Page 14 of Safe and Sound

Because of Preston’s pending felony charges, the judge had been very sympathetic when dividing our assets. It didn’t hurt that I’d always earned more than him.

After popping the cork for us, the bartender poured up four glasses of bubbly. “Thank you,” I said.

Holding the crystal flute up, I proclaimed, “To freedom.”

“That’s it?” Lexie questioned.

“Do I need more?”

She nodded. “You have your freedom. We need to toast to something yet to come.”

“If you get any further into the fate and destiny stuff, you’ll sound just like Great Aunt Venetia,” I teased.

With a shake of his head, Nick said, “I agree. We need to speak your new extra fabulous life into existence.”

“We’re manifesting my destiny now?”

“Absolutely.”

“Fine. Lexie, what’s your toast for me?”

Tapping her chin, she said, “Hmm. That’s a tough one. I mean, it’s kinda like making a wish when you blow your birthday candles out, right? Like I don’t want to say it and then it not come true.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “How the hell else are we going to manifest it if we don’t speak it?”

“Fine,” Lexie huffed. “I want you to have a man.”

“Well, duh. Obviously she needs a man,,” Nick replied.

“Seriously? I just got rid of one.”

He flashed me a pearly white grin. “They’re just like horses. When you get knocked off, you get back on another one.”

Lexi squealed. “I’ve got it.” Holding up her flute, she said, “To Ava–may she ride off into the sunset with a sexy cowboy!”

I snorted. “Where in the hell am I going to find a cowboy around here?”

“He could be a tourist,” Dani argued.

Lexi shook her head. “Don’t you remember that Brazilian cowboy I dated in college?”

“I must’ve blocked it out.”

“There’s totally a rodeo circuit in some of the backwoods counties,” Lexie countered.

“Somehow I don’t imagine Massachusetts cowboys are as hot as say Texas or Oklahoma cowboys,” I argued.

Nick grinned. “How about ‘may she ride any man into the sunset’?”

With a laugh, I replied, “You’re not going to let it go until I fuck a new man, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Let me guess. Your wish is for me to meet a man with a ten inch cock.”

“While it is tempting to hope you hook up with Girthmaster 2.0–”

“Who?” Lexie asked.

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