Crimson and Clover by Juli Page Morgan Page B

mind. He cast a sidelong glance at Adam and hoped like hell Katie wouldn’t mention his indiscretion. If he’d known how things were, he’d have never told her he wanted her. Adam was his best mate and Katie was Adam’s old lady. Jay would never do anything to hurt his friend. Ever.
    Realizing Adam had pulled ahead of him, he jogged a couple of steps to catch up. As they reached the tube station Jay resolved to forget about Katie and concentrate on his new band, the one he was starting with his friend.
    • • •
    Grunting with effort, Katie leaned her weight against the pliers and pushed until her face turned purple with effort. Muscles she didn’t know she had knotted in strain, and she thought her eyeballs were going to pop out of her head. Releasing the pressure with an explosive gasp, she sagged against the tile wall surrounding the bathtub, and glared at the bolt that held the shower head on the pipe. It might have moved a millimeter, but that was probably just wishful thinking on her part. If it wasn’t for her hair, she would have given up. But trying to shampoo the long, heavy mass in the bath or leaning over the kitchen sink was next to impossible, so the bolt was just going to have to cooperate.
    After spending the previous day putting subway tile on the wall behind the bathtub, Katie had begun installing the shower just after breakfast. Things had gone at a brisk pace and she was feeling proud of herself until she noticed she’d put the showerhead on upside down. It was fortunate she’d discovered it before she tested the water pressure as she had no desire to repair a water-damaged ceiling. She narrowed her eyes at the bolt with its vise grip appendage. At least she knew the fittings were tight. Small consolation since she now had to undo one. Shaking her arms to loosen any stray knots in her muscles, she took a firm grasp on the pliers, and prepared to give it another try.
    “Whatever are you doing?”
    With a brief shriek of surprise at the unexpected voice, Katie lost her grip and fell forward, her skull making hard contact with the vertical pipe. “Son of a bitch,” she yelled, as flowers of pain bloomed at the point of impact. Clasping her hands across her now-throbbing forehead, she stumbled backward, trying to stand straight. The back of her head promptly banged into the handles of the pliers, which had, wonder of wonders, stayed locked onto the Bolt From Hell. Muttering curses under her breath, she ducked away from the plumbing and turned to confront her attacker. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
    Maureen stood in the doorway, regarding her with a mixture of amusement and concern. “I didn’t sneak up on you,” Maureen defended herself. “I called out, but I guess you didn’t hear me over the music.” She nodded toward the living room, where the Beatles were cheerfully singing about tears cried for no one at maximum volume on the stereo.
    Ignoring her friend’s explanation, Katie lowered one hand and inspected it for blood. “I swear that damn shower’s going to kill me yet.”
    “What are you doing to it?” Maureen wanted to know. “It looks fine to me.”
    “Look again. I somehow managed to get the showerhead on upside down.” Katie tossed another glare at the bolt.
    “Oh, Katie, how thoughtful. You were obviously thinking it would spray up into my bathroom so I could have a shower, too.” Maureen hooted with laughter.
    “Very funny.” With a sigh, Katie climbed out of the tub, and peered at her forehead in the mirror over the sink, pushing away strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail. “Damn. That’s going to leave a mark.”
    Maureen’s face appeared next to hers in the mirror, inspecting Katie’s forehead for damage. “Oh, it won’t be too bad.” A grin lit her face. “It’s the blood gushing out of the back of your head I’m concerned about.”
    One of Katie’s hands rose in reflex to the back of her head before she could stop it. She tried to