Free A Night to Forget by Jessica Wood Page A

“Besides, I wasn’t even working at F&M yet.”
    “Well, even so,” Steph retorted, refusing to back down, “you already accepted your job offer at that point, so you were practically an employee.”
    I had to love Steph for her conviction and confidence, and I was grateful that she was on my side. “Maybe, but he didn’t know who I was when we met in Cancun, or that I was going to be working at F&M. I never told him that.”
    “Well, you don’t know that. He could have seen your name floating around somewhere at work before meeting you, especially since you are in his group,” she reasoned.
    “Don’t you worry, Emma, you may have a case here. I’ll look into it. We’ll make it stick,” Steph said, and I could almost see her wink at me. “You know, I’m practically a lawyer. I’ve already completed one month of law school!” she continued.
    We all laughed.
    “And how many do you have left,” I teased.
    “Ugh, don’t remind me! There’s still 26 fucking months left,” Steph groaned. “And let me just say, these single law school guys are either weird, ugly, or short—all of which I’m allergic to.”
    We all laughed. Steph was never one to hold back her opinions.
    “Thanks for cheering me up, Steph,” I said. “But really, how should I handle this situation? I don’t know how I’ll be able to face him?”
    “Pretend he’s hideous when you look at him,” Jill said eagerly.
    “Yeah, picture him really fat,” Gloria chimed in.
    “What?” The idea was so outrageous to me that I began to laugh.
    “With a distorted face,” Jill added.
    “And a humped back!” Steph threw in, “Oh, and imagine him drooling all over the place! Who would ever want to kiss that repulsive thing? Eww!”
    We all exploded in laugher.
    “So what you’re telling me is, you want me to picture him as the Hunchback of Notre Dame?” I teased.
    “Well, no. Of course not,” Steph said with a serious tone. “We want you to picture him as the Hunchback of San Francisco!”
    We were now all laughing uncontrollably, unable to speak.
    “Thanks guys. I really needed that,” I said.
    “That’s what we’re here for,” Steph said.
    “Yeah. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, Emma, but you’re one of the strongest people I know. I know you can get through this . We all know you’ve gotten through much worse,” Gloria said. I knew she was referring to that night from my freshman and realized that she was right. I have gotten through worse.
    “He doesn’t deserve you, Emma,” Jill said. “You deserve a guy who puts you on a pedestal. A guy who, even if he had amnesia, would not forget you.”
    I let out a deep sigh. “You’re right. I can’t let him ruin my career and everything I’ve worked so hard for. If he’s forgotten about me, then I should move on. I need to forget about meeting him in Cancun. I’ve been holding onto the memories of that night and making them into something special and meaningful. But in reality, it’s not a night I should hold on to and remember. It was a night to forget.”
    “It’ll get better,” Jill said encouragingly.
    “So, who else is in your group,” Steph said, changing the subject, “Any hotties?”
    I laughed. “Well, there’s thre e of us in the group. This girl Sarah, who seems nice, and this guy Josh.”
    “Is he hot?”
    “He’s pretty cute, in that All-American boy type of way,” I admitted.
    “Works for me,” Steph said, “you should go for him.”
    “You’re ridiculous sometimes, Steph,” I laughed.
    “Well, you know my motto: Work Hard, Play Hard. And you have a high-pressure job, especially now with that asshole in the mix, so you’ll need someone to help you let out some steam. This Josh guy sounds perfect.”
    I laughed, “Well, I’ll think about it, but I don’t think I’m interested. Besides, I think Sarah may have a crush on him, and I think they’d make a cute couple,” I explained. “Plus, I already have Brandon to