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“Do you want us to be wrong?” Farrah asks gently.
Her question stops me short. Do I? It’s not like I haven’t thought about Grayson in that way. My marriage has been failing for much longer than I wanted to acknowledge, and there were many nights when I would imagine what my life could look like if I were with Gray instead of Chris. It got even more frequent after I got pregnant and Chris became a ghost in our house.
I felt more supported by a man who lived hundreds of miles away than my own husband. And I honestly preferred it that way. Grayson understands me on a level no one else ever has. I wanted him to be a bigger part of mine and Peanut’s life, and now that we’re back in Pine Creek Falls, I’ll finally get my wish. That doesn’t mean he wants me as more than a friend though. And even if he did, wouldn’t it be shitty to jump into a relationship with him before my divorce is finalized?
It’s all a little too complicated to make any sort of decision right now. “I…have no idea. The idea is baffling to me. I’m not the type of girl Grayson dates, so why would he ever want me as more than a friend?”
“Kylie, you’re an incredible woman,” Gia says almost as a reprimand. “You’re kind and beautiful, and any guy would be lucky to have you in his life. Your idiot of an ex has no idea what he’s throwing away. I have no doubt the second you serve those papers, he’ll understand exactly what he’s losing. It’ll be too little, too late by then, but what he’s done won’t be lost on him.”
I sigh. “I’m a little afraid of what will happen when he gets served.”
“Like for your safety?” Farrah asks.
Shrugging, I turn to look at her. “I don’t know. The things he said to me and the way he’s been acting recently don’t bode well for a reasonable response.”
“Do you think Holt should add a protection order?” Gia asks.
“I doubt it’ll be granted,” I respond with little inflection.
Gia tilts her head. “I don’t know, Ky. Those texts were intense and very obviously threatening.”
“It wouldn’t hurt anything to try,” Farrah adds.
Gia whips out her phone. “I’m texting him now.”
A few seconds go by when she laughs. “He says he’s already drafted the order. He said the same thing though. Since Chris hasn’t ever physically hurt you, it may not be granted.”
What would I do without these people? “I’m so grateful he’s willing to help me.”
Gia waves her hand in the air. “He’s happy to do it. Actually, I wanted to talk with you about something.”
My stomach drops, worst-case scenarios flying through my head at lightning speed. Is Holt dropping me as a client? Will I have to go back to Seattle to find a new lawyer?
Gia continues, unaware that she caused a huge spike in my adrenaline. “Holt’s secretary, Beverly, is ready to retire, but she’ll never leave Holt unless she knows he’ll be taken care of, so would you be interested in the job? You don’t have to answer right now. Take some time to think about it. Given the shit with your ex, he’d totally understand if you had no interest in anything legal, but he wanted to ask someone he knew he could trust first.”
I stare at her in shock for a second. “Holt wants me to be his secretary?”
“Well, yeah. Grayson said you worked as one for years before you moved to Seattle. And don’t tell Beverly I said this, but you’d probably do a much better job. She’s very rigid in the way she does things, and it drives Holt crazy that she refuses to move into the twenty-first century.”
The four of us laugh as Gia regales us with examples of Holt and Beverly’s regular fights over the way she does her job.
“It’s all right if I take a couple of days to think about it?” I ask. Part of me wants to scream yes immediately, but I know that’s my panic driving the choice and not logic. It’s scary not to have a steady income to rely on right now, and this job seems too good to be true.
“Of course! And as I said, he’d totally understand if the answer is no. We’ll help you find something else, no matter what.”
“Thank you. All of you. You guys have been my saving grace since I left Seattle. I wasn’t sure how I’d function after…everything, but because of you and your friendship, I feel more settled than I ever thought I could be.”
Gwen smiles. “We stick together around here.”
CHAPTER 12
Grayson
Bucking broncos. Getting kicked by a horse. London scraping her elbow.
Nothing is working. All I can see is Kylie in her red bikini, her belly rounded and her tits almost falling out of her top.
I groan, unable to hold it in. My elbow is successfully hiding the view as I lie on the pool lounger. Holt’s daughter, Leah, wanted to have a pool party for her birthday, so he rented out the community’s indoor pool for her. I’ve thought about diving into the cool water to distract myself from my thoughts, but that would also put me a whole lot closer to temptation.
