Page 33 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
Lauren grinned. Mia was so competent at work, but she was terrible about remembering to feed herself, and it brought Lauren entirely too much joy to cook for her. And spend time with her. And have access to a kitchen so she didn’t have to eat another granola bar for dinner. For all those reasons, the evenings when she cooked for Mia had become her favorite.
They walked upstairs to Mia’s apartment together. She unlocked the door and gestured Lauren in ahead of her.
“Hey, remember the fic that you beta read for me a few weeks ago?” Lauren asked. “Kiss Me Slowly?”
“Of course.” Mia set down her purse and bent to pet Lola.
“It just hit three thousand views, which is so crazy. I’ve never had one gain that much traction so quickly.” Lauren walked into the kitchen and set her insulated bag on the counter. She got right to work, familiar with where Mia kept her pans and utensils now.
“Well, it’s an excellent fic,” Mia said. “And I imagine the Clairantha fandom has grown since that onscreen kiss.”
“You’re probably right about that.”
“Speaking of your writing, how’s the book coming along?”
“Slowly,” Lauren told her as she pulled out a pot and began to fill it with water to heat the ravioli. “It’s tedious writing on my phone. Once I’ve found a room to rent, my next focus will be a laptop.”
“Still no luck finding a room?”
“Nope.” Lauren tried to keep her tone light, but she wasn’t sure she succeeded, if the sympathetic look on Mia’s face was any indication.
“Hopefully soon. I’ll be right back.” Mia headed for her bedroom.
Lauren loved that Mia felt comfortable changing into her lounge clothes while she was here. As much as she loved the stylish clothes Mia wore to work, she’d also developed a bit of an obsession with the way Mia looked in sweatpants, relaxed and casual.
When the water boiled, Lauren added the ravioli. Then she took out the jar of sauce she’d bought and began to heat that too, stirring in some extra seasonings from Mia’s spice rack. Her phone dinged with a new email while she cooked, and she slid it out of her back pocket.
IMPORTANT: Your upcoming court appearance has been rescheduled.
Lauren stared at the email as her stomach plummeted. She tapped the message to open it, revealing a new court date of October 21st. As much as Lauren had been anxious about going to court on Wednesday, this felt worse, because now she’d have to wait another month to learn her fate. Andwhyhad it been postponed? Was this bad news? Was the State of New York building a case against her?
Mia came out of the bedroom, wearing blue cotton pants and a long-sleeved tee from NYU School of Law.
Lauren held up her phone. “Should I panic about this?”
Mia’s eyebrows rose. “About what?”
Lauren slid her phone across the counter to Mia with the email illuminated on the screen. Mia read quietly then shook her head. “This is just administrative. Court dates get bumped all the time.”
“Okay.” Lauren exhaled, endlessly thankful she had a lawyer to set her mind at ease.
“Nothing to worry about,” Mia said.
“Really wish I could just get this over with,” she admitted. “I feel like my whole life is in limbo in the meantime.”
“I know. Unfortunately, there’s no rushing the courts.” Mia handed Lauren’s phone back. “Dinner smells great.”
“Even though it’s from a package?” Lauren asked with a smile.
“What my father doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”
“Are you close?” Lauren asked, trying to put the court date out of her mind.
A soft smile touched Mia’s lips. She stepped into the kitchen beside Lauren and reached for an open bottle of wine. “Yes. He’s pretty great, even if he is particular about his food.”
“I’m glad,” Lauren said. “Does he live nearby?”
Mia poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Lauren. “Right here in Brooklyn. I see him a few times a month. It’s nice to have him so close.”
