Restraint is Useless Here

Chapter Fifteen

Author's Note: the words don't come easily these days and I'm never satisfied with anything I write. Truthfully, this chapter was approaching 9000 words, so I had to split it into two. Hopefully it'll be posted it sooner than the usual "every 3 months." THANK YOU to everyone who has read and commented, but especially ampersandasterisk , who is a fucking star in my sky <3

Anna watched her friend's lips slowly turn south as her hazel eyes scanned the paper she held. The mid-afternoon sun did not relent and Anna could feel a dull burn heating the hollow of her chest, so she peeled her back off the now-damp lounge and flipped over. Even living in Southern California as long as she had, her skin always bordered on crispy after 45 minutes of direct sunlight.

Val followed suit, her flat stomach enviously golden bronze. "Anna, I have been totally on board with whatever crazy recipes you've thrown together so far." She tapped a red nail on the paper. "And I trust you. I do. But goat cheese and caramel?"

Anna blinked at her friend. "You're kidding me, right?" Before Val could answer, Anna's phone trilled an incoming call. "Maria."

"Tell her to come tonight!" Val sat up and folded the recipe paper, then poured more tanning oil onto her palms. "Jimmy would love that." A suggestive smile punctuated her comment.

"Are you really encouraging Jimmy and Maria?" Anna laughed.

It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Jimmy was kind and animated and considerate, with an understated brilliance about him. Maria was kind and considerate as well, but it took a bit to chisel through her shell to get there. Anna suspected Maria didn't quite harbor the same feelings as Jimmy.

Since Cinco de Mayo, Maria had uncharacteristically declined all invites, but still texted daily to check in with Anna. Jimmy had come on strong and persistent, so maybe that deterred Maria's presence, but a part of Anna—the part that Jack cultivated—whispered that the recent drama might have repelled her. Anna reassured herself over and over she was just busy. After all, Maria was in charge of covering Anna's scheduled shifts at Diamond that month.

Still, something felt other about the situation.

Anna took the opportunity to find reprieve from the sun and padded to the patio table under Val's shaded veranda. The bamboo latticework from the chair felt cool against her skin. Anna pressed the green button and held the Blackberry to her ear.

"Hey!" Maria exclaimed in a very cheery, very un-Maria tone. It sounded like she was driving with the windows down, so her voice barely rose above the whipping of the wind. In a more-Maria fashion, she muttered, "Hang on just a second." The speaker was covered, but Anna still heard muffled, slightly irritated voices bickering back and forth before the line quieted. "Sorry. I'm in the car."

"No worries." Anna smiled at her friend's voice. She missed working with her. She missed her. "So, Val and I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight. Don't get sassy, but I'm getting a little crazy and making goat cheese and spinach stuffed chicken breast with caramelized onion. I know it's a bit more experimental than you prefer your meals, but—"

"You know, I'm actually on my way out of town right now," Maria said ruefully."I just... I really wanted a weekend away before I go back to working my ass off Monday night. I'm sorry, girlfriend."

"Ah, bummer." Anna tried to quell her dejection, keeping her voice light. She plopped into a chair and blew out a breath, sending ashes from Brian's ashtray onto the stone patio. "Well, you deserve it. Another time, then. I miss you."