Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
I smile ruefully.
“Well, probably anything in the boutique,” I say. “We do have employee discounts.”
“Okay,” Chloe says, rolling her eyes. “But yes, the party was soooo fun, thank you for inviting me. Aiden is insanely cute too. How do you know him?"
I shrug. “I don’t think I do.”
“Of course you do,” Chloe deadpans. “You were the hostess! Or was he a friend of a friend who tagged along? Oh shit, I hate when that happens. Sorry if that’s the case.”
I sip the coffee, delaying. Do I know him? I search my brain, trying to figure it out, but shake my head slowly.
“No, I just had so much going on at the party. I was saying hi to everyone and the name Aiden doesn’t ring a bell. Sorry.”
Chloe huffs, flipping her hair. “Stella, you talked to Aiden for like five minutes. Don’t tell me you can’t remember him at all. You were definitely not that wasted. Remember? Cute guy with curly brown hair and hazel eyes? About yea tall?” she asks, gesturing with her hand.
I search my memory: a medium tall boy with curly brown hair whom I talked to … hmmm. Maybe? I dimly remember a dude who fits that description with with a Patagonia vest that I chatted with for two seconds. I force a smile. “Oh, right, Aiden. He was nice.”
Chloe sets her mug down with a click. “You don’t remember him at all, do you?”
“Not really,” I admit. “Sorry. The only thing I remember is panicking that we were going to run out of tequila. Everything after is static.”
Chloe leans in further, eyes wide. “So did we run out of tequila?”
I shake my head. “No, thank god. But speaking of things going off the rails, I have to tell you something. About the party.”
Chloe straightens on the stool, both hands wrapped tight around her mug, as if she’s about to take an oath. “If you tell me you’re pregnant, I’m going to call Andie and your dad right now. I swear to God.”
I let the joke die on the table. “No, nothing like that. It’s not about pregnancy at all! It’s about the party. But it’s kind of dirty.”
Chloe’s mouth twitches. “You have my full attention.”
I set the mug down and wipe my hands on a napkin, buying one last second of calm before letting the world burn. “You remember how I told you my uncle was in town for two weeks? To babysit me while Dad and Andie are gone?”
Chloe nods, her eyes flicking with anticipation.
“Well, I kind of… well, we had sex,” I say, barely above a whisper.
The silence is instant, like the air in the room just up and left. Chloe’s jaw drops open, and she actually blinks—twice—before words re-boot.
“Wait. And he’s your uncle?”
“My step-uncle. My dad’s stepbrother, so we don’t share any DNA. But still—yeah. He’s the billionaire one. The one with the blue eyes and the CEO jaw.”
Chloe just stares. Then, after a second, she covers her face with both hands and screams—quietly, but it’s still a scream that fills up the small break room.
“Stella,” she hisses through her fingers, “this is not something you drop between retail shifts. This is a full heart-to-heart where I learn everything.”
I grin, even though I feel like I might die. “I know. I just needed to say it out loud to another human being before I start hallucinating.”
Chloe peeks through her fingers, her face an impossible mix of horror and glee. “Are you and your uncle… like, is it a one-time thing? Or are you… you know.”
I let out a breath. “I think it’s a thing-thing. We’re even doing therapy together now.”
Chloe’s mouth opens and closes. “Wait, what? Why?”
“Well, let’s be honest. The relationship is fucked up. Hooking up with him is fucked up, so I wanted to go into couples counseling to talk it over with a professional.”
“And?” Chloe asks, mouth agog. “I can’t believe that any therapist would say it’s okay.”
I pause delicately.
“Well, we decided not to see a psychologist-type therapist because it sounds so uptight and rigid. We’re seeing a pastor for couples counseling. You know, how engaged couples go in to talk to their pastor before they get married.”
Chloe stares at me.
“That’s less rigid? And you’re getting married? To your uncle?”
“Of course not!” I exclaim, blushing wildly. “But we needed to talk about, like, the taboo aspect of our relationship without all the degrees hanging on the walls. So we had a session with the pastor yesterday, and it was productive.”
There’s a long pause, then Chloe shakes her head, as if to clear the static. “I literally do not know how you manage to live your life, Stells. I mean, when you got thrown in jail and did a striptease for the guard, I thought that was taking the cake. But now, we’re at new levels of unbelievable.”