Geoffrey huffed. “Calling out my age in front of two pretty girls now, are we?” He stood, took Max’s mug without checking to see if he was finished, then took Erin’s when she offered it. Josie, realizing she still had most of her tea left, hastily took a sip. “No,” he said, looking at her. “Take your time. I’ll get the rest of us another, see if I can hunt up some biscuits.”
The moment he was out of the room, Josie spun to Max, trying hard to control her expression, being as how Erin was currently sitting between them. “You could have warned me,” she hissed.
“But then you would have said no.”
She folded her arms, fighting the urge to throw a tantrum. Erin gave Max a look that Josie couldn’t interpret, but Max only shook his head at her, then looked at Josie. “I thought you’d be pleased,” he said.
Both of them were looking at her now. Jesus, talk about pressure. She pulled a hand through her hair. “I am, I suppose.” She made herself take a sip of tea, hoping it would settle her, though the liquid was more tepid than hot now. “I am,” she repeated, and let go of all intention of getting in a huff about it. Memo had always told her it wasn’t an attractive quality. She glanced round the room again, sighed. “It’s seriously cool.” And she wished she had someone to tell, someone who understood the industry, who would understand just how seriously cool it was.
Geoffrey came back in, carrying a stool that she presumed must be from the kitchen, which she perched on, helping herself to a ginger-nut biscuit when he offered them round. After about half an hour of small talk, which consisted largely of Max and Geoffrey jibing at each other while she and Erin sipped their teas politely, the three of them left or, more accurately, Geoffrey kicked them out. He stood in the doorway as they turned back to thank him.
“Email me,” he said to Josie, with command in his voice. “I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to help.”
For once, she didn’t protest that it was just a hobby. Instead, she asked something that had been playing on her mind a fair bit over the last few months. “It’s not too late? To start? I’m nearly thirty.”
He squinted his eyes shut, placed a hand dramatically on his forehead. “Oh, the horror. You’ll be decrepit soon enough.” He dropped his hand, looked at her. “No,” he said evenly. “There’s no age limit. It’s not like being a model.”
Josie smiled. “No, and thank God I never wanted to do that. I like wine and cheese far too much.”
He cracked a smile at that, then nodded to Erin. “You still looking out for him?”
“I am,” she said. Josie tried not to squirm as Geoffrey nodded.
“That’s something, then.” He turned, clapped Max on the back. “Two women, hey? Can’t be that bad now, can it?” Max grinned, and Josie flushed, while Erin just prodded Max in the ribs, like she was in on the joke. “Don’t be a stranger, all right?”
Max returned the one-armed hug. “I’ll do my best, but no promises.”
“Can’t say fairer than that.” And with a small salute, Geoffrey shut the door, practically in their faces. Josie led the way back to the street, feeling like a third wheel again. She frowned as she walked. She’d let herself be maneuvered into this, even if she was pleased with the outcome. Was it a bad thing? Was this just another example of her being a massive pushover?
Josie heard Erin murmuring something to Max behind her, and felt the back of her neck prickle, even if she couldn’t hear what it was. Then Erin split away from Max, came to link her arm through Josie’s again. What the hell was that about? “So,” Erin said. “I think you deserve a drink after that, what do you reckon?”
Josie hesitated—a drink cosied up with Max and Erin was not exactly how she wanted to spend the afternoon. “Well, we need to be back at the castle soon…”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” Erin said breezily, tightening her grip on Josie’s elbow. “We’ve got tons of time.”
Josie resisted the urge to glance back at Max for help—but really, shouldn’t he be on her side here? Surely he didn’t want the three of them holed up together? Or maybe, if Erin’s relaxed demeanor was anything to go by, he’d already told Erin about her, told her that Josie meant nothing, and that’s why Erin was so laid back about the whole thing. Well, Josie thought, frowning slightly, if that was the case then she could be fine with it too, couldn’t she?