Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
“Oh yeah?” I smile faintly. “What’s the application process like?”
“Very problematic.”
I grin, letting him walk me back toward the couch. “I bet it is.”
“The good news is, we’re only considering one candidate. Even if you don’t try very hard, I bet you’ll land the gig.”
“Mm, I’m used to being an overachiever. Not trying very hard isn’t really my thing.”
He holds my chin in place and leans down. “I like the sound of that,” he murmurs against my lips.
I wind my arms around his neck, holding on to him as he eases me back. I drop first, then he sits on the couch beside me.
“You should stay here tonight,” I say, enticingly. “We could go to the grocery store, and I could get some stuff to make you dinner. I’ll need to stock the fridge anyway.”
“I like that idea.”
“Yeah? Good.” I lean in, kissing him, my fingers sliding into his hair. “This will allow me to get a start on paying that rent, too. What’d we agree on, 150 kisses a month?”
He feigns consideration. “I think it was 200. All expenses included, after all.”
___
I’ve never gone shopping and not needed to look at price tags before, but when Tor takes me out, he decides we should do some apartment shopping before we get groceries, and the man does not look at one single price tag.
My bathroom is empty but for the toiletries I brought, so I need a few washcloths and towels, a bath rug, some hand soap—stuff like that. Tor picks up his own toiletries to keep at my place for when he sleeps over, and I get cleaning supplies so I can keep the place nice. My unit doesn’t have its own washer and dryer, but there is a laundry room on the first floor, so I get the supplies I’ll need for that, too.
He buys me dishes and utensils, pots and pans, and the cutest pair of pink gingham oven mitts. I get pillows and a soft blanket to keep on the couch. He picks out a bouquet of pink and red roses and a nice vase for the dining table.
I’m a little surprised when he takes me to the luggage section and asks which suitcase I want. All my stuff is in boxes, so it’s a little late for a suitcase, but I pick out a purple one anyway, and then he buys me a luggage tag to go with it.
Finally, we get to the grocery shopping. I pick up some popcorn because we’ve discussed watching a movie later, then I buy just the essentials to make meals for the next few days.
Once I get paid on Friday, I’ll be able to buy some more stuff myself. I know he would cover it, but he’s done so much for me already.
It’s kind of exciting to know that when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll be on my own—I mean, Tor will probably be there since I invited him to sleep over, but there will be no other presence weighing me down. Every decision I make will be mine. I’ll be completely responsible for myself.
I open the knife block he bought me as soon as we get home so I can use my new sponge and dish soap to clean what I need for dinner prep. It also occurs to me that I don’t have scissors, but the knife block came with a pair of cooking scissors, so I use those to cut the flower stems before arranging them in the vase and putting them on my dining room table.
I can’t believe I have my own place to decorate. This is great.
I’m smiling and happy as I start prepping the chicken. Tor comes in from taking out the trash for me. He bought me a garbage can for the kitchen, but he didn’t want to fill it with all the packaging from the stuff we bought tonight.
“You need any help over there?” he asks, walking around the island.
I flash him a smile. “Nope, I’ve got it. Thank you, though.”
He comes up behind me anyway, crowding me, but I don’t mind. His hand slides along my face, and I don’t realize he’s inspecting me until he asks, “How’s that feeling?”
“It’s fine,” I tell him. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“I think you should block her number,” he tells me. “I know you haven’t heard from her tonight, but she’s embarrassed. She’ll pop up again.”
The mention of my mother makes me a little uneasy. “I appreciate you stepping in tonight,” I say carefully. “And I probably will block her number for a while, but just to be clear, I don’t want you to…”
“Do any psycho shit?”
I crack a surprised half-smile. “Yeah.”
“I’ll leave her alone as long as she leaves you alone.”
I glance at him over my shoulder. “Just promise you won’t do anything there without talking to me.”