Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69424 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69424 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
But it didn’t matter, because he kept speaking.
“Last year, when you broke your hand and foot in that accident, I’ve never hated another person more. That bitch was yelling and screaming at you, and when I pulled up you were trying really hard not to get mad. But then she said something about Anders and made a move in her direction, and I watched you transform into this glorious superbeing that would’ve taken on the entire world for her sister,” he murmured, his chest rumbling with his words as he continued to play with the hair that continued to fall from behind my ear. “That lady looked so damn taken back when you started to go off on her. She probably thought you were an easy target, but you most certainly are not. There you were, limping and barely able to walk, with your finger in that woman’s face.”
“You picked me up and carried me to the ambulance,” she muttered. “I wasn’t even finished with her.”
“You were about to hit her with your broken hand, so yeah, you were.” He smoothed his hand from my hair to my chin and lifted it. “We don’t see you like you see yourself.”
My body melted against his as tears filled my eyes. “My mom was a horrible person.”
He smoothed his thumb over the apple of my cheek. “What little I’ve heard about her, I can see why you wouldn’t have anything to do with her.”
“She calls me all the time,” I muttered. “And Searcy was working her ass off so much that she didn’t see, but Mom took advantage of her so badly. Always stealing her money when she wasn’t looking. Forcing Searcy to take on that role of a mom. Forced Searcy to drop out of school. Then, when that wasn’t enough, she started on me.” I swallowed. “One night…” I hesitated, unsure if I could get the words out.
“Tell me,” he urged.
“She tried to sell me to a man for five hundred dollars.”
He tensed underneath me.
“She said she was joking, but all jokes have a little truth in them. And that night was the night that I decided that I wouldn’t deal with her shit anymore. I made it my mission to get money and get the fuck out of there the moment I turned eighteen,” I replied. “Plus, if I wasn’t there to take care of, Searcy had one less mouth to feed.”
“Searcy shouldn’t have had to do any of that,” he pointed out.
“No,” I agreed. “She shouldn’t have.”
“Where is your mom now?” he asked. “Still running that diner?”
“The diner she ran shut down a while ago because no one would stay working there,” she said. “She sold it for a song to one of the waitresses or cooks. Baker went there a couple of weeks ago to meet Copper for lunch and they said it was a completely different place.”
“So why does she call you?”
“For money,” I said. “The first time she at least tried to disguise it as she wanted to spend time with Anders. But when I asked her why she wouldn’t want to spend time with Kent, too, she had no answer. It was like he hadn’t even occurred to her.”
“Twat.” He twirled some of my hair around his finger. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“What I was going to do was go to Searcy’s around nine. Watch the kids open presents and help with breakfast,” I answered. “Clean up. Oh, and I have to prepare for my job interview.”
“Your job interview?” he questioned.
I sat up and reached for a cookie that was on the bedside table. “I have a job interview the day after tomorrow. The big boss knew it was bad timing, but he goes out of town every year to visit his family in Italy, and won’t be back again until mid-February. He said it was either now or then. I chose now.”
“What is it and where?” he questioned.
I gave him the basics of the job and what I would be expected to do there.
He listened intently while I ate the cookie over his chest, dropping crumbs all over him. He didn’t seem to mind, though, and even picked up a chocolate chip and popped it into his mouth.
“Do you want this job?” he questioned.
I scrunched up my nose. “I want it because it’ll be a great job. I really wanted a different job, but I’m not really willing to move to make it happen.”
“Move where?” he asked.
“Forney,” I answered. “It’s not super far away in the grand scheme of things, but they want me within fifteen miles.”
“Why aren’t you willing to move?” he questioned.
I opened my mouth and then closed it, really considering what he was asking.
Why wasn’t I willing to move?
“Anders. Kent. Pane. Cassidy. Dalton. Searcy,” I answered, then hesitated. “You.”
His lips twitched.