AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And what are the chances she gets a few new clients?” I asked.
Lauren huffed. “I hope she does. She’s excellent at her job and could really help someone who might be too intimidated or uninformed to reach out.”
Cammie raised her hand with a sheepish expression. “Me. Lauren had to drag me into the bank to open a checking account. I thought it was normal to pay a fee every time I cashed my paycheck.” She blushed and straightened a chair that was already straight.
“Did you make that list of questions for tonight?” Lauren asked.
Cammie nodded.
“Good,” Lauren said. “I’m counting on you to ask them. It will give people courage to ask theirs.”
“That’s a great idea,” I said and smiled at Cammie. “I’m always too nervous in a group to ask questions. If Lauren and I were in the same class, I’d write mine down and make her ask them.”
Cammie grinned. “What did you do if you weren’t in the same class?”
“Get annoyed at myself and try to google the answer later.”
Cammie smiled, and I felt better knowing I hadn’t stuck my foot in my mouth too far.
“I’m grabbing a seat at the front,” she said, taking a cookie and heading for the first row of chairs.
“I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings,” I whispered as Lauren and I moved a pair of flower bouquets from the counter to the table. “I know Cammie isn’t taking advantage of you.”
“Nah, Cammie knows you’re just being an overprotective friend.”
“I’m the right amount of protective,” I said.
“Speaking of friends, don’t think I forgot to ask what’s going on between you and Cal Cardoso. I saw y’all holding hands when you walked to the car last night.”
“Shut up, Lauren. Cammie works with him.”
“Oh, I know,” she said with a devilish smirk. “She’s been telling me all about the tension between you two. We have a bet about when it’ll boil over. She thought he’d behave until after your sessions ended. Judging by what I saw last night, I think she owes me five.”
“I’ll give you twenty bucks to never talk about this again.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a call from Brad. Lauren peered at the screen and frowned.
“Why is he calling you?”
“No idea,” I said, sending the call to voicemail. “Anything he wants to say to me, he can tell my lawyer.”
“Good,” Lauren said with a nod.
My phone buzzed again. Then again. And again. After weeks with zero contact, he seemed pretty impatient to talk to me. He hadn’t even bothered to send a single text to ask how I was healing from the accident. As time passed, I went from being pissed at his lack of care for my wellbeing to relieved I didn’t have to deal with him. I assumed that meant he wanted a clean break, which I’d been happy to give and wanted to maintain.
Lauren narrowed her eyes. “Is he harassing you? We can go to the police station right now and file a report. Cammie and Poppy can manage the event.”
“Down, girl,” I said. “Who’s overprotective now?” She looked so worried; I couldn’t help hugging her. She let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around me.
“You’d tell me, if he was?”
“Of course,” I said, patting her back.
She hugged me tighter. “I wish you’d consider staying here. I’m going to be a nervous wreck thinking about you all alone in some city.”
My phone buzzed again.
“Ugh,” I groaned stepping out of the hug. “Just let me deal with him. I don’t want my phone going off during the event.”
