Page 104 of Now to Forever

I scoff. “I do.”

“You say so.” His lips twitch, making a look like he doesn’t believe me as Molly trots over to him. “Sit,” he commands. That bitch does.

“That dog is an asshole.”

He chuckles as he scrubs her head. “How was work today?”

“Fine. Wanda tried to kill her husband. I guess I knew that.” Ford’s eyes widen so dramatically I laugh. “But . . .” I sit on the couch, he followssuit.

“But?”

I drop my head onto his lap and stretch my legs out; he runs his fingers through my hair. It strikes me how easy this feels. How comfortable and safe.

“But for the first time I imagined not being there. Doing something else.”

“Like what?”

I stare at the apex of the ceiling.

“I don’t know. Some days it feels like the reasons I started doing it don’t match who I am today. Or who I want to be tomorrow.” I make an exasperated noise and rub my hands on my face. “I don’t know. It was a weird day, I guess. And I’ve known if I move I would sell it and do something else, but today I really pictured it. Me not there.”

His hands are still in my hair, and he drops his chin to his chest to look at me. “Ifyou move?”

I stare at the ceiling; I’m not talking about this. I don’t know what I’m doing so my only plan is to vocalize none of it.

“Ah,” he says, amused. “We’re doing that thing where we pretend you didn’t say something real.” I sit upright and elbow him in the ribs without looking at him; he grunts through a laugh. “But,” he says with an exaggerated pause, “I get that better than anyone. You want to do something different, do something different.”

Those words hang between us as I try to picture it.

“I can think of a few things I’d like to do differently,” I say, biting my lip and leaning into him.

He rumbles with a laugh. “Not in Archie’s bed you don’t.”

“Prude.”

“That’s not what you said Saturday,” he says in my ear, kissing the lobe and making a delicious warmth trickle over me. “But I have to go. Wren has something at the school I need to drive her to.”

I groan again. “First the Letts girl then my good time, kids are the worst.”

He laughs, stands, and tugs my hands so I do the same. “Only sometimes.”

Scotty

How do you tell a teenager they have shitty taste in friends?

You there?

June

Sorry, I couldn’t respond because I was laughing so hard over you thinking this is an actual option.

You’re worthless.

Still laughing.

What kind of job should I have after I sell Happy Endings?

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