Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Caren: I know he is, but I really don’t need someone to check on me.
Lacey: I know you don’t, but I worry about you and it would make me feel so much better if you had his number and he had yours.
Caren: I can take care of myself.
Lacey: Please? For me?
Darn it. She’d pulled that card.
Caren: Fine. You can give him my number. If he contacts me, cool, if he doesn’t that’s all good too.
She’d just cry into her cereal in the morning. It was all good. Just fine.
Lacey: Thanks, I’ll sleep better knowing you have someone you can call if you need to.
And now she felt even worse imagining her friend lying in bed awake worrying about her.
Lacey: And just so you know, I didn’t say anything about it not being a date or about your mother or the past.
Caren: Thanks. You’re the best.
Lacey: But if you ever wanted to tell him, you could. Travis might be a caveman, however he’s also a good listener.
Caren: Got it, but I think it’s best I deal with this on my own. Now, go on your honeymoon, lady!
Lacey: You don’t have to tell me twice. Three weeks of sunshine and surf. My lingerie and sunscreen are packed.
Caren: That’s all you’re taking?
Lacey: What else would I need?
Dear Lord. Caren was grinning as she set her phone down. It wasn’t even a minute later before it buzzed with another message. Didn’t Lacey have other things to do other than worry over her?
But it wasn’t Lacey.
Sheesh, that was fast.
Unknown: Thanks for your phone number. Message or call me if you need anything. I mean it. I won’t be happy if I find out you needed something and you didn’t.
Unknown: It’s Travis by the way.
Caren rolled her eyes. Like that level of bossiness would come from someone else. She was certain she was going to regret this but she put his number into her contacts. Under OPN for Overprotective Neanderthal.
Caren: I did it for Lacey. I really can look after myself.
OPN: We’ll see.
8
OPN: What are you up to today? Are you going anywhere at night this week? Tell me if you are and I’ll take you. I don’t want you taking public transportation at night. No arguments.
Caren wanted to be annoyed. He was overbearing and ridiculous. Lacey had given him her number a week ago and she’d received check-in messages from him daily.
Yep. She wanted to be annoyed.
Only, she couldn’t seem to quite manage it. Had anyone ever checked in on her before like this? Grammy had done her best to take care of a scared teenage girl. But Caren had quickly come to be her caregiver rather than the other way around.
Not that she was complaining.
Living with Grammy had been absolute heaven compared to her life before.
Her parents had never known where she was most of the time—something she’d been grateful for. Still, if she’d been kidnapped, ill, or injured they might not even have noticed for a week.
Lacey was the only other person who’d ever cared about her.
So this daily check-in, overbearing as it was, was also something novel and kind of welcome.
If she disappeared someone would notice.
Caren: Good morning, Travis. How are you today? I have no evening plans so far this week.
So far.
And if she did make some, she was pretty certain he was the last person she was going to tell. No way did she want a repeat of last week. Luckily, River had answered the email she’d sent him asking for some follow-up paperwork.
She still wasn’t certain about hiring him, although Oliver, her agent, was pushing her into accepting him.
Of course, Oliver was also concerned that she hadn’t worked lately, despite knowing the reason why she hadn’t.
A shudder worked its way through her and she stifled it, taking in a deep breath.
She stared out at the nursing home. It was a large white building with three levels. The grounds looked beautiful. Welcoming and calming.
She wondered if that worked on her mother.
Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
Caren had arrived in Albany by train last night. She’d just had time to check into her accommodations and get some dinner before getting into bed.
Where she’d tried to sleep but mostly failed.
Who knew that coming to see her estranged, abusive mother could wreak such havoc on her sleep? And her eating. This morning she hadn’t even had the stomach to look at the buffet breakfast at the hotel.
So now she was exhausted, nauseous, and filled with dread.
Awesome.
Why are you doing this? She doesn’t deserve your attention. She doesn’t deserve any part of you.
Caren couldn’t answer those questions. Because she had no idea why she was doing this. Maybe it was closure? Maybe she wanted to see if her mother had changed? If she showed any sign of remorse or wanted to apologize.
Yeah, right.
She was probably more likely to see a flying pig. But there was a part of her that still had hope.