Page 44 of Free Me

Erik chuckles and pulls me in for a one-armed hug. “You’re such a softie.”

“Me?” I point my finger between him and Jules. “Me? No, you two are neck and neck for the softest softie who ever softed.”

Astrid winks at Jules. “Stef’s right. You two are disgustingly soft and sweet, and make the rest of us look bad.”

My hand flies to my chest, and I gasp in mock outrage. “Ibegyour pardon. I never look bad. At least not where anyone else can see.” That earns the expected chuckle before we lapse into easy silence, concentrating on our projects for a bit.

I’m lost in focus on my unicorn when, out of nowhere, Jules breaks the silence, making me jump and almost ruin my masterpiece. “The landscapers are coming tomorrow to put the final touches on the lawn so everything will have time to settle into place before the wedding.” He’s radiating joy and happiness from every pore.

Astrid sets down her paint brush, finished with the dog bowl. “That’s excellent news! So the wedding will be outside?”

Jules nods. “Yup. Tents will be in place no matter the weather, so the only reason we’d move indoors is if it’s storming. If that happens, we’ll have the ceremony in the great room, and everyone can hang out in the house after.”

I add a swirl of pink to my unicorn’s base and set it next to Astrid’s bowl. “Your kitchen is more than large enough to manage the buffet if it comes to that.”

Erik takes Jules’ hand. “And as long as you’re my husband at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.” He brings Jules’ hand to his lips and presses a soft kiss to his knuckles.

I’m over the moon for them, and I don’t feel that familiar twinge of wanting what they have, knowing I’ll never have it. Because of Blake. Wecouldhave that someday. And it just might be my turn for the fairytale to come true.

17

Blake

“Blake,I’vecalledtoconfirm your reservation atLaurentfor eight o’clock, and Jocelin Allard is on line two.”

Leaning back in my chair, I rub my eyes and nod to my assistant. “Thanks, Mike. You headed home?”

“Yeah. Unless you need anything else before I go.”

He has his backpack slung over his shoulder and his keys in his hand. “No. I’m fine. Enjoy your evening.” He waves and disappears from the doorway. I pick up the handset and press the blinking light. “Hey, Jocelin, what’s up?”

The dramatic sigh from the other end of the line doesn’t bode well. “I am so sorry to bother you with this, Blake. I thought we’d have this contract put to bed by now, but Gilbert Fox is making new demands and they aren’t ones I’m willing to authorize without your approval.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut. “Can it wait until tomorrow?”

“It can, but unfortunately, I can’t. Mr. Trumble has me booked on another project that will eat up most of my week. We all thought this negotiation would be finished by now. I’m so sorry. It’s either right now or sometime next week.”

And if we put this off another week, I’m positive Gilbert will try to contact me directly again. Jocelin had a little chat with Gilbert’s lawyer about him going around them and we haven’t had an issue since. But if Jocelin’s out of pocket for a week that would probably change.

“Alright, but I only have two hours. Stef and I have a reservation atLaurent.” That should give me enough time to get home, shower, and collect Stef.IfJocelin and I are able to iron out the wrinkles by then.

“Perfect. I’ll be right up. Give me fifteen minutes to gather the documents and hit the restroom.”

“Okay, see you in a few.” I hang up and pull out my phone.

Me:Reservations confirmed. Can’t wait to see you.

Stef:cry emojiI’m sick! My client gave me a cold and I’ve been in denial. I feel awful and can’t go.Sob emoji mask emoji thermometer_face emoji

Me:Aww. I’m sorry, sweetheart. Can I do anything?Hug emoji

Stef:Don’t be angry? I’m really sorry.

Me:I’m not angry. Disappointed? Sure. But you can’t help being sick. I can have my driver drop off something if you need it. Tissues? Cold medicine? Soup?

Stef:No. I don’t want to be a bother. I’ll just huddle under my blankets and watch old movies. I think Speed is on Netflix.

Me:Ha ha. Not funny.

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