Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
I think I literally gasped when I followed him in and saw the view, but again he acted as though he hadn’t heard me. He moved quickly, efficiently, setting my suitcase on the inside of the door to the main bedroom and then giving me a quick tour.
“Kitchen, living room, office,” he checked them off in clipped tones, hardly looking at them himself. I couldn’t stop looking. With the exception of maybe his apartment in Paris, I’d literally never been in a place this nice. The neutral gray flooring continued from the outer hallway throughout the floorplan. The kitchen was small, but even I recognized that the appliances were top of the line and the counter was white granite with silver and gold veins shot through. Barstools with thick gold legs and white cushions sat at the bar in lieu of a table. There was an overstuffed pink couch—the biggest spot of color—in the living room, facing the wall that had a flatscreen TV mounted above a long electric fireplace.
I peeked in at the office, which had a full-sized bed against the window and a desk against the wall. When I looked back, Halley’s dad was standing in the kitchen, looking impatient. He quickly wiped the expression from his features, but I was sure I saw it. My nerves flared up again, and I went into bubbly overdrive.
“Thank you so much, again, uh…” I floundered, realizing I had no idea what to call him. In my head, he was always Halley’s dad. Should I call him Mr. Walker? He was going to be my boss after all. But that sounded strange and stiff, like he was as old and grumpy and not…well, hot.
“Call me Con,” he said wryly, like he was reading my thoughts.
My face flushed, hoping he couldn’t really. “Great, thank you so much, Con.” I moved toward him, my sorority party training taking over. Before I could think better of it, I was moving in for a hug. I saw the flicker of surprise on his face, but it was too late to pull out of it. My arms wrapped around his rock-solid midsection. His arms spread, then he rested his hands gingerly on my arms for about half a second before easing back.
“Let Halley know if you need anything,” he said, retreating down the hall. He’d slid his sunglasses back down over his eyes so I couldn’t see his expression. I wished I had something to hide behind, too. I was overcome, first with mortification for hugging him, and then with a breathless sensation of my body tingling everywhere it had come into contact with his.
Even after I heard the door close behind him, I stood in the kitchen for a long time, my thoughts a maelstrom of confusion, embarrassment, and lust all combined, making me feel anxious and strangely excited, and then, suddenly exhausted. I walked into the living room and dropped down on the overstuffed pink sofa. It was the only thing in the condo that felt like Halley. That and the chunky knit blanket hanging over the arm. Halley was always cold. I wasn’t, but I pulled it over me anyway, the cocoon helping to calm my racing heart.
It was going to be a long year.
I must have fallen asleep because when my phone began vibrating on the glass coffee table, it jolted me awake. I pushed the blanket back and sat up, reaching for it. I was glad to see Halley’s name on FaceTime, the picture of us at spring break in Miami last year grinning back at me.
“Guess where I am?” I said when I picked up.
“In my condo!” she squealed, seeing it behind me. “It’s so cool to have you there. It makes me want to come visit you.”
“You mean visit yourself,” I said with a laugh.
“No, no. It’s your condo for the next year,” she corrected herself. “I’ll stop calling it mine.”
“You can call it yours, Halley. It definitely isn’t mine.” I stood up, taking her with me out onto the balcony. I could see for miles, and it seemed like the pool below was a mile away itself. I’d never been afraid of heights, but I took a step away from the railing anyway. No point in taking chances. “How’s senior year going?”
“Good! Everyone says hi.” She raised the phone so I could see a gaggle of sisters spread out over the bright green lawn. They waved from their blankets and beach towels. I felt a pain of longing twist in my heart. In the excitement of the move to LA, I hadn’t had much time to think about what was happening at school. Move-in day, the welcome back festivities in the square, the beginning-of-the-year parties that were only matched by the end-of-year parties. Halley pulled the phone back in so I could only see her face framed by the brilliant blue sky. “Is my dad taking care of you?”