Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
CHAPTER 17
Grace
Fourteen Months Later, June
I picked up the glass of ice water and held it up. “To Brian passing the bar exam!” I said to Abby who was sitting next to me at our kitchen counter. “And the fact that he’ll now be able to support you in a style to which you’d like to become accustomed.”
Abby grinned and held up her own water, clinking mine softly. “To Brian. Thank God all that studying is over and I get my fiancé back. I mean, unless your work hours are any indication, and then, never mind. Nothing will change.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m not that bad.”
“Yeah you are,” she said, disagreeing. “But luckily I don’t have to live with you for very much longer.”
“Ha-ha. You’re gonna miss me,” I said, taking a bite of the takeout salad I’d picked up. “But you chose a good one, you know that, right?” I said, nodding my head toward her solitaire engagement ring.
She sighed and smiled. “I know. He’s a keeper. I mean as long as he doesn’t piss me off in some toothpaste-cap kind of way, this should work out.”
I laughed.
Abby and Brian had gotten engaged at Christmastime and were getting married in September. Next week was the big move-out weekend for all of us. I had found a great apartment in the U Street Corridor area and although I was a little nervous to be living by myself for the first time in my life, I was excited too.
The last piece to fall into place was Brian finding out the day before that he had passed the bar exam. We were all going out later to a celebratory dinner.
“Now,” Abby went on, “all we need to do is find you a great guy.”
“Oh no. Uh-uh. I’m too busy to date. Don’t even think about some weird setup. My job barely leaves me enough time to go to the grocery store on a regular basis. I hardly have time for a guy.” I speared a cherry tomato and brought it to my mouth.
I had gotten my first job in the DC prosecutor’s office and was working in juvenile court. It wasn’t necessarily exactly what I wanted to be doing, and I was looking to work my way up. But as of now, there were no other positions and very low turnover in the other courts. I knew I was lucky to be in the office I had strived to be in, and so I worked hard to make a good name for myself.
I looked over at Abby to find her studying me. “You still think of him?”
“Who?” I asked, knowing exactly whom she was referring to.
Abby snorted. “You know who. Don’t try to give me that.”
I put my fork down and turned to her. We hadn’t talked about Carson in a while, but I couldn’t lie to Abby about this. She knew me too well. “Yeah. But it’s not a bad thing, Abs. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” As much. “I just…wonder how he is sometimes. I wonder what he’s doing. I wonder if he ever thinks of me.”
Abby nodded. “As long as he’s not the real reason you’ve apparently sworn off all men since you returned from Vegas two years ago.”
I let out a brittle sounding laugh. “I haven’t sworn off all men. I went out on that date with the guy from my law class that I ran into last year.”
Abby raised an eyebrow. “Grace, you grabbed coffee with him when you saw him on the street and you wouldn’t even let him pay for yours.”
“I forgot to tell you we had sex in the bathroom.”
Abby almost choked on the sip of water she’d just taken. “I wish!” She laughed, knowing I was lying.
I laughed too. “For real though, Abby. We flirted! It was date-ish.”
“Grace, he told you, you looked nice and you said he looked well too. That is not flirting. I had that same conversation with my grandpa when I saw him last month.”
I gave her a face. “Anyway, it’s not about swearing off men. You know I didn’t date much even before I met…before I went to Vegas. I’m just busy. Really, Abby, that’s the only reason. I’m not closed off. If I meet someone who appeals to me, I’ll make an exception, okay? I promise. Don’t worry about me.”
“So the super hunk who lives downstairs doesn’t appeal to you? Because you certainly appeal to him.”
I shook my head. “No, he’s too…super hunky. All those muscles are intimidating. Like he could crack me like a walnut.”
“You need to be cracked like a walnut.” She moved her brows up and down and I rolled my eyes in response. “What about the really cute guy who asked you out at happy hour at Marvin last month? He wasn’t your type either?”