Read Online Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jill Shalvis
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mean, you’ve seen Grey’s Anatomy , right?”
“ Ever ,” Mallory maintained, and shrugged helplessly when both Amy and Grace stared at her. “So sue me, I have a thing for late-bloomer nerds.”
Grace choked on her cupcake and it almost came out her nose. “Late-bloomer nerd? Are you kidding me?” Josh was six foot four and solidly built. He had melted dark chocolate eyes and a smile that did more for her than the cupcake she was eating, and a way of moving his big, gorgeous self that always made her clothes want to fall right off. “Nothing about him says nerd.” Nothing.
“Well, I went to school with him,” Mallory said, carefully peeling her cupcake out of its baking paper. “He hit high school at like five-five and was the scrawniest thing you’ve ever seen. He wore glasses and still couldn’t see worth shit. Oh, and he was head of the science club and got beat up by the football players unless he did their homework.”
“Damn,” Amy said, sounding impressed. “He sure turned things around for himself. I bet he enjoys his reunions, being a big-shot doctor and everything. Not to mention he looks like he could kick some serious ass if he wanted.”
“He kicks serious ass every single day,” Mallory said. “By saving lives. He raised his sister. He’s raising his son.”
“Speaking of which,” Grace said, “what happened to Toby’s mom?”
Mallory did a palms-up. “She wasn’t from around here and she didn’t stick. That’s all anyone really knows. Josh doesn’t talk about it.” She’d finished her cupcake and licked some chocolate off her thumb before concentrating on Grace. “I know you planned to just blow through Lucky Harbor and ended up staying longer than you meant to. And we’re glad about that, so very glad.” She said this with fierce affection, reaching for Grace’s hand. “Because the three of us, we give each other something.”
“A hard time?” Grace asked.
“ Hope ,” Mallory said. “And courage. You wanted the courage to add some badly needed fun to your life. The kiss with Josh sounds like a good start to me. That’s all I’m saying. So don’t sweep it under the rug as a fluke or try to forget about it. Enjoy it.”
Grace blew out a breath. “Well, sure, cloud the issue with logic.”
Mallory smiled. “We made a pact to change our lives, and that’s what we’re doing. All of us. No man left behind.”
Grace was incredibly touched by the “we.” She’d never had siblings. Her parents had given her everything they had but they weren’t warm and fuzzy by nature. She’d had girlfriends, but they were always schoolmates or coworkers. Her relationships had always been born of circumstance.
Like her.
This wasn’t the case with Amy and Mallory. They were the real deal, and better than any sisters she might have spent her childhood wishing for.
Mallory pointed at her. “I mean it!”
Grace ignored her suddenly thick throat. “It’s hard to take you seriously when you have a chocolate mustache.”
Mallory swiped it off with her forearm. “And it’s not like I saw this life of mine coming down the pike, you know. Opening up a Health Services Center, falling in love…I mean, I am so not sitting in a European sidewalk café right now, rearranging my desperately alluring miniskirt and thinking about whether it’s too early to ring up U2 or go shopping.” She grinned. “That was my secret high school fantasy. But I wouldn’t trade this for the world.” She looked at Amy. “And you changed your life too. Tell her.”
“She knows.”
“ Tell her,” Mallory insisted.
“I changed my life,” Amy intoned.
Mallory rolled her eyes and gave Amy a shove.
“Fine,” Amy said. “I changed things up, opened myself to new experiences. Like… camping .”
Mallory sighed. “Killing me.”
“And love.” Amy gave Mallory a little shove back. “See, I can say it. I found someone to love me. Me ,” she repeated, clearly still boggled by
“ Ever ,” Mallory maintained, and shrugged helplessly when both Amy and Grace stared at her. “So sue me, I have a thing for late-bloomer nerds.”
Grace choked on her cupcake and it almost came out her nose. “Late-bloomer nerd? Are you kidding me?” Josh was six foot four and solidly built. He had melted dark chocolate eyes and a smile that did more for her than the cupcake she was eating, and a way of moving his big, gorgeous self that always made her clothes want to fall right off. “Nothing about him says nerd.” Nothing.
“Well, I went to school with him,” Mallory said, carefully peeling her cupcake out of its baking paper. “He hit high school at like five-five and was the scrawniest thing you’ve ever seen. He wore glasses and still couldn’t see worth shit. Oh, and he was head of the science club and got beat up by the football players unless he did their homework.”
“Damn,” Amy said, sounding impressed. “He sure turned things around for himself. I bet he enjoys his reunions, being a big-shot doctor and everything. Not to mention he looks like he could kick some serious ass if he wanted.”
“He kicks serious ass every single day,” Mallory said. “By saving lives. He raised his sister. He’s raising his son.”
“Speaking of which,” Grace said, “what happened to Toby’s mom?”
Mallory did a palms-up. “She wasn’t from around here and she didn’t stick. That’s all anyone really knows. Josh doesn’t talk about it.” She’d finished her cupcake and licked some chocolate off her thumb before concentrating on Grace. “I know you planned to just blow through Lucky Harbor and ended up staying longer than you meant to. And we’re glad about that, so very glad.” She said this with fierce affection, reaching for Grace’s hand. “Because the three of us, we give each other something.”
“A hard time?” Grace asked.
“ Hope ,” Mallory said. “And courage. You wanted the courage to add some badly needed fun to your life. The kiss with Josh sounds like a good start to me. That’s all I’m saying. So don’t sweep it under the rug as a fluke or try to forget about it. Enjoy it.”
Grace blew out a breath. “Well, sure, cloud the issue with logic.”
Mallory smiled. “We made a pact to change our lives, and that’s what we’re doing. All of us. No man left behind.”
Grace was incredibly touched by the “we.” She’d never had siblings. Her parents had given her everything they had but they weren’t warm and fuzzy by nature. She’d had girlfriends, but they were always schoolmates or coworkers. Her relationships had always been born of circumstance.
Like her.
This wasn’t the case with Amy and Mallory. They were the real deal, and better than any sisters she might have spent her childhood wishing for.
Mallory pointed at her. “I mean it!”
Grace ignored her suddenly thick throat. “It’s hard to take you seriously when you have a chocolate mustache.”
Mallory swiped it off with her forearm. “And it’s not like I saw this life of mine coming down the pike, you know. Opening up a Health Services Center, falling in love…I mean, I am so not sitting in a European sidewalk café right now, rearranging my desperately alluring miniskirt and thinking about whether it’s too early to ring up U2 or go shopping.” She grinned. “That was my secret high school fantasy. But I wouldn’t trade this for the world.” She looked at Amy. “And you changed your life too. Tell her.”
“She knows.”
“ Tell her,” Mallory insisted.
“I changed my life,” Amy intoned.
Mallory rolled her eyes and gave Amy a shove.
“Fine,” Amy said. “I changed things up, opened myself to new experiences. Like… camping .”
Mallory sighed. “Killing me.”
“And love.” Amy gave Mallory a little shove back. “See, I can say it. I found someone to love me. Me ,” she repeated, clearly still boggled by
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