The Right Time Read Free

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    Both men walked away from the bar and stood against the wall, watching the festivities. The musicians had been playing a blend of rock, pop, and soul. Right now the lead singer crooned into the microphone, her voice dripping with a slower, sexier version of James Brown’s “Hot Pants,” with her gyrations bordering on too lewd for a wedding.
    “Heard anything about the invitations yet?” Ransom asked.
    As was the custom, invitations for the partners’ annual cocktail party would be going out soon. The event rotated to the four cities in which the firm had an office, and this year it would take place in Atlanta.
    “Nah. I’m not worried about it.”
    Ransom’s head swung toward his friend. “How could you not be worried?”
    “I know it’s too soon for me to get an invite. You should be getting yours soon, though.”
    “I hope.”
    “You will.” There was a pause. “Becoming a partner is all you care about, isn’t it?” Giles asked.
    “In all the time you’ve known me, what else have you ever heard me talk about?”
    Ransom had been working toward an equity partnership ever since he left a big law practice eight years ago to join Abraham, MacKenzie & Wong. With other offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York, the midsized firm was known for rewarding its attorneys with excellent bonuses and opportunities for advancement.
    Giles was quiet for a while. Then he spoke in a voice weighted with thoughts. “I used to want the same thing, but now I’m not so sure.”
    The words hit Ransom like a blow to the chest, so foreign he almost gasped. “Are you saying you don’t want to be a partner?”
    “I’m not saying that. I want it, but it’s no longer as important as I thought it would be. I’m not going to lecture you. You know what you want, but I can’t help thinking about me and Stephanie. I almost lost her to another man because I didn’t realize what a good woman I had, too consumed with pursuing the brass ring. When in reality, she is the brass ring—hell, the gold ring. I’m telling you, man, once you fall in love, everything else becomes so…irrelevant.”
    Ransom took a sip of his martini. “I don’t plan on falling in love.”
    “No one ever plans on falling in love.”
    Ransom groaned. “Please don’t tell me how great it is to be married when you’ve been married less than a day.”
    Giles chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m new at this, but it does feel great.”
    “I’ll see how great you think marriage is in a couple of years. I’ve been in serious relationships before, and they consume too much of my time. I have a new motto. No commitments. No girlfriends. I need to stay focused.” The debacle with Lisa had taught him that much. Timing was everything, and right now he should concentrate on his career. A committed relationship could come later, when he had the time to devote to it.
    “I understand what you’re saying. But believe me, there’s never going to be a right time to make a commitment. There will always be something else that comes up. You just have to seize the moment.”
    Ransom shot him a sideways glance. “You are so whipped.”
    Giles chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement despite the dig. “And I couldn’t be happier.”
    “Or luckier. I don’t know what you said to get Stephanie to break her engagement with Alexander, but it worked.”
    “Yeah, I know I’m lucky.” Giles looked extremely grateful, a smile of tenderness on his face as he gazed across the room at his new bride.
    Stephanie was in the middle of a conversation with her mother, a tall, elegant-looking black woman with salt-and-pepper hair that curled around her ears and nape. Stephanie’s hair was styled into a series of twists atop her head. The long sleeveless gown flattered the lines of her svelte frame. She glanced away from her mother and looked at Giles, and no one could miss the connection between them. The messages their eyes sent to each other were known