Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“I can’t see why you would be gun-shy about jumping into a relationship. You know, since Dad left Mom a week after she was diagnosed, the love of my life up and dies on me in a car crash, leaving me with two little kids, and your ex-fiancé dumped you when you needed him most.” She smiled. “Those all sound like very positive influences.”
I chuckled. “When you put it like that, I’m lucky I drag my ass out of bed in the morning.”
“Listen, we’ve been through some ugly stuff and learned some hard lessons. But the most important one I’ve learned came recently, when the doctor told me my leukemia was back. It’s been a reminder that we don’t know how long we’re here for, and the only things that matter are the people who love you and the memories you can fall back on to give you peace of mind.”
I tasted salt in my throat as I reached for my sister’s hand. “You can’t make me cry. I have to go home to Ryder, who will see my puffy face and grill me until I break.”
Frannie smiled. “That kid is just like someone else I know.”
“Oh gosh.” I laughed. “Me and Ryder?”
She nodded. “He’s mini you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he winds up an attorney like his favorite aunt.”
“His only aunt. And I’m not an attorney anymore.”
Frannie waved that away. “Semantics.”
I looked into my sister’s eyes. “You’re going to be okay. I know it in my heart.”
“I am. But so are you. Even if you wind up getting hurt again. You’ll dust yourself off and keep trying until you find the right guy. Because you don’t want to be sitting where I’m sitting someday and have regrets about not taking chances in life, with a man or anything else. This is all we get, so make the most of it.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’ll try.”
Frannie smiled. “Considering you’ve never failed at anything, I think that’s all you have to do.”
***
Later that night, I had just put Ryder and Molly to bed when my cell phone buzzed. It was my boss.
Dawson: Just read the due diligence writeup on the client coming in tomorrow that you left on my desk. How the hell did you find out the guy has two wives?
Naomi: Public records search. He was married in Wyoming two years before he was married in New York. I figured he was divorced and the records hadn’t been updated. So I contacted the Wyoming registrar and checked. They had no record of the divorce, so I went down a rabbit hole and found both women’s Facebook pages. Both had recent photos with him. I still thought it had to be wrong, so I called both women and asked for their husband. One said he’d be home tonight, and one said he was out of town on business until Thursday. He really may be married to two women.
Dawson: Considering his honesty would be a key part of his defense, I’ll be asking that question as soon as he walks in. Thanks for digging deep.
Naomi: No problem. It was fun.
Dawson: How was your sister tonight?
Naomi: So much better. She seems like her old self again. Though the doctor said the infusions are only a temporary fix. She needs a bone-marrow transplant or this will likely keep happening. Her body isn’t able to produce enough healthy blood cells on its own anymore.
Dawson: I’m sorry. Will they keep her until they find a match, or will she get discharged?
Naomi: The doctors came by for rounds right before I left. They said if her platelet count stays in the same range overnight, she can probably go home tomorrow.
Dawson: Awesome. Glad to hear it. If you need to take the day, it’s not a problem.
Naomi: Thank you. I appreciate that. They said she’ll probably be ready to go between eleven and twelve. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to come in early. That way if her discharge takes a few hours, I can still get a full day in after I get back if I work until five.
Dawson: You don’t need to put in a full day. But do whatever you want to do.
Naomi: Thanks. How did your afternoon with Emily turn out?
The dots on the phone jumped around, then stopped, then started jumping around again before stopping once more. It was a full two minutes before my phone buzzed. Not a long time, per se, but our exchanges had been constant, one after the other, until now.
Dawson: It was…interesting.
Well, now my curiosity was piqued.
Naomi: How so?
Dawson: Do you really want to know?
I felt my brows pull tight. Of course I did.
Naomi: Why wouldn’t I?
The dots did the same jumping and stopping thing again for a while.
Dawson: Let’s just say your attempt to make her jealous at the wedding succeeded. And then some.