bit of a gray area. It’s technically out of the question for the employee, but I’m not really a resort employee. I wanted to run it by her before…”

“And…?”

I give her a small, self-deprecating laugh.

“Honestly, I think she’s relieved to find out I’m not a complete robot. She essentially kicked me off the team call we were on, insisting I don’t come back until my meeting later today.”

Josie lets out a loud laugh, her head tipping back and her dark hair tumbling in glossy waves.

“So she’s cool with you fucking a guest?” Rory asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Rory!” Josie chides her friend, a pretty pink blush blooming overher cheeks and creeping down her neck and chest. I’d give a lot right now to be able to see just how far down it goes.

“What?” Rory asks with a shrug, like it’s not a strange question to ask a relative stranger.

“For one, we haven’t even fucked,” Josie says, giving her a deadpan look.

“And whose fault is that?” Rory asks, and watching the two argue is kind of fun.

I sit back with a smile, crossing my arms on my chest, and for a tiny, insane moment, I think I could really fucking like this. Spending time with Josie and her friend, watching them argue back and forth, has made me realize that her need to argue doesn’t stop with just me. A sense of fitting in, of unpressured enjoyment, seeps through me, and it concerns me for a moment how unfamiliar it feels.

Is this what I’ve been avoiding by working nonstop? This light, unpressured feeling in my chest? Or is it a Josie-specific reaction?

“The fucking universe?” Josie says, waving her hands in the air. “Who knows? Personally, I’m beginning to think the world hates us and doesn’t want us to fornicate.”

“Fornicate?” I ask with a choked laugh.

“That’s the proper term, Rowan,” Rory says primly, like I’m an idiot.

I just shake my head and widen my eyes, while lifting my hands in the air, the universal sign forI’m not touching that.

“So? She’s cool with it? Your boss?”

“I mean, I didn’t tell her about the fornication plans, but she said there’s no issue with you and me…” I try and think about how Annette worded it, and land on “spending time together.”

“Yeah, probably for the best to keep that part to yourself,” Josie says, patting my arm. I smile at her, then put one arm around her shoulders and use my other hand to tug her chair closer to mine before pressing a kiss into her hair, before the server comes by to ask about what we’d like.

“So, Rowan, do you have any brothers?” Rory asks after we place our lunch orders.

“No?” I ask more than I answer.

“Dammit,” Rory mumbles, and Josie lets out a laugh.

“Sisters?”

I shake my head. “Only child.”

“Where did you grow up?” she asks next.

“South Jersey, a small town called Ashford.”

Josie nods, and Rory looks like she’s taking very good notes in her head.

“Why does this feel like an interrogation?” I ask with a laugh.

“I mean, it kind of is. She’s my best friend, and I hold her well-being above all else. And men are…” She shakes her head like she’s disappointed in the species as a whole, and knowing the men I work with, I can’t fully blame her.