Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“Okay?” I blurt back, still in defense mode. “What’s that mean? ‘Okay’?”
“It means I was too harsh. It means I hear you. And I’ll take your word for it. You’re really into Finn. Okay.”
I grip the back of the chair. “Okay. Good.” I take a big breath and let it out, calming myself. “That’s … good.”
“But,” she gently adds, “you still need to choose.”
Chapter 16 - Finn
Halfway through my workout, my phone dies.
Of course it would. On a day when I needed my music the most to motivate my cranky ass.
I drop a weight on my foot. It was a light dumbbell but still causes me to shout out.
I let go of the lat pull too soon, sending it crashing on down with the most obnoxious clang that earns me a few annoyed (and deserved) glances from all directions.
One of my sneakers comes untied and I trip myself on the way to the locker room—and crash face-first into some dude’s crotch who’s on his way out. I mumble, “Sorry,” as I clamber back to my feet. He smirks and says, “I’m not.”
Then when I’m heading out of the gym, the guy at the front counter says, “Not sleeping well lately? It shows.”
I don’t ask for clarification. I don’t need it.
Forget waking up on the wrong side of the bed. I woke up on the damned floor.
My sister might as well have climbed a mountain, the way she’s been praising herself all week for how well her efforts have gone. And she deserves it. For all intents and purposes, her work has made a huge difference. It’s kind of scary, to discover firsthand how much influence my sister has. I honestly had no idea.
“It’s part luck but mostly just good timing,” she said to me this morning, “fueled by a hunt for the truth. Everyone wants to feel like there’s a real story no one’s telling, and isn’t that true anyway? There is a real story. They don’t even need to know what it is, only that it’s out there.”
“The fact that you pulled this off,” I told her, amazed, “is astounding.”
“I told you I’m good at this!” She snorted at me. “I swear, none of you give me enough credit.”
I gave some careful thought to my next words. “So … why don’t you use that marketing wizardry of yours to get the Fair some more high-spending customers?”
“If only Dad or Heather would trust me more. They’re always the ones making the decisions.” She eyed me with sudden suspicion. “Did Heather say there’s a problem?”
I swear if she had mentioned Dad instead of Heather, I might’ve slipped. “No, no,” I laughed it off. “Just curious. The more income we get, the better for us all. Vendors are so fickle lately, know what I mean?”
She eyed me a few seconds more, then gave in. “Yeah, I know. I’m also aware of the cutbacks we’ve made, letting off staff at the Parrot, tightening our open hours … Oh, and this sweet old man complained to me the other day after noticing our hotdog meat changed to something cheaper.” She gave me a smirk. “I bet Dad’s saving for another new attraction, maybe next summer, something more thrilling than Booty Bridge. A rollercoaster with a loop. Or maybe he gave serious thought to my idea of a rainbow charter yacht catering to gay men. It would slay! I’ve already got a marketing strategy prepared, just in case. But … you know how Dad is: Mr. Secrets.”
Mr. Secrets—like father like son, I guess.
Then she asked: “Are you really not going to respond to River’s texts?”
We happened to be in the game room. And the window was right there. And perhaps I happened to be looking in the direction of the window when she asked. It might even be the reason she threw the question at me at all, like bait in the water, waiting for me to nip at the line.
And I nipped. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Brooke …”
“Are you finding it difficult to believe that a guy you just saw on our big family TV could possibly be into you? I hope you realize you’re not just a catch. You’re the catch.”
“Just stop.”
“He would be lucky to land a guy like you. He already is. I mean, look at the super-cool sister he’d adopt if y’all get married someday. I’d be, like, the best sister-in-law.”
I threw her a tired look. “Seriously, Brooke?”
“You should go check on him. If anything just to get actual closure, if you’re so desperate for it to not work out between you two. You already had a trial run of you guys living together this past week. Wasn’t it awesome?”
Yes, I could’ve said, were I not so defensive. “Brooke.”
“Just admit you’ve fallen for him!”
Then I’d had it. “I can not risk falling in love again! What don’t you understand about that?” She grew silent. I softened my voice at once. “Especially not for a guy who’s already planning his big, amazing future without me after you’ve finished fixing it. I can’t … risk being hurt again.”