Share
Chapter Twenty-Two
Related chapters
Barefoot Kisses Epilogue
I take a deep breath and slip into my shoes.They aren't the shoes that brides usually wear on their wedding. These shoes are just simple black flats with sand stuck in the cracks near the toes.“You ready?” My sister Louisa asks, peeking out through the door.“Ready as I'm ever going to be,” I say. Now that I have the shoes on, my nerves are settling. I know he loves me because these shoes prove it.My mother fusses one last time with my dress. It's satin and lace and possibly the most beautiful wedding dress I have ever seen. I'm sure all brides think that of their dresses, but for mine, I'm sure of it.I hear the music start inside the church.“I love you, sweetheart,” Mom says, giving me a kiss on the cheek. There are tears of pride in her eyes. She wipes the lipstick from her kiss off my cheek.“I love you too, Momma,” I whisper. She presses her lips together as tight as she can to keep from crying as she hurries out to take her seat.“She's so beautiful,” I hear her tell my dad.
Barefoot Kisses Chapter One
Coffee dripped down the walls of the kitchen and spattered across the linoleum floor.I stared at my brand new coffee pot in horror as it continued to spew boiling hot brown goo everywhere. This was not a good way to start the morning.I scampered across the small kitchen, hiding behind a dishcloth and praying the coffee rain wouldn't land on me to pull the plug. The machine gurgled and died.This was not a promising start to my morning.I quickly cleaned up the walls and floor, hoping my roommate wouldn't attempt to use the cursed machine when she woke up. I made sure to leave Mindy a note, but she had a tendency to forget I existed. Sometimes, I was sure she thought a magic house fairy just came through to clean and add new supplies. Part of me almost hoped she would try the new machine without reading my warning. Either way, I would have to talk to her later about how she threw out the coffee pot box with the receipt in it without checking with me first.I sighed and headed to the
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Two
Two shimmering dust specks twisted through the golden evening sunlight, circling and spinning, dancing with one another like long lost lovers as they slowly descended and finally came to rest on the shiny black surface of my desk. There they sat, motionless and lifeless after their golden fall. I stared at them for a moment, wondering if motes of dust could feel, and if they could, if they felt as let down as I did.I shifted in my chair, feeling the stiff fabric of my skirt tighten across my legs. I wished I had brought a change of clothes so I didn't have to wear my suit anymore. The lawyers were expected to dress in suits, but as a paralegal, I was allowed to wear business casual. I kicked at the broken pair of heels under my desk and tugged at my uncomfortable skirt. Right now, I would have killed for a pair of flats and pants.My phone buzzed, skittering along the edge of my desk. I hoped it wasn't my sister canceling on me. We had dinner reservations, and while we were no longer
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Three
The upper floor of the McDonald, Smith and Ward law firm was made for impressing clients. It had a chic modern vibe that screamed wealth and power. The Chicago office was the flagship for the six other US branches and two international offices, and every inch was made to represent that fact.Not far from the elevator was the legal library. While many firms were switching to strictly computer-based systems, McDonald, Smith and Ward had decided to use the beauty of the old books to impress clients. Big, sound-proof glass windows separated it from the hallway, but let anyone who walked past see the glorious amount of books inside. The collection was the envy of several small law schools.I glanced over at my mysterious companion, watching for his reaction. He didn't have one. That told me two things. He had a boss that could afford my firm and that he had been here enough times that the opulence no longer effected him.Darcie, the librarian, didn't look up from her computer as we entered
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Four
My chair squeaked as I leaned forward to look at the pictures coming up on my laptop screen. Technically, it was Alexa's chair but since she wasn't using it, I had claimed it and her office as my own for the evening. If I was forced to stay late to do her job, I might as well be comfortable in her office doing it. I had my laptop set up with notepad and pen as I searched for information on the individuals involved in the Preston case.The case centered around a workplace accident and the plaintiff was suing our client for millions. He had been injured by company machinery and was suing Preston Corp for enough money to buy a small island. Alexa had done the crappiest job ever looking up the backgrounds of both parties. She had copied the Preston Corp information from Wikipedia and then barely checked the plaintiff's myFace page, let alone looked through his pictures or even found his blog. As I added pages upon pages of missed information to the file, I had to wonder just how the hell
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Five
The Chicago sky was a steel gray that threatened to bring rain or snow later in the day. A cold wind whistled between the buildings and whipped at my hair with angry fingers. I pulled my coat tighter and sipped my coffee as I hurried into the lobby of the skyscraper that housed the McDonald, Smith and Ward offices.The lobby hummed with conversations as people piled into elevators on their way to work or waited for coworkers under the lofty marble columns. Darcie waved as soon as she saw me, hurrying across the lobby to join me. Since she had helped me put my leftovers in the fridge, I had a sneaky suspicion she would be joining me for lunch and eating most of it.“You get that guy's number yet?” Darcie asked, bumping my shoulder with hers in friendly greeting.“I wish,” I said, taking another sip of coffee. My coffee pot was still broken, so I was enjoying a latte from the coffee shop on my way. “I'm not one hundred percent certain he wasn't just a figment of my stressed out imaginat
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Six
The office was the usual buzz of morning business, but it sounded happier to me today than it had in a long time. Even my little work station looked better today and I didn't even frown at the stack of papers already waiting for my attention. In two weeks, I'd be in Texas helping Smith with the legal case of a lifetime. If that on my resume didn't get me a spot at Harvard, I'd eat my shoe. Plus, the icing on the cake was that I would be away from Alexa and Calvin.“I heard about your little stunt last night,” Alexa informed me, gliding up to my desk. I wondered how someone so pretty could be so evil. She was tall with dark, glossy hair that was always perfectly coiffed. Her eyes were a unique shade of gray with lashes so long they made a breeze when she blinked. Add in perfect porcelain skin, legs that stretched into infinity and a waist that was built for the designer skirts she always seemed to wear, and she was gorgeous. Gorgeous and incredibly evil.“I'm not sure what you mean, Al
Barefoot Kisses Chapter Seven
I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I hurried upstairs. Darcie gave me a big thumbs up as I passed the library on my way to Smith's office. I could hardly wait to get in there, but I made sure to walk calmly and professionally, even though I really just wanted to do cartwheels in the hallway.Mr. Smith's secretary sat at a large desk guarding the entrance to his office. It looked as though a paper avalanche had hit her desk overnight as she sorted and organized the files that must be about the new case. I cleared my throat and she looked up from her work, her face betraying nothing.“Go on in,” she told me. “They’re expecting you.”I grinned at her her, but she just returned to her piles of paper. I was excited and nervous and fairly sure that I might vibrate off the floor with all the emotions running through me. I opened his office door, stepped inside, and immediately stopped smiling. The happy vibrations were gone. I wasn't floating. I was sinking.Sitting perched on the edge
Latest chapter
