Page 28 of It's Always Been You
You can’t, because there is nothing better.
I’m in a fantastic mood as I open the door to my favorite sandwich shop a couple blocks from the office and get in line.
I blocked a couple hours on my calendar this morning for a little self-care, and it was an excellent decision. It’s amazing what a Pilates class at the humane hour of nine AM, a fresh pink pedicure, and an hour browsing my favorite boutique can do for a girl’s mental health.
Now I’m picking up food and taking it back to the office, where we’re having a big, noisy lunch with the four of us, Allie, and all the guys. It’s been a while since we’ve all been in the same place at the same time since Allie and Jordan couldn’t make it to the party last week. Magically, everyone’s calendars coordinated, and neither Allie nor Jordan is on call today.
A morning of solo fun and then lunch with all my favorite people?
Everything’s coming up, Molly.
I glance into the shopping bag on my arm at the new dress I bought for Saturday night and reluctantly adddinner with Gabeto the list of excellent things in my life. I want to be cautious. I really do. I want to be slow and steady and careful and make him grovel and wait and wonder. But the thing is, slow and steady has never really been my thing.
I’m a love out loud and hug your people tight, burn the expensive candles, and drink the good tequila because today is all we have, kind of girl. Keeping my heart under lock and key for the past ten years has been the most counter-intuitive thing I have ever done, and now that the only person who ever held my heart is back and saying things likewithout you, I’ve only been living half a lifeandit’s always been you?
My heart is rattling its cage, ready to break free and jump straight into his hands.
Every instinct I have is telling me to let it do its thing.
I step up to the counter and place my order, then pay and move to the side to wait. I’m reaching into my bag to grab my Kindle to pass the time when I feel someone behind me. The warm breath that hits my neck has my skin crawling, and I hear the voice before I have a chance to turn around.
“Playing hooky, Molly?”
I spin around and Brad Russell, the nephew of my biggest client, is standing in front of me, deep into my personal space. I barely resist the urge to step back, even though my instincts are screaming at me to get as far away from him as possible. He wants me to be uncomfortable. I’ll be goddammed if I show him that he succeeded. Instead, I level him with a steely gaze.
“What do you want, Brad?”
His smirk is sly and smarmy and matches his slicked back hair, overpowering cologne, and button-down shirt with one too many buttons open. It’s giving entitled aged frat boy who doesn’tunderstand the meaning of the word no living off daddy’s money, and I am not here for it.
“Hey now, no need to get hostile. Can’t a guy come say hi to his old law school friend? I’m just trying to be polite. Especially since we’re going to be working together. Didn’t my uncle tell you?”
I consider how to respond. What I really want to say isgo to hell, Brad,but I also want to know what he knows, so I will myself to be a little more strategic about this.
“Your uncle informed me that a representative of your firm would be at the meeting next week.”
Brad scoffs. “I’m sure he was just trying to protect your feelings and save himself the emotional phone call when you inevitably complained about being pushed aside. Honestly, Molly, did you really think you would just continue to single-handedly represent him from your little firm? Uncle Harvey may have followed you because of that stubborn loyalty streak of his, but you’re the one who decided to leave BigLaw. You can’t possibly expect that your little firm would be able to handle a client of my uncle’s caliber single-handedly. You did fine when you had partners telling you what to do and checking your work but on your own?”
He shakes his head and clucks his tongue at me like he’s scolding a child. I will myself not to knee him in the balls and just be done with it because, honestly, fuck this guy. Instead, I paste on the sweetest smile I can muster, and when I speak, my words drip with honey laced disdain.
“Remind me, Brad, which one of us spent four semesters of law school on academic probation, and which one of us was editor of the law review and graduated summa cum laude? You may be well acquainted with the concept of failing up, but I succeed because I’m smart and dedicated and goddam brilliant at my job, and I know that must just absolutely kill you. So muchso that you’re here, telling me all the ways you’re better than I am instead of at your desk actually, you know, being better. You want to go run your mouth to your uncle and tell him all about how Molly hurt your precious, fragile feelings? How he should fire me and hire you? You go right ahead. But you better suit up and figure out what it means to actually work hard instead of breezing through your career, expecting people to keep on handing you things. Because if you come for me, you best not miss.”
Brad’s face is bright red and furious, and I’d take a second to enjoy it, but I need to get away from him, like, yesterday. I turn on my heel and get ready to leave and just have the food I ordered delivered when Brad takes my arm, pulling me back towards him. The move is subtle enough that no one around us would think anything of it, but his grip on my arm means one thing and one thing only.
Don’t you dare walk away from me before I’m done with you.
And I think the fuck not.
“You’re going to want to take your hand off me right the fuck now,” I hiss at him.
He smirks at me and tightens his hold. “Or what?”
I try and pull my arm away, but he just holds me tighter. A frisson of fear snakes up my spine, but I stand my ground. He’s squeezing my arm so tightly now that there’s no way I won’t have a bruise where his hand is, and the thought of him marking me like that enrages me. The time for subtlety is over.
“Or I’ll have you on this floor, holding onto your balls and crying like a baby.”
He sneers at me. “Listen, you feminist harpy bitch?—”
The growl that comes from behind me and cuts Brad off mid-tirade shocks the shit out of me and has his eyes widening. “Ifyou don’t take your hand off my fiancée right the fuck now, I’ll cut it off.”
