| Chapter Nineteen |
| “You’re fired.” “That’s nice,” Grace sighed distractedly. Lynn usually a patient woman, gave Grace a hard push, “Snap out of it!” It did the trick; Grace sat up straight and cleared her throat, “I called Mr. Lockhart yesterday. He said he’d be able to cater your luncheon Friday; he’s sending over a few menus. He doesn’t do vegan, so we’ll have to find someone else to do Mrs. Wright’s lunch.” “That’s fine.” Lynn was watching Grace closely. Narrowing her eyes, she gasped loudly, “What’s his name?” Grace’s stomach fell. An image of Justin immediately popped into her mind. She didn’t dare tell Lynn. How did you tell your boss that you were in love with her son and that he’d given you your first amazing kiss? Her lips curled involuntarily as she thought of that night and the way it felt when he’d kissed her. “Look at you,” Lynn exclaimed, she pushed all her paperwork to the side and took Grace’s hands, “you’ve been grinning and daydreaming all day.” “Sorry.” Lynn waved off the apology, “It happens to us all. I met Justin’s father when I was in high school, and it was the same way. I couldn’t do anything but figure out names for our children.” Her head tilted the side, and she seemed lost in memories. Grace hadn’t named any children, but she had spent the most part of her weekend replaying her first kiss over and over again. Her very first kiss. It had taken twenty-two years to the day, but it had happened. And it was beautiful. “Oh god,” Lynn said, shaking her head, “we’re not going to get any work done if we’re both daydreaming. Why don’t you go downstairs and finish up the laundry? You can get all the sighing out of your system there.” It felt like she was being banished, but Grace didn’t think it was professional to argue with her employer. Besides, Lynn was right; they were wasting valuable time. Jotting down a list of all the vegan restaurants in town, she handed the list to Lynn, “When you pick one, come and get me. I’ll put in a call.” She waited to see if Lynn changed her mind, but she didn’t. It was almost like taking the walk of shame on Fear Factor. Not that she’d ever done that, but she could imagine how embarrassing it would be. She was being sent to do laundry because she couldn’t stop thinking about Justin. She passed his door on the way down. Pausing for a moment, she stared at it, wondering what would happen if she knocked. She heard movement within, and hurried downstairs, not stopping until she was safe in the laundry room. “Nerd,” she groaned, leaning against the washer until she caught her breath. When she was breathing at a normal pace again, she grabbed the laundry basket and tried to busy herself with folding towels. It was a full five seconds before she started to think about him again. If she thought hard enough, she could remember exactly how it felt. How it’d made her feel. “You’re being pathetic again,” she sighed. She had to mentally check herself from time to time. If not, she would forget the most important thing: he didn’t feel the same way. She could romanticize it all she wanted, but she wouldn’t allow herself to believe, even for one moment, that it’d meant anything to him. They were friends, and he’d kissed her accordingly. Not that she had many friends who kissed her. But then again, she’d never asked any of them for a kiss. She’d never asked anyone for a kiss. “Ah, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.” Grace felt herself go numb. She wasn’t ready to see him yet; she needed a few more years. Glancing up, she tried to be casual which was nearly impossible when she was seconds away from passing out. “Hey.” “Hi” He leaned into the doorframe. She could feel his eyes on her; it was impossible to do anything under his scrutiny. “Nice sweater.” Grace looked down at the sweater her sister had given her; she was sure she’d seen an elderly lady wearing it. “Thank you,” she continued folding towels, “you were looking for me?” He came further into the room until he was inches away from her. “I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and produced a small box and placed it on the stack of folded towels. “Happy Birthday.” Inhaling sharply, Grace fell even more in love with him right there. She was entirely too emotional for this. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” “I wanted to. Come on, open it.” Although she didn’t like accepting gifts, Grace’s curiosity got the best of her. Trying to conceal her excitement, she slowly opened the box. “Oh,” she sighed, looking at a lovely pair of earrings. Pig earrings. “Thank you so much.” “I’m sorry it’s late, but I had no idea what to get you. When you said you liked pigs, I remembered seeing these.” “Thank you.” “Your welcome.” Grace put the gift in her purse, promising to wear them tomorrow. There was an awkward pause. “Do you need some help?” He moved to her side and grabbed a towel from the basket. She giggled at the thought of him folding towels. “I didn’t think pop superstars knew how to fold clothes.” He pushed up the sleeves of his shirt, “You’re in for a surprise because I just so happen to be an old pro.” He grabbed another towel and quickly folded it. Holding it out for Grace to see, he had a self-satisfied grin on his face. “Only you could be competitive about laundry,” she sighed with a shake of her head. “I can’t help it if I’m the best at everything. It’s a gift.” Grace rolled her eyes and grabbed a pair of sock. “Your ego astounds me,” she said before throwing the them at his head. Without looking up from his work, he caught the socks seconds before they hit. “It’s a gift,” he said just to annoy her. She stuck out her tongue, unable to think of anything witty to say. She felt like a first grader with a crush; pretty soon she was going to start chasing him around the playground. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him methodically fold a towel and place it on the stack. She had so many questions for him. Why had he kissed her? Did he like it? Would he do it again? “God, I’m good,” he laughed, admiring his work. The smile he gave her went from ear to ear. “Oh, be quiet,” she replied, annoyed. Maybe she’d ask him all her questions another day. She didn’t want to ruin the moment. |