Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
I give her a wave on my way to my truck and head home to Anneliese and her parents. It’s their last night in town, and since I owed Lynnette a visit anyway, I figured I might as well let them have some time alone and kill two birds with one stone.
The house is dark when I arrive, and I recall Rob saying that their flight leaves pretty early tomorrow morning. I kick my shoes off at the front door and head up the staircase, skipping the creaky steps, and then I make my way to my room.
I twist the knob softly, on the off chance Anneliese is asleep, and then I step into a black void. Tugging out of my clothes, I manage to find a clean pair of sweats in my top dresser drawer and slide them on before crawling in bed beside her. She stirs, her eyelids flittering open.
“Go back to sleep,” I tell her. God knows she needs the rest.
A soft sigh escapes her lips as she rolls to her side to face me.
“If you want a bedtime story tonight, I’m afraid I’m all out,” I say.
She brushes a wayward strand of hair from her forehead. “Did you have fun tonight?”
I snicker at her random question. “Of course I did. Why do you ask?”
She half shrugs one shoulder, her eyes half-open. “My parents said you went to see an old friend.”
“I did. Though I wouldn’t call her a friend . . . she’s a little more than that.”
Anneliese swallows. “What’d you guys do?”
“We hung out . . . I fixed a few things around her house . . . she made me dinner . . . we did some catching up . . . she gave me shit like she always used to . . . ,” I say. “Nothing too crazy.”
She locks her sleepy gaze on me, quiet for a moment. “I bet she was happy to see you.”
“Always is.”
“Did you keep in touch with many people after you left?” she asks.
“Not really,” I say. “I kept in touch with her, but not as much as she probably wanted me to . . . not as much as I should have. It really hurt her when I left, but I was eighteen then. I wasn’t thinking about anyone other than myself.”
“So you broke her heart?”
“You could say that, yeah.” I add, “She’s tough as nails, though. I don’t think my leaving set her back. Didn’t stop her from living her life either.”
“She sounds like a strong person.”
“Strong as hell,” I say. “Which is funny because she’s maybe five foot one on a good day, smokes like a chimney, swears like a sailor, and buys all of her shoes from the children’s department.”
“You must’ve had interesting taste in girls when you were younger.”
I cock my head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She doesn’t sound like the ordinary women you dated in the UK,” she says.
“Wait . . . you thought I was visiting an ex?”
She glances to the side. “Yeah . . . you . . . you made it sound like . . . you said she was more than a friend . . . she made you dinner . . . I just assumed . . .”
“Wow.” I study her. “Anneliese, were you jealous?”
“No,” she says without hesitation. “I just don’t want to be played. You were kissing me the other night, and then tonight you were spending time with another woman. I know we’re not dating, but at least have the decency to—”
“Anneliese.” I cut her off before she makes an even bigger fool of herself. “The old friend I visited tonight? My childhood best friend’s mother. She was a second mom to me growing up—the only mom I had for a long time. That’s why I said she was more than an old friend.”
Her eyes widen as she realizes the error of her ways.
“Her name is Lynnette,” I add, reaching to tuck a messy wave behind her ear before cupping her cheek. In the dark, I trace the details of her perfect face before brushing my lips against hers and stealing a tender kiss.
I know I shouldn’t.
And I know damn well I’m playing with fire.
But for reasons I can’t quite understand, I’m drawn to this woman.
I crave her when she’s gone.
I think about her contagious laugh and the way she smiles with her whole face when she thinks I’ve said something funny. I think about her honesty and her generosity—especially to strangers. I think about how she puts everyone else’s needs above her own. How she stayed in a house that reminds her of unspeakable betrayal because she wants to turn it into something beautiful. And maybe to some, those traits would be weaknesses. But to me, she’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever known, and I still hardly know her.