Page 44 of Long Story Short

“Did he?” I ask, my fingers tracing circles over the top of her hand.

This makes Josie laugh. “Not at all. He fully supported me in it. I know it hurt him a little because after my mom died, I was supposed to carry on his legacy for him. But he understood. He’s the greatest.”

“Sounds like it,” I murmur, completely entranced by the way her entire face lights up when she talks about her grandfather. It’s clear that she absolutely adores him, and it makes me want to get to know the man who raised her.

She’s magnetic. The more I learn about her, the more I still want to know.

“He’s my everything. My nan passed away last year. It hurt both of us hard. She was the glue that kept us together. Now…” She shakes her head and pauses. There’s a glassiness in her eyes that wasn’t there before, and a heaviness settles on my chest when I realize just how shitty of a hand life’s dealt her. Her shoulders rise and fall as she takes a deep breath. “Now, we’re all each other has. Pop’s my entire world, and he’s truly the most incredible man in it.”

My fingers tighten around hers, and I don’t care who’s at the club to witness it. All I want to do is find some way to comfort the woman sitting across from me, and holding her hand and telling her I’m here just by the small connection of our bodies seems like a good place to start.

“Josie…” I begin, wondering what I’m even supposed to say. There isn’t anything I can say that would take the pain she’s endured and make it better.

She sets her water glass down on the table before swiping at her eyes. “I promise you don’t have to say anything. I didn’t mean to get sappy on you. It just happens when I think of Pop and him getting older.”

I nod, my thumb swiping over the top of her hand as a continued reminder I’m here.

Her glossy eyes find mine as she offers me a smile. “Plus, your question also reminded me of Nan. She was the one who first found my writing and encouraged me to keep going. When I wrote my first book, she was the very first one to read it.”

My jaw pops open. “You mean, you let her read your sex scenes, but you won’t let me?”

Josie throws her head back and laughs. The sound is like sunshine and joy all bottled up. Or maybe the joy is because the sadness that washed over her when talking about her grandmother has finally left her face and is instead replaced with a happiness that’s refreshing to see on her. “To be fair,” she finally gets out, her voice shaky from her laughter, “I didn’t want Nan to read it either. I was horrified when I found out she did. And not only did she read it, but she printed out my manuscript…and even made notes.”

I let out a bark of a laugh. “No, she didn’t.”

Josie’s entire face turns red as she covers her mouth with her hand. “She sure did. And then she made copies and shared it with her hobby friends.”

My head tilts to the side. “Hobby friends?”

Josie looks up for a moment as if it just dawned on her that I might not know what she means by the term. “She had a group of women she spent every Wednesday morning with. It started out with them just getting tea, but then they grew bored with that. After that, they all took up knitting, but then grew bored with that as well. So, eventually, it turned into a hobby group. Every few months, they’d find a new hobby for all of them to learn. They did scrapbooking, sewing, mahjong…you name it, and they probably tried it.”

“That’s so epic,” I say, my voice laced with wonder.

Josie nods as she grabs her orange juice. “She was so funny and full of life. She didn’t see anything wrong with reading my books, even if they had sex in them. She was my biggest supporter, my first fan. Told everyone about my books, even if I preferred she didn’t.”

I lean forward, placing my elbow on the table as I cup my hand in my chin. My other hand still holds hers on top of the table, and I love how natural it feels. “She was proud of you.”

A somber look passes over Josie’s face. “Yeah, she was.”

“She still would be.”

Her lip slightly trembles as she looks at the sky for just a moment. “I hope so, but I don’t know.”

“I know.”

“You didn’t know her.”

“But I know you. And it’s clear from your success that you’re talented beyond belief. Just because writing has been a little harder than normal recently doesn’t mean you still don’t possess that talent. I know your nan would be so proud of you. She might just have a few notes on how to make the sex scenes better,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood.

Josie snorts. It’s the most adorable sound I’ve ever heard. “Oh my God, you’re so right. It’s like you knew her. She definitely would’ve made notes in the margins on how much their connection lacks and how they need to have more sex.”

Before I can respond, our server arrives at the table, holding a large tray. As much as I don’t want to, I give Josie’s hand one final squeeze before letting go of it. I sit back in my chair, taking in the massive amount of food our waiter sets in front of us.

Once all of the plates are on the table, I look at Josie with a wide grin. “So, what do we try first?”

TWENTY-FIVE

JOSIE