some big juicy dirt to share with me. And you have one hell of a sexy Boss Man that you need to call. Braun, he was scared shitless when he found you in my arms like you were. He carried you to my car and made me promise to have you call. He was super sweet. I know whatever happened involved him. All he would say was “tell her I’m sorry.”
Text me when you’re up.
xox,
L
Finally getting out of my bed, I decide I need some Grams time. Over the years, she’s been my biggest supporter, always offering me her perspective and never judging my craziness over the choices I’ve made. She has, however, always encouraged me to move on with my life. Pulling on my Brock U hoodie, I head upstairs in search of my grandmother.
I find her in the dimly lit kitchen, a teapot, ceramic mugs and a plate of fresh-baked cookies all set up on the dark kitchen table.
“Hi, darling. I figured you’d be up here soon enough.” She puts down her copy of “Desertion” by River Savage and comes to take me in a warm embrace. I notice her flinching a bit, and make a mental note to ask whether she’s been to the doctor yet. I glance at the book, needing her to be done with it ASAP. Grams, London and I have an addiction for sharing our sexy reads, and I’ve been waiting for this baby.
“How is it?” I hold it up, admiring the cover.
“Oh, it’s her best yet, in my opinion.” She releases her hold on me, and proceeds to gush about Jesse, the oh-so-conflicted hero.
“Well, hurry up. I just finished ‘Evanesce’ and need this,” I smile, gearing up for our talk.
“But, holy crap, does that Cassia give us a real doozy, or what?”
“She sure does,” says Grams. “I wasn’t sure I was going to get past that ending, let me tell you. London will lose her mind having to wait for the next one. Now, how about we have a spot of tea and figure out how to make the world right again?”
I nod, a tear running down my cheek despite the little reprieve she’d just given me from my troubles.
“I’d love that, Grams. I feel so stupid. God, Levi probably thinks I’m a mess,” I sigh, and sit down across from her at our small table. I immediately reach for a cookie before telling her everything that happened. My Grams is the best, and so I do tell her every detail. I mean, come on, we share our addiction for smut books, and she is, after all, the one who would love to see me with a new man in my life. So, yeah, she gets the long version.
“Do you want my honest opinion or the one you hope I give you?” she asks.
“No, I want to hear the truth. He’s going to fire me and recommend I see a therapist, right?” I huff, ignoring the dirty look she gives me.
“No, what I think is that what happened today was a good thing, and it’s about fucking time, actually.”
“Grams, language!” I chide, at her f-bomb drop. You know Violet Daniels is serious when she starts in with the four-letter word usage.
“Well, I’m serious, Braun. This boy obviously affects you, and you him. There’s no reason for you to feel embarrassed or that he’s judging you. So you have a past. Everyone has a past,” she stresses. “Yours is just a bit heavy, is all. Call him. You have his number. See what he says. After all, you’re friends, yes? Give him the opportunity to support you. Maybe give him some trust? Who knows, maybe this will give you the extra push you need to work on getting more of that human interaction I’d love to see you get.” She adds a wink to her last comment. “You need to move on without feeling guilty. You know it’s true. Shawn didn’t want this life for you. He wanted you to move on, so get moving sweetheart.” With that, she kisses my head, and leaves the room wishing me a good night.
“I know, you’re right.” I whisper, as I sit for a few more minutes contemplating her words. Shawn, just give me a sign.
“Make that doctor’s appointment, Grams. Call tomorrow or else I will,” I call out, knowing she can
Steven Konkoly
Holley Trent
Ally Sherrick
Cha'Bella Don
Daniel Klieve
Ross Thomas
Madeleine Henry
Tim Curran, Cody Goodfellow, Gary McMahon, C.J. Henderson, William Meikle, T.E. Grau, Laurel Halbany, Christine Morgan, Edward Morris
Rachel Rittenhouse
Ellen Hart