Angelo averts his gaze and takes another sip of coffee.
The front door closes, and Angelo looks at his friend.
He is so goddamn happy.
“So, is it worth it?” Angelo can’t help but ask, setting the weird mug with too much force on the kitchen counter.
“What?” David glances at him, pouring coffee into his own misshapen cup.
God, Angelo thinks, eyes on the other lump of clay. There are two of them.
“Giving everything up,” he gestures around him, “for this?”
David takes a sip and grins. He nods.
“Really?” Angelo stands up straight. “Seriously, dude, you don’t even have furniture.”
David shrugs, one hip resting on the kitchen counter. “It’s on order.”
Angelo looks around, a part of him irritated, disgusted even, that his friend would choose this bohemian life, out in the sticks, over what he had worked for two decades to achieve.
Another part of him, smaller but firm and resolute, is intrigued, even jealous.
“You want to see the town?”
Angelo shrugs. He’s irritated now. Irritated at David’s happiness. Irritated at his own unhappiness, a subject he never discusses with anyone, least of all himself.
David sets down his mug, “Ok, but we can’t leave before ten.”
“What happens at ten?”
“Penelope’s coming to drop off more dishes.”
Angelo glances down at the glitter lump containing his coffee. “You’re replacing these, I hope.”
David laughs and shakes his head. “No man, she’s bringing the rest of the set.” He takes another swig and sets his mug next to Angelo’s. “I’m going to have a shower, but I’ll be down in twenty.”
He walks towards the doorway, pauses and turns. “You know, your question is all wrong.”
Angelo looks up. “What?”
“You asked if it was worth it, giving everything up.” David smiles, his gaze lingering on the door where, a few minutes earlier, Jane had walked out. He turns back, face fucking radiant and Angelo cannot believe he’d ever see the day when his friend was so in love.
“I didn’t give up anything, Ange,” David grins, happier than Angelo has ever seen him, “but I sure got everything.” He laughs, practically giggles, and leaves the room.
“For Christ’s sake,” Angelo mutters, pushing the two offending mugs away from him. He shakes his head. Love looks good on David. And Jane seems alright. It’s not the worst thing.
He wanders out of the kitchen and into that Disney library in the back of the house. The chandelier hangs above him, books surrounding him. He feels a moment of panic, thinking back to when he was young and teachers yelled at him for struggling with reading.
Fuck love, he thinks.
Fuck libraries.
Fuck romance.
Fuck those goddamn glitter mugs.
And fuck Penelope. Whoever she is, some ancient old hippy forcing his friend to buy tacky crap.
Angelo shakes his head and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him and moving away from all those books and the memories they stir up.
Love isn’t for everyone.
Certainly not for people with his childhood. His background.
For some people, love just doesn’t work.
And for some, he thinks to himself, it’s not allowed.
**Thank You**
Thank you for reading Jane Air. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review- the best way for readers to find great books is for readers like you to write reviews!
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Keep reading for an excerpt of the next love story from Midnight, Maine:
Pride and Penelope, Around Midnight Book 2
Coming August 31st, 2020!
Pride and Penelope
Around Midnight, Book 2
Anna
Wellschlager
Available for Pre-Order on Kindle
Coming August 31st, 2020
Angelo
Hippy.
That’s the first word that comes to mind.
I’m standing at David’s counter, staring at two mismatched clay mugs, both lumpy piles of…more lumps, with sparkles, and the doorbell rings, but before I can even answer it, she walks in.
Woman doesn’t even knock.
Who is this chick?
“Oh, hi!” She’s friendly at least. “You must be Angelo. Jane told me you were flying in.” She walks straight in, a giant box of something in her arms. Sets it down on the counter like she owns the place, and sticks out a hand covered in…paint? Clay? I don’t look too closely. It could be mud.
“Hello,” I extend my hand. Begrudgingly.
“I’m Penelope,” she shakes my hand, her grip warm and skin soft, despite the mud.
She’s cute, in a backwoods sort of way. Wild hair, dirty overalls, and…bare feet. There’s a smudge of something on her cheek. I have a feeling its clay. I glance down at the mugs in front of me.
So, she’s the one responsible for you poor bastards, hmm?
“Did you walk here?” I can’t help but ask, staring at her feet. Each toenail is a different color.
She grins and shakes her head. Her teeth are slightly uneven, a small gap between the front two. Dimples appear on each cheek.
“Did you drive barefoot?” God. The last time a woman drove barefoot I had to spend three hours on the phone contacting lawyers to get her out of jail and off the cover of US Weekly.
Damn celebrities. More money than sense.
She nods. “Yeah. Ran into Jane on the road. She says you’re staying for a while?”
I nod.
“That’s so great! Midnight is a lovely town, and you’re here just for the end of summer. It’s a nice season. Tourists aren’t in yet, but weather’s still good. I bet you’ll catch a few hot days, if you want to go swimming.”
Chatty hippy.
“I don’t swim.”
“Oh,” her smile dims a few watts. “Well, we’ve got great farmer’s markets and some lovely galleries and restaurants downtown. David’s new, but he’s found a few places he seems to like. Maybe he can show you around.”
“I’m here for work.”
Her smile dims a bit more, but it’s still there. Warm and welcoming.
Jesus, can’t this woman take a hint?
There’s a moment of silence. I’m about to turn, maybe walk back towards the giant Disney library David built as a sign of his love and wait for her to leave, but she reaches forward, patting my hand.
I glance down. I can’t remember the last time someone has casually touched me. Or touched me without specific invitation.
Word is,
