Free The Storm (Fairhope) by Laura Lexington Page A

wonderful, girl.” Chris’s contagious voice made you want to hear him talk. “You?”
    “I am doing well.” Sadly, the lie rolled off my tongue with no hint of insincerity. I almost believed myself. I remembered what Grace once told me: “It’s not a lie if you believe it, Jana!” No wonder she won trips every year.
    “My mid-year review went well, despite being the black sheep.” I paused momentarily, realizing that the mid-year review was completed prior to my pregnancy. “How is your new associate?”
    “He’s awesome!” Chris’s enthusiasm was genuine. “But he’s no Jana Cook. Nobody catches on faster than you.”
    How ironic, I thought, reflecting on Collin’s initial concern about my ability to acclimate.
    “Well, I wish that my current partner—”
    I didn’t see the black sedan in front of me until it was too late. I tried to slam on my brakes, screaming and dropping the phone.
    My eyes widened in horror, and I forgot to breathe as I realized what was happening.
    BOOM!
    I have no recollection of what happened next, only diving mindlessly, unconsciously, back to my early twenties.
    Drink in one hand, book in the other, toes in the sand … we were in Orange Beach again, “house-sitting” for Andrew’s parents while they sipped martinis and privately renewed their vows on a Caribbean cruise. I laughed as Grace, after one too many drinks, danced teasingly around Gavin, who was trying to sleep through the last half-hour of sunshine. She swung her sleek, toned legs over his body, straddling him and burying her face in his neck, her to-die-for lips softly kissing him. “I love you, baby. You know what I want to do?”
    I reburied myself in my latest Jodi Picoult novel, shaking my head.
    “Grace. Jana’s right there.” Shy, sober Gavin glanced apologetically in my direction. I shrugged nonchalantly, relishing the feel of the silky breeze flowing over my sun-kissed skin.
    “Awwww, Jana doesn’t care. I tell her everything anyway.” She burst out laughing. “I teach her my tricks. Hey, Andrew, you hear that? You can thank me for Jana’s drastic improvement in the—”
    “GRACE!” I shouted, fumbling into a sitting position. “For God’s sake, he’s helping those kids build a sandcastle. Shut your dirty mouth.” I watched my breathtakingly handsome boyfriend patiently help two five-year-olds sculpt the perfect sandcastle in the distance, fantasizing about what a storybook father he would be. “Although, I must admit I benefitted from your insight in that department.”
    “Oops, I’m sorry, Jana.” She couldn’t stop giggling. “I need to be cut off. I didn’t even see those kids.”
    All I could do was shake my head.
    “Jana, you know what?” Grace smirked. I noticed her Playboy bunny breasts were about to fall out of her size-too-small triangle bikini top.
    She shook her blond waves in Andrew’s direction, who was putting the final touches on the intricate sandcastle beside the two ecstatic children.
    “What?”
    “You are going to marry that man, live it up in a cottage on the beach, and paint all day. You’ll be famous!” She paused to take a sip of her drink, her sexy lips curving into a devious grin. “He may not be your first, but he’s going to be your last!” We all giggled.
    “There will never be another man who makes me feel that way. He’s definitely my Romeo.”
    My tired eyes, strained from having my head buried in a book all day, rested on Grace’s princess cut diamond engagement ring. I watched as solemn, strong Gavin massaged her scalp under her unruly mane, and found myself smiling as I noticed how tenderly he watched her, even in her wildness.
    Andrew’s hypnotic eyes found mine, and the butterflies were born for the millionth time, sweeping me into his mesmerizing aura. God, I wanted every ounce of his body and soul to be mine, all mine.
    He asked me to marry him that night.

    I regained consciousness probably moments later, although the time