Out of Time (Out of Line #2)(36)
Author: Jen McLaughlin

I laughed. “Channing has nothing on him.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Marie said, frowning at me. “But since you refuse to tell me more, I’ll politely change the subject. Are you going home for the holidays?”

“I am.” I looked out the window, my eyes on the people walking by. They all wore sweaters and hats, but it was only in the low sixties. I missed the snow. The cold, brisk air. Even with all this mess with Finn going on, I was excited to go back. “Are you?”

“Yep. I leave the Friday after this one.”

“Saturday for me.” I swallowed hard and turned back to Marie. “Where are you from again?”

“Three hours from here,” she said, smiling. “So it’s not that long of a trip. You’re from back East, right?”

“Yeah.” I swallowed a sip of coffee. “D.C., to be exact.”

“Ah.” She laughed. “So you probably laugh at me when I put on a sweater out here, huh?”

“Laugh? Not exactly.” I smiled. “But it’s not cold to me, no.”

Marie looked out the window, a far-off look in her eyes. “I’ve never really been in snow. We drove to Bear Mountain a few times, but it doesn’t feel like winter when it only takes ten minutes down a mountain to get back into the spring, you know?”

“Yeah, I totally get it. I miss the snow.” I stared down at my coffee. I was supposed to be going home with Finn, not alone. “I miss home, too.”

“Me too.” Marie cleared her throat and reached out to grab my arm. “Speaking of missing things, whatever happened with your man, anyway? I didn’t get a chance to ask how things turned out after your parents came to visit.”

She flopped back in her chair, her Starbucks coffee in between her hands. She wore light gray fingerless mittens that were super cute, a matching sweater, and a pair of curve-hugging dark blue skinny jeans. Her blonde hair was soft and clean, and she wore her glasses again. She looked flawless.

I looked down at my own baggy T-shirt and jeans and tried not to compare us. She looked perfectly put together while I looked…well, like a hot mess.

If we weren’t friends, I might hate her.

“Well…” I took a sip of my drink and swallowed. “Remember that job I told you about? The one that might take him away?”

“Yeah.”

I set down my skinny white chocolate mocha. “He’s leaving tomorrow.”

“Ouch.” Marie flinched. “How long will he be gone?”

“Until after Christmas.” I licked my lips and looked out the window, half expecting to see Finn out there watching me. “I don’t really know, because he can’t tell me. His work is kind of…secret.”

“Oh.” Her eyes went wide. “Oh. Wow. Like, a secret agent or something?”

“Yeah.” I forced a smile. “Kind of.”

“Does he wear a black suit and look all hot in it?” Marie leaned in. “Oh, and does he drive a Ferrari and wear sunglasses at night like a movie star?”

I laughed. “No, not all that. He wears suits sometimes, but he has a Harley. Not a Ferrari.”

“Oh, that’s even hotter.” She tapped her fingers on the table and bit down on her lip. “Does he surf and have tattoos, too?”

I blinked at her. “Yeah. But…how’d you know it was him?”

“I saw you two together at the beach the other day.” She narrowed her eyes on me. “You told me he was g*y.”

“Yeah…about that?” I leaned in and motioned her closer, as if I was about to impart a big secret. “I’m really a dude. That’s why I didn’t want to shower in front of everyone.”

Marie burst into laughter. “Yeah. Sure. And I’m Kim Kardashian.”

“Hey, it’s possible.” I leaned back and smiled at her. This was fun. I was glad I stopped keeping her at arm’s length. Turned out, Marie was a pretty great girl. “You never know what I have under these jeans.”

“I saw you changing, and I’ve seen your tits.” Marie snorted. “You’re a girl, and he’s straighter than an arrow.”

“Guilty.” I offered her an apologetic smile. “Sorry I lied. We were kind of sort of involved at that point, but in a fight.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. If I had that man in my hand, I’d lie to anyone who asked about him, too.”

“Thanks for understanding.” I reached out and squeezed her gloved hand. “I’m glad we did this. I needed the distraction, and it’s been great.”

“You need distractions because Double-oh-Seven is leaving?”

I laughed. “Double-oh-Seven?”

“Yeah.” Marie shrugged, a small smile tipping one corner of her mouth up. “It seems fitting, since I don’t know his name.”

“I like it.”

“Good. Now answer my question.”

“Yes, I need distractions.” I sighed. “I mean, it’s tough to accept all this. I don’t know where he’s going, or how long he’ll be gone. I don’t even know how much danger he’ll be in…” I broke off, not continuing on. What more was there to say? I think I pretty much covered it all with that sentence. “So, yeah. I’m a bit of a mess.”

“It explains the dark bags you have going under your eyes.” Marie pointed at my face and moved her finger in a circle. “And the pale face, too.”

“Is it that bad?”

“That depends.” She pursed her lips. “Will you be seeing him again before he leaves?”

“He’s packing now, but we’re meeting at his place tonight. I’m supposed to dress up and be ready to be wined and dined.”

“In that case? Yeah, it’s that bad.” Marie stood up. “We need to get going. If I’m going to make you look human and f**k-able, I’ll need all the time in the world.”

A surprised laugh escaped me as she tugged me to my feet. “Geez, don’t sugarcoat it or anything.”

“Honey, we don’t have time for that.” She looked me up and down. “We’ve got to get to work if we’re going to make you look drop-dead gorgeous for your last night together. Are you in, or are you out?”

I followed her, clutching my coffee to my chest. “I’m so in.”

After all…I did want to look perfect for him.