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)
Maybe they should have taken their chances in fucking Jersey. She’d still be alive.
“I know what you’re thinking, Jason.” Barry looks at me, his eyes crinkled with empathy. “But you have to know that neither Lisa nor I blame you for… For what happened. It was a terrible thing. Lisa actually dragged me to a shrink for a couple of sessions.”
My ears perk up at that. After Lindsay was failed by our psychiatrist, her own parents tried therapy?
I try to keep my face nonchalant as I ask, “You did?”
Barry nods. “I was in terrible denial. I kept thinking there was no way that Lindsay—our little spot of sunshine—would ever do something like what she ended up doing. I even took a second mortgage on the house to hire a private investigator to look into it.” He smiles toward his wife. “Luckily Lisa made me come to my senses before I threw all our retirement funds into an investigation. We paid the PI for his time—it had only been a few days at that point—and sent him on his way. Lisa had done a couple of therapy sessions and invited me to come along. I thought she was going to be a quack, but she actually did help us process the loss and move forward.”
Lisa’s lip trembles, but she maintains her composure. “We’ll always miss Lindsay and Julia, but at least we’ve learned to live with the grief.” She reaches across the table and places her hand on mine. “I hope you’ve been able to do the same, Jason.”
I take a deep breath in. “Good days and bad days. As I’m sure is the case for you two.”
We finish dinner in silence. Dessert comes and goes, a decadent tiramisu that would’ve had Lindsay asking for seconds. It is delicious, but I’m so ready to get out of here. I got what I came for.
And a lot that I didn’t.
Lindsay’s ghost lives here.
That’s a big part of the reason I sold our house after she died. I couldn’t bear to see her in every corner.
I rise abruptly after refusing Lisa’s offer of coffee. “I should go.” I gesture to the letters and journal. “Thank you for these.”
“Can’t you stay a bit longer?” Lisa asks. “You’re our only link…” Her voice fades off.
“Easy, Lis,” Barry says.
“I’m sorry.” I sigh. “It’s just difficult to be here. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course.” Barry pats me on the back. “Take care, Jason. We’re here if you need us.”
Then everything blurs as I leave the house and get into my car.
Chapter Five
Angie
I’m about ready to call it a night and binge-watch some Netflix with Tillie while snuggled in bed when someone pounds on my door.
Already I know it’s Jason. Who else would it be? Security would have let me know if someone were coming to visit.
I go to the door with a sigh. “Jason, this had better be—”
I stop mid-sentence as I open the door and see him standing there, looking for all the world like a man on the brink of emotional collapse.
“Can I come in?” he asks.
His voice is rough, raw with so many emotions that it takes my breath away.
“Of course.” I step back.
He doesn’t say anything as he walks in, just sinks onto my couch, his head in his hands.
I close the door and walk over to him. “Jason,” I say softly, “what happened?”
He looks up at me, his eyes dark and haunted. “Can you make some coffee?”
“Sure.” I head to the kitchen.
Making coffee gives me something to do. Something normal to focus on while Jason wrestles with whatever demons have driven him here at this late hour.
A second later, though, his warm body is behind me, close to me, his cock digging into my back. “Forget the coffee,” he whispers.
I swallow and look over my shoulder. “You want something else?”
He stares at me, his wary eyes flickering lightly. “I think you know what I want.”
“Bourbon?” I ask.
He turns me around harshly so I’m facing him. “It’s been a day, Angie. A fucking day.”
I nod, my heart thumping at his closeness, the rawness in his gaze, the desperate edge to his voice.
It’s kind of terrifying.
And also really arousing.
“I’m here,” I tell him, scraping my fingers over his stubble. “Whatever you need.”
He closes his eyes at my touch, a soft sigh escaping him. “Forgive me if I make this messy…”
“Life’s messy.” I burn my gaze into his. “It doesn’t have to be perfect.”
He crushes his mouth to mine.
Passion and desperation mingle in a heated kiss that leaves us both breathless. He’s rough, his grip on me unforgiving as he pulls me close. When he breaks the kiss and inhales, I see a wildness in his eyes—something untamed and barely restrained. It’s hunger, yes, but not just for me… For something deeper. Something raw and aching that he’s buried for too long.