On Solid Ground: Sequel to in Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow Read Free Book Online Page B

who wouldn’t piss Noah off or make him stray. We are going to find you, Gracie. I promise.” She held her hand out and I instinctively gave her mine. “I survived a
Noah
, too, Gracie. The planets aligned when you called for your appointment. The counselor you were supposed to see went into labor last night and I had a cancellation. We have connected for a reason, and I feel so blessed to be working with you.”
    She just sank a three-pointer. I was in awe. In one hour’s time, Dr. Sylvia Watts went from a way-too-organized Vera Wang mannequin to someone I would probably never lose touch with. She was right, there was no happenstance; we were meant to find each other.
    “Now, I’m going to give you some paperwork to fill out for me.” She walked over and rifled through her filing cabinet, pulling papers out and setting them aside.
    “Could Jake come with me some sometime?”
    “I think that’s a great idea, Gracie. I’ll give you two sets of paperwork, and you can have him complete a set and just get both back to me when we see each other next.”
    I stood, and she handed me the stack of papers. “Do I come back next week?”
    “We will schedule you on an as-needed basis. Here’s my card. Call me when you need to see me. Do you keep a journal, Gracie?”
    “I do, always have. I love to write.”
    “Good. Writing can be the best therapy. Bring your journal with you when you come next time. We can slowly walk through your relationship with Noah and unpack all the—for lack of a better term—shit. We’ll make more room in your heart for Jake.” She smiled sweetly and rubbed my arm.
    “Thank you, Dr. Watts.”
    “Please, Gracie, call me Sylvia.”
    “Thank you, Sylvia.”

Eight
    Jake
    While Gracie was at counseling, I decided to continue my job search. Part of me hoped fate would just throw something in my lap that would help me with my future career plans, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath.
    I couldn’t wait to hear how Gracie’s first counseling session went, although I had no idea what to expect. Her emotions were all over the map, and she would either say she’s never going back or that she loved it. We were supposed to meet at the Café for lunch, so I had some time before I would get her play-by-play.
    It was hot, and there still were no Help Wanted signs anywhere. I walked up and down both sides of College Avenue before ducking into the upstairs restaurant portion of
Mitchell’s
to grab a drink. I saw Becki sitting alone in a booth. The familiar scent of stale beer and industrial cleaning products brought me comfort somehow. Maybe it reminded me of all the laid back nights I’d been there with Jessica or Sam and Gracie.
    Becki looked up, smiled, and pointed to the empty bench across the table from her. I grabbed a water from the cooler and took a seat. She frantically made piles out of the papers spread out in front of her to make room for me to put my water down. Upstairs at
Mitchell’s
was a great place to study during the day; it was virtually empty. I assumed the majority of their income came from the weekends when bands played downstairs.
    “What’s all this?” I pointed to the mess on the table.
    “I changed majors.”
    “No more Business classes?”
    “Some. I decided I want to be a publicist, so I had to change my major to Communications but still carry a minor in Business. So, I’m taking like four thousand credits this summer. It’s gonna kill me. Mark my words.” She rubbed her temples.
    “What are
you
doing here?” She grabbed my water bottle and helped herself to a sip.
    “I was out job hunting and needed a drink. No one is hiring, and I’m not sure how I am going to afford daily trips to the Café with Gracie if I don’t have some sort of income.”
    “You know, I was just mentioning something to Gracie that could bring the two of you some hefty cash, and she said I could be her first customer.” She winked and looked me up and down.
    “I don’t even want