Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Longing. The whole play was about longing for something they no longer had. About feeling as though they don’t fit in. The whole play was about how dreams didn’t often mesh properly with reality.
Was she making the same mistakes? Not being willing to accept the reality in front of her? Would she always long for something that hadn’t been great in the first place? Time and distance might paint a patina over that time in New York, and she might always wonder.
Her cell rang and she sighed as she looked down at it.
Mark. Asshole. Still, she picked up. She was in the top part of the theater where they accessed the lights. She was far enough away she shouldn’t disturb the rehearsal, but she kept her voice low anyway. “Mark, are you doing okay?”
“No thanks to those overly muscled meatheads. Also, the doctor here is terrible. He wouldn’t even prescribe me some valium to get through the day. I’m going to go back to the lodge and hopefully they have someone better,” Mark complained.
Nope. They had Ty Davis, who handled small emergencies as an EMT, and if they needed more they called in Doc Burke. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the café.”
“What happened in that café was I got brutalized.”
“Mark, you were sexually harassing me,” Brooke said in no uncertain terms. She’d thought about it on her way over and decided this was how she would handle it. No matter what he’d done, she couldn’t leave Bay to face Mark’s wrath. She knew her ex-boss, knew how he loved to sue. Anyone. For anything. It was like a game to him, which was one of the reasons she knew he would absolutely use her brothers’ family against her. She was bluffing, but she had to do something.
“I was being affectionate,” he countered. “I’m an affectionate guy. Hey, I don’t think I need… What the fuck, man. I didn’t get bitten. Brooke, that asshole doctor shoved a needle in my arm without even asking.”
“It’s an antibiotic.” She could hear Caleb in the distance. “I would let my nurse give it to you but she’s currently taking care of a billionaire dumbass who got in a car accident and stole my best employee.”
“Naomi is his only employee,” Brooke corrected. “Well, at least she was. I’ve seen the billionaire in question, and he’s hot. He’s a friend’s brother. Really, it’s better when Naomi is around.”
“Which friend?” She could hear him moving. “Are you talking about Georgia Stark?”
It wasn’t surprising he knew who she was. Georgia was a force of nature. She wasn’t the shy, retiring type, though she absolutely was kind and empathetic to everyone she met. But Georgia was unapologetically Georgia, and that included being upfront and brazen about her nontraditional marriage. “Georgia Stark-Warner. Yes, she’s a friend of mine.”
“No one gives a fuck about the other guy,” Mark dismissed. “Stark is one of the biggest tech giants in the world. Georgia is rapidly becoming an icon.” He paused, and she could hear him thinking. Manipulating. Coming up with the best way to get what he wanted. “I heard you’re working on a project for her.”
Well, that had gotten out fast. And now she knew why he’d had a change of heart. He’d seen the pictures in the society pages. The one where she was getting on the plane with the Stark-Warner family. She would bet Georgia had been talking to friends about their new project. The news would be all over town now. “This was never about how good I am at my job.”
“Of course it is. If you’re designing the Met Gala gown for one of New York’s most interesting residents, you’re good.” He sighed. “But you lack experience. You wouldn’t want to send your friend out in a dress that’s guaranteed to be mocked by the press, would you?”
Fucker. “Let me guess. All I have to do to get my job back is let you take credit for designing the gown.”
“It’s about more than credit. I would need to take a guiding hand, and I’ll definitely want to sit in on your next session with Georgia. I’m here for however long it takes, and when we’re done, we can head back to New York together, but first we’ll stop in Milan.”
“Hey, Brooke. This guy is trying to manipulate you.” Caleb must have been practically shouting because she could hear him loud and clear.
“You will hear from my attorney, sir,” Mark announced, and she heard the jingle of the bell that announced someone was coming into the clinic. “Now I need my Uber. Shouldn’t they be here already?”
“I think your Fuber driver is probably finishing up math tutoring,” Brooke admitted. “He’ll get there. Eventually. So all I have to do is give you access to my wealthy friends.”