Running on empty highlan.., p.19
Running on Empty (Highland Falls), page 19
“Fair assessment.”
She then gave Levi a once-over. “And you’re the lesser twin.”
He looked to me then back to Maeve in shock. “Excuse me?”
Maeve looked to us and shrugged. “I mean, it’s hard to measure up to perfection, am I right?” She sent me a wink. Oh boy, this woman liked to mess with people. I wanted to sit and watch because it was going to be fun.
“Did I miss the gene for a good wink?” Ally said, watching Maeve. “Dammit, I did.”
Levi was busy grumbling to Maeve about how he was older than I was and, if anything, was the greater of the two of us. Maeve looked like she was bored by the conversation. Charlie spun in a circle and let out a bark.
Suddenly, Maeve clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, as much as I love a good family drama, someone is going to need to feed me and soon. So sis, sorry to show up unexpected, but can we talk about that over dinner?”
“The Homestead?” Levi said, apparently deciding whatever this was, he was here for it.
I glanced at Allyson who was now worrying on her lip. She needed comfort and peace, not a night in a brewery, even if Sundays weren’t packed like other nights. Nope. I wanted her in my place. Preferably spread naked on my bed, but sitting comfortably on my couch under a blanket talking to her sister would work for now.
“Let’s go to my place. Maeve, you’re welcome to bring your stuff and stay the night. Ally was going to, if that’s still the plan. And Levi, how about you and I whip up dinner while these two catch up?” I looked at the group and realized my quiet nights from months ago had changed without me realizing it.
“You have wine, Twin One?” Maeve said, a glint in her eyes.
“You bet your ass I do.”
Allyson shook her head at the entire situation, which wasn’t an unrealistic response. “Okay, let me grab some clothes and we’re out of here. Maeve, do you want your car at Logan’s?”
“Absolutely. Always have an exit strategy.” Maeve said.
“Need to run at a moment’s notice?” Levi said, trying to get under her skin.
“There have been times,” Maeve replied, unfazed. Looking back at her sister, she said, “I’m assuming you know where the God of Sexy over there lives. How about they go ahead, and we’ll follow once you have what you need?”
“I’m the God of Sexy,” Levi said in a hushed, but still audible, voice.
“In your dreams,” Maeve replied.
“Mae, they’re pretty much identical,” Allyson said, fighting a smile.
“You don’t say,” she said with a drawl. “Somehow I don’t find it difficult to tell them apart.”
“Neither do I,” Ally said with a shrug.
“All right. I like Maeve’s plan. Don’t be long, though.” I tugged Allyson forward and captured her with a soft kiss. Her lips let out a small sigh, which I took as the opportunity it was to slide my tongue in her mouth alongside hers. We kept it slow, lingering, until a whistle broke the moment.
“Nice,” Maeve said, either to the kiss or the flushed cheeks on Allyson. “Now you two, when I say I’m hungry, I’m not one of those girls who want to pick at a salad. I mean it. So hop to, we’ll be around shortly.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Levi said.
“You’re growing on me,” she replied.
“Like mold,” he said to a sharp burst of laughter from Maeve.
“Allergies, any food to avoid?” I asked, walking around the car to open the back door for Charlie as I got ready to jump in.
“I love all food unless it tastes like cardboard because you’ve removed all the good stuff,” Maeve said.
“Ditto,” said Allyson. “And maybe make sure there is a dessert.”
“There’s always room for dessert,” Maeve replied as the two women turned and headed into the house, arms around each other, conspiring.
I closed the driver’s-side door of my car and looked to Levi in the passenger seat.
“What in the world was that?” he asked.
I took a breath, looked back to Allyson’s duplex. “Maeve.” Enough said.
Two hours later, my house was filled with noise. Music was rolling through the speakers. That’s just the way Levi and I were raised; something was always playing. Tonight it was the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons—or had been until Maeve had gotten ahold of my phone. It seemed that Ally’s love of Stevie Nicks came from her sister, so we’d had a heavy dose of Stevie as well as Fleetwood Mac in general for the past hour while she debated the greatest songs and bands with Levi.
