Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
I couldn’t help feeling like she needed me to stand in front of her. Almost in the same way I’ve been standing in front of mom. In fact, she was the only other person I’ve ever felt the need to protect.
“It’s nothing, don’t make a big deal out of it…” The hell with that.
“Fine, I’ll just ask my dad when we get back.”
“No, please don’t.” There was such real fear in her eyes, such pleading in her voice.
I wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. I’m not in the habit of being ignored or having my questions go unanswered. And the only reason I didn’t push is because I kept remembering everything I’d read in that damn report.
“What are your plans for after the wedding Elaina?” I asked the question so suddenly that she answered without thinking.
“I don’t know. Lisa didn’t say when she ordered me to come…here…”
I didn’t say anything more as I led her into the high-end electronics store but she’d just pretty much answered any lingering questions I might’ve had about her role in this whole debacle.
Elaina
No wonder mom didn’t want me leaving the house with him again, he’s very good at catching me off guard and I was afraid I’d put my foot in my mouth again.
I was still afraid that he’d make good on his threat to ask his dad about the bruise on my arm, so watched my words carefully after my last slip-up.
Now he was busy trying to buy out the store and I wondered not for the first time about the change in him. Had something happened to make him change toward me?
I know that I hadn’t been mistaken about what I saw and felt that first day. And though I’m no expert, I pride myself on being a good judge of character.
It comes from years spent trying to decide who was friend and who was foe while living in close quarters with some of the bitchiest females anyone has ever met anywhere.
In fact, some of those girls were so much like Lisa that I was finding it easier to deal with her this time around than at any other time in the past. That’s why I knew that if I went home carrying half the stuff he tried to buy me, it would cause a problem.
He must’ve seen the indecision on my face. The fact that my eyes lit up with something approaching greed at the thought that I might finally own some of the things I’d only dreamed about before. Things that would’ve made my life at school so much easier.
Only for that joy to be suddenly tempered by the genuine fear of what could transpire between Lisa and I if she saw this stuff. It didn’t bear thinking about.
You see, Lisa is one of those people that no matter what she has, or how much of it, she always wants yours as well. I haven’t forgotten how she’d talked about him, and what she thought of his looks.
“Problem?” “Um, I don’t think you should buy me all this stuff, it doesn’t seem right.”
“What’s not right about it? You’re about to become my little sister are you not?”
I didn’t like hearing those words from him but had no time to dwell on all the reasons why. As soon as he said it and I felt my stomach drop, he leaned in and kissed my forehead as if he knew. And though the touch was innocent enough, I couldn’t help but feel that it was anything but brotherly.
“Is there some reason why I can’t buy you this stuff Elaina? You can be honest with me you know. I know a lot more than you think.” What did he mean by that? I got that sickening feeling in my stomach again and had to hide the tremble in my hands.
In the end he ignored all my protests and grabbed whatever he saw that he liked for me. And though I didn’t think I was going to be able to keep it all once Lisa found out, I was still as excited as a kid who’d been visited by Santa and the tooth fairy all in the same day.
Luke
I didn’t need her to tell me why she was so skittish about taking my gifts. I had a pretty good idea why that was. There was something else going on with her as well, something that she was either afraid to or didn’t think she could share with me.
I kept forgetting that we’d only just met, and that though I’d gone digging into her background, she knew nothing about me. I’d like to give her time to get to know me well enough to trust me, but time was of the essence.
And since that was the case, I made up my mind to show her that she could indeed trust me. I don’t care very easily, but once I do, it’s as real as it can be. And I’d already made up my mind that I cared for her. And what’s more that I’m going to take care of her from now on.