Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 104657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“How did your parents meet?”
I drew lines with my fingertip in the cool condensation on my water glass as dishes clinked and clanked behind me. This was my favorite story. “My father spoke at a medical conference in New York. One of his colleagues invited him to a private exhibition at an art gallery where my mom’s ‘tastefully painted’ nudes were on display.”
Will’s eyes widened a fraction.
“She said she was thirteen when her obsession with painting the human body in its truest form became her whole life.” I shrugged. “I’m not embarrassed by it. She’s very talented. Anyway, it was a one-night stand. That’s it. Two parents on two different continents. No siblings. Neither one has ever married. They’re married to their jobs.”
Will gave my words time to settle. I liked his patience. He never cut me off, which meant he was a good listener. And I felt like he found my story fascinating in the best way.
“What about you?” I asked. “Do you have the all-American dream? Great parents? Siblings? A hundred cousins?”
He picked off a piece of his bread bowl and dipped it into the chowder. “I have a younger sister. My parents are happily married. Yes, I have a few cousins. So I suppose in comparison, my family is the all-American dream. Whatever that means anymore.”
“That’s nice.” I tried to smile past my jealousy. “I think at least one brother or sister would have been fun. Even just parents who tried to make a marriage work.”
“Well, maybe you’ll have what they didn’t.”
“Slow down, William. We just met.”
Will’s grin engulfed his face. “No marriage proposals tonight?”
As hard as I tried to act cool, I wasn’t. I giggled and fidgeted. Did I look like a seventeen-year-old virgin with a crush on a sexy firefighter? Probably.
“So, you and Tyler were childhood friends?” I asked as the server refilled our waters.
“Yes.” He rested the napkin on his leg. “His family moved from Kalispell to Oakland just before his sixteenth birthday. There were four of us who hung out. He broke the pack.”
“Like a pack of wolves?”
He chuckled. “Sort of. What about you? How did you go to school if you were living three months in the US and three in India?”
“Oh.” I cleