Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Better to leave all that out.
I scratch my nose. “We talked about this, didn’t we? I think he’s kind of a dick.”
She wrinkles her forehead. “He did have that weird moment when we were all here for pizza. But… I don’t know. Something about him… I kind of like him, and… He’s hot.” She bites her lip. “Guess I’ve got a bit of a thing for older men.”
You and me both, sister.
That’s what I want to say. But I don’t know if I trust Tabitha enough to let her know about my ongoing romance—or whatever it is—with Jason.
So I just shrug. “He’s good-looking, yeah. I don’t know if I’d go so far as hot.”
She giggles. “Well, I stalked you online, of course. I saw your two brothers—one blond, one with brown hair. They put the heat in hot. Is everyone in your family good-looking?”
My cheeks warm. “I don’t know about that.” A lie, of course. My entire family is great-looking. Besides the fact that we’re rich, that’s the second thing people know about us.
“Lucky.” She narrows her eyes coyly. “Are your brothers available?”
“Dave is newly married.” I scratch my chin. “Henry’s not seeing anyone, though. But he’s a lot older.”
She waggles her eyebrows. “Like I said, I like older.” Her bright eyes deflate slightly. “But jeez, Angie, something about Ralph…”
I really don’t need her getting close to Ralph. One, because he’s a dick and Tabitha deserves better. And two, because if they get close, he might spill the beans about Jason and me.
So I’m going to push her gently in another direction.
“Why not Eli? He’s got his eye on you. You’d have to be blind not to see it.”
She purses her lips. “He’s sort of cute, in a Jeff Goldblum kind of way.” She rolls her eyes. “But he and I are just study buddies. Besides, he’s so devoted to school and surgery. I imagine he’s not going to date for the next ten years.”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I think you could convince him to give dating a try.”
She scoffs. “He’s like my brother, but Ralph… I was hoping you’d say he’s not a dick after all.”
I sigh. Do I out him? And if Tabitha is really interested in Ralph, I should probably tell her that he came on to me.
But I don’t want to hurt her.
She and I aren’t besties. Maybe we could be, but we haven’t known each other long enough or spent enough time together.
Tabitha is like my sister. She’ll go up and talk to anyone. Pretend they’ve known each other forever.
I’m not like that.
But if I want Tabitha to be my friend, to trust me as a friend, I owe her the truth.
I grab her hand. “If I tell you something, will you promise you won’t hold it against me?”
She raises an eyebrow. “Why would I do that?”
I sigh. “The other night when we were studying here, Ralph…came on to me in the kitchen.”
She doesn’t reply. In fact, I can’t read her expression at all.
“Uh-oh.” She bites her lip. “So I guess you two…”
“No, of course not. I just told you he’s a dick.”
She widens her eyes. “Oh my God, he didn’t force you, did he?”
“No, he stopped when I told him to.”
She rolls her eyes. “So he’s not a rapist. Great.”
I frown. “But he did threaten me. Sort of.”
She leans in, her voice hushed. “My God, what do you mean?”
How much can I tell her? Do I open up to her about Jason?
Do I trust her enough to do that?
Damn. I really don’t know what to do.
I press my lips together. “He just said…he’d expose something he knew about me.”
She drops her jaw, her eyes gleaming. “Oh my God. What?”
“It’s…nothing I’m real comfortable talking about. I’m sorry about that, but I hope you understand.”
She pats me on the hand. “Angie, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
Again, just like Sage. Everyone’s a friend.
But I’m not like that.
I’m about to answer her—how, I’m not sure—when my doorbell rings.
Never has saved by the bell meant more to me.
Chapter Twenty
Jason
Lindsay.
Julia.
Angie.
All ghosts in my nightmare.
Love.
Loss.
I toss and turn as I wake, the echoes of their names still whispering in my ears. The room is filled with darkness and the chill of night, and I’m haunted by memories I’d rather forget. With a heavy sigh, I sit up in bed.
Lindsay.
Her laugh was like the tinkling of wind chimes on a breezy afternoon. The way her eyes sparkled when she looked at me, as if I held all the secrets of the universe. Each memory feels like a shard of glass, sharp and painful.
Julia.
My baby, her laugh so contagious. So young and innocent.
Their absence is a tangible presence in this hollow room, filling up every forgotten corner. I can almost hear Lindsay’s laughter intertwined with Julia’s childish giggles.
My heart yearns for them, my soul cries out for their touch. But all I get is silence.