Page 56 of The One You Want

Chapter 14

The first Libbies meeting after the self-help book craze got going was held the following week. On Monday, when I mentioned to Grant that I wasn’t looking forward to it, having done little more than flip through the book, he told me to hang tight. He showed up at my condo a half hour later with an armful of carryout fromCora’s.

“Let’s turn you into a lioness!” he announced in the doorway, and I laughed, letting him in. We set up the carryout on my coffee table, the cats winding their way between our legs, crying pitifully to share the food. I got up to wrangle them into their bedroom, but Grant insisted they would be fine. Sure enough within minutes, he had Lady in his lap, Ernie sprawled across his shoulders, and Mittens curled up at his side, purring softly while Grant scratched behind hisears.

“Have you ever considered cat adoption?” I asked, eying him with wonder—and a not-insignificant amount of jealousy. “Because I know three of them in search of a goodhome.”

Lady narrowed her eyes at me while Grant gasped, covering Mittens ears. “Don’t say such things! These kitties would miss theirmomma.”

I snorted with laughter. “Only because they know they’ll never find anyone as easy to walk allover.”

“She doesn’t mean it,” he assured the cats. “So where’s thisbook?”

I pulled the glossy volume from under my box of fries and handed it to him. He shoved a few onion rings into his mouth and chewed while he flipped through thepages.

“Be your own champion,” he read out loud once he’d swallowed. “The hawk soars above the fray.” He looked up at me, eyes wide. “Jenny, this isbull.”

I laughed. “I toldyou!”

“I mean, look at this part—a lion pride is matriarchal by nature and so too will be yours—I don’t even think that’s accurate. A couple dude lions definitely live with theladies.”

“Maybe the ladies just keep them around for sex?” I suggested. “It doesn’t really matter though—I’m pretty sure scientific accuracy isn’t thepoint.”

He shook his head in dismay. “This is the garbage half the women on the island are going crazyabout?”

I shrugged. “I guess it’sempowering?”

“It’s nonsense is what it is,” he muttered, returning his attention to the book. “Hmm,” he said after a moment. “Okay, I guess I getthat. Hmm. All right, that makessense.”

“Care to share with theclass?”

He looked up, giving me a sheepish grin. “I guess this part isn’t too terrible.” I leaned over his shoulder to peruse the page he’d been reading. As far as I could tell, it was all about finding the inner core of your true spirit and finding ways to connect with it everyday. Whatever the hell thatmeant.”

“That’s pretty good advice,” Grantsaid.

I gaped at him. “Oh, Grant, not youtoo.”

“I’m not saying I’m buying into it,” he argued, but his eyes had already turned back to the book. This time he read in silence for a full five minutes before looking up, an excited look on his face. “Listen to this.We all have, at our core, a well of strength we’re rarely even aware of. It is from this well we draw the ability to take risks, to be brave. It is from this well we draw the power to find our passion and make it work forus.”

I stared at him for a long moment, sure he must be joking. “I don’t even know what thatmeans!”

He laughed. “Okay, I’ll grant you that it’s all dressed up in too much flowerylanguage—”

“Flowery BS,” I corrected, and hegrinned.

“But the basic message is good. It’s telling you that you’re stronger than you realize and you can use that strength to get what you want out oflife.”

“Then why didn’t it just saythat?”

He shrugged. “Maybe it wouldn’t sell aswell.”

“We should write our own self help book.” I pointed my French fry at him. “We’ll use language anyone can understand and you can explain all about how talking to your plants is a form of meditation orwhatever.”

He poked my knee with a sharp finger but I was undeterred. “We can call it Overcoming Doubt by Dishing With YourDaisies.”

“You want my help with this or not?” he asked, but I could see the way he was fighting hisgrin.

“Fine, fine. Let’s dothis.”