Finding Our Forever: (A Defining Moments Novel) by Andee Michelle Read Free Book Online Page A

junior at UC. Pre-law,” I share, thinking maybe she’ll actually be impressed. I get the opposite reaction. She scrunches up her nose and looks as though she smelled something bad.
    “Oh, what, now you don’t like lawyers?” I ask with a chuckle.
    “Actually, my dad is a lawyer,” she responds with a smile. “I think of lawyers as stuffy old guys, not extremely tall, hot, twenty-year-olds.”
    She called me hot.
    “Well, I’ll change your view on that one apparently, cause I’m definitely tall.” She rolls her eyes and laughs.
    “Have you always wanted to be a lawyer?” she asks, shoveling a fork full of enchilada into her mouth. I love that this girl isn’t afraid to enjoy a beer and some real food while on a date. I’ve had enough of the “I’ll have a salad with no dressing and a sparkling water” type of girl. Actually, I’d never been fond of them in the first place, but they served their purpose.
    “No, actually. I just thought it sounded interesting, and so I went with it. To tell you the truth, I don’t really know anything about being a lawyer,” I reply. “Plus, my dad has always pushed me and my brothers to have ‘big income’ jobs. His grandparents were loaded and left us each a trust fund to get us through college comfortably. Our dad is the almighty ruler of the trusts until we turn twenty-one, so he’s always felt as though he gets to dictate what we do.”
    She tilts her head to the side and narrows her eyes at me. “Wait, so you just figured, ‘What the hell, I’ll just go to law school and see how it goes?’” When I nod in the affirmative, she starts laughing.
    “What about you, smarty pants? Have you always wanted to be a nurse?” I retort, smiling when her face lights up at the topic.
    “Yep. Since the first time I can remember going to the doctor, I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. I had fallen off my bike and split my shin open on a rock. I was terrified to get stitches, but the nurse who took care of me in the emergency room was amazing. She was the one who calmed me, made me feel safe, and basically did everything except put in the stitches. I knew then that I wanted to be a nurse.”
    I can’t take my eyes off her face as she talks about it. Nursing really is her passion, and I’m jealous that I don’t have that type of love for something to do with my life. I mean, the only thing I can think of that I’ve ever felt that passionately about was the summer before my senior year when I volunteered to be a camp chaperone at a summer camp for underprivileged children outside of Denver. I loved every aspect of that summer. We swam and hiked, learned all types of survival skills, and had bonfires where we sat around and shared stories about our lives. Some of the kids even shared secrets with me and asked for my opinion on how to deal with things. It was one of the happiest times in my life. But it’s not a full-time, year-round job. It’s a summer gig for teenagers.
    I realize I’ve zoned out when Sara clears her throat and lifts her eyebrow in question.
    “Sorry, I just spaced out,” I confess. “I think it’s amazing you’ve always known you wanted to be a nurse. I was just trying to think if I could remember anything I loved doing that much.”
    “And? Did you come up with something? You looked pretty deep in thought,” she says, with a small groan as she puts a mouthful of beans and rice in her mouth. I chuckle because I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a woman enjoy her food so much.
    “Sorry, I seriously love their food,” she covers her mouth as she talks because it’s still full. I find that I’ve been smiling and laughing a lot in her presence.
    “Sort of, I guess. I spent a summer in the mountains helping out with a summer camp for underprivileged kids a few years ago. It was probably one of the most rewarding, but still fun, things I’ve ever done,” I babble and smile at the memories.
    “Well, there you go. There’s a passion. Why not