The Muse (14 page)

It was kind of fun to be out with Erato. Something was undeniably appealing about being on the arm of the prettiest, most popular girl in the room. She’d never envisioned finding out what that was like, certainly not in high school, when it would have mattered to her most. Was it awful to take such perverse enjoyment in it now?

Erato came around to her side of the car and linked their arms together. “Come, my sweet author. Let us find this focaccia that you seek.” Her eyes sparkled. “And maybe ingredients for a fruit salad?”

“Once again, you’re
perfect
.” Kate kissed Erato on the cheek as they walked toward the first row of vendors peddling their wares from beneath tents and canopies. “I don’t suppose you brought any cash?”

“I put some in your purse before we left.” Erato bumped her hip. “Buy whatever you want.”

Yeah. She was
totally
going to want Erato to leave at some point. Smirking at the ridiculous thought, she laid another big, wet kiss on her muse as they approached the first booth. “Tangerines to start?”

Erato urged her toward the farmers’ generous selection with an encouraging pat on her rear. “Grab a few.”

Thirty minutes and seventy dollars later, they had three bags of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as an exceptionally delicious-looking artichoke-and-roasted-red-pepper focaccia, along with a few other interesting goodies Erato had insisted they indulge themselves by buying. Kate had grown hungrier with each purchase, and now all she wanted was to go home and snack. Unfortunately, Erato had managed to get caught up in
another
conversation—this time with the chocolatier from whom they’d just purchased a half dozen moderately overpriced truffles. They’d connected on the obscure topic of salmon fishing, of all things.

The only thing imperfect about Erato, Kate decided, was her tendency to strike up random conversations with total strangers. She seemed to hit it off with every person they met. Frankly, it was exhausting. That a variety of people fell all over themselves to interact with her—men, women, and children—made Kate feel better that she’d invited a total stranger to insinuate herself into her life. Erato was charm personified.

With only one row of vendors left to see, Kate was ready to call it quits. But she decided to do a quick sweep while Erato wrapped up her socializing. Touching the small of Erato’s back, Kate murmured, “I’ll finish up while you do the same?”

Erato nodded without missing a beat in her conversation or even breaking eye contact with the chocolatier. “Well, that’s fascinating. I’ve always preferred the fishing in Iceland, myself—”

Kate walked away from the stall, relieved to be free from the interaction. She would never understand how some people could so easily strike up an easy camaraderie with complete strangers. Just watching Erato do it made her mildly uncomfortable. Undoubtedly, Erato would claim that chatting with new people was good for her creativity. Maybe that was true, but it didn’t make the idea more palatable.

She was so caught up in her thoughts she almost didn’t register the familiar face manning the final stall at the end of the last row of vendors. In fact, she noticed decadent-looking pies and muffins and other baked goods long before she realized that it was Olive—
threesome
Olive—standing there surrounded by the most delectable homemade pastries she’d seen in a while.

Olive. Staring at her.

Speak.

“Hi.” It took every bit of Kate’s willpower not to run. Embarrassed, she wished only for insight into the proper etiquette for encountering a one-night stand who had escaped your bed as soon as the sun rose. It felt silly and presumptuous to say much more than hello, and beyond rude not to. Kate held her breath as she waited to see what Olive would do.

Wide-eyed, Olive repeated, “Hi.”

Kate stepped closer to the stall as though caught in an invisible tractor beam. Although the crowd was thinner at this end of the marketplace, she didn’t want anyone to overhear whatever awkwardness was about to come out of her mouth. “You bake.”

Olive blinked, then cracked a shy smile. “I do.”

Not sure how to follow up that little gem, Kate dropped her attention to the case of baked goods on display. Her gaze immediately landed on a strawberry-rhubarb muffin, and her salivary glands reacted accordingly. “Oh, wow.”

“The strawberry rhubarb?” Olive asked with a trace of amusement. When Kate nodded, she took the muffin out of the case and dropped it into a brown paper sack. “Take it.” She offered the bag with a tentative smile. “On the house.”

Kate shook her head, already reaching for her purse. “No, of course not. Please, let me pay you.” She fumbled with the zipper, clumsy with nerves. “It looks delicious. I had no idea you were good in the kitchen, too.”

She cringed the moment the words left her mouth. Smooth.
Really
smooth.

