“It is what it is,” I tell myself. “Know your place, Ailee.” Then I put on a smile, turn to my laptop and continue with my day. I have a great boss who values me and a fiancé who loves me. What more could I want?
Barry, an associate from Georgia who looks like he could’ve had a more successful career as a bouncer than a lawyer, comes over to grab Josh for lunch. “Wanna join us?” he says with a wink.
I shake my head. “Thanks, but I brought a sandwich.”
“What? Beaten by asandwich? You just broke my heart.” He puts a hand over his chest dramatically.
Snorting, Josh smacks his back. “Let’s go.” He turns to me. “Don’t take this idiot seriously.”
“I won’t.” I smile. Barry got married recently, but rumor has it he’s still a player. He even organized Ares’s bachelor party, which was a bit ridiculous because the party took placeafterthe wedding. Apparently, the timing wasn’t important. What mattered was that Barry got to party with strippers.
Wonder if his wife knows…or cares?Despite his player rep, Barry’s one of the most capable lawyers at the firm, so maybe his wife married him for his career prospects and money. Hard to say, since I’ve never met her. But Katt might be wiser than Barry’s wife because she’s willing to wait until Josh’s done playing around.
Pushing away thoughts of my sister and Josh’s future together, I nibble on my PB&J and browse a couple of clothing sites. I need to schedule a trip to meet Chad’s parents—hopefully his father recovers soon—and can’t decide if I should buy something new or pick something out of my closet. I want to make a good impression on his family, even though they live in North Carolina. I’m hoping we could spend warm, loving Thanksgiving and Christmas together. I’ve always longed for holidays where I fit in and not get judged because I want to have another helping of stuffing—
“Still at your desk?”
I jerk my head up at Barry’s voice. He’s standing at my desk with my boss. “You’re back already?” I glance at the clock. “Wow. Already one fifteen.”
Josh hands me a box bearing the Bobbi’s Sweet Things logo. “Here. I just happened to walk by on the way back to the office.”
“On the way? We took a detour that—”
Josh buries an elbow deep into Barry’s side, which produces a thin, choking sound. “Don’t you have a meeting at one thirty? Better get going.”
“Fine,” Barry wheezes, and blows me a kiss before disappearing.
Josh turns to me. “They didn’t have the nama-cream cupcake flavor I wanted, so I picked up the last strawberry.” He scratches the tip of his nose.
I beam. “Strawberry’s my favorite.”
“I know.”
Sweetness spreads through me. “Thanks, boss.”
“My pleasure.” He starts to smile, then his eyes fall on my ring and his eyebrows pull together. “When’s the wedding, by the way?”
“I’m not sure yet. Chad and I haven’t set a date, since… Well, there’s just a lot to consider. His family’s in North Carolina, mine’s here, stuff like that.” I shrug.
He purses his lips. “You should take plenty of time to rethink your decision.”
“Rethink?” I frown. Josh isn’t the type to pick the wrong word.
“Better safe than sorry. Marriage is a serious matter. The kind that requires a lawyer beforehand and maybe after.”
Oh…I smile. “Appreciate you watching out for me, but I’m not important enough to need a lawyer for my marriage.”
The grooves between his eyebrows deepen. “Like I said. Take your time and really think it through.Chadisn’t going anywhere.”
“Thanks, boss.” I widen my smile. “But Chad’s perfect for me.”
Chapter Three
Josh
At two sharp, I steeple my fingers and watch as Ted Lasker settles his imposing frame into a seat on the other side of my desk. He still has a full head of hair—dark too, although the color might be from a bottle. He has twinkling eyes that look blue-gray under the light and the square jaw he gave to all seven of his sons. They were born to seven different women, one of them being my aunt Jeremiah.
He’s in a sapphire short-sleeve, button-down shirt and light beige slacks. His assistant Joey Martin takes Ted’s sunglasses and places them in a case with reverence reserved for the Holy Grail. His orange hair is cut short and spiked, showing every square inch of an enormous forehead. I told him if he’d comb his hair down a little, he might look better. At least it’d provide some coverage for his ridiculous forehead, but he refused, saying Ted likes his hair up.
