On Solid Ground: Sequel to in Too Deep Read Online Free PDF Page B

would go with this.
    “You mean...these talents?” He lifted the sheets and nodded toward our tangled legs. I elbowed him and shook my head. “Okay, let’s see. Talents. I helped my uncle make a coffee table once. Had to use a lathe and sort of sculpt the shape of the legs as they spun. It was amazing to be able take something with harsh, sharp edges and change it into something smooth and beautiful.” The symbolism in his description was remarkable. It’s exactly what he was trying to do with me. Tears pricked my eyes, but I held them back and quickly commented on his answer to my question.
    “Wow. Who knew? You
can
be creative. I’m impressed. Your turn.”
    He smiled and rolled to his back. He motioned for me to lift my head so he could adjust his arm under me. He pulled me close. I loved how perfectly we fit together.
    “I’ll try this again...do you have a guitar?”
    “Nope. When I took lessons I just borrowed one from the teacher so I could practice at home. It was just a cheap one, not a Martin or anything.” His right eyebrow lifted like I was speaking a different language. “Martin’s are the good ones. They’re pretty expensive.”
    We went back and forth with a couple more questions when my eyes started to droop. The sun was up, but it was still so early. I tried to sleep, but the sex tapes, my nightmares, and the thought of going it alone hung over my head as I tossed and turned. Knowing how deeply our souls were connected, I couldn’t picture myself telling Jake I needed time to heal before I could focus on our relationship.
    The thought of what images could be on the sex tapes at Sigma Chi made me nauseated. The guilt I carried because my dreams took me to Noah when I was sharing a bed with Jake was, at times, unbearable. But the thought of walking away from this beautiful soul squeezed my chest with panic. I shook all the unpleasant thoughts from my mind in an attempt to sleep.
    There was no time constraint to leaving Jake’s bed. I looked up at the man I loved more than life itself and fell asleep once more in the most peaceful place I knew...Jake’s arms.

Six
    Jake
    I let the hot water run down over my body as I tried to relax. It was summer; we had no schedule or anything pressing to worry about for the next couple months, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that we would soon be starting our senior year. Career searches, applications, interviews, and the possibility of relocating were all just around the corner.
    I had been in college for three full years and still didn’t know what I wanted to do. A degree in Business Management could take me a zillion different directions, and I had no clue which way to go. When I picked my major, it seemed like a good idea to choose something that could open up a vast array of possibilities on the job front. But as graduation day loomed, I worried the number of choices could be overwhelming.
    And when I was deciding my major, I certainly wasn’t thinking about the stress that might come along with trying to secure a job based on where my future girlfriend’s job prospects were.
    I dated a lot in high school. I was captain of the soccer team and always had a girl on my arm. But none were ever serious enough to consider when I was deciding where my future was headed.
    Since Gracie’s breakup with Noah, we hadn’t talked much about our future together. For me, it was a given. I was done looking. In my mind, I had us married with kids.
    I mindlessly spread soap across my body and scrubbed my hair as I let my mind wander. I pictured Gracie as a mom, the mother of my children. I had never even pictured a future past college with Jessica. And now, I pictured myself with knee-high people greeting me in the driveway. I tried to picture what kind of job I left before pulling into my imaginary home, but it was useless. I wasn’t concerned about finding a job or providing for Gracie and me. Business Management would open more than a few doors for me, but I