the day before and him denying her overtime, instead of rushing, she drove first to the coffee shop and took her time.
The office bustled with activity when she walked in exactly forty minutes late. She dropped her purse on her desk and went straight to Richard’s office with a revised expense sheet in her hands.
She didn’t knock. Didn’t say hi.
“I’ll be sure and clarify overtime in the future. But the mileage is accurate. If you want someone to audit my time, by all means. I have nothing to hide.” She placed the paper on his desk and turned to leave.
Richard didn’t utter a syllable as she walked away.
It was the closest thing to standing up for herself she’d ever done with her boss, and her adrenaline was pumping when she went back to her office.
She sat motionless and waited for her nerves to calm. When they did, she smiled.
This was who she was. Strong, centered, and in control.
Somehow she’d stopped being that since summer.
She tackled her inbox with purpose. It was time to spread the workload. And by the time they had their early monthly meeting in January, she’d be prepared.
Grace called an emergency girls’ night.
If there was one thing consistent with a new man in your life, it was the need to talk about it with your girlfriends.
Parker brought a cheese plate, Erin brought wine, and Grace pulled out an array of fruit and cold smoked salmon. They met at Grace’s condo since both her brothers were home, and the last thing she wanted to do was clue them in on her love life.
Erin and Parker arrived together.
The minute Grace opened the door, the two other women paused.
Parker spoke first. “Someone is getting laid.”
Grace knew she was blushing. “Is it that obvious?”
Parker squealed and walked through the door. Erin handed her not one but two bottles of wine.
“I knew it!” Erin said. “You sounded way too excited in your message for tonight to be bad news.”
“Oh my God, you guys . . . I can’t tell you how great it was.”
They shuffled around her small kitchen while Grace found a wine opener.
“I thought you were going to wait. At least that’s what you said the last time we talked, which was what, Christmas?” Erin grabbed three glasses out of the cupboard and placed them on the counter.
“I was. We were,” Grace corrected herself. “And then we didn’t.”
Parker made rolling motions with her hands. “Details.”
Grace pulled the cork free and filled their glasses. “I had a shitty day at work. Richard was being his typical asshole self, went a little further than normal, and Dameon invited me over to his place.”
“In LA?”
“No. The house in the canyon.” She sipped her wine. “I get there and he has a fire going and a cute little Christmas tree in the corner. He bought dinner from The Backwoods and was keeping it warm in the oven.”
“Sounds like he’s working it.”
“We talked and laughed. He gave me pointers on how to deal with Richard. We ended up sitting on this god-awful sofa the previous owners left behind. Did I mention the fire?”
Parker was ear-to-ear smiles.
“Next thing I know, we’re making out on the couch like teenagers trying to get to the next base.” She stopped and closed her eyes at the memories. “It was so amazing. Like the best sex I’ve ever had amazing. Do you know what I mean?” Grace opened her eyes to find both women staring at her and nodding.
“I thought I knew what good sex was . . . and then I met Colin and realized I didn’t know jack shit,” Parker said.
Erin shook her head. “I forgot what an orgasm felt like without a battery-operated toy before Matt.”
Much as Grace never wanted to hear about her brothers’ sex lives, she couldn’t exactly deny Parker and Erin their time to talk.
“It’s more than sex, though. It was everything. I find myself wanting to talk to him at the end of my day to tell him about work. I want to hear about his mom and know if he made it to Target to buy kitchen towels and dishwasher detergent.”
Each of them grabbed a plate of food and moved into the living room.
“It sounds like you really like him,” Parker said.
“I do.”
Erin kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs under her on the sofa. “What about your work? Aren’t you concerned Richard is going to find this relationship a conflict of interest?”