Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
She smiles, laughing as she spins and hops right into the SUV. The man closes the door and offers me a bow, and she promptly rolls the window down.
“Europe, here I come!” She laughs, waving until she can no longer see me. “Bye!”
And I watch her go, my heart grinding into the asphalt with each roll of the tires. “I love you, Angel.”
Paige
The plane’s taking off, and I’m sitting back in my seat, trying to keep my nerves in check. This is the first vacation I’ve had in, well, ever. It feels so surreal. No schoolwork, no stress, just time to explore and hang out and get to know my grandpa on a deeper level.
I glance over at him, smiling, and he senses my gaze, looking up from the screen of his tablet. “You better not be working over there,” I tease.
He laughs lightly, setting his tablet down and his reading glasses on top of it as he turns to look at me, the wide seats of his private plane giving him enough room to lift a knee onto the other. “Now if you remember correctly, I said the entire time we were in Europe, I would not be touching any work except for the occasional evening emails.” Thick, gray brows rise. “However, we have not yet arrived in Europe, now have we?” He smiles.
I chuckle, turning to push the shade up on my window and glancing out before looking back at him. I can’t stop smiling, the excitement buzzing under my skin. The semester is done, and Chase is going to spend some much-needed time with his dad at home before they go back to the beach house for the rest of break. It’s going to be great.
“I have like ten restaurants I want to try. I mapped them all out based on our time in each location, and I think we might be able to make it work, but just be warned… I don’t think you’ll find any fine dining and more than half of them are breakfast spots.”
The man looks a little horrified and a laugh leaves me.
“Ohh, come on, live a little. A couple crepes and waffles won’t hurt your physique any.”
“Now, sweetheart, I can’t tell if you’re teasing me or being sweet.”
I grin, leaning forward and picking up the little travel book I ordered that just came in yesterday.
“I’m really glad you decided to come, Paige. For a minute there, I wasn’t sure you’d say yes. In fact, I almost talked myself out of asking.”
“I’m really glad you did.”
He nods. “Good. You’ve earned a break and there is no better way to test our decisions than to step away and just be.”
I tip my head at him, not really following but excited that he’s excited. “You always have to take a simple moment and turn it into something bigger, don’t you? A life lesson of sorts.”
His chuckle is light as he drops his gaze to his lap. “Yeah, I’m guilty of that. I didn’t know your dad, and I just want to make sure we appreciate the importance of having the people who were there when it counts, the people who stand by you, do what’s best for you even when that’s hard.”
For a moment, I wonder if he’s been hurt before, if that’s where this is coming from, but I guess that answer is simple enough. My mother wasn’t exactly a loyal daughter, all things considered.
I think of my friends, my new family. Of Chase.
I think he can see my thoughts in my smile, as he moves to take in my expression fully.
The flight attendant—if that’s what you call them on a fancy private jet—steps up with an already-opened bottle of champagne and offers me a glass. For a moment, I almost decline, but I decide against it. This might be a little fancier, a lot fancier, than my life, but I’m going to enjoy every moment of this vacation and everything that it offers. So I reach out and wrap my hands around the stem with a soft thanks.
I take a small drink, letting the bubbles tickle along my tongue, and sigh to myself.
“You seem to be in quite high spirits,” my grandfather says, his voice light but observant.
When I look over, I grin. “Of course I am. Look where we are!” I chuckle, stretching my hands out toward the windows exaggeratedly.
He nods slightly, a softness in this expression, but there’s also an undertone I can’t quite read. His eyes stay on me a moment longer than I expect, and I almost start to worry, but then his lips curve up. “Good. Because we’re going to have a great time, you and me. No matter what.”
The bit of tension that started to slip in leaves me instantly and I settle back in my seat.