Page 157 of Only Fate

“I’m sorry, Earl—” I start to say, but he interrupts me.

“I don’t blame you,” he says, blunt and straightforward. “You and I were nothing but collateral damage in their plan. Both of us victims.” He scoots his cart closer. “Please don’t have any guilt for what happened to me. Paula told me what you did when Jenna came to you.” He bows his head. “Thank you for that.”

I gulp. “I appreciate that, and welcome home.”

He tips his hat toward me. “Glad to be here. I thought I’d never miss it, but it’s good to be home.”

“Next!” the cashier yells as Coupon Woman finally pays and storms away with her cart.

Even though I stopped paying close attention, I’m pretty sure she didn’t find her coupon.

The cashier gives me a scrutinizing stare as her gaze slides from the box I’m purchasing to my ringless finger.

Okay, rude.

She grumbles out my total, and after paying, I wave to Earl before rushing out of the pharmacy. My UGG boots crunch against the snow on my walk to my car.

I toss the bag into the passenger seat, and just as I buckle my seat belt, my phone rings.

“Hello?” I answer with a slight shiver.

I forgot to heat my car, and it’s starting to get cold AF here.

“Hi. May I please speak with Essie Lane?” the woman on the other end asks in a friendly tone.

“This is she.”

“It’s Mary from Dr. Hedges’s office. You’re on the waitlist to meet with him about scar reconstruction surgery. Dr. Hedges has some cancellations, if you’d like to schedule a consultation with him.”

I stare down at my stomach, then at the package in the seat, and then back to my stomach. “Thank you for following up, Mary. But I think I’m okay.”

“All right,” she chirps. “Have a great day and let us know if you change your mind.” She ends the call.

I lift my shirt and coat to peer at my stomach again, no longer hating the sight of my scars.

I’ve grown into accepting them as part of me.

I’m beginning to love the skin that I’m in.

If I had surgery, it’d be like all the work I’d done, loving myself, would’ve been for nothing.

I smile when I approach our law firm, Castillo and Lane at Law.

Adrian and I went back and forth on whose office to stay in. While I loved mine, Adrian’s—Terrance’s before—had history. I’d worked there in high school. It brought Adrian to Blue Beech, and people in town are familiar with it.

It has two offices compared to my one.

I also like that we’ll be keeping Terrance’s work alive.

“Hi, pretty,” Ralph greets me when I walk in, swatting snowflakes from my hair.

“Hey now,” Lainey says, shooting him a frown. “I’mhersecretary, which means I’m the one who’s supposed to greet her like that.”

I grin. “How aboutbothof you can call me pretty?”

“I’ll take it,pretty,” Ralph says.

“Although I don’t really need my ego stroked and think we should keep things more professional,” I add, and they crack up laughing, as if that’s realistic.

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