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Chapter One
Emma
“Are you insane?” I say as I stare into Sophie’s blue eyes.
“What?” she asks. She flips her jet-black hair off her shoulder and shrugs.
“How can you suggest I try and get with someone else? Jerry and I just broke up,” I say in a whisper loud enough so she can hear me over the other diners in the restaurant, but not loud enough for our neighbors to overhear.
She shakes her head. “No, the both of you didn’tjustbreakup. It has been 10 months. It’s time to move on. Plus, Jerry is a jackass who never deserved you. I never said anything back when we were in college because I was waiting for you to come to that conclusion yourself. You need to get over him, and you know what they say: the best way to get over one man is to get under another.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
I laugh, then reach behind me and use the hair band that has been on my wrist all evening to secure my bountiful copper hair into a messy bun. “Thanks for the advice, but I think I am going to stay away from all that for now and focus on work. I still need to give my heart time to heal.”
Sophie blows a raspberry and gives me a thumbs down. “Boo! You have had enough time to heal. Now it’s time to go wild. Trust me, I know of what I speak.” She gives me an exaggerated wink.
I laugh and say, “OK, I will take that under advisement.”
She narrows her eyes at me, and the action makes me giggle.
I know I am not ready to date, or even casually hook up with anyone. I mean, Jerry and I were together for close to a decade. I was 21 when we got together. I thought I was going to marry that asshole. Only for him to announce to me that he has met someone else and wants to give things a go with her.
I truly loved him. I think I still kind of do, and I hate that I can’t pull him out of my system.
At the time of the dumping, it felt like the carpet had been pulled out from under me. The heartbreak was so intense that I actually fell ill. However, with time, the pain has dulled, and I am back to being a somewhat normal person.
“You’re the one who went to your bosses and asked to be transferred to a new city because you needed a fresh start,” Sophie says. “What was the point of moving to Boston if you’re not going to make the best of it?”
“OK, Soph! I said I will think about it.”
“I know what that means. You’re only saying that to shut me up.” She raises an eyebrow as a challenge.
We stare each other down until I finally break down with a chuckle. “Yes, but still.”
She rolls her eyes at me and is about to continue her assault when our waiter thankfully comes over and places our plates in front of us. Sophie has always been a serious foodie, so when her rib-eye with compound butter melting on top is put down before her I can literally see her salivate. I am forgotten as she picks up her knife and fork and begins to go to town on the poor slab of meat.
The rest of the dinner was pretty uneventful. Sophie and I talk about life and she gushes about how happy she is that I have moved to town. This is the first time the both of us will be living in the same place since college. If I’m being honest, Sophie is one of the reasons I asked to be moved to Boston. I felt so out of control in my old life.
I needed something to tether me to the earth. When we were younger, Sophie had always been the grounding element in my life. I have only been here a couple of days and it is clear to me that this move was the right choice, because I already feel more centered than I have in a while.
I am, however, quite worried about starting work here in Boston.Light Consultingis a national company with offices throughout the country, and I have worked in its smallest branch my entire career. I moved back to my hometown of Ojai, California, after college andLight Consultingwas the first company to offer me a position. So, I grabbed it with both hands.
Things are bound to be faster paced here in Boston, and I have to admit, I am nervous. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to keep up with everyone else. I guess I’ll find out soon enough when I start on Monday.
After dinner, Sophie insists on paying the bill that is several hundred dollars heavy. Apparently, being a lawyer in Boston is working out for her pretty well. She says it’s her way of welcoming me to the city. I allow her but make her promise that I will get the next one.
We walked out onto the street. The summer air is warm against my skin and I’m glad I chose not to layer up tonight. We proceed to wait for Sophie’s ride. Her car was in the shop so her dad offered to pick her up and take her home. We are having idle chitchat when out of nowhere I feel a hand squeeze my ass.
I yelp and rocket into the air so high that when I come back down and land solidly on my heels I’m quite surprised. I move in the opposite direction of the assault and glare at my offender.
He is a man who looks to be about our age. He is tall, blonde, trendily dressed and quite handsome. From the smirk on his face, I can tell that he often gets away with this kind of behavior simply because he’s good looking. What he doesn’t know is that he’s tried that move on the wrong person tonight.
“What’s wrong?” Sophie asks.
To answer her question I continue to stare down the asshole and say, “Who the fuck do you think you are? What makes you think you can just walk up to me and grab my ass?”
“What?!” Sophie turns and faces him head on. She squares her shoulders.
“Come on, you know you liked it,” he says. He is slurring his words. It’s clear he’s had quite a bit to drink.
