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“Six weeks, Grace. Give it at least six weeks.”
I sigh. “I’ll think about it.” I nod toward the door, ready for him to leave.
“Thanks for hearing me out, Grace,” he says, pausing at the door. “You look good, by the way.” He walks out before I can respond, and I find myself staring off after him, wondering what the hell just happened and what I just agreed to.
I’m so glad I agreed to meet the girls for dinner and drinks tonight. Originally, I told Tessa I was going to skip, but as soon as Steven left my office and Marion gave me a look like she knew we’d just had a big discussion, I knew I needed to escape before I told her everything. Feigning being late for dinner with the girls, I hightailed it out of the office and texted Tessa that I was on my way.
Now as I sit in the hip restaurant across from my friends while Luna tells us a story about her latest hookup’s curved penis, I smile in delight at my decision.
“You girls don’t understand, it hits you right there! It’s magic. A fucking magical penis.” Luna grins as she curves her finger in explanation.
Laughing, I choke on my drink. “Well, fuck, now I want one of those!”
Tessa bobs her head in agreement and holds up her drink. “Here’s to magical penises!”
We all giggle as the waiter arrives and stares at us in straight-up fear. Poor kid is in his early twenties and probably scared for his life with us. I shake my head in embarrassment. “Sorry, we’ll keep it down.”
He laughs, apparently not as nervous as I thought. “Don’t do it on my account,” he says with a wink in my direction. I pinch back a laugh when he walks away.
“Oh my God! Maybe he has a magical penis!” Tessa says, hitting my arm. “And he totally wants to show it to you!”
I almost spit out my drink. “He’s like twelve.”
From behind me, I hear, “I’m twenty-four.” All of us burst out again in laughter and I cover my face, mortified.
“We are children. Absolute children,” Mallory says, looking between her fingers over at the waiter who has retreated back to the kitchen. “But damn, I do think he was checking you out, Grace.”
“I’ve had enough man problems for the day. I’m not adding that to the list.”
Tessa turns in her seat, looking at me. “What happened today?”
I sigh. “Steven showed up at my office.”
“No!” she screeches. “He didn’t dare!”
I stare down into my wine glass. “He did. And get this, he wanted to apologize for sleeping with his secretary.” I roll my eyes. I honestly do feel bad for him, which is pathetic, but he looked so hopeful and then dejected when I wouldn’t even go to dinner with him.
Eliza peeps up. “What did he do, trip into her vag?”
Slapping my hand down on the table with more enthusiasm than I mean, I yelp, “That’s what I said!”
“That’s what she said!” Tessa mimes, laughing at her own joke. We all burst out laughing, and I feel the stress of the day fall from my shoulders.
“Okay, ladies, this has been fun, but I have to get up early tomorrow,” Eliza says, looking at her phone. Mallory agrees and they both get their stuff together.
Luna looks at Tessa and me, and then back to the girls. “Ah shit, I should go to. Dinner Saturday night and then the club?” she asks, looking around the table.
It’s so odd being included in plans for a Saturday night. And having those plans involve clubbing. I mean, it’s not really clubbing—we aren’t eighteen. It’s a swanky bar with dancing, but still, it all feels so surreal that this has become my life.
Out for dinner and drinks in the city after work, then walking home to my apartment, coffee on the corner, then doing it all again, day after day. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was kind of loving it. I don’t know how I ever lived in the suburbs and in the quiet. The buzz of the city fits me. Or at least the me that I am right now.
“I’m down,” I say, looking to Tessa who bobs her head in agreement.
We kiss goodbye and Tessa motions to the bar. “Let’s grab one more. I’m too restless to go home and I want to hear more about your chat with Steven.”
Feeling a bit on edge too, I follow her to the bar. “Grab me a dirty martini,” she says to me as we grab seats. “I’m just going to run to the bathroom.”
I nod as she walks off and turn to the bartender, giving her our order.
