Page 14 of The Mouse and the Maestro

“Jane Dunbar,” she replied, smiling. She extended her hand and bumped her coffee but caught it before it fell. “Now, let’s talk about New York, shall we?”

“Let’s shall,” Blue agreed. He opened his laptop, and they got to work.

Chapter 9

Later that night, Jane let herself into her apartment and saw Emily and Nick sitting at opposite ends of the couch, each with a book in hand. She made her way over to them and plopped onto the couch, her head in Emily’s lap, her feet in Nick’s.

“Stick a fork in me.”

“Another day of adulting down, a few thousand or so to go,” Nick said mildly.

“No, I give up. I’m going to start a blog and fully embrace agoraphobia,” Jane said.

“You’ll need a cat,” Emily informed her.

“And a computer. Also the ability to use a computer,” Nick added.

“I’m going to write an old-school blog on paper, Emily Dickinson style. Then I’ll get you guys to post it to flagpoles and bulletin boards to garner followers. Then, after the money starts rolling in, I’ll hire newsies to distribute.”

“I hear print’s going to make a comeback, but only if electricity goes out everywhere on earth forever,” Nick said.

“And now we wait,” Jane said, and he looked up from his book to toss her a smile.

“I take it things didn’t go so well with the guy. What happened this time, Janie? Did you accidentally toss him into a meat grinder?” Emily asked.

“Guy, what guy?” Nick asked.

“Jane likes a boy at work. It’s going in typical Jane fashion.”

“Oh, bother. Is he in a full body cast yet?” Nick asked, returning his attention to his book.

“You survived me,” Jane said, tapping him with her foot.

“Barely,” he replied, pinching her toe.

“It went okay,” Jane said when Emily nudged her. “I told him I want to start over again.”

“And forget the kisses?”

“And forget the kisses,” Jane agreed.

“Wait, there were kisses already? You made out with a guy at work? We never made out at work,” Nick said, his eyes narrowing.

“We never worked together,” she said.

“Is the Smithsonian hiring? Because I’m open to a career change if it means we get to make out,” he said.

“You remember we’re broken up, right?”

“Yes, but we never had our rebound fling,” he said. “Everyone’s entitled to at least one, and I feel incredibly cheated.”

“Shh,” Emily said, putting up a hand. “Be pathetic and needy on your own time. I want to hear about the guy. And, for the record, you guys have gotten back together and broken up so many times no one keeps track anymore.”

“Seven,” Nick said, grinning. “I keep track.”

“Eight,” Jane disagreed. “You always forget the second time freshman year.”

“Oh, quite,” he said, gazing off into the distance.

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