Leaving them to it, I picked up the plates from dinner and headed to the kitchen. The lasagna pan was still on top of the stove with the remainder of the homemade garlic bread. A bowl that had held a Caesar salad was nearby, though empty now. Beer cans and a wine bottle needed to be dealt with. I debated leaving it all till tomorrow but decided I could tackle this while they all visited, then we could move to the couch by the fireplace. There was a chill in the air tonight; a fire would be good.
As I dealt with the leftovers, moments from the past flashed through my mind. Nola and I had hosted so many dinner parties over the years. She loved having friends and family over until the midnight hour, a counter filled with glasses and plates to clean up the next day that told you that your friends had a good time. It was something I gave up in the past three years, not sure how to return to it, not wanting others to intrude on my inner sanctum that this home had become. Somehow with Levi, Maeve, and Allyson though, it just felt right. It was like slowly my soul was whispering more, and I was just now able to hear it.
Moving onto the dishes on the counter by the sink, Allyson appeared with the remainder of the plates from the table and immediately began rinsing and handing the plates to me to load the dishwasher.
“Sorry about my sister crashing,” she whispered.
I laid my hand on hers to stop her, getting her to look at me. “Why are you sorry?”
“Well…” She bit her lip and looked to the dining room table where Maeve and Levi were gesturing with their hands, their voices rising, but amusement evident. “She can be a lot.”
“So can he; it’s fine. She tell you what made her want to come out here?” I asked as I resumed loading.
“Yeah,” she handed me a plate. “You.”
I stopped, turning to stand, and took the plate out of Allyson’s hand. “You mean you told her about us?”
She looked away, so I moved and closed the dishwasher. Allyson looked resigned and moved to jump up, sitting on the counter, bringing us closer to eye level.
“Yeah, I said something to her.”
I stepped into her space, and she widened her legs to allow it.
“When I was headed to yoga in Bessie two weeks ago. She was en route to Delaware, and she knew I was driving home, and it was early in the morning. She laughed because she said I was having a drive of shame.” She dropped her head to my chest; I kissed the top of it.
“When’s the last time you saw her?”
“At least a year.”
I nodded for a moment, thinking of the conversations we’d had about Maeve over the years. “You said you guys were close, you just don’t see her a lot.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Do you want Levi and me to make ourselves scarce so you can spend time together one on one?”
She leaned back, tilting so she could meet my eyes. “That’s sweet. We’re in your home. But no. Please stay. I just want to warn you, Maeve is blunt. She knows that you were married before, that Nola passed. She’s not mean, but I don’t know how anything she says will come out.” The worry was evident in her eyes.
“Babe, that is not your concern. I can handle it.”
Her voice was hushed as she leaned forward, clenching the sides of my open flannel in her hands, “I don’t want you to have to handle it.” She looked at me, then licked her lower lip as she thought of what she wanted to say. Her eyes pleaded with me as she whispered, “I want her to like you. And… I want you to like her.”
I smoothed down her hair and put a finger under her chin to tilt her head up so she could meet my gaze. “Didn’t you say Maeve and your grandmother were the only two people to stand up for you when your parents were being dicks?”
She nodded.
“And that Maeve waived all her portion of the inheritance to you from your grandmother because she thought you’d do something amazing with it and she just wanted to travel, allowing you to be able to buy the Sanctuary?”
Another nod.
“And that at every low moment of your life, she has told you that you have it, you are capable and smart, even when you’ve doubted it yourself or your idiot parents have made you doubt it?”
Final nod.
“Then babe, you’ve got no worries. She can be as blunt as she wants, but in the fan club of Maeve—middle name?”
Allyson looked at me with a grin. “Claire.”
