Free Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis Page A

banking job? You the CEO yet?”
    Grace grimaced. “Actually, I’ve sort of moved on to something else.”
    “Oh?”
    Grace looked down at Amy’s shoe box full of receipts. “Something more accounting based.” Vague, and hopefully impressive. But there was no denying it truly was a total and complete lie, which meant she was going to hell, doubly so for telling the lie to her own mother.
    “A lateral move, at least?”
    A beep sounded in Grace’s ear, her call-waiting. Saved by the beep. “Hold on, Mom.” She clicked over. “Hello?”
    Nothing. Damn phone. She’d dropped it one too many times. She slapped the phone against her thigh and clicked again. “ Hello? ”
    “Grace. You available for tomorrow?”
    Josh and his deep voice, the one that continuously did something quite pornographic to every womanly part in Grace’s entire body. Was she available? Unfortunately, yes. “Hang on a sec.” She clicked back to her mom and decided that since she was going to hell, she might as well make her well-meaning mom happy before she did. “I’ve made a lateral move from my usual banking specialist schtick. Nothing quite as exciting as being a rocket scientist or a biologist, but I am working for a doctor.”
    “Sounds fascinating,” Josh said wryly. “Do I know this doctor?”
    Grace froze. Crap. “Just a minute,” she managed. She smacked herself in the forehead with her phone; then, ignoring both Amy and Mallory gaping at her, she clicked over again. “Mom?”
    “Yes, of course, dear. Who else?”
    Who else indeed. Grace swiped her damp forehead.
    Mallory and Amy, both clearly fascinated by the Grace Show, were hanging on her every word.
    Grace twisted in the booth, turning her back on them.
    “So tell me about your job,” her mom said.
    “I’m…working for a doctor,” she said again.
    “Using your CPA to handle his finances? Or research on that dissertation you never finished?”
    She was saved from having to answer when her phone beeped again. “Hold on.” She clicked over. “Josh, I can’t talk right now.”
    Nothing.
    Good Lord. She really needed a new phone. She smacked it again for good measure and clicked back to her mom. “Sorry, Mom. Yes, I’m going to be putting my CPA to use.” She looked at Amy’s box. “Sort of. I’m trying some new things out. And some…research. But listen, I’ve really got to—”
    “Trying new things,” Josh said. “I like the sound of that.”
    “Oh for God’s sake— I have to go. ” She clicked again and drew in a deep breath. “Mom?”
    “Yes. Darling, you sound quite frazzled. You’re working hard?”
    “ Very ,” Grace managed, rubbing the spot between her eyes.
    “What? Hello? Grace, I can’t hear you—”
    Silence.
    Grace swore and hit the phone again. “Mom? Sorry, bad reception. But yes, I’m working hard, very hard. Hey, I’m a Brooks, right? That’s what we do.”
    “This conversation just gets more and more interesting,” Josh said.
    “Oh my God! I thought I told you I had to go!” Grace disconnected him and fanned herself. “Damn, is it hot in here?”
    Mallory and Amy were wide-eyed. Mallory opened her mouth to speak, but Grace pointed at her, then grimaced as she spoke into the phone. “Mother?”
    “Yes. Grace, what are—”
    “Going into a tunnel, Mom. We’re going to lose reception—” Grace disconnected, closed her eyes, and took her medicine like a big girl. “I suppose you’re still there,” she said into the phone.
    “Yep,” Josh said. “So the dog walking. Overqualified much?”
    “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    “I bet.”
    “I’m going into a tunnel,” she said desperately.
    “There are no tunnels in Lucky Harbor, Grace.”
    “Then I’m throwing myself under a bus.”
    “You can run,” he said, clearly vastly amused, “but you can’t hide.”
    And that’s where he was wrong. She’d been hiding all her life, right in plain sight. Pretending to be a Brooks, when the truth was,