Page 78 of Unexpected Love

“Any particular reason you don’t want to continue practicing law?” There’s no judgment in her tone, just curiosity.

I set the first apple down and pick up the next, giving myself a minute to think about what I want to say. “I was raised by twovery selfish people. People who probably never should have had children. But they did because that’s what was expected.”

I move on to the third apple, not looking at Laura. “I didn’t realize it until recently, but almost everything I’ve done in my life was because of the manipulation of my parents. I joined the soccer team because that was an acceptable sport for someone like me. I joined the debate team because it would look good on college applications. I volunteered my time for the same reason. I was friends with only the wealthy kids in my class because that’s what they wanted. I learned the piano because that’s what ladies were supposed to do.” I sigh, placing the peeler and final apple on the counter. “I went to law school because I was good on the debate team and was a logical thinker—or so I thought.”

“If you feel comfortable doing it, those need to be cored and sliced.” Laura gestures to the peeled apples. I appreciate her giving me a task and letting me word-vomit so much of what I’ve been holding in.

“I’ve never done that before.”

“I can show you.” She wipes her hands on the towel thrown over her shoulder and comes over to me. “This is a corer. It does exactly what it sounds like,” she says, picking up the metal tool and piercing the apple. “Slowly twist the corer around the center of the apple, and then pull the core out.” Her movements match her words, and the core pops up with little effort. “From there, it’s simply slicing the apple into thin pieces.” She cuts the apple in half and slices a few pieces to show me what she means.

“I can do that.”

“Perfect.” She wipes her hands again before squeezing my shoulder quickly and returning to the dough she was mixing.

Neither of us talk for a few minutes, my focus entirely on the apples in front of me.

“I recently discovered that my parents arranged a marriage for me. To the son of my father’s closest friend.” I glance atLaura, and while she pauses briefly in what she’s doing, she doesn’t say anything. “That same man tried to rape me two weeks before my brother called. It’s why I was fired from the firm.” That’s the first time I’ve labeled that attack for what it really was. And surprisingly, it lifts the last remaining weight from my shoulders.

Laura slowly turns to me, her face filled with rage. “Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly? You were fired because a man tried to rape you?”

“I was fired because the man in question is the son of one of the founding partners, and at the end of the day, I insulted him when I said no.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.” She twists the towel in her hands as if trying to strangle something.

“No, it doesn’t. But when my boss called me in and told me I was being let go, I was relieved. And it wasn’t only because I wouldn’t have to see Brian around the office anymore.” I pick up the corer and begin working on another apple.

“Being fired showed me just how unhappy I was in my life. I was living in a city I hated and working a job I found absolutely no fulfillment in. I didn’t have friends and was so freaking lonely. I just didn’t recognize any of that because my focus was that job.”

Laura slowly turns back to the dough she’s working, recognizing that doing something with my hands is helping me through talking about this.

“Then my brother called, and I jumped at the chance to escape all of it. To focus on something else. Something worthwhile. Something I could feel proud of.”

“Exactly what you needed at exactly the right time.”

“Yeah.” I sigh. “I didn’t have a plan when I got here, but somewhere along the way, this town started to feel more like home than anything in Massachusetts. When I saw thebookstore was hiring, I couldn’t ignore it.” I toss the last few apple slices into the bowl and move to rinse my hands in the sink.

I don’t hear Laura move to my side, but she’s there handing me a towel to dry my hands. “Sometimes not having a plan is the best thing for us. Not having a plan doesn’t have to mean chaos. It just leaves the door open for unexpected possibilities.”

“Unexpected possibilities,” I whisper.

My eyes drift out the window above the sink, and in the distance I can see Gage and Olivia at the chicken coop. They’re laughing about something when Gage throws an arm over Olivia’s shoulders, pulling her into his side and giving her a noogie. The joy on his face sparks something bright in my chest.

My first instinct is to run from it. To fight this feeling growing inside me. It’s too fast to feel this way for someone. We barely know each other. But then I think about it and realize that’s not true.

I know Gage prefers the cold, especially when he sleeps. I know he likes classic rock and indie folk music but hates rap and pop. I know he prefers a comedy to an action-packed movie and hates reality TV. He takes his coffee with a little sugar and a decent amount of milk—though, he hates to admit it. He loves the outdoors and wishes he could spend more time hiking.

His favorite color is green, and his favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a vet.

He loved his time in the military but is glad he’s home and able to spend time with his family. He’s glad his parents are back together and believes this might be the one that sticks. He worries about his siblings and whether he spends enough time with them or if he missed too much while he was in the army.

I know him better than I know anyone else. He’s smart and funny. So incredibly caring and honorable. Adventurous anddetermined. He’s everything I could want in a partner and so much more.

It might be fast, but it doesn’t make it any less true. I am in love with that man.

“Unexpected possibilities indeed.” Laura’s voice tears me from my thoughts, and there’s a knowing smirk on her face when I turn to look at her. She squeezes my hand before returning to the kitchen island, this time to the spices set next to the bowl of sliced apples. “Can I ask if it’s practicing law you were unhappy with or if the law firm was the issue?”

I move to her side and watch as she measures the spices, pouring them over the apples. “The law firm was definitely an issue, but I don’t know about the rest.”

---