She'll Steal Your Heart: A Lesbian Romance (Midnight in Manhattan Book 4)

  SHE’LL STEAL YOUR HEART

  RACHEL LACEY

  CONTENTS

  Newsletter

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Thank you for reading!

  Dear Reader

  Acknowledgments

  KEEP READING

  Lost in Paradise

  Also by Rachel Lacey

  About the Author

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2022 by Rachel Lacey

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without prior permission in writing from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 978-1-952992-05-6

  Cover Design © Perfect Pear Creations

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

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  1

  The floor vibrated beneath Lauren Booker’s sneakers, thumping rhythmically as the train sped along the tracks. Lauren stared out the window to her left, her gaze locked on the Manhattan skyline adorning the horizon ahead. Her arms tightened around the backpack in her lap, and butterflies danced in her stomach.

  Home.

  At least, it used to be. Now the sight of the familiar skyline filled her with a deep sense of yearning. After over a year in Rhode Island, one of the hardest years of her life, she missed her hometown desperately. Officially, she was here now to meet some of her online friends in person for a fun weekend get together.

  Unofficially…Lauren was going to fight like hell to stay. But for that to happen, she would have to face her past and accept the consequences of her actions. She would have to turn herself in to the police.

  The knowledge rested heavily on her shoulders, slowly pushing her down, and she couldn’t bear the weight much longer. She had to set herself free, even if it meant going to jail. But first, a fun weekend with friends.

  “Can you believe we’re finally back?” she whispered to Craig. When she and her brother fled the city together over a year ago, she hadn’t been sure when—or if—this moment would come.

  The train plunged into a tunnel as it began its descent below Manhattan. Lauren stared into the darkness outside her window. Anticipation coiled inside her. Despite everything, she was so glad to be back in this city, her city. She’d missed it every single day she’d been gone.

  “What do you think, Craig? Should I stop for a hot dog from Sunny’s on my way to the Airbnb?” She grinned at the thought, and her stomach gave a hungry gurgle.

  Her phone pinged inside her backpack, the sound of an incoming email, and she unzipped the top pocket to pull it out. The email was from Archive of Our Own—better known as AO3 in the fandom community—the website where she read and posted fan fiction. Someone had left a new comment on Skin Deep, the In Her Defense fanfic that was Lauren’s pride and joy.

  In Her Defense was a legal drama starring Lauren’s favorite actress and celebrity crush, Piper Sheridan. Piper’s character on the show, Samantha Whitaker, was a badass lawyer who seemed destined to hook up with the show’s male lead, but she also had amazing chemistry with her onscreen best friend, Claire, which had prompted an online queer cult following for Sam and Claire. Their fans had dubbed Sam and Claire as #Clairantha on social media.

  Reading fan fiction about Sam and Claire had been a much-needed source of joy for Lauren over the last few years, and it had sparked something in her, a long-repressed urge to write. As a child, she’d written stories on note paper and dreamed of being an author someday, but as an adult, it hadn’t seemed like a practical goal. She and Craig had bounced through the foster care system until she aged out and took legal custody of him, and then she’d had to work her ass off to provide for them both.

  “You drew the coolest illustrations for those stories I wrote for you when we were little,” she whispered. “We made a great team.”

  Her arms tightened reflexively around the backpack in her lap, feeling the solid outline of the urn containing Craig’s ashes inside it. Her vision blurred, and her throat ached. She sucked in a breath, determined not to cry on a crowded Amtrak train. Ever since they were kids, it had always been Lauren and Craig against the world. Who was she now without him?

  Desperate for a distraction from her spiraling emotions, she clicked on the email from AO3.

  SamIsMyWife left the following comment on Skin Deep: OMG you’re amazing! I just binge read this whole story, and I’m crying at how beautiful it was. This is without a doubt the best Clairantha fic I’ve ever read.

  Lauren’s cheeks warmed at the compliment. She’d been terrified to post the first chapter, certain no one would read her indulgent little story, and if they did, they’d definitely laugh at her and tell her she was a terrible writer.

  That hadn’t happened. Instead, she got regular comments like this one, comments that filled the void where her self-esteem ought to be. She’d made online friends in the In Her Defense fan community, people who shared her obsession with the show and with Sam’s character in particular. That community and these comments had almost single-handedly gotten her through the past year.

  Her phone dinged again, this time a new message in her WhatsApp group chat. Lauren clicked on it, and a photo appeared on her screen: two smiling women who she was about to meet in person for the first time. Ashleigh’s jet-black hair, pale skin, and cherry-red lipstick gave her a bit of a goth vibe. By contract, Fatima’s skin was a warm golden brown, her wavy black hair pulled back in a ponytail as she grinned at the camera. They wore matching Clairantha T-shirts, the same shirt Lauren was wearing.

