Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 179812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 899(@200wpm)___ 719(@250wpm)___ 599(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 179812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 899(@200wpm)___ 719(@250wpm)___ 599(@300wpm)
I know it’s rude, but I cut her off mid-speech and say, “But I… I can’t go to college.”
We’re standing at the kitchen sink, putting away last of the dirty dishes from lunch. Wyn and Tempest insisted on helping but I shooed them away. They’d already done so much; I can handle a few dirty dishes that I simply have to stick in the dishwasher. A curious fact: I don’t think they had a dishwasher when I came over the other night. Plus the steel looks super shiny and new. It’s crazy, but they didn’t have it put in just because Snow and I were moving in, right? Because that would be kinda insane.
“Why not?” Callie asks.
“Because Snow needs to go to college,” I reply.
“Why can’t you too?” she asks.
A blush paints my cheeks, but I persevere. “College takes money and I don’t really have any.”
Callie watches me carefully. “If I told you we’d help you, would you take offense?” My back goes up and I open my mouth to retort but she keeps going. “How about you think of it as a loan of sorts?”
I stare at her for a beat, my heart racing, my heart hoping for things, wishing. But then, I say, “That’s…really sweet but I can’t. You guys are already covering her surgery and other medical expenses on your insurance. I don’t know if it’s really a good idea to pay for my college too.”
It's not an easy thing to change insurances, but Conrad pulled some strings and she was brought on to his insurance policy. Which is how we were able to move her to a different hospital so quickly. It was really awkward, accepting financial help like that either, but I had no choice. But this is too much. They’re already doing so much for us. I can’t let them do this too. All I really need and want is for us to be a family, that’s it.
“Look,” Callie says, turning to me. “Even though, for me, our parents were out of the picture pretty much all the time, I still had a big family. I still had my brothers looking out for me, caring for me, coming to my rescue. So I don’t know how it feels to be doing everything alone. I don’t even think I can imagine it, so maybe I don’t have any right to say this, but you do have a family now. I know it’s still new and will take some getting used to but please tell me you’ll think about it?”
I promise her that and soon after she leaves with Reed, I go upstairs to check on Snow. She’s in bed, watching soccer on TV while also reading a book. Her nightstand is filled with flowers and get well soon cards, courtesy of everyone over the last few days. Plus there’s a couple of balloons tied to her bed posts that Ledger brought this morning when we went to pick her up.
Snow closes the book when she sees me at the threshold and smiles. “Hey.”
She looks a little pale, and I think she’s lost some weight, but overall she’s doing much better. She’s eating more; finished most of her lunch today. Her breathing is better too. I was a little worried about her room upstairs and her having to take the stairs every day, but the doctor said it’s for her own good.
I sit beside her on the bed and smile back. “Hey, you feeling okay?”
“Yup, just a little tired,” she says.
I look at the book pointedly. “I wonder why.”
She chuckles. “I just got to the good part.”
“You’re always at the good part.”
“You would be too, if you took up reading. Reading is just that magical.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” I say because I hated school, and I never really had time to take up recreational reading. Then, looking around the room, I add, “So this is new, huh?
Snow does the same, sitting up slowly and watching me for a beat. “I really like them, Juju.”
My heart squeezes. “Yeah?”
“They’re all very,” she searches for a word, “kind and sweet. Even Conrad.”
“You think Conrad is sweet?” I ask, chuckling only because that isn’t the word I’d use to describe him. Even though he’s one of the best men I’ve ever met.
“I mean, he’s a little scary,” Snow admits. “But he’s like… a father figure. Who actually cares.”
I swallow again, my throat filling up with emotions. “Yeah, he does.”
“And Callie is the sweetest,” she goes on. “I mean, you always said that about her but I didn’t know how much. She asked for my favorite flavors because she’s working on this new cupcake recipe for me, something special to welcome me into her family.”
I smile again because Callie told me the same thing, except she already knows my favorite, pineapple, and she’s going to make me a piña colada cupcake. “Yeah, she is.”