Page 85 of Booked on a Feeling

“Well, go and get that done. I’ll see myself out.”

“I’ll miss you, Lizzy.” Her associate gave her a tight hug. “Please keep in touch. I mean it.”

“I will.” Lizzy hugged her back, realizing maybe she did have a friend in the firm. “Thank you.”

After saying goodbye to Katie, Lizzy walked over to Peter’s office and rapped lightly on his open door.

“There she is,” he said, looking away from his computer. “What are you standing there for? Come sit down.”

She planted herself in one of two guest chairs in front of his massive mahogany desk. She had sat on the chair countless times with a yellow notepad in hand to discuss her many cases with him. It felt strange to sit there empty-handed, preparing to say goodbye.

“Are you working on the Doheny trial?” she asked, catching a glimpse of the motions on his desk.

“Yes.” He swiped a hand down his face. “This fucking case should’ve settled two weeks ago, but when both parties are unreasonable assholes…”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Been there. Done that. Too many times. “Well, it’s good for the firm, right?”

“Right,” he said with a dry smile. “So are you ready to start your new job next week?”

“Yes. Thank you so much for the referral,” she said. “I still can’t believe you know a law office near Weldon.”

“Robert used to practice in LA years ago at one of the boutique firms until he moved up there to branch out on his own. He did well for himself. I think he’s up to three associates with you joining his practice.”

“Well, I’ll only be working part-time for now.”

She hoped being at a small firm in a small town would make her happier, but she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it yet. Wasn’t it what she wanted? Being an attorney was all she knew how to do… It was probably because none of it felt real yet. She just needed time to adjust to her new life.

“You’ll figure it all out soon enough,” Peter said, seeming to sense her disquiet. “I wish you the best of luck. You are a damn fine attorney.”

“Thank you, Peter. You’ve been an amazing mentor.” With one last hug, she left his office.

As she walked down the hallway, Lizzy thought about visiting Ashley for old times’ sake, but she decided to save herself the trouble. She didn’t want to endure her fake solicitude or ill-disguised glee. Instead, she said a silent goodbye to the law firm that had been the center of her life for the past five years and left without looking back.

Once she got to her car, she loaded her box in the trunk and slid into the driver’s seat. It finally hit her that this was the last time she would be driving out of this parking structure—this building. She’d really done it. She had given her two weeks’ notice and left Nelson Peters. When she’d told her mom about her decision to leave the firm, her rage had been palpable from across the ocean. But Lizzy was done living her life to earn her mom’s approval. She deserved to choose the life she wanted to live. She deserved to be happy. That didn’t make any of this easier, though.

It was just past six o’clock when she pulled out onto the street, and the sun was still shining brilliantly over downtown Los Angeles. The thought of going home to her empty condo suddenly filled her with dread. To avoid the loneliness and doubts threatening to overwhelm her, she changed course and headed to her safe place.

Hideaway Bookstore was warm and welcoming as ever when she walked into the familiar space, but the ring of the shopkeeper’s bell made her heart flutter. For weeks, it had been her favorite sound in the world, because it often announced the arrival of her favorite person. Tears filled her eyes, and the bookstore blurred in front of her.

“Lizzy?” Beverly came and put a hand on her arm. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She shook her head and forced a watery smile. “Sorry. It’s nothing. I… I’m moving, and I’m really going to miss this place.”

“Oh, my dear.” The shop owner gave her a hug. “Where are you moving to?”

“To Weldon, a small town on the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada,” Lizzy said, fighting back more tears. “It’s… it’s really beautiful there.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“It really is.” Weldon had made her feel safe and content. Why was she blubbering like this? She couldn’t understand herself. “Well, I’m going to have a look around and say farewell to my favorite bookstore.”

“Take your time,” Beverly said with a pat on Lizzy’s back.

She meandered through the store, not knowing where to settle. She eventually ended up at the literature section and reached forPride and Prejudice,but she couldn’t open it. Last time she was at Hideaway Bookstore, Jack had known exactly where she was and what she was reading. Even though she had been “celebrating” her trial victory on her own, she hadn’t been alone. But today—she took a shuddering breath and braced herself against the bookshelf—she was truly alone.

Even Hideaway couldn’t offer her the solace that she so desperately needed, and she succumbed to the anxiety crashing into her. Darkness crowded into the edges of her vision, and dizziness swept through her. She couldn’t get enough air in her lungs, and her legs shook with the effort to hold herself up.Jack.Was he still in Weldon? Or had he come to Los Angeles?

It was wrong—so wrong—to be without him. But she was lost. She didn’t know how to find her way back to him.

---