BooksBarbecue
Back Only With You
Chapters (68)
  1. Copyright Page
  2. Table of Contents
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Four
  11. Chapter Five
  12. Chapter Five
  13. Chapter Six
  14. Chapter Six
  15. Chapter Seven
  16. Chapter Seven
  17. Chapter Eight
  18. Chapter Eight
  19. Chapter Nine
  20. Chapter Nine
  21. Chapter Ten
  22. Chapter Ten
  23. Chapter Eleven
  24. Chapter Eleven
  25. Chapter Twelve
  26. Chapter Twelve
  27. Chapter Thirteen
  28. Chapter Thirteen
  29. Chapter Fourteen
  30. Chapter Fourteen
  31. Chapter Fifteen
  32. Chapter Fifteen
  33. Chapter Sixteen
  34. Chapter Sixteen
  35. Chapter Seventeen
  36. Chapter Seventeen
  37. Chapter Eighteen
  38. Chapter Eighteen
  39. Chapter Nineteen
  40. Chapter Nineteen
  41. Chapter Twenty
  42. Chapter Twenty
  43. Chapter Twenty-One
  44. Chapter Twenty-One
  45. Chapter Twenty-Two
  46. Chapter Twenty-Two
  47. Chapter Twenty-Three
  48. Chapter Twenty-Three
  49. Chapter Twenty-Four
  50. Chapter Twenty-Four
  51. Chapter Twenty-Five
  52. Chapter Twenty-Five
  53. Chapter Twenty-Six
  54. Chapter Twenty-Six
  55. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  56. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  57. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  58. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  59. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  60. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  61. Chapter Thirty
  62. Chapter Thirty
  63. Chapter Thirty-One
  64. Chapter Thirty-One
  65. Chapter Thirty-Two
  66. Chapter Thirty-Two
  67. Epilogue
  68. Epilogue

I had introduced the concept of interventions at twenty-one. After our parents died in a car crash, my twin brother Landon and I took care of our sisters and two brothers. In that difficult time, we needed the goofing and silliness that came with interventions. But the tradition stuck to this day. At thirty-six, I loved it as much as I had in my early twenties.

“How about I make you a deal? You wait until after my meeting with the mediator. Otherwise you might have to work on another intervention tomorrow.”

“We don’t mind,” Lori assured me. Hailey backed her up with a vigorous nod.

“Nah, we don’t have time. I should get going. I need to be up early tomorrow.  The meeting is at eight o’clock.”

I’d insisted the mediator come to me so we could have that first conversation on my territory.

Despite leaving after only having one other drink, it was close to midnight when I arrived home. Alone in my house, I started fretting over the meeting again. My company wasn’t just a way of making money for me. It was who I was.

I put together my outfit for the next day, as usual. Doing so bought me time in the morning, when I would sell pieces of my soul for a few extra minutes of sleep. I’d taken out a fire-red pencil skirt and a black blouse with a sleeve that hung off one shoulder. It wasn’t exactly typical office attire, but I loved it, and it was weather-appropriate for mid-September. As a plus, it was my lucky outfit, and I was determined to turn around my luck.

Chapter Three

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Chapter Three

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Val

Next morning, dressed in my lucky outfit, I stopped by Walter’s, the coffee shop across the street from my office building. It was the closest one, and I liked to start the morning by buying a cup of coffee before heading to work.

I usually ran into a few patrons I knew, people who worked at some of the other offices nearby. I waved to the head of the HR department of a beverage company with whom I’d had lunch a few times.

Then I slid my gaze over the perimeter for anyone else I might know. My gaze fell on the stranger in line next to me, and I straightened a little, paying extra attention. He was taller than me (and the lucky outfit required me to wear heels). His shirt stretched over a broad chest and a tapered waist. His strong hands ended in long fingers that made me wonder if he played the piano. I even got a fleeting look at his face as he turned to study the menu. His hair was almost black, and I was sure that his eyes were hazel, providing a beautiful contrast.