Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Now it’s my turn to put on the knowing tone, “And this is all because he’s such a great boss. Not because he secretly has as much of a thing for you as you have for him.”
“Exactly,” she huffs. “You just don’t understand. You’ll see when you meet Barrett. He’s not like Drew. He doesn’t have feelings. Especially not for me.”
“We’ll see,” I say, slicking on a final coat of lip gloss. “But I think I’m going to be the one doing the ‘I told you so-ing.’ In the meantime, I won’t worry about getting attached to Sarah Beth. I’ll consider it normal until someone tells me otherwise.”
“Which no one will,” she assures me. “You became a childcare provider because you love kids, right?”
“Right,” I agree.
“So loving Sarah Beth is just proof you’re in the right field and great at your job. Don’t stress and have a great night. And have a grilled octopus taco for me. They’re my favorite.”
We hang up and I step back from the mirror, tugging down my brown sweater with the gold sparkly fox on the front over my jeans. With my hair freshly dried and hanging in waves around my face and a little more makeup than I usually wear, I decide I look good, but still casual enough for taco night. I head downstairs, thinking how nice it is that I don’t have to drive home tonight. I still don’t intend to overdo it—I have work tomorrow, after all—but being able to have two margaritas instead of one isn’t something I’m going to complain about.
I push through the door leading from the downstairs hallway into The Dirty Taco’s bathroom area, entering through the side of the restaurant to avoid having to go outside into the snow. The restaurant is already hopping, and people are crowded onto the benches at the front, waiting for a table.
But I spot Drew’s crew right away, already seated at big circular table in the back.
He said they would be the people with glasses, and he wasn’t kidding. Every single one of the men and women chatting over a shared pitcher of margaritas has glasses save one, a man slightly older than Drew with a little silver at his temples. It’s that man who spots me and lifts an arm, waving me over.
I smile and start toward the table, weaving through the other boisterous diners. I’m a little nervous—meeting new people is fun but can be a little scary too. But by the time Rick, the glasses-free guy, introduces me to the rest of the table and clears a spot for me between him and a younger guy named Peter, I’m starting to feel more at ease.
The lawyers and their assistants are all so nice and welcoming. Rick tells me about his little sister, Kelly, who moved to town last year, and how happy she would be to take me out with her kayaking club once the weather is warmer. Two of the older women promise me Midwesterners are way nicer, and more welcoming than most people think and Peter, the youngest lawyer on staff, assures me the local singles’ scene is pretty great.
I notice he says this with a certain shine in his eyes but decide to ignore it.
Yes, I want to find a guy to get my mind off Drew…eventually. But that can wait for Friday night and a guy that doesn’t work at Drew’s practice.
I settle for a polite smile and settle in to hear Ashley’s tale of a particularly tricky case she and Rick are working on for the county. It’s pretty fascinating actually, full of intrigue and property claim lies and an unexpected time capsule found inside an old grain silo. I’m so swept up in the story, I don’t realize Drew’s late until the waitress stops by to take our taco order.
I order two fish and two grilled octopus tacos, in Wren’s honor, and shift back in my chair to glance at the door. There are fewer people waiting at the front now, but still no sign of the man I came here hoping to see.
“Drew’s always late to things like this,” Ashley says as she ties her long brown hair up in a knot on her head. It’s getting weirdly warm in here, considering it’s freezing cold outside. “It always takes longer to drop his daughter at his sister’s than he thinks it will.”
“That’s because Melissa can talk the leg off a dog,” Rick adds, good naturedly. “She’s a lot of fun, though. Especially at the annual company pontoon party on the lake.”
Ashley’s blue eyes get big. “Remember that game she made up? Pool noodle pong? I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard.”
Rick chuckles. “My wife still talks about it. She’s already collecting noodles for this year. Asked for a few for Christmas.” He glances my way. “Have you met Melissa?”