Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Shouldn’t we be heading to the supermarket, so we can get back to your friends?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to enjoy this in peace for a bit and talk to you first.”
Ah. Perhaps there was another purpose to this drive. “Talk to me about what?”
“About Candace, actually.”
“Oh. Okay…”
He leaned his head on the back of the seat. “I feel like shit.”
I stopped stirring my drink. “Why?”
“I think I was subconsciously avoiding seeing them because I was afraid I’d treat her differently and she’d see through it. I never want to make her uncomfortable. This is my first time seeing her…since the diagnosis.”
“Why did you think you’d come across that way?”
“I get triggered around people with cancer because of my mother. I do my best not to let it show, but I’m not the best actor. That was partly why I avoided seeing them. But now that they’ve come over, I’m glad I didn’t put it off any longer.” He pulled back the lid on his coffee. “Not sure why, but I wanted to explain that to you. Maybe you can help keep me in check. Let me know if I’m coming across as weird at any point.”
“Well, I’ve thought you were weird from the moment I met you.” I winked. “Kidding, but did we even need condiments, or was this just an excuse to talk?”
“We did, actually.”
“Okay.” I sighed. “Candace told me she appreciates it when people treat her normally and don’t make a big thing about her diagnosis. She doesn’t want her life to be about the disease. I didn’t ask her what kind of cancer she has. Do you know?”
“Ovarian.” He stared out the windshield. “Same as my mother.”
Now his reaction made even more sense.
“Oh.” I nodded. “Have they mentioned her prognosis?”
Dorian shook his head. “She and Chandler don’t like to talk about the details. I don’t blame them.”
“I think the best thing you can do is to stop avoiding them. Don’t worry so much about how you’re coming across. Just be present and enjoy your friends without trying to be perfect.”
“You’re right.” He lifted his drink in a salute. “And I’m glad you happened to be home today, so you could join us.”
“Me, too.”
Trying to ignore what felt like a massive swarm of butterflies in my stomach, I stayed in the car and continued to sip my coffee as Dorian ran into the adjacent supermarket to grab the needed items.
When we got back to the house, Chandler wasted no time busting Dorian’s balls.
“Where the heck did you go to get barbecue sauce, Timbuktu?”
Candace laughed as she sat at the edge of the pool, moving her feet around in the water.
Since she’d taken off her cover-up to reveal her impressive figure, I decided it was safe to take off my dress and join her. I couldn’t help but notice Dorian’s eyes veer in my direction as I sat down next to Candace.
“So…” she said, splashing the water with her toes. “You and Dorian?”
Quick to debunk her theory, I shook my head. “Oh no. No, no. We’re just friends. I guess? Roommates…”
“You don’t sound too certain about that,” she noted. “Nothing else happening there?”
“Nothing.” I grinned. “Is there a reason you thought it was more?”
“I just figured…two attractive people living together. It made sense that maybe things might’ve gotten…interesting.” She shrugged. “I asked Chandler, but he said he wasn’t sure. Dorian denied it, but Chandler still got a vibe.”
Dorian denied it.
I cleared my throat. “Why does Chandler suspect something?”
“Dorian seemed a little coy when my husband asked him about it.”
“It’s not more than friendship right now,” I repeated.
“Right now.” She smirked. “Okay. I’ll check back in a month, then.”
I felt my cheeks burn. Why had I worded it like that?
Candace giggled. “Oh my gosh. I’m totally embarrassing you.”
“Uh-oh. Why? Am I red?”
“Yes.” She laughed. “I’m sorry. I was just being nosy.”
Naturally, Candace’s words regarding Chandler’s vibe from Dorian weighed heavily on my mind all afternoon.
As the four of us eventually got in the pool together, I caught Dorian looking at my chest. And I might’ve noticed how well his wet swim trunks clung to him as well. Still, I warned myself not to get my hopes up. He’d given me no direct hint that he was interested in me as more than a friend.
After our swim, we enjoyed an impressive barbecue of steak, chicken, and shrimp, along with a delicious potato salad Candace had made.
It was one of the most fun afternoons I’d had in a long time. It felt like life had returned to this mansion for the first time since Remington and Christina died.
As the sun set, we returned to the lounge chairs after dinner. The mood of the evening changed in a way I never could’ve predicted when Candace uttered a simple sentence:
“Let’s play a game.”
CHAPTER 10
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