Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
I nod. “I guess a one-night stand? Which sounds kind of right because I’ve never known my dad to date, so he was celibate.”
“Or doing it on the side, little horndog.”
“Horndog?” I laugh. “Where do you come up with this shit?”
Teddy shrugs. “Grams used that one a lot.” Of course she did.
“I’ve only poked around, but I’m not finding much.”
“We could hire a private eye,” Teddy suggests. “Or—”
“We’re not being the private eyes.” I cut that off before it can start. We’re still on probation over the library incident.
“I have the coats for it.” She looks so disappointed by my refusal, but I know without a doubt that it would be a disaster.
“And it’s summer.”
“Fine,” she huffs. “Then, what?”
“Oh, what about those ancestry things you can take?”
“Yes! That’s brilliant. I’m going to have Killian pop into the pharmacy. I bet they have them. Then we can mail it while we’re still in town.”
“You’re not wasting any time, are you?”
Teddy clicks away on her phone before setting it back down. “Well, it seems my best friend has been thinking about this for a bit, so time was already wasted.”
“I was only thinking about it.”
Teddy’s face grows serious. “Are you doing this because you feel like the odd man out?”
“You’d never treat me that way.” We stop speaking when the server drops off our appetizer, fried cheese sticks.
“I didn’t say that; I asked if you felt that way.”
“I don’t feel grounded, you know?”
“You’re still grieving. Don’t be rushing it.”
“He died a few years ago.”
“I meant Tristan, which I’m sure dug up inner feelings about your dad. Tristan is the one person in your life that knew your dad. He was your last connection to him. So it makes sense that you would be feeling this way.”
“Shit.” I look out the window and take a few deep breaths. “You know, I feel guilty about messaging this guy. So fucking stupid,” I growl the last part, pissed at myself. “We weren’t even a thing. I don’t even know if he ever saw me that way.”
“He knew.”
I snap my head back toward her. “Why do you say that?”
“Wait, you really don’t think he knew?”
“It might make it worse if he knew,” I groan, slipping down farther into my side of the booth, making the vinyl stick to my thighs.
“I think he was into you too, so...”
“What the hell, Teddy Bear!” I press my lips together and glance around. “Sorry,” I say to the mom a few tables over with a couple of kids. Hell isn’t that bad. I could have said a lot worse.
“You have better eyes than I do. The man would make you have meals with him and then avoid you. He’s dealing with some inner shit there. I’m sure he’s all, ‘Oh, by her daddy wanting me to keep her safe, I can’t touch his little girl, oh my.’” She puts the back of her hand to her forehead and pretends to faint, scandalized. “He almost kissed you.”
“I was wondering if I made that up in my head.”
“Well, you can’t make up the flip-out over your gaming system and then the wrestling match that ensued.”
“So what I’m hearing is yes, I should feel bad over these texts.”
“What? Don’t put words in my mouth.” She shoves a fried cheese stick there, however. I do the same. “If he didn’t make a move, that’s on him. And you’re only talking to this person. You could end up friends. Just roll with it. You’re getting your feet wet. You’re not doing anything wrong.”
“Roll with it.” Can I do that?
“What if you find something you don’t like about your mom?” Shit, I hadn’t thought of that. “I know a hitman. Bet I can get you a good deal.”
I burst into laughter. The server swings by, dropping off the rest of our food. My phone buzzes against the table, and I flip it over without thinking.
M: Still eating? Or did you pass out from starvation? I’ll come save you. I know I failed with the library, but I can handle this one.
I smile despite everything. He’s easy. M is easy in a way that nothing else in my life has ever been. Teddy’s right: I’m only talking to this person. I can stop at any time.
Me: Still eating. Talking about deep stuff. Life, moms, and existence.
M: Heavy for a weekday.
Me: Every day is heavy lately.
M: Tell me something light. Favorite terrible movie.
I type back, letting the conversation pull me away from the one lingering in my mind...from the question of what I’m looking for and whether I really want to find it.
Chapter Fifteen
TRISTAN
Iwatch Killian cross the street. Where the fuck are you going? You’re on guard duty. He slips into the pharmacy, which instantly puts me on high alert. Does Lily not feel well? They should go to the hospital. Killian doesn’t know how to save anyone; he kills them. Well, there was that one guy that really pissed him off. He brought him back a couple of times to kill him again.