DREW: Pizza, beer, baseball game. No complaining.I laugh and type out a quick "fine" reply. With a finger jab to send I throw my phone back in my desk drawer. My best friend has been super nice since everything happened with Grant Saturday night.He made up a believable excuse for me when I missed girls' brunch. We spent the day in our pajamas watching baseball. He even let me eat both pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the freezer. Monday he cooked dinner, a family sized dish of Stouffer's macaroni and cheese. And now our Tuesday is apparently booked as well.It's not hard to see his plan to keep me as busy as possible so I won't think about Grant or the fact he hasn't called.Or stopped by.Or sent a text.Not that I expected him to. There's a reason I kept my history a secret, but a show of concern would be nice.Drew's idea is a good one, but it isn't working, not that I have any plans to tell Drew that. Like most men, he wants to fix the problem, but he can't fix t
"Of course not, Clare. It's not my story to tell.""Thank you." We're all saved from the soap opera that is my family. At least for today. I've worked too damn hard to get where I am to have that family fuck it up somehow. "So, what do we do now? I imagine you'll see a lot of him.""I'll work it out," he says with authority. "You'll never see him again."Is it possible? Would Grant choose me over his lifelong friend and business partner? I shouldn't get happy over a ruined friendship, but a thrill rises up at the thought someone picked me."I'll keep you far away from him for the length of the contract, and then when it's over no more deals."I lean back in my chair shocked. This is what I get for thinking I'd be a first choice. "Didn't you say it's a five-year contract?"Grant flinches and I hold out hope he sees how crazy this idea is."Clare," he says my name sadly, but yet with a bit of reproach. Like I don't know how the world works. "The terms of the contract are ir
"I'm not sure this is a good idea."The limo hits a bump and Grant's champagne swirls around his glass. "Of course it is. Now that you've decided we're dating you'll be seeing a lot of these people. It's good to get to know them."That's what I was afraid of.It's surreal. I'm riding in a limo drinking champagne on the way to a ten-thousand-dollar-per-plate dinner. Honestly the whole thing is a bit disgusting. At first I refused when Grant told me how much each plate cost, but he talked me into it by promising he'd already paid. Plus the money is going to charity. But it still feels wrong... like I don't belong here. I haven't run the math, but I could eat for years on what he spent on one plate, charity or not.There's also no guarantee I won't freak out in the middle of dinner and have a Britney Spears circa 2007 breakdown while calling out the rich people. I warned Grant of this possibility, but he said he'd take the risk."You should have let me buy you a new dress," Gran
"It can at times, but I rely heavily on volunteers. And after the big fundraising event this year I hired help. There are so many kids impacted. It's worth it.""And I've heard you've gotten Grant volunteering, which we both find refreshing. Grant is slated to take over the family business, and we hate for him to lose sight of the community he lives in. It's something his father struggles with..." Her words trail off for a moment. "Well, he's struggled with it since primary school. It's the reason we decided to skip over him and pass the reins on to Grant.""I had no idea."Grant doesn't talk about his father much. My mind races to remember any mention.Grant doesn't talk about his father at all.I've worked so hard to make sure he didn't ask about mine I never stopped to realize he's never mentioned his. Grant has daddy issues of his own."No, you probably didn't. The two of them are oil and water. Little Grant spent years looking for a dad in his father, but he was only i
I crumple up the foil wrapper and toss it in my office trashcan. "That really was the best sub I've ever had. Where did you find the place?"Drew smirks and rests one of his dirty work boots on top of my desk even when I scowl at him. "Your new boyfriend recommended them.""Of course he did." Grant loves to remind me I'm not the only one who's lived in the city a lifetime."The prices are good too." Drew rips off another bite of his sub, a drop of mayonnaise falling to his shirt. "Damn it."I laugh as he wipes it off, his fingers grinding the napkin and mayonnaise deeper into the fibers of his grey short sleeve t-shirt. "Just because the recommendation came from Grant doesn't mean it needs to be expensive."He stops making a bigger mess of his spill, his eyes rising to meet mine. "Is that so? Who's sticking up for the pretty boy now.""He's not a pretty boy," I say, even though Grant totally is.Drew tosses his mangled napkin in the trash, giving his sub a dirty look. "Ju
Travis rolls his eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't pop out. He's obviously on to our technique. "Yeah and then tell her how you started asking me all kinds of questions. He's prying into my business."I want to let him get his anger out, but I also want to get snarky and remind him it's what I pay John to do. But there's a time and place for snark when you're dealing with teenagers, and right now isn't it."Well John is obviously concerned about you, Travis. I would have asked the same questions.""He don't know me. When has he ever had to make a choice he didn't want?"Ah-ha. Now we're getting somewhere. "That's probably true." I hate to distance John from this conversation, but I need to find common ground to bring Travis in the rest of the way. "You and I both know life is full of shitty choices."It works and Travis sits up in his chair actively engaged in the conversation. "That's what we do. Right, Miss C.? Make the shitty choices. Because as soon as you think you'r
A light misty rain creates a sheen on the windshield. The cab driver turns on the wipers. I scan my phone one more time. The name of the restaurant where Grant is having a business dinner is the last text I received."Stop here," I say when the restaurant La Blanca comes into view on the right side of the road.The cabbie pulls over and checks his meter tapping on the side rather than giving me a price."Can you wait? This won't take long.""Sure, babe, but the meter is running."Of course. Story of my life. The meter is always running.CLARE: I'm here.I send the quick text and stay in the cab until Grant pokes his way out the front door."I'll be right back," I say from the cab and make my way across the sidewalk to him.Taking a play from my own book, I remind myself to stay calm. I need to get the full story from Grant before I jump to any conclusions. The plan was great in the cab, but now with Grant in front of me my emotions war with themselves. I can't believe
"It's already done." My body doesn't want to force the oxygen from my lungs, but I say the words breathlessly. "I can't do this."Grant takes a step toward me as I step back. Our own choreographed dance of death. "Don't leave me. Not like this."No longer covered by the awning, rain collects on his ever perfect hair as it beats against his head. His black suit jacket darkens with the wet stain. The words circle around in the air between us and Grant's face pales.Anger and sadness swirl around in my stomach. At war with what I have to do and what I want to do. "This is who I am Grant. If I don't protect them, who will? Why didn't you see that?"How could he not have anticipated this outcome? The actions he makes in a board room have consequences for me and others in the city after he heads home for the day."I'll fix this. Let me fix it." With both hands held out he takes two more steps toward me.My red, tear-filled eyes meet his — also wet with more than simply rain. I st