Olive flushed and her smile grew wider. “Hard to believe I didn’t mention it, what with all the lengthy, intimate conversations we had that night.”

“Point taken.” Kate paused with her hand inside her purse. “Though to be fair, you
did
find out what I do for a living.”

“Probably only because your job was why our paths crossed at all.” Noticeably relaxing, Olive regarded her with a warm expression. “It’s really nice to see you again, Kate. Now put your money away.”

“
Very
nice, and thank you for the muffin,” she said, then blushed as she zipped up her purse while trying to act nonchalant. “I’m glad you made it home all right.”

Olive laughed, glancing around nervously. “I did. A little sore, but very all right.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to say good-bye. I had to leave to meet someone for breakfast, and Erato insisted I let you sleep. She wanted you well-rested for a big day of writing.”

Reassured that Olive hadn’t actively tried to avoid her, Kate felt her walls come down a little. “No, I get it. And I appreciated the sleep. I actually had a really productive day, as it turned out. It’s been a really productive two weeks, for that matter.”

Olive’s expression of pure happiness made her chest flutter in the most pleasant way. “That’s fantastic news. I’m glad Erato’s unconventional strategies are working.”

“They seem to be.” Emboldened by the way Olive gazed directly into her eyes, Kate said, “We can’t give her all the credit, though. I found the time you and I spent together particularly inspiring.”

She barely had time to register her relief over Olive’s receptive smile before the expression changed as her attention shifted over Kate’s shoulder. Expecting to find Erato standing behind her, Kate turned and instead came face-to-face with an elegant-looking man whose skin was as dark as his hair was white. Startled to find a stranger standing there instead of her muse, she scrambled for her manners. “Hello.”

“Dad, this is Kate. Kate, this is my father, Howard.” From behind her, Olive sounded adorably flustered as she made the vague introduction.

“Howard Davis,” he said, offering his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Do you and Olive know each other?”

Staving off an uncomfortable moment, Olive executed a skillful redirection. “Dad, what happened? I thought you were going to get a pulled-pork sandwich.”

Howard’s warm brown eyes sparkled as he gave Kate a careful once-over. “They sold out. Can you believe it?”

Kate shook her head despite the fact that she had no reason
not
to believe it, as Olive said, “You’re kidding me. I’m so sorry. I know you were looking forward to that.”

“My fault for not going sooner.” Howard edged around Kate and joined Olive inside the stall. He kissed Olive’s temple affectionately as he passed, then stepped to the far side of the table, ready to meet incoming customers. “Don’t let me interrupt. You girls keep talking about whatever you were talking about.”

Kate hoped she didn’t look as embarrassed as Olive suddenly did. Content to let Olive spin a tale about how they knew each other and what they’d been discussing, Kate stayed quiet and waited to see what she would say.

It took Olive a few beats to recover her composure. She cleared her throat and said, “So, yeah, the strawberry rhubarb is a new recipe. Make sure to let me know how you like it.”

Sensing an opportunity, Kate said, “I’d love to, but I may not make it back to the farmer’s market anytime soon. With my deadline coming up and all.” Her attempt to gauge Olive’s receptiveness as she edged closer to the big question was frustratingly unfruitful. Now that her father had joined them, Olive’s guard was up and her face nearly impossible to read. She might not even be out to her father. Asking for her number could be a major faux pas. With that thought, she froze.

“Well…” Olive’s gaze traveled to a pair of elderly women who approached the stall and immediately began fawning over the selection of pastries. When her father greeted the women with a charming grin and a flirtatious comment that made both of them giggle, Olive rolled her eyes, looked directly into Kate’s, and said, “If I gave you my number, maybe you could text me your review. You’re an author…you understand the desire for feedback, right?”

In her peripheral vision, Kate could see Howard glance at his daughter with what looked like amused approval. Flattered that Olive would consider taking the next step with her father right there, Kate didn’t hesitate to pull out her phone. “Lay it on me.” She opened up a new contact record, entering Olive’s number as she recited it aloud. Wanting to verify that she had it right, she created a new text message and typed
You look beautiful today
. Then she hit send.

Olive slipped her buzzing phone out of the front pocket of the blue jeans she wore so very well and briefly glanced at the display before beaming. “Got it.”

