Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 91937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“Actually, he’s not taking any new clients,” she says. “Good luck.” She hangs up on me.
“Well, then,” I mutter, knowing full well why that happened. I go down to the second name on the list. One by one, they all give me the same excuse: they are not taking any new clients. By the end of it, the tears have streamed down my face, and the papers in front of me are wet.
I’m about to call the next lawyer on the list when my phone rings in my hand, and I stupidly think it’ll be from one of the lawyers who took my number before telling me they weren’t taking any new clients, but it’s showing a local number. “Hello.” I put the phone to my ear.
“Harmony,” the woman says my name, “it’s Autumn.”
“Hey,” I reply to her.
“I know you just filled out all the papers for work, but I forgot the most important one,” she admits and laughs. “I went to do payroll, and I didn’t have any of your information.” I look out the window. “I was wondering if it’s not too much trouble, can you pop in quickly and fill it out?”
“Yeah,” I reply, pushing away from the table. “I can come by now.”
“Thank you so much. When you come in, just come to the back. I’m in the office.”
“See you soon,” I tell her, getting up and walking to the bathroom before leaving. Turning on the cold water, I wash my face, but there is not much I can do to mask the redness of my eyes and the tip of my nose.
Grabbing my phone and my purse, I head out into the sunlight and feel the crisp cool air but then also the heat from the sun. I get into the car and open the windows before making my way over to the bar. Parking in the back, I see his red truck is here, and I’m thankful I haven’t seen him since I was served with the papers. It was slowly becoming one of the few nights I wanted to forget. Forget the fact I made out with him in a fucking closet, then I get home to him being there to witness me being served in the middle of the fucking night. The minute I got served, the kiss was the farthest thing from my mind. I put my head up and shoulders back as I walk into the bar and see that it’s empty, and all lights are off. I follow Autumn’s instructions and head to the back, saying a little prayer that I don’t come face-to-face with him.
Walking past the scene of the crime, where the kiss happened, I see the door is closed and a new handle is in its place. I walk toward the door, pushing it open and stepping into the back where they make the whiskey. The lights are all on, and I can hear people on the side as I walk toward the office.
I spot Autumn sitting behind the desk, taking a sip of her water as she chews something. I knock on the doorjamb and she looks up at me, a smile filling her face, making the little jitters I had about seeing her one-on-one go away. Her smile quickly fades. “Are you okay?” she asks me and I nod.
“Yeah,” I lie to her, “I think it’s allergies.” The excuse would make even me laugh if someone said it to me.
“Is that so?” She leans forward on her desk with her hands crossed in front of her. “I thought that was just during the spring.”
I shrug, not willing to put too much more into the lie. “I have to fill out something?” I change the subject and she reaches over and grabs the top manila folder, opening it.
“Yes,” she says, handing it to me. “Sit down.” She motions to the chair and I walk and pull out the chair, sitting on it. “Do you want something to drink?” She moves to the side, pointing at the small fridge in the corner of her office. “I would offer you a piece of cake.” She points at the loaf of cake that looks like she’s eating it with a fork. “But it was the last one Ms. Maddie had, and it’s a strawberry swirl cake with cream cheese frosting, and I’m sorry, but it’s all mine.”
I chuckle at her. “That’s okay, I’m not really hungry,” I tell her. “You should try the blueberry lemon cake with lemon drizzle.” Her eyes go big. “I had it the other day and it was the best one, I think.”
“I wish I knew who the baker was, I’d be ordering them by the case,” she admits. “Ms. Maddie refuses to tell me who it is.” I shrug and make no eye contact with her. “Anyway, here is what you need to fill out.” She hands me the paper. “Sorry about that.” She inhales deeply. “I’m blaming it on pregnancy brain.” She laughs. “Or at least I’m telling myself that.”