  The caption below the photo read, “WE’RE HERE!!!” Lauren could just make out the living room of the Airbnb they’d rented for the weekend behind them. Another photo followed, this time Sarah and her girlfriend, Quinn, also in their Clairantha shirts.

  Sarah: Our flight just landed! We’ll be there in an hour or so. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE AND HUG YOU ALL!

  Quinn:

  Ashleigh: Our Airbnb is so nice! Fatima and I are going on a grocery run. The door code is 4853 if you get here before we’re back.

  Lauren: I’m on Amtrak — should get there around the same time as Sarah and Quinn. Excited doesn’t cover it!

  Fatima: Same, girl. Same!!

  Mia: Leaving the café shortly. See you all soon!

  Lauren took a quick selfie in her seat and sent it to the group. The new season of In Her Defense would release at midnight, and she and her friends were going to hang out in their Airbnb all weekend and watch it together.

  Lauren could hardly wait, both to see the new season and to meet her friends in person. Mia was the only local and would be staying in her own apartment this weekend. She was a former lawyer who’d recently opened a cat café in Brooklyn, which Lauren totally wanted to visit now that she was back in town so she could snuggle all the cats.

  Mia had been a huge help to Lauren when she was writing Skin Deep. She’d answered all Lauren’s legal questions for the story, and she had been one of the first people to read and rave about the fic after Lauren posted it. They often messaged each other outside the group chat and had formed a friendship that Lauren cherished. Consequently, she was extra excited to meet Mia today. She hoped their online friendship would translate seamlessly into a real-life one, especially as Lauren—hopefully—reestablished herself in Brooklyn, where Mia also lived.

  The train slowed as it began its approach into Penn Station. Lauren took a final glance at the messages on her phone before she tucked it inside her backpack. The train rolled to a stop, and people began crowding at both ends of the car to exit. Lauren slipped her backpack over her shoulders and stood, reaching up to retrieve her duffel bag from the overhead compartment.

  Then she followed a stream of passengers out of the train and up several flights of stairs to the main part of the station. She followed signs to the subway and boarded the 3 train, which would take her to Brooklyn.

  She felt a bittersweet tug of anticipation as she found an available seat, duffel bag between her feet and backpack in her lap, everything she owned crammed into a subway seat with her. It could have felt depressing, but right now, she was glad for the simplicity. Her life was portable this way, which had come in handy this past year.

  And hopefully, she was here to stay. It wouldn’t be easy. S

he knew that. The cost of living in the city was a hurdle, not to mention her legal troubles. But she’d reserved a bed at a nearby hostel for the next two weeks and hoped she’d have something more permanent by then…assuming she wasn’t in jail.

  Her stomach pitched, and she tightened her arms around the backpack in her lap. No matter what happened, she’d get through it. Life rarely went the way she’d planned, and even if she didn’t succeed this time, someday Brooklyn would be home again.

  Thirty minutes later, Lauren exited the subway at Hoyt Street. As she stepped outside into the balmy August afternoon, her spirits soared as the familiar sights and sounds of her old neighborhood surrounded her.

  She sucked in a lungful of air, laced with car exhaust and the candy-sweet scent of the bakery on the corner, feeling content in a way she hadn’t since she left Brooklyn last year. This place was rooted in her soul. She hoisted her duffel bag across her shoulders and set off in the direction of the Airbnb, about three blocks away.

  As she walked, Lauren became distracted watching the woman in front of her. She had on a gray Oxford shirt neatly tucked into eggplant-colored pants that perfectly cupped a shapely ass, not that Lauren was looking…except she was totally looking. The woman walked with a brisk, confident stride, and well, Lauren had always been a sucker for a smartly dressed woman.

  And okay, maybe it had been a long time since she’d hooked up with anyone, long enough that she was ogling a stranger’s ass, apparently. Lauren dragged her gaze up to the woman’s wavy, ash-blonde hair, which was just long enough to brush her shoulders.

  Idly, Lauren hoped the woman would turn around, so she could see if she was as attractive from the front as she was from behind. As the blonde stopped to wait for the light at the crosswalk ahead to change, Lauren seized the opportunity to stand beside her and satisfy her curiosity.

  She gave what she hoped was a casual glance to her left, and then her breath caught in her throat, because the woman was every bit as gorgeous from the front, but Lauren hadn’t been ogling a random woman on the street.

  It was Mia.

  “Mia?”

  Mia Solano turned at the sound of her name, recognizing Lauren easily from the many selfies she posted in their group chat. Lauren looked just like she did in her photos, with long brown hair and an earnest smile.

