Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Willing? Willing to what?
“What was that about?” I ask once she’s ended the call.
“Eli went over to the hospital after his morning class,” Tabitha says. “He wanted to see Ralph.”
“How is he?” I ask, not really caring.
“Same. He’s in some pain. But it looks like he’s going to make it.”
I didn’t think that was ever in question. He’s not the first guy to get the shit kicked out of him. I’ve helped nurse my brothers back to health after a beating more than once.
“That’s good,” I say.
“Yeah, it is. But here’s the thing…”
“What?”
“Ralph wants to see you, Angie.”
I nearly drop my jaw to the table. Hasn’t he done enough? He already went to the hospital HR to squeal on Jason and me. But…Jason did tell me that Ralph seems to have feelings for me.
Right. Like the asshole could even have feelings.
“What for?”
She frowns. “I don’t know. Eli didn’t say.”
“Then why didn’t Eli call me?”
Tabitha rubs her forehead. “That’s a good question, for sure.”
“I already know the answer.” I smirk. “He likes you, Tabitha.”
She clasps her hands, casts her gaze to the restaurant’s tiled floor. “Unfortunately, the feeling isn’t mutual. As anything more than friends, that is. I see him more like a little brother.”
“Yeah, I understand.” I cross my arms. “Why the hell does Ralph want to see me?”
She shrugs. “Eli said he pressed him on it, but Ralph wouldn’t say. I told him I’d go over and meet him at the hospital in an hour. But whether you came was up to you.”
“I’m sorry, but I have a class right after lunch.”
“I see.”
“I already cut a class yesterday. I don’t want to make this a habit.”
“I totally understand, Angie.”
Our server brings our meals—drunken noodles for me and pad thai for Tabitha—and smiles. “Is there anything else you ladies would like?”
Tabitha drains her glass of water. “Refill, please.”
“Right away.” The server picks up the glass. “You?”
My glass of water is still full, and though I could use a drink, I have a class to get to. “I’m good, but thank you.”
I inhale the fragrance of my drunken noodles.
The smell of garlic, chili, and basil mixes with the sweet scent of the oyster sauce. I pick up my fork and twirl a strand of noodle around it.
Tabitha takes a bite of her meal, her gaze flickering back to her phone. She chews, swallows, and then looks back to me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks again, setting her fork down on her plate.
I give a small nod, but I don’t meet her eyes. “Just a lot on my mind.”
Tabitha starts talking again as she digs into her pad thai. She doesn’t seem overly concerned about Ralph wanting to see me.
Why should she be?
Ralph isn’t her problem. He’s mine. And Jason’s, unfortunately. I take a bite of the noodles—spicy and sweet at the same time, just how I like it.
Why would he want to see me? What could he possibly have to say that he hasn’t already?
I try to dismiss it as nothing. Maybe he just wants to apologize for his actions. For going to HR.
Yeah, right.
I haven’t known Ralph long, but already I know he has no intention of apologizing.
Truth is, I don’t want to see Ralph or have anything to do with him. His sudden request fills my stomach with unease, prompting me to set down my fork and push the bowl away.
“You’re not eating?” Tabitha asks, noticing.
“Not hungry anymore,” I say curtly. It’s a weak excuse, but I need to end this meal. “I changed my mind. I’m cutting class. Let’s go see what Ralph wants.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jason
“Hello?”
“Is this Jason Lansing?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Ralph Parker returning your call. You wanted to talk about Ronny and Lindsay?”
I clear my throat. “Yes.”
“May I ask why?”
“Yeah, of course.” I clear my throat again. “I was married to Lindsay Davis.”
“Oh. How is she?”
“She’s no longer with us,” I say. “I didn’t divorce her. I’m a widower.”
Silence for a moment. Then, “I’m very sorry to hear that. We all really loved Lindsay. I’ve tried to stay in touch with everyone from our class, but she disappeared after graduation.”
“Yeah, because her old boyfriend was stalking her.”
“Right. Ronny. He was totally devoted to Lindsay. It nearly killed him when she ended the relationship.”
“That didn’t give him license to stalk her and make her life miserable to the point where she had to leave town. Her parents, too.”
“Did they?” He pauses a moment. “She did seem to disappear into thin air. I’ve kept in touch with everyone from our graduating class. Kept tabs on where everyone is, what they’re doing now. But Lindsay’s been a closed book. She seemed to fall off the face of the earth.”
“She went to Colorado, along with her parents. She and I met in undergrad. We were pretty inseparable.”
Another pregnant pause. “I hate to ask, but I can’t help myself. What happened?”