Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
After scooping up some hummus with the warm and soft pita bread, I take a bite and can’t help but moan in happiness. I love food, all food, but Greek food is my favorite. And the hummus is probably the best I’ve ever had in my life, not only is it fresh, but also creamy and rich with flavor.
“Good?” Logan asks, and I look at him.
“So good,” I scoop up more hummus. “Sorry, I would offer you a bite, but I don’t want to share.”
“You’re not joking.” He watches me take another bite without offering him any.
“I don’t joke about food.”
“I made you my famous salsa.”
“I know and I enjoyed it, but this is…” I shake my head. “It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.” I kick his foot under the table when he smirks, and I can see whatever smart-ass thing he’s about to say written all over his face.
“Don’t even.”
“I didn’t say anything.” He laughs, picking up his gyro.
Digging into my salad, that is so simple, I make it at home often. I shake my head; my salad has never tasted as good as this. “We need to tell everyone we know about this place because I’m going to be pissed if they go out of business.”
“Or we could have lunch here every day.” He says, and I meet his gaze.
“Can’t you just relish in the fact that you got your way and we’re having lunch together now?”
“I know you like me, Nalia, so why are you fighting the inevitable?”
Because I get the feeling he would expect a lot. A lot of time, a lot of honesty, a lot of me. And I’ve never given myself to anyone, not the parts that are complicated and ugly, the parts that I don’t even like looking at when I stare at myself in the mirror. And having to expose anyone to those pieces scares me. He scares me. Opening my mouth, I start to make up some lame excuse about how I’m in the middle of finding myself and not looking for anything more, but his phone starts ringing, cutting me off.
“Sorry.” He pulls it out of his pocket. “It’s the school.” He frowns, putting it to his ear. “Hello.” I can just barely make out a woman speaking. “What happened?” His brows pull tight. “Okay, but what happened?” His eyes narrow on mine. “Again, I hear what you’re saying, but I’d like to know what happened.” His jaw clenches. “Yeah, okay, I’ll be there.”
“Everything okay?” I ask when, after he hangs up and picks up his ball cap from the chair beside him, putting it on.
“That was the assistant principal. Coop got into a fight, and I need to go in to pick him up. He’s suspended for the rest of the day and has ISS the rest of the week.”
“What?” My stomach drops. “Who did he get in a fight with?”
“She didn’t say, just said she’d talk to me when I get to the school,” he tells me, and I shake my head. I just can’t wrap my head around Cooper, who is so sweet, getting into a fight with someone for no reason.
“Go,” I tell him softly when I notice that he’s looking around the restaurant searching for either Bion or his wife. “I got this.”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“Don’t be, it’s okay, just go and call me when you can.”
“I will.” He steps over to me and then wraps his hand around my lower jaw, tipping my head back as he leans down and places his lips against mine. The kiss is over before it even begins, and nothing more than a peck on the mouth, but it’s so significant that I know it will be forever ingrained in my subconscious. “I’ll call you.”
“Sure,” I whisper while he lets me go, then in a blink, he’s gone with the door chiming behind him.
Twelve
LOGAN
I pull into the parking lot for one of the small shopping malls in the middle of town, and Coop, who has been slumped over in his seat since we got into my jeep after leaving the school, sits up and looks out the window. When I arrived to talk to the vice principal, he was sitting in the office with his chin to his chest and his face red. I could tell with one look that he wasn’t angry; he was embarrassed. He doesn’t look embarrassed anymore; he looks on the verge of tears.
“What are we doing here?” he asks when I slide into a parking spot in front of Drizzles and shut down the engine.
“Getting ice cream, come on,” I open my door and get out, then wait for him at the hood. It takes him a minute to follow me, but eventually he meets me on the sidewalk. Placing my hand on his back, I open the door to the shop, and the girl behind the counter greets us with an exuberant hello. After giving her a smile, we make our way to the back, and I hand one of the cups to Coop, then grab one for myself before scanning the flavors of frozen yogurt they have lining the wall, while he does the same.