Maybe Forever (Maybe... Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

get practical experience and lighten the load for us. This year we had three—Willem, Ibrahim and Benedikte, or Benny, as she kept telling us to call her. She looked more like a pinup from the 1950s than a furniture designer. She showed up every day in overalls that only enhanced her assets and deep red lipstick that made her full lips even more obvious. Looking at her was like seeing her naked. And her direct stare—she always stared and her lips curled into this cheeky smile that challenged you. No, she was trouble. She was good at what she did. There was no question about that, but she was one of those women who knew how to push buttons, how to make you feel unsettled. Jonas had already confessed to me over beers that he had his eye on her. He was newly single and on the look-out for someone who'd fill the void in his life left by his ex-wife.
    I ducked my head at her as I came into the workshop. She was staining a dining table Jonas had designed. Her fingertips were bruised a reddish brown that reminded me of blood. " Hej , Mads," she called out to me. I said a quick hello; I didn't want to linger. The summer heat hadn't permeated the thick stone walls yet, but soon we'd have to open the windows.
    Anton was already in the office we'd set up at the back of the workshop. Before, it was my storage area, but with the demand growing for our furniture designs, Jonas and I decided we needed to get more organized. Laney helped us initially, but then Anton joined us and took on the task of setting order to our daily lives.
    "I made you some coffee," he said without looking away from the computer screen. He gestured towards the coffeemaker. "And don't forget to book the restaurant."
    "How do you know about that?"
    "Ingrid told me, so Laney must have told her." Anton shrugged. The keys on the keyboard clicked and clacked. I poured myself a cup of coffee .“ Mads, maybe you should skip the forum."
    "Did Laney put you up to this?"
    "No, but maybe she should have."
    "Don't, Anton. I already got into it with her last night."
    Anton finally looked away from the screen. He reached for his coffee mug. "She's not herself these day, Mads. I noticed it last time you two were round. She's...it's like the life's been sucked out of her."
    "She's just tired. Freya's not sleeping again."
    "I think it's more than that." Anton scratched his neck. "I've known Laney a long time—"
    "I know."
    "Mads—just...follow through, okay?" Something in his tone of voice caught me off guard. His dark eyebrows were knitted together, the line of his shoulders tense. "She needs this."
     
    Anton's words kept eating away at me. I knew Laney wasn't happy. I didn't know what to do to make her happy. She always looked...worried, and when I tried to talk to her about it, we ended up arguing. And I saw how worn out she looked. And I pretended not to see. Oh fuck, this was my fault. I knew it. I could have been better at being so many things for her. And she stuck with me. She still told me she loved me even if sometimes her voice sounded so weary that I was afraid to question, even in jest, if she was certain. Because why would she be certain? I'd not been there for her, not since Freya was just a couple of months old. I'd helped as long as I thought she needed it and then jumped right back into working.
    I called the restaurant and booked a table, then I called the hotel and asked them for one of the spa suites. Then I texted Laney...told her how much I loved her and to meet me at the restaurant at 7:30.
    Tonight I would make it up to her.
    Tonight I would get everything right.
     
    "I heard it's your anniversary."
    I looked up from the sketches Jonas had given me.  Benny was perched on the far end of the farm table we used for all meetings and group pow-wows. "It's actually next week, but we'll all be in Milan."
    "So you're celebrating early?" She crossed her ankles. Her overalls gapped at the side and revealed glimpses of evenly tanned skin. I glanced away. "I