  “Lauren!” Mia exclaimed, pulling her in for an impulsive hug.

  Lauren hugged her back. “It’s so good to finally meet you in person.”

  “You too,” Mia said.

  “You cut your hair. I didn’t recognize you from behind.”

  Mia reached up to touch the ends of her newly shortened hair. “I did, just a few weeks ago. Part of the new me, I guess.”

  Lauren nodded. “I like it. It suits you.”

  “Thanks,” Mia said. “We have a fun weekend ahead.”

  Lauren’s expression brightened. “I can’t wait to see everyone and watch season five.”

  “It couldn’t possibly live up to Skin Deep, if you ask me.”

  Lauren ducked her head with a shy smile. “I’m sure Skin Deep was smuttier, anyway.”

  Mia laughed as the light changed, and they crossed the street together. “Definitely smuttier, but it’s not just that. You wrote about Sam and Claire working together on a case that was just as complex and interesting as anything they’ve done on the actual show.”

  “With your help.” Lauren walked beside Mia, wearing a black backpack with a duffel bag resting below it, like she was heading out on a long journey, not a weekend with friends.

  She was more serious in person than Mia had expected. Online, Lauren was often exuberant and silly, a passionate fangirl for In Her Defense and Piper Sheridan, the actress who played Sam on the show. But then again, Lauren’s brother had died last month, so that was probably the reason for the sadness lurking in her brown eyes.

  “I was happy to help,” Mia told her. “I love reading your work. Why so many bags?”

  Lauren reached back to touch the duffel. “Oh, I’m staying here in Brooklyn after our watch party to settle a few loose ends for Craig and me.”

  “I’m sorry,” Mia told her. “That must be really hard, and you don’t have any other family around, right?”

  “It was just the two of us.” Lauren kept her gaze straight ahead as she walked. “Our mom died when I was fifteen and Craig was ten, and neither of us knew our dad.”

  Mia’s life hadn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, but she’d never buried anyone in her immediate family, and she was older than Lauren, who was entirely too young to have experienced so much loss, especially a younger sibling. “Does that mean you’re back in Brooklyn to stay?”

  Lauren gave her a small smile. “I sure hope so, but it will depend on how things play out next week. In the meantime, our fan weekend should be just the distraction I need.”

  “Thank goodness for that.” Mia had been a little bit hesitant about this weekend, afraid she wouldn’t fit in. She wouldn’t exactly classify herself as a “fangirl,” and she was at least ten years older than the rest of the women in their group, who all seemed to be in their twenties, but she was short on friends since the divorce.

  She and Kristin had met in law school, and their social circles consisted almost entirely of fellow lawyers, so when Mia walked away from the law—and her wife—their friends had had to take sides, and unfortunately for Mia, most of them had chosen Kristin. The few times she’d gotten together with them since the divorce had been awkward.

  Apparently, Mia’s friends had had more in common with her career than with her as a person. So here she was, about to spend the weekend with a group of online friends who’d been her lifeline this year. Hopefully it would be fun, a new direction for her life.

  She and Lauren approached the front of the building where their Airbnb was located. Mia stepped forward to enter the code Ashleigh had given them, and then she motioned Lauren ahead of her into the entrance hall.

  “Looks like we’re on the third floor,” Lauren said, leading the way up the stairs. “Have you met anyone else from the group before?”

  “No,” Mia said. “You?”

  Lauren shook her head. “I feel like I’ve been chatting with you all online forever. I can’t wait to meet everyone.”

  “See who looks like their photos?” Mia quipped as they turned the corner at the landing and kept climbing toward the third floor.

  Lauren looked over her shoulder with a smile. “I think I’ve seen enough selfies of everyone to have a pretty good idea, but it’s still different meeting someone in person. Like, your voice is different than I was expecting…a little deeper. Isn’t it funny how we’ve chatted for years and never knew the sound of each other’s voice?”

  “It is, and I’ve heard that before about my voice,” Mia said. “I’m told it made me more intimidating in the courtroom.”

  “I bet you were pretty badass in court.” Lauren stopped in front of the door to apartment 3B and knocked. There was no response. “Ash and Fatima must still be at the grocery store.”

  “Probably,” Mia agreed.

  Lauren entered the code for the door and let them inside. The studio apartment looked much as it had on the Airbnb listing, with dark-paneled walls, a full-sized bed in back, and a small galley kitchen. Lauren dropped her bags against the wall and wandered the space, hands in the pockets of her jeans.

  Mia sat on the couch. “You’re from Brooklyn, right?”

  “Born and raised,” Lauren confirmed.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re back. Why did you move to Rhode Island last year?”