“Wonderful.” Kate jolted when something touched her elbow, turning sharply to find Erato standing behind her wearing a placid smile. “Erato. Hey. Look who bakes!”

Erato offered Olive a polite nod. “Olive, it’s lovely to see you again.”

“Likewise.” Olive’s gaze darted nervously to her father, who was still deep in conversation with their other customers. Kate could practically hear her panicked thoughts. Not one but two women with whom she’d had a torrid one-night stand, right there in front of her doting daddy. A nightmare scenario for any sane adult.

Taking pity, Kate said, “We should probably go.”

Erato brightened. “That’s a good idea.”

“Yes,” Olive said, although her face told a slightly different story. “Good luck with that deadline, Kate. You’ll nail it.”

“As long as I’m in charge, she will.” Erato’s sober pronouncement was indisputable.

Kate bristled at the suggestion that anyone was in charge of her in any way. The declaration suggested an ownership Kate didn’t remember conferring upon Erato, muse or not. “Thanks, Olive. I appreciate that.”

Erato waved at Olive as they walked away, then looped her arm through Kate’s. “Did you know she would be here?”

“Of course not.” Kate snuck a glance over her shoulder and caught Olive’s gaze one last time before the crowd came between them. “That was a complete surprise.”

“For her, too, it appeared.” Giggling, Erato leaned against her as they made their way back to the car. “She looked terrified that her poor father would realize we’d used her as our plaything.”

Not entirely comfortable with Erato’s characterization of that night, Kate said, “I can’t blame her. Nobody wants their father to glean the details of their sexual exploits.” Just the mere mention of those exploits produced a stream of memories of her time with Olive, each more appealing than the last. That red dress. Her smooth, soft skin. The ardent flexing of her muscles beneath Kate’s palms. How it felt to be inside her. With a pleasant shudder, Kate murmured, “Especially when it was as good as ours.”

“Personally, I’ve never understood the point of being bashful about physical expressions of love and desire.” Erato managed to sound slightly haughty, but her guileless nature tempered the inherent judgment in her words.

“No offense, Erato, but I have a feeling you don’t understand a lot about us mere mortals.” Kate gave her a fond squeeze, hoping to take any possible sting out of her words. “Not everyone is as evolved as you when it comes to practicing complete and total openness.”

“That’s true.”

Amused, Kate tried to decide how best to approach her next topic. Having reached the car, she loaded their purchases into the backseat as she rehearsed the best way to ask for what she wanted. Finally she decided to say it as plainly as possible. After buckling herself into the driver’s seat, she turned to Erato and took a deep breath. “Could we arrange to spend more time with Olive? If she’s up for it, I mean.” When Erato didn’t immediately react, she added, “To help my creativity.”

Erato regarded her seriously. “Do you like her?”

Kate’s face caught fire—or at least it felt that way. “She’s hot. Sexy. I had a great time with her the other night…didn’t you?”

Patiently, Erato said, “We’re not talking about me right now.
Do you like her
?”

It was difficult to discern whether Erato’s dominant emotion was jealousy or concern. Either way, it wasn’t approval. Disappointed by the lackluster reaction, she decided that partial honesty was the best policy. “I liked having sex with her—and I’d really like to try and see her again, if you’re okay with that.” She silently cursed herself for that last part. She didn’t
need
Erato’s approval. Did she? “You
are
okay with that, right? You’re not—”

“I don’t do jealousy,” Erato said smoothly. “And we’re hardly in a monogamous arrangement. I just want to understand your motivation for seeing Olive again. Is it sex? Or is it something more?”

Instinctively, Kate knew the right answer to give. “It’s sex. Really fantastic, mind-blowing sex.”

“All right.” Erato waited until Kate turned on the engine, then said, “Because now is not the time for you to pursue something more. With anyone.”

“Obviously.” Kate backed out of the parking spot cautiously, uneasy about their conversation and how it made her feel. Even though she couldn’t imagine ever wanting to lose Erato’s presence in her life, she hated the idea of not trying to see where a friendship with Olive might lead. Or if not friendship, at least a casual sexual affair. As much as she loved and appreciated Erato and the role she played, she wasn’t exactly ready to forsake all other options. After all, they’d only known each other for two weeks.