Page 27 of Gravity

“My future husband,”

“Nora,” he warns.

“Mom, when Wade comes around to be with Dad, he’ll be here over the lunch time period, right?”

“While I’m working, yes. Why?”

“It’s just I won’t be here some days because—”

“Where will you be?” Asher interrupts.

“Out. I’ve—”

“Doing what?”

I place my phone down and tilt my head at him. He never lets me finish a sentence. “Having unprotected sex with a guy who’s name I won’t remember.”

“Nora!” Mom gasps.

Asher just glares at me. “Don’t fuck with me, Nora.”

“Then shut up and let me answer.” I cut him a look before turning to Mom. “I’ve got myself a little waitressing job for the summer.”

“Really?” Mom questions.

Grayson straightens in his chair, looking down at the ground and telling me in one single gesture that he doesn’t like the idea of it. Meanwhile, Asher is glaring at me like I’ve just committed a serious crime.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he growls. The tension across the table could be cut with a knife.

“Wow, didn’t realize that would be an issue.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Mom replies. “That’s great news. Really it is. But I thought you put a hold on your studies to be with your dad.”

“So did I,” Asher grumbles.

“I don’t want you throwing all your hard work away just to set up in some job and have your qualifications wasted.”

“I won’t be throwing anything away, Mom. My plan is to still live the dream. But I don’t want to live out of your pockets while I’m home.”

“That. Great.”

I smile at Dad, squeezing his hand. “Thanks, Pop. I’ll be home in time for dinner, so we’ll still have fun together.”

“You don’t need a job, Nora.”

“That’s not your choice to make, Asher.”

“You could have said you were looking for one.”

“Why, so you could get in there first and check out whether or not it was appropriate for me to apply for?” I shake my head, tired of this conversation already and tired of battling with him about everything I do. “When is this going to stop, Ash? It’s just a waitressing job.”

“Oh, even better: a job open to trouble and God knows what else,” he grunts. “Where the hell is this job anyway?”

I look at Grayson, pleading with him to help me out here.

“She’ll be working with me,” he adds, clearing his throat. “There has been a position going at the bar. Ryan said Nora had applied and by all accounts was great. So naturally, I agreed that Shortcake should be hired.”

Asher turns toward Grayson, his jaw muscles moving as he growls. “And you never ran it by me first?”