Book Seven Friendship Heirloom: Purity
All good things must come to an end... but bad things continue forever?
Vashti Samuels, Rozlyn Gosnik, and Justice Adams grew up together as the children of lawyers at Adams, Samuels & Gosnik General Practice Law Firm in Peaceful, Wisconsin. The three were best friends all their lives. Together, the three of them traveled the globe and went on all the adventures a restless, reckless tomboy like Vashti could desire. Never once did she realize Roz felt only jealousy and animosity for her because she believed Justice was attracted to her when Roz had loved him single-mindedly all her life. The truth came out after Vashti and Justice changed their minds about continuing with their three-musketeer plans to become psychiatrists, transferred to law school, and Justice made a surprising move on Vashti that Roz walked in on. Abruptly, Roz made her true feelings known. Their friendship fractured, and Vashti couldn't make things right no matter how hard she tried. Meanwhile, Justice and Roz began a stormy relationship that ended in a volatile marriage.
In the years that follow, Vashti has harbored a silent attraction to Justice since their unexpected encounter, but she hasn't allowed herself to think of him as anything but the best friend she lost to her other best friend. In her own personal life, she's never had much use for romantic relationships. When she was lonely, she had all the friends--male or female--she could ask for. The few times she'd felt more for the men in her life hadn't worked out and, truthfully, she hadn't wanted them to.
When Justice ends up in the hospital after Roz commits suicide and nearly extinguishes her husband's life in the process, he makes it clear Vashti is the last person he wants to hold his hand during his convalescence and grief. His life has always been spent in the middle between Roz and Vashti and, even with Roz's death, he's not free of her censure. He isn't sure he'll ever be free, certainly not to admit that he's always been intimidated by Vashti, the über-independent, self-confident knockout that he'd had almost as many feelings for as he had for Roz. Vashti insists she only wants to be friends again, but deep down she knows if she can't have his heart she'd rather have nothing at all.
