Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
He has a long list of grievances in his Notes app.
Wastes food
My gaze shifts to him, and he shrugs. “When I get five minutes again tomorrow, I don’t want to forget anything.” He can’t even say the words without grinning.
“Ridiculous.” I set his phone aside and grab his face. “I’m the sole heiress to the Juniper Carlisle and Zachary Phillips fortune. So you’d better get extra storage on your Notes app.”
“And you’re going to give it all away,” he says, tipping his chin up.
We have a stare-off.
I loosen my grip while brushing my lips over his. “Yeah,” I whisper. “I probably will.”
Life is nuanced. Not all secrets are lies. Good people do bad things.
On our first date, had Flynn told me about his time in prison, it would have been our last date.
Honesty requires vulnerability.
Vulnerability needs trust.
And love …
Well, it’s all about timing.
Epilogue
Flynn
Two years later …
Rupert was right. Rich people have very few true friends.
Juniper Carlisle is being laid to rest next to her beloved husband Zachary. It’s the first funeral I’ve attended. Like with everything else, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do as Henna and Zoya cling to each other.
A warm breeze.
Sun peeking through the canopy of trees.
The tent filled with Juni’s small circle.
I tune out her pastor’s final words while standing behind Zoya’s chair. Maybe a life without love is better. It’s like she and Henna are dying too. And there’s nothing I can do.
After five months of therapy and Zoya playing concerts, Juni went into remission, so we moved. But nothing lasts forever. We returned to L.A. two months ago when Juni’s cancer returned, having spread to her brain. Juni refused more treatment.
Henna and Zoya couldn’t sway her. Not with begging. Not with the promise of playing concerts again.
I miss our little rental house in Petoskey, Michigan. My job at the auto repair shop (minus the hound dog). And our simple life.
But my virtuoso girlfriend has been unsettled over the past six months. Jumping from job to job, yet claiming she loved each one. But I’ve seen the look in her eyes when she truly loves something, and working at a pet store isn’t that kind of love. Zoya needs music.
Bodhi rests his hand on my shoulder when the pastor finishes speaking. “Let’s give them a few minutes.”
Henna and Zoya kneel next to the casket as everyone else exits the tent. I look at him and his eyes are red. It’s the first time I’ve seen him cry.
“Yeah,” I murmur with a nod.
As he turns, Bodhi leans down, resting one hand on Henna’s back and one on Zoya’s. He says something to them, but I can’t hear it. So I continue out the tent. My gaze snags on two familiar faces.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, knowing it’s a stupid question the second it leaves my mouth.
Rupert and Callie walk toward me, stepping past another headstone.
“We thought maybe you saw us at the funeral,” Rupert says, holding out his hand.
When I take it, he pulls me in for a hug.
“I might have looked at you, but I’m not seeing straight today,” I say as he releases me.
“That’s understandable,” Callie says, hugging me. “Sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks.” I step back, sliding my hands into my suit pockets, the same suit they bought me. “It’s really kind of you to travel all this way.”
“Well,” Rupert says. “We couldn’t talk you and Zoya into coming back to Minneapolis to visit us, so this felt like a good reason to visit. Although Michigan is closer.”
I frown. “Yeah. I don’t think we’re going anywhere anytime soon. She’s restless. I think she needs to play again. I think the world deserves her music.”
“Well, I’m sure this is a big change in her family’s life. Give it time,” Callie says, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Let her decide when she’s ready.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right.” I reach into my pocket. “Also, a couple weeks ago, Juni gave me this ring and told me to give it to Zoya when the time comes.” I hold up the ring with the big yellow stone. “We got interrupted before I could clarify the actual time. But I wonder if today is the day. If she wanted her to have it before she died, I assume she would have given it to her herself. Right?”
Callie’s lips part, eyes wide. But Rupert shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“What?” I ask.
“Put the ring back in your pocket,” Rupert says.
I slip it back into my pocket. “I should wait?”
“Are you going to marry her?” Rupert glances over my shoulder, and I follow his gaze to Zoya and Henna by Juni’s casket.
“I hope so,” I say.
“I think you should. And when you propose, give her that ring,” he says.
Callie bites her lips together.
You’ll know when the time is right. When you’re ready. That’s what Juni said. I’m an idiot.