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"You two have fun tonight," Mama said as we headed out the door for pizza and beer at Krista's. Krista wanted to double date, but her online dating efforts had produced no lasting results.
"If you'd rather have girl time with Krista, I don't mind entertaining myself or staying at home with your mom."
"You've already told Mama way more than I intended to share, plus you give Krista hope."
"Hope for what?"
"Hope that she'll find a great guy someday."
"So, I'm a good example. That's cool."
"Don't let it go to your head."
After kissing me senseless in the lobby of Krista's condo building, Chance pushed the button on the intercom "Hi, Krista. We're here."
"Where's Everly?"
"She's here. She's just a little breathless at the moment."
Krista buzzed us in and was waiting at her door when we arrived. "You doing OK, Em?"
"Um, yeah. I think so," I said.
"What did you do to her?" Krista asked.
"Just a kiss, I swear," Chance said.
"I'm officially impressed. Got any brothers at home."
"Sorry. But I do have a friend you've probably heard about. I think you might like him. His name's Tom."
"I think Em might have mentioned something about him."
Once I regained the ability to talk, we had a fun night. Over pizza and beer, Krista asked a lot of questions about things I'd told her. Chance was happy to attest to the truth of my stories."
"I forgot to tell you, we ran into Jamison at the tea room today."
"How did that go?"
"I think it went surprisingly well." I realized after seeing Chance and Jamison together that Jamison was my past, and Chance was my future. I haven't let him know that yet. I suspect that’s what he's giving me time to adjust to.
"How’s the job going?" I asked.
"I'm an accountant. It's boring, and the people I work with are boring. Why did you let me study accounting?"
"Remember, I tried to get you to switch your major sophomore year, but you loved the numbers."
"My mom's an accountant," Chance said. "She's been talking about retiring."
"She does the financials, taxes, and payroll for most of the businesses in town, including Hairy's," I said. "Maybe you should think about moving to Wilkins' Gap."
"It certainly seems to have a lot to offer," she said, looking Chance over from head-to-toe.
Warming up to the idea, I said. "You should come for a visit. I'll introduce you to Tom."
"It all sounds good except that I hate the cold."
"Snuggling in front of the fire can be great fun," I said, looking at Chance. "You definitely should come for a visit and see what you think."
XXX
It was late when we got home, so we went straight to bed. I woke to a scream, followed quickly by "oh hell yeah."
I jumped up and threw open the bedroom door. I saw Chance standing in the hallway wearing only a towel and a smile. He was holding onto my baby sister's arms. "What's going on?" I asked.
"I walked out of the bathroom and ran into your sister. Nice to meet you, Gracie Layne," Chance said.
"Not nearly as nice as it is to meet you. Nice going, Em," she said, giving me a fist bump as she continued on down the hall to her room.
I pulled Chance into the bedroom. "I guess Gracie Layne's home. You OK?"
"Doing just fine. Good morning," he said, pulling me close and kissing me until I lost all ability to function. He eased me down until I was sitting on the side of the bed. "I'll get you some tea as soon as I'm dressed."
I was the last one to make it to the breakfast table. "When did you get home?" I asked my baby sister.
"Late last night. You guys were out," she said.
"It's really nice to have both my girls here," Mama said, hugging me and then Gracie.
Mama cooked breakfast while we all hung out in the kitchen and talked, by the time we sat down at table, I was starving. I'd just put a big bite of pecan pancakes in my mouth, when Gracie announced, "I've got some big news. Well, not as big as yours, Everly." She gave Chance an apprising once over. "I have an interview the day after Christmas."
"Really. It seems kind of early. You still have to finish your last semester, right?"
"Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. The interview is in Atlanta, so it won't really mess up our celebration."
"Who's it with?"
"DHS, Homeland Security."
Chance and I exchanged a look. "What are you studying, Gracie?" Chance asked.
"Data Analytics. I'm not sure what the job really entails."
"Then why did you apply?"
"I didn't. That's what I thought was so strange. I intended to start job hunting in March. I was surprised when I got a phone call asking if I'd be able to come in for an interview. I'm not sure it's the kind of organization I want to work for, but it's nice to know there are jobs out there."
Mama ooohed and aaaahed over Gracie Layne's exciting interview. "Gracie, we'll drive you into the city. I'd like to show Chance around Atlanta. He's been here a lot, but he seldom leaves the airport."
"Cool. My interview is at 11:00, so we can go to lunch after I finish."