Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
She needed to stop. It was getting weird.
“Well, I’ll see if there’s somewhere I can wait.” Garrett stood and looked stoic. Like he was facing a fate worse than death, but he was determined to do it with dignity and be kind to his executioner.
She bit back a groan. “I’ll give you a ride, Garrett. I have an SUV here. You don’t have to sit and wait for someone to help you.”
He ignored her sarcasm and merely gave her a nod. “I appreciate that. I would also like access to the office and the records I’m supposed to go over. Can I walk from the motel?”
“It’s only a couple of blocks, but I could pick you up. I’m not trying to be a monster here.”
Garrett held out a hand as though waving off her words. “Of course not. I’m sure if I were in your position, I wouldn’t want to hang out with my regretted one-night stand. It’s okay. I’m a big boy. I can make it to work but I would like a way to get in. Unless you don’t want me there if you’re not.”
He was taking everything the wrong way. She didn’t regret her night with them. She regretted that it couldn’t stay this perfect, beautiful moment because they had to bring reality into it.
Was all she wanted moments?
“Of course not. I’ll give you the code and show you around. I can wait while you check in. Keane isn’t working until tomorrow.” She gave him what she hoped was a bright smile. “You’ll like the crew. They’re nice. Josh has trained them well.”
“I’m sure they are, Miss Barnes-Fleetwood.” Keane stood and grabbed his duffel, placing it over his shoulder.
Her fathers talked about how they would be given trash bags when they had to move foster placements. Not suitcases. Trash bags. Did Keane remember that time? Was he grateful he didn’t have to put what little he had in black bags someone might mistake as trash and throw out?
“You can call me Olivia,” she replied. She didn’t think their acceptance would make her ache the way it was.
“I think we should keep this professional, like you said,” Keane replied.
“No one calls me by my last name.” Not going the way she wanted. Of course she wasn’t actually sure what she wanted beyond to not be in the position. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m coming off cold when what I’m really doing is processing. I do it slowly and not always well. I don’t want to avoid you.”
They both gave her the same pointed look.
“Fine. It’s weird because we had wild sex last night and I never thought I would see you again. Which was why I allowed myself to have wild sex in the first place.” She probably shouldn’t have said that. They were making her flustered, and that was a good enough reason to keep them at arm’s length. Wasn’t it? Or should she be a bit flustered? She pushed aside the thoughts. “Sorry. That was too much information. I hope we can have a good working relationship. That’s what I’m trying to establish. Boundaries. I’m going to go and get the car. I’ll be back in a minute.”
She needed air. Olivia was well aware she was fleeing the scene of her… She didn’t even know what to call it. They weren’t trying to humiliate her.
She took the steps faster than she should and she started for the ground. Damn it. She was the one humiliating herself. Right before she went into a death dive, a strong arm caught her.
“Hey, you’re lucky I’m here, baby,” a familiar voice said.
Her heart threatened to stop as she looked up. The face was familiar, too. Scott Whittiker. Her almost fiancé. The asshole who treated her like gold until the moment she was no longer useful to him, and then he was out of here.
She pulled away, forcing herself to stand tall. Like she hadn’t almost faceplanted in front of a bunch of people. The day was getting more surreal by the moment. “What are you doing here?”
He gave her his brightest smile. The one that said hey, I’m handsome and smart and have all the right connections so you’ll forgive me for anything. “Well, it’s kind of fate, and I’ve stopped fighting it. I’m the new rep for Organic Foods.”
She was meeting with the new rep on Monday with plans for negotiations through the next week. No one sent her a name. The old rep had been a woman named Anna who talked about her grandkids when they weren’t discussing business. She liked Anna. Anna never broke her heart.
“What happened to the VP position at Greenwood?” They were a distributer. One of the biggest in the country based in New York. It was the very job he left her for. He’d worked his job with the collective to get the position and then left them with piles of paperwork he hadn’t actually done.