Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Maybe it would be,” he says, searching my eyes. “But wouldn’t it also be ridiculous to allow fear to hold you back from something that has the potential to be amazing?”
His words hit my heart, striking the middle of my wounds.
He’s right. Allowing fear to hold me back is ridiculous. But isn’t it equally unreasonable to jump into deep, dark waters without thinking it through?
“Why do you care so much, Tate? Isn’t this more trouble than it’s worth?”
I force a swallow. Aren’t I more trouble than I’m worth? I hate that thought, but it’s right there, festering inside me.
“You mean, aren’t you more trouble than you’re worth?”
I fill my lungs with air and hold it, feeling the burn of the expansion overtake the sting of embarrassment at being called out.
His phone rings, breaking the silence between us. His gaze lingers on me for a long moment before he pulls the device from his pocket.
“I need to take this,” he says, looking at the screen.
I can’t find my voice, so I just nod.
He slips out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Chapter Seventeen
Tate
“I think she thought our conversation was over,” I say, pinching the edge of the pie crust for Mimi.
She sits next to me at her kitchen table, studying my every move.
Mimi used to make a pie a week when I first met her. There would be a freshly baked pie or cobbler every Wednesday when I showed up for our date. But as time passed, the motor skills required to mix the ingredients, roll the dough, pinch the edges, and prep the filling—not to mention creating the fancy lattice crusts she’s a big fan of—got to be too much. Instead of letting her feel bad about it, because she knew I loved her pies, I teased her and told her that I knew what she was doing. She wanted to bake with me instead of for me.
That’s not true, but I think she appreciated me saying it. And I’ve been the baker in our relationship ever since.
“She’ll come around,” Mimi says. “I mean, look at you. You’re hot stuff.”
“I’d have to be hot stuff to pull a stunner like you.”
She smacks my arm and laughs. “She’s probably just playing hard to get, but she won’t last long. God knows I wouldn’t.” She whistles between her teeth. “They didn’t make men like you when I was young, I’ll tell ya that.”
“What do you think about age gaps, Mimi?” I ask, filling the pie shell with blueberry filling.
“What do you mean?”
“Aurora is older than I am. I don’t know by how much, but I don’t care. It’s just a number.”
“That’s right.”
I paint the crust with an egg wash. “She made a comment about being older than me and that it made her feel a certain way, I guess. I’ve been thinking about that a lot because it’s one thing I can’t fix.”
“Oh, honey. That’s something almost every woman thinks about at least once in their life.”
“Fucking a younger man?” I ask, plopping the pie in the preheated oven and setting a timer.
She laughs. “Well, yes, that, too.”
I turn on the tap and rinse the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher, all the while my thoughts are still with Aurora. I didn’t see her in the office today. Jackson said she and Tally had meetings elsewhere and would be gone most of the day. Luckily, there was more than enough work to keep me busy—but not enough to keep her off my mind.
“I’d imagine that she’s in a place in her life where she’s been through some shit, survived even more shit, and she’s now looking for a soft spot to land. But she doesn’t trust anyone because everyone has let her down. And when she looks in the mirror, she’s no longer young and beautiful in her eyes.” Mimi’s delicate shoulders lift and fall. “Being a woman can be hell.”
“Try understanding one.”
But as the words leave my mouth, I’m reminded of Aurora’s mention of fuzzy blankets.
“Instead of living my life in survival mode and just getting through each day, I’m trying to craft a life that feels good. Soft. Feminine. Like my life is wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, if that makes sense.”
She laughs. “Women aren’t that complicated if you really want to understand them. This one sounds like she’s not been valued or feels she’s given more in her relationships than she’s received. And she’s going to make you work for it, Tate. You won’t win this one over by pussyfooting around.”
“I just want to be loved, dammit,” I say, fake crying.
This makes Mimi shake her head and chuckle.
“I’m gonna tell you one thing right now,” Mimi says, closing the dishwasher and starting it. “I can’t have you hanging around here every week, moping about some girl. I’ll share you with her, but I’m not sacrificing my Tate time to save hers. You’re gonna have to shit or get off the pot.”