Page 12 of Pucking Only
I can’t even entertain that possibility in my head. If all this ended up being for nothing…
Shaking my head, I push the thought aside. No, no, I’m not even going there. I’ll lose my ever-loving shit if this doesn’t work.
“I’ll get the promotion,” I say with more confidence than I actually feel.
Grace sighs and nods. “Yeah, I’ve no doubt you’re going to knock this thing out of the park, Sky. They’d be idiots not to promote you.”
I sit back and release a long slow breath. They would be idiots, but a part of me worries about the fact that I have been convinced on more than one occasion that my boss is, in fact, an idiot.
“Grace, this place is adorable.”
Standing in the middle of her apartment, I look around and take in what is essentially going to be my new home for the next few weeks. It’s meticulously clean and organized. It makes perfect sense given how type A Grace is. And yet, it’s still warm and homey with vases of brightly colored flowers, framed pictures and water color paintings of flowers and landscapes on the walls.
Most of the photos are of her family. I smile when I find one of the two of us at our high school graduation. We’re both wearing our graduation robes. Mine is unzipped and my hat is askew, while hers is perfectly neat and arranged.
I smile softly, remembering how inseparable Grace and I were then. We were practically attached at the hip. Then I shudder, thinking about how much high school sucked. I was short, nerdy, and wore glasses…and while all those still technically apply to me, it made me prime prey for the mean girls. I put on a brave, sassy front and acted like their taunts and bullying didn’t bother me. Truthfully, I wouldn’t choose to go back to those years if given an option.
"I can't believe you chose this picture out of all the other ones of us together,” I say with a chuckle. “What about the cute one we took when we met those guys at the bar on your twenty-first birthday?”
Grace lets out a laugh and replies, "If I recall correctly, it was you and Rylee who met the guys. I left early."
I pause and scrunch up my nose as I try to remember that night - it’s admittedly very blurry.
“Oh, yeah,” I say as more details fall into place in my head. “That’s right…my bad.”
Her living room area is to my right, and her kitchen is on the left. A short hallway off the living room leads to her bathroom and bedroom.
Grace looks up from where she’s standing in the kitchen, a bottle of wine in one hand and a corkscrew in the other.
“I’m glad you approve,” she says as she works to open the bottle. “You should have everything you need. The building is quiet, the wifi is strong, I’ve washed the bedsheets and you’ve got new, clean towels in the bathroom. Oh, I stocked the cupboards and fridge with all your favorites, too.”
“Thank you, mom,” I tell her with a wide smile.
“I just want to make sure your stay is as comfortable as possible,” she replies just as she pops the cork, pouring two glasses and bringing one over to me. “We have a few minutes until Jensen gets here. I ordered us dinner, so that shouldn’t be too long either.”
“Well, thank you.” I take the glass and take a sip. “I really appreciate you letting me stay here, Grace.”
“It’s a really good building,” she assures me. “Friendly neighbors, tight security. And Carson’s just a few floors above you.”
I freeze and stare at her with wide eyes. Shit! I totally forgot! Ugh, Grace had mentioned once that Carson lived in the same building as she did. I’d apparently shoved that bit of information to the back of my mind.
A sudden knock on the front door yanks me from my spiraling thoughts.
“Oh! That’s probably Jensen!” Grace declares, hurrying past me to answer it.
I stare after her, a mixture of shock and irritation pulsing through me. I’m not surprised she kept that little bit of information secret. Yet, it irks me that she did. Still, I don’t suppose I can be too upset with her, and I’m not going to scold her in front of her boyfriend.
She opens the door and exclaims, “Hey!”
“Hey, babe,” Jensen replies and drops his head to give her a kiss after which Grace moves aside and gives him room to come into the apartment.
He’s taller than I remember. To be fair, I haven’t seen him in person since we met him in Miami our freshmen year of college. Not that we actually knew who he was back then or that he was Carson’s best friend.
He’s still ridiculously good-looking. Tall, muscular build, dark hair that’s long on the top and cut short on the sides, and a closely trimmed beard give him a rugged yet stylish appearance. He smiles, his green eyes twinkling, and offers me his hand to shake. It’s big, and you know what they say about men with big hands. I shoot a grin toward Grace and waggle my eyebrows at her. She rolls her eyes. Her cheeks turn pink, and the corners of her mouth twitch up into a bashful smile.
“Hey, Skyler,” he says, his voice deep and rumbling. “It’s nice to meet you…again. Properly this time.”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you properly too,” I reply, giving his hand a firm grip and shake. “I totally forgot how attractive youare in person. You were with another ridiculously hot guy in Miami…who was he again?”