A Novel Beginning by Susan X Meagher

Author:Susan X Meagher [Meagher, Susan X]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brisk Press
Published: 2023-12-03T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

A week later, Jonesy texted Kirsten from the train. “I’m going to be in Kingsbridge in fifteen minutes. CU at the coffee shop.”

“KK,” Kirsten replied. She almost corrected her text to lower case, but that was taking things too far.

It was warmer than it should have been in February, with Kirsten not even needing to cover her face with her scarf.

She reached the shop after a very brisk walk, and caught Jonesy just as she was about to enter.

Every once in a while, she looked so damned attractive that Kirsten could hardly stop herself from staring. Today was a perfect example of that.

She was dressed a little uniquely, wearing a pair of wool slacks that were high waisted, along with a sweater that barely covered the waistband. Atop that was a wool jacket, also very short, bearing a vaguely military vibe. It might have been a forties look, but Kirsten was no expert on retro fashion, so that was just a guess.

No matter what she wore, Jonesy looked happy, upbeat and optimistic. You could almost see the pleasure she squeezed out of life reflected in her clear blue eyes. But that upbeat vibe always puzzled Kirsten. For a woman who had such a gloomy outlook on the future, she acted like she was sitting on top of the world, fully sated. That, of course, was a very appealing trait. One Kirsten knew she should try to copy.

“Hi there,” Kirsten said. “Are you heading north or south?”

“South. I was up in Pleasantville, and I hated to come right by here and not see you if you were available.”

“Pleasantville? That’s way up there.”

“Yeah. Westchester County’s not close,” Jonesy admitted. “But they have a good art house up there, so that makes it worth a trip.”

“You went up just to see a movie?”

“Nope. I had a fantastic afternoon introducing a bunch of high school kids to silent films. They seemed to love them, even though life in the twenties puzzled the hell out of them.”

“That sounds like fun. I didn’t know you did things like that.”

Jonesy gave her a wry smile. “Well, I’m very fond of silent films, so I jump at every opportunity to convert people.” She blinked, hesitating a second. “If you’re interested in my schedule, I’ll share it with you. You just have to promise not to give me a hard time when you see how jam-packed it is.”

“Better not risk it,” Kirsten said. She opened the door and they entered, with both of them pausing to inhale the sweet, heady smell of freshly roasted coffee beans. “One of my favorite scents,” Kirsten said.

“Mine too. My life would be poorer if I didn’t have coffee.”

“Name your poison,” Kirsten said. “I’ll get it.”

“Um…” Jonesy briefly raked her lower lip over her teeth. “Would you mind if we didn’t do that?”

“Do…what?”

“Pick up the check for each other. I hope I’m not being too rigid, but I’m more comfortable if I pay for myself.” She must have noticed the frown that had immediately formed on Kirsten’s forehead.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.