Free On Solid Ground: Sequel to in Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow Page A

want her to think
she
disappointed me. Her eyes filled with tears.
    “It’s not a contest, Jake. I’m here with you, aren’t I?” Her voice was quiet and a little shaky. She hovered between offense and exhaustion.

Eleven
    Gracie
    It had been a couple days since our uncomfortable Calon conversation lunch date, and Jake hadn’t mentioned him again. I wasn’t sure if that meant he’d worked it out in his own mind or he just didn’t want to talk about it again.
    We were in Circle Park, enjoying the shade under a big, gnarly tree that had probably been growing there for a hundred years. As I’d wrapped up my finals and projects at the end of last semester, I couldn’t wait for days like this when we could just hang out and talk without watching the time. My only obligations were counseling on an as-needed basis and my Wednesday evening guitar lessons with Yaz.
    “I got a job.” Jake was lying with his head in my lap, flipping through the paper, and I was pulling blades of grass apart and tossing them into the breeze.
    “You did? When?” We hadn’t left each other’s sides since the Calon episode, which told me he
was
still sidetracked by what happened that day. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have forgotten to tell me about his job.
    “Just before I met you at the Café the other day, I ran into
Mitchell’s
for a drink, and Becki was there studying. I sat down for a minute, and Buzz came upstairs all pissed off because they were short one bartender for the training course. So, you’re looking at one of
Mitchell’s
new bartender trainees.”
    “That’s great, Jake. Wait, you don’t know how to mix drinks, do you?” I giggled.
    “No, I’m clueless. But that’s the point of the training.”
    I thought about Jake standing behind the bar at
Mitchell’s
in their standard issue tight black t-shirt. His deep brown hair curling a little at his ears and those piercing blue eyes would have girls gaga while they waited for their drinks. I wasn’t sure if I liked that idea. I was used to girls eyeing Jake, but most bars have that underlying meat market atmosphere, even in chill places like
Mitchell’s
.
    “You’re not happy.” He put the paper down across his stomach and tilted his head back to see my face.
    “Yes, I am. I’m happy for you, Jake. Just thinking of all the girls I’ll have to peel off you at the end of each of your shifts.”
    He rolled his eyes and picked the paper back up. “Who knows, if I’m good at it, maybe I could supplement an income after college by tending bar. It’s a good skill to have. It would make a good filler job until I get a real one, and a great way to make some extra cash on the side even after I’ve started a career.”
    A sharp pang hit my stomach and I sucked in a quick breath. I had barely even given any thought to my career. I was drawn to kids from as far back as I could remember, so, making sure all children had safe and happy homes seemed like a natural career for me. But I’d been so preoccupied with just getting better and using the summer to be carefree and easy that I guess I had also put my future plans on the back burner. Our lives were so comfortable. It was all so easy.
    The thought of Jake and I leaving campus at the end of the next year was a bit unsettling. It was exciting to think of graduating and starting my career as a social worker, but the comfort of our campus, classes, our apartments, it was all so easy. The thought of finding housing and all the responsibilities that go along with a career was stressful enough, and I wasn’t sure what that meant for Jake and I. Would we have to have a long distance relationship until we could find jobs in the same city? What city? Would I be close to my family? Would he want me to move out west to his home town? I wasn’t very outdoorsy. Sitting on the ground at Circle Park was as close to camping as I’d ever been. Jake, on the other hand, loved adventure. He was into skiing and snowmobiling and all kinds of