Page 61 of Austin
Chapter Twelve
“Isaw Austintoday.”
Kristen’s heart did a double beat as Whitney sauntered into her job-searching war room, but her voice sounded gratifyingly normal as she said, “I thought he’d be in Oregon by now.”
“He’s not. He and his sister-in-law stopped by FlintWorks.” Whitney held up her glass in a salute.
Kristen shrugged, hoping the stress of trying to look unconcerned wasn’t making her face pink—because the truth was that memories of Austin weren’t fading as quickly as she’d hoped. “Well, he’ll probably be leaving any day.”
“Probably.” Whitney was watching her closely and it was getting annoying.
“What?” Kristen asked in a flat voice.
Whitney made a frustrated gesture. “Nothing. I guess.”
Kristen dropped her head back. She could keep stonewalling, or she could come clean and stop the searching looks. “No big secret, Whit. Austin and I got together and now we’re going our separate ways.”
“It’s really none of my business.”
Kristen drilled her sister with a hard look. “No kidding.”
“But after the secret unemployment, I’m worried about you, okay?”
“Allowed.”
“So if you broke up, then that was a goodbye kiss?”
“We didn’t break up because we were never together. Well, we were, but with an understanding.”
“No-strings-attached sex?” Whitney sounded slightly incredulous.
“More than sex. Hard to explain. Let’s just say…we understand each other and what we needed from one another and what’s realistic for the future.”
“No-strings-attached sex.”
“We were more than fuck buddies.” The words blurted out and then Kristen snapped her mouth shut. Where had that come from?
She cleared her throat, but before she could speak, Whitney said, “It’s hard to explain. I get it.” She grimaced at the sticky-note-covered wall Kristen had created in the course of her job search. “You had your fun and now you’re back.”
“That does kind of sum it up.”
“You and Austin…what happens now?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never done anything like this. We’re supposed to be friends.”
“Who are out of contact.”
“Probably for the best while we settle back into our niches.” Because giving up sex with Austin hadn’t been the easiest thing she’d ever done. And she missed telling him things that she probably wouldn’t tell anyone else. Sex partner. Confidante. Not a fuck buddy.
Whitney still had an odd look on her face, so Kristen changed the subject. “I have a job interview.”
A wide smile brightened her twin’s face. “In Montana?”
“In Reno, believe it or not. One of my contacts came through. I have an interview.” She explained the situation as she and Whitney went to the kitchen, where Whitney pulled a bottle of white wine from the fridge. She poured two glasses without asking Kristen if she wanted one. Some things were simply understood.
“Sounds like he wants to hire you.” Indeed, her former colleague who’d gone to work for another company had sounded very interested in hiring her.
“I hope so. It would solve some problems.” Money, security. Things like that. And now that she knew what it was like tonothave a job, she’d be double vigilant about what was going on with the company—as she should have been before. The odd thing was that she didn’t feel like dancing in the streets at the prospect of going back to the place she’d called home for a number of years. She loved Reno, she wanted a job, so what was the deal?
