Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“Nothing, now. I used to have my internship every Wednesday, followed by the closing shift at the boutique. Since my schedule is suddenly wide open, maybe I’ll stay in my pajamas all day and do schoolwork. I should look at it as a positive. It’s rare to have a whole day to myself.”
“I hope you can get some rest.” Ryder was watching me with worry in his eyes, and after a pause he asked, “Are you going to be okay financially without that job? If not, I’m happy to help you out.”
“That’s so sweet, but I’ll be fine. Tuition was my biggest expense. I don’t have to worry about that anymore since this is my last semester, and the rest of my expenses are pretty minimal. With what I have left in savings and my job at the department store, I have enough to live on until I graduate and land a full-time job.”
“Okay. But if anything changes, my offer still stands.”
I closed my eyes and murmured, “You’re such a wonderful man, Ryder. I’ll never take your money, but you’re so kind to offer.”
I didn’t remember falling asleep, but the video feed was disconnected when I woke up. No wonder, since I’d slept until almost eleven. Ryder would have been up for hours, doing his morning chores.
He’d sent me a text hours earlier, which said: Good morning, baby. I hope you’re feeling better today.
There was also a message from Vee: Hey buddy, I wanted to see how you’re doing. Check in when you can.
I doubted Vee had heard me crying from downstairs, but I must have been a hot mess when I walked in the door last night. I sent replies and told both of them I was fine, but that wasn’t true. I was still out of sorts, and after crying that hard, my head was pounding.
After stopping off in the bathroom and taking a shower, I put my pajamas back on and went downstairs for some coffee. The house was so still that I knew right away no one else was home. That was probably a good thing. I wasn’t feeling very social.
I brewed a fresh pot of coffee and filled my largest insulated mug, grabbed a protein bar from my neglected shelf in the pantry, and went back to bed with my phone. My plan was to wander around the internet for a while to see if anything might spark an idea for a new collection, or just spark my creativity in general.
Instead, I fell asleep. Some kind of sound woke me sometime later, and I sat up feeling disoriented. The light streaming in through my open curtains was golden, telling me the sun was starting to set. Had I really slept the whole day away?
The sound happened again. This time, my jumbled brain recognized it as a light knock on my door, and I called, “Come in.”
I expected one of my housemates, so when Ryder stepped through the door, I yelled, “Oh my god!” He was carrying a few bags and a backpack, and he dropped them all a second before I tackled him.
I whispered, “Please don’t let this be a dream,” as I wrapped my arms and legs around him, and he held me tightly.
“You’re not dreaming, baby. I’m right here.”
“But how?”
“I booked a nonstop flight and got Dwight and Tank to watch the ranch for a couple of days. Then I messaged Vee, and he, Lark, and Dylan picked me up at the airport. Now here I am.”
I was overcome with emotion. “This is because of last night,” I mumbled, burying my face in his shoulder. “I was such a mess. That’s why you dropped everything and flew to San Francisco. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“There’s no reason to apologize, and it isn’t just because of last night. You seemed really stressed out these past few weeks, and I wanted to help. Besides, I’ve missed you like crazy. I’m here because I need this, and because I think you might need it, too.”
“I really do. I feel guilty, though. That last-minute flight must have been so expensive, and you had to make all those arrangements so your animals would be okay, and—”
He quieted me with a gentle kiss, and I straddled his lap as he took a seat on the edge of my bed. “Please just let yourself enjoy this, baby. I’m here because I want to help you feel better, not to cause you more stress.”
“You’re definitely helping.” I cupped his face between my palms and kissed him again. Then it dawned on me that I was probably pretty gross right now, so I climbed off his lap and said, “Give me a minute, okay? I need to freshen up a bit.”
He said, “Take your time,” and I grabbed some clothes and hurried to the bathroom.