I gave her a nod. “Well then, in the fan club of Maeve Claire Murphy, you’re looking at the president. If she is your champion, then I am her biggest fan.”
Allyson’s smiling was blinding. “Really?”
I nodded the affirmative. Holding her chin in hand, I leaned forward to press my mouth to hers. Her lips immediately parted as she tugged me to her, pressing her chest against me, moving to wrap her arms round me. Our tongues tangled while my hands found her ass and pulled her forward on the counter, wondering what excuse I could make for the two of us to go to my room for an hour—or two.
Maeve spoke up from the table. “Oh, Logan, think you can pry your face off my sister to come over here and tell me all about your wife? Want me to try to do a reading so she could talk to you? I’m thinking she might have something to say about the fact that I see zero pictures of her around here. Thoughts?”
I stepped back and let my forehead drop to Allyson’s. She met my eyes and whispered, “President of her fan club, remember?”
I shook my head and decided I probably shouldn’t toss Allyson over my shoulder and leave the room, though I couldn’t say I wasn’t tempted.
Chapter 22
Balls in the Air
Allyson
Bessie and I left the country roads behind us as we turned in to Highland Woods, the tall evergreens flanking the road like sentries as we drove up to the mansion. I’d already been to the Sanctuary in town this morning, opening it up, conversing with Flat Max about what a great job Andy had done over the weekend out at the park, how Lou had kicked ass doing the job she’d retired from in town, and spent some time visiting with our regulars. The place had run this weekend just as if I’d been there, which was something to consider.
According to Lou, who’d stopped in for her Monday morning coffee along with Emma and Maggie, everything had been seamless when I was gone. She had chastised me a bit, reminded me that she’d had more staff in one location than I’d had in two, and told me I was living the analogy about burning the candle at both ends and I needed to get on it. Yeah, yeah, I knew and was working on it. It didn’t help that so much of Lou’s staff had been friends her age that all retired from the café when she did.
After Caydence clocked in, healthy once again, I’d hopped in Bessie to head out to the park. I needed to be in both locations today, reassuring myself that all was well and nothing had fallen apart in my absence, though there was already clear evidence that everything had gone according to plan. I knew I couldn’t continue to run between both locations, so I penciled in a conversation with Andy. I had this, I did. I needed to grow up and have a conversation with her about expectations—hers and mine—and get on with it.
Flat Max told me that I was putting too much importance on my presence to steer the ships, or cafés, as it were. The cardboard Yoda might have a point.
But I digress.
It would be a lie to say my heart wasn’t doing a little pitter-patter at the notion that I’d likely see Logan shortly. Last night solidified his good-guy status in my heart. He’d handled Maeve with the patience of a saint, or a man used to dealing with a twin brother who was a lot in his own right. When Maeve had asked for details on Nola, Logan had given them without censure. He was honest about why her picture wasn’t spread across the house. He told her upfront that he had feelings for me while also worrying that I deserved more. I wanted to applaud and hug him in equal measure.
I also had a nagging feeling I was missing something, but for the life of me I couldn’t think of what that would be, so I worked to move on.
It was probably good that I ended up sleeping with Maeve on the couch. Logan and Levi had gone up early. Logan had kissed my forehead and told me that he understood, and he’d see me in the morning. Part of me had wanted to go up and have a repeat of the previous night in the tent. A larger part of me was afraid of how much I’d wanted that and what I was going to feel like when he decided we needed some space because that was sure to happen. In short, I was a hot-mess express, party of one.
Maeve and I stayed up late talking about her journey to Highland. The last time we’d talked hadn’t given me any indication that she planned on visiting. Turns out she’d stopped at her friend’s place in Delaware as planned and then said her gut instinct said she needed to see me. Maeve strongly believed our ancestors spoke to her, and they were the intuition that she used to guide her life, her inner wisdom. So when those hunches came up, she followed them. Full stop.
