Page 41 of Paths
Addy comes around from behind the bar, looking from me, to Grady, and back to me. Her smirk turns into a smile which turns into a knowing grin. I’m not sure what she thinks she knows, but if she knows something, I wish she’d tell me.
As she approaches, Mary and Bev are following with their wine glasses, and Clara is pulling up the rear. Clara is the event manager at Whitetail and I’m still getting to know her. She’s almost full-term and expecting her fourth child in the next couple weeks. To say her personality is OTT would be an understatement.
Without my saying a word, Addy starts, “Crew told me you need some time off to see your family. Come on. Let’s go talk about that in my office.” In one fell swoop, she grabs my free hand, pulling me away. In the process, she looks over her shoulder and says to Grady, “Maya and I need to look at the calendar. Go have a dessert or something.”
Surprised Addy already knows I need some time off, I look back at Grady and he shrugs, but doesn’t seem to have an issue with it and heads to the bar. As Addy and I make our way to her office, I realize the rest of the Whitetail women are following.
When we get there, we file into her small, non-descript workspace. It’s tight and boring in here compared to the charm surrounding her buildings and property. I’m about to ask why everyone is here just to look at the calendar, but Addy beats me to it. “Go see your family for as long as you need. We’ll manage fine.”
“But you can’t miss the company Christmas party. It’s Monday in Addy’s Ordinary.” Clara shuts the door behind her and motions for everyone to move out of her way so she can sit, her big belly paving the way. “I have a sitter. This will be my last hurrah before hellion number four starts to torment me outside the womb.”
“Here.” Addy sits me in the office chair behind her desk and pushes a bowl of candy in front of me. “Have some Laffy Taffy.”
“Maybe you’d like a glass of wine?” When I look over, Bev is saluting me with her glass of red before taking a sip.
“Maybe I should grab a new bottle,” Mary says with a sly smile on her face. “Or two. This could take a while.”
My eyes widen, taking them all in. Finally, I turn to Addy and say, “I only need two days, that should be enough.”
“I told you it doesn’t matter. We’re not here to talk about that anyway.” Addy digs through the bowl of candy and pulls out three green pieces, handing me a purple one. “Do you like grape? We’re here to get the scoop on you. And Grady. Then you and Grady.”
Shocked, I absentmindedly take the purple candy and lean back in my chair.
“She needs wine,” Bev states, and Mary immediately starts to stand, but I stop her.
“No-no. I can’t have wine. Grady and I are running later—a 10K race. The way my life is going, one glass would turn into a bottle, and I can’t be sluggish for the race. I need to be at the top of my game because I want Grady to eat a salad.” I wait for them to say something, but they don’t. They’re staring at me, either frowning, wide-eyed, or confused. “What? He never eats vegetables.”
When no one says a word, Mary finally sets her glass down on the desk. “Okay. Let’s start from the beginning. Who’s that shithead we heard about showing up at your door last night?”
My eyes widen, wondering how they know about Weston.
“Sorry.” Addy tips her head as she unwraps a piece of candy. “Crew told me and I told them.”
I realize my plan hasn’t only lost steam—it’s fallen off the track and landed in a deep abyss, never to be seen again. I guess now there’s no reason to hide anything besides me almost marrying into a family of organized crime. They don’t need to know that.
“Well, he’s my ex-fiancé, although he’s not happy about the ‘ex’ part. He’s been trying to rectify that, but when I wouldn’t budge, he became persistent. So much so that I left. I couldn’t take it any longer—him, my mom, his family … it was exhausting.”
“Why did you break it off?” Bev asks.
I shrug, tired of rehashing this for the second time today. “I found out he was cheating on me.”
“Son-of-a-bitch.” Clara shakes her head while rubbing her tummy.
I go on to tell them all about my past with Weston, Joe’s epilepsy, my pain-in-the-ass mother, and how I’m a physical therapist.
“That’s it,” I say, chewing on my grape candy. “Before this all happened with Weston, I was really boring.”
“Don’t you dare think you’re done,” Mary says, finishing her wine. “We haven’t even gotten to the good part yet. Tell us all about Grady.”
“Yes.” Addy steps forward and half-sits on the edge of her desk. “We want to know about Grady. I hardly know anything about him. What’s he like?”
I try to hide my smile by biting my lip. “He’s sweet.”
Instantly, they all look taken aback.
“He is?” Clara looks like she doesn’t believe me.
“That’s not what I expected you to say,” Addy adds.
