Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Her lips twist as if she has something to say. But before any words pass them, she seems to change her mind. “What’s your plan? You’re not dating anyone for the rest of your life because Jasper is a douchebag?”
I’m fairly certain that wasn’t what she was going to say.
“I don’t know,” I say, straightening my shirt in case he looks this way. I may not care about him, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want him to wallow in how badly he fumbled me. “I’m not saying I’ll never date again. Never is a long time. But I’m just over it. I’m tired of giving my time and energy to men who’ll wind up treating me like I’m disposable.”
She takes a breath. “Trust me. I get it. I was walking down that same path when Drake changed how I saw the world. That’s all it takes, Markie. One guy can swoop in and make you see that there are good men out there. You just have to find them.”
“I believed that. But Jasper was supposed to be the one good man. Theory busted.”
A chill ripples down my spine, and I don’t have to look over my shoulder to see why. I know Jasper’s standing beside me by the way the hair on the back of my neck stands on end … and from the icy glare Gianna shoots that way.
“Hey, Markie,” Jasper says, his voice as unbothered as ever.
“That’s a stupid opening,” I say, lifting a brow.
“It was two words.”
I paste on a smile that’s so intense, so patently weaponized, that he recoils. “And I said I trusted you. Looks like we both say stupid shit.”
My gaze stays pinned on his face until his Adam’s apple bobs, and he walks away, muttering something under his breath.
“Okay,” Gianna says. “I get what you mean when you say that he hides behind his boy-next-door facade. That pisses me off, too.”
I wait a beat for my blood to stop boiling. “I need to destroy him in the pickleball tournament in front of the whole town, and then I can put this to bed.”
“Or you could let a hot rugby player put you to bed and forget about this whole thing.”
I stare at her.
“What?” She laughs. “I hope that if our roles were reversed, you’d be encouraging me to bang a guy like Jory.”
Of course, I’d be telling her to do that, just like she is me. And up until a few months ago, I’d have been giving myself the same advice. But something flipped inside me when I discovered Jasper’s infidelity. I don’t just want another guy in my bed. I want the guy. The one who probably doesn’t even exist.
“I’m laser focused on the tournament. It’s all I can handle right now. We’re a month out, and I still don’t have a partner. But I am meeting a guy named Adam tonight who I think will be great.”
Before she can reply, our phones buzz with incoming texts.
“Must be the group chat,” Gianna says, smiling.
I grab my phone and open the app.
Audrey: We set a date!! I’m getting married. Finally.
Astrid: It’s about time.
Mira: Ironic coming from you.
Astrid:
Gianna and I laugh. It’s become a running joke with us that Gray and Astrid are going to be engaged forever even though it’s not been that long. Astrid wanted to wait for Gray to retire and they were settled back in Sugar Creek before she started the wedding process. But now that Gray is officially done with rugby and they’re back in their cabin, we’re all anxious for them to tie the knot.
Me: Are you going to tell us when, or do you want us to guess?
Audrey: Three weeks from Saturday.
Gianna: That feels random.
Audrey: Every time we picked a date, it felt like it conflicted with someone’s schedule or the venue wasn’t available. We were sitting in the barn on our property tonight, imagining what it will be like when our house is finished, and we just said screw it. We want to be married. Brooks kept saying that it’s about us and no one else, and I kind of love that.
“You know,” I say, looking up at Giana. “I think Brooks is a closet romantic.”
“I agree. He treats Auddie like a princess and the way he stepped up for Mira at her wedding …”
We exchange a soft smile at the memory as our phones buzz in rapid succession.
Mira: Can I do anything to help?
Audrey: Maybe we can all get together this week for some wine and to hammer out the details?
Astrid: Perfect. Want to meet here?
Audrey: That would be great.
Mira: I’ll bring snacks.
Astrid: See if you can talk Cathy into making cookies.
Mira: Consider it done.
Lisa returns and hands Gianna the bill. They chatter about Jasper, but I tune them out. There’s no sense in wasting mental energy on a turd, especially when I can be thinking about other things.