I was just glad that this time that feeling led her to me. How long she’d be here was anyone’s guess. I’d take her for as long as I could. Until I’d seen her standing outside my duplex, I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed my big sister. In that moment of looking out the car window to see her, I had an ache that bubbled up inside me, and I ran to her, needing to hold her in my arms.
I’d told Logan I needed her to like him and vice versa. If my parents had been here, I wouldn’t have had any strong feelings on what they thought about Logan or he them. But Maeve? She was so different than me, but she also was me, or a part of me. I knew she rubbed some people the wrong way—Levi, for instance—though their dislike of each other last night also morphed into a mutual appreciation, so who the heck knew where they’d land. But Logan? I wanted Logan and Maeve to get along.
I swung Bessie in the parking space at Highland Woods and hustled to the café. I’d left Maeve doing some yoga on the back deck at Logan’s before I’d headed to the coffee shop in town this morning. She said the surroundings were good for her soul and she’d see me later. Maeve was not one that you needed to help get adjusted to a new place, provide a list of directions, or dispense intel on her surroundings. If she stuck around for more than a day, she’d have more friends than I did here and probably be able to list off the best places to eat that I’d never even heard of. Judging as it was now a little past nine in the morning, I hazarded a guess that I’d see her in the next hour or so with a story or two about people she’d already met.
Walking in the back door, I sang out, “Andy, my love. Are we still speaking?” Coming around the corner to enter the café space, I saw Andy standing at the POS ringing up one very much not flat nor made of cardboard Maxwell Harp.
Andy was rocking a sleeveless tee today to keep those tattoos visible for all, looking very much like the badass she was as she gave me a look with an arched brow visible under her heavy black bangs.
“Who won the pool?” Max said with a nod in my direction.
Andy shook her head in my direction. “Blake was the winner,” she said without a glance to Max. She seemed disappointed by that.
“Yep, pay up.” Blake was standing to Max’s left, already devouring a muffin.
“What pool?” I asked, stashing my bag below the counter and wrapping an apron around my waist.
“We bet on how long it would be before you called Andy this weekend to see how everything was going.” Max took a swig of the coffee and nodded to Andy. “Excellent latte.”
“And how long did you think I’d make it?” I asked him.
“Three hours.”
“What? I’m insulted by your belief in me, or lack thereof.”
“I had six,” Andy said.
Humph.
“I said you’d make it until morning Sunday and won even though you texted Saturday since you didn’t initiate that one,” Blake said, taking another bite.
“Thank you for believing in me, Blake. Maybe you get another muffin on the house.”
“Fess up,” Max said to Blake.
Blake gave me a sheepish look. “Well, I figured you’d make it a full day because Logan would take your phone.”
“Logan did not take my phone.” As if that would be necessary. I fought an eye roll.
“I did have to make you promise to take some time to yourself, and you had itchy fingers.” The man himself spoke up from the armchairs, our armchairs, by the window. I looked over to see him and Maeve sitting there, watching all of us like they were highly entertained.
“Do I still win?” Blake asked.
“I suppose,” Andy replied, sliding some cash his way.
“Are you all saying my sister is a workaholic?” Maeve asked the group.
“Yes,” was chorused at her.
“Hey!” I said, looking at my supposed friends. “I’m not a workaholic. I just want the cafés to do well.” I stepped around the counter to the café side and leaned against it, sending a glance that spoke to what I thought about their opinion.
“Well, unless something has drastically changed in the past three years, you have a type A personality and are convinced your worth is in what you produce, thanks to our stellar upbringing.” Maeve laid out her truths and then took another swig of coffee, watching me over the rim to see how I’d respond.
Drew spoke up from his seat at the counter next to Blake. “Is stellar upbringing code for asshole parents?”
“The assholiest,” Maeve replied. “Or, maybe it’s not assholiest, but people who have their priorities so skewed that simply providing the basic needs of food, shelter, and an adult present during our childhood were all that they had to give, along with the unflagging command that we do not make them look bad.”
