She pocketed her phone again, smiling into the warm, noisy air of The Hollow. Themaybelingered between them, tender as a secret. And if friends were all they ever were, she’d still count it as a small, quiet miracle.
Chapter Seventeen
GRACE
When Grace leftfor the airport at dawn, she’d expected to have breakfast at her favorite airline’s loyalty lounge. To spend two hours sitting directly in front of the departure board. To have all the time in the world to pretend to read theNew York Timesbestseller she’d picked up. She did not, however, prepare to spend sixhoursat MIA thanks to weather delays and canceled flights.
By the time Grace arrived at her gate, she was long past getting to Denver by lunch, and now she’d be lucky if she arrived before midnight. Impatience was a massive, molten living thing pushing at the boundaries of her composure. She was tired and drained and absolutely over it when her group was finally called to board.
Trying to ignore the loud breather with no sense of personal space trudging up the jetway behind her, Grace gripped the straps of the leather backpack with both hands. She remembered the mindfulness retreat the firm put on when they were pretending to give a shit about work-life balance.
Eyes focused on the suited man in front of her who had stopped walking thanks to some unseen obstruction closer to the plane door, Grace thought of snow. She imagined the adorable mountain-adjacent town Alix had described.
Grace’s desire to scream ebbed with every passing second. She thought of a real white Christmas. Alix said the chances of snow on the big day were fifty-fifty, but the forecast was promising.
She imagined Alix in a big fluffy hat and matching gloves while they walked the too-cute-to-be-real main street and popped into a little coffee shop. She pictured sitting by the fire. It was easy to imagine being warm when her light cashmere sweater acted like a personal sauna while crammed in the small, un-air-conditioned jetway.
Her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans. She reached for the welcome distraction.
Alix
Can it be true??? Is this flight tracker messing with my emotions, or are you actually getting on a plane right now?
The line into the plane moved and Grace chuckled to herself, irritation completely evaporated. Despite the mask making her face flush and hair that was no longer perfectly sleek, Grace took a selfie.
Alix’s chat bubbles appeared and reappeared. She hadn’t responded by the time Grace boarded. Delighted with her decision to book a first-class seat so she could plop down in a hurry, get her earbuds in, and relax, Grace slipped off her backpack.
She only had a few moments to revel in the fact that the lady in the window seat was quiet, until she produced a sandwich bag from her purse. When she opened it, the nauseating aroma ofhard-boiled eggs apparently coated in raw garlic slapped Grace in the face. She was considering asking the lady if she’d ever shared an enclosed space plagued with recycled air with other people before when her phone buzzed again. A new text.
Shifting her body toward the aisle and away from chemical warfare, Grace grabbed her phone. She couldn’t wait to see Alix’s response. Her pulse jumped at the prospect of getting a selfie in return. Since Thanksgiving, she’d wanted so many more photos of Alix but hadn’t figured out how to ask for them without sounding like a creep.
The text was not from Alix. If it were from Alix, it wouldn’t have triggered the intense and unstoppable urge to puke. An urge that was made infinitely more intense by her neighbor’s dinner.
Julie
You’re not attending my Daubert hearing on Tuesday.
Bile burned the back of Grace’s throat. She stared at the text, wondering whether to respond. Julie hadn’t posed a question. She could ignore it, couldn’t she? Grace had already gotten a disapproving grumble from the managing partner when she told him she’d be away — but available — most of the week. She didn’t answer to Julie. But the more she stared at the text, the more annoyed she got.
Grace
Everything you need is in your folder in the shared drive. Marked depos, cases on point, and a memo for the argument. It’s a slam dunk. Judge Willis already allowed this expert on the same issue last year. I included his order in that case.
Julie
I’ve been practicing law since you were in high school, Grace. My concern is not for me.
Grace rolled her eyes. Even though Julie wasn’t the worst about it, Grace was getting sick of partners pawning off their work as if it were a favor to her. She understood how things went, but she could stand a little less patronizing.
Julie
You were out last month as well.
Grace
For Thanksgiving, Julie. When I hadn’t taken a day off in nearly two years. Not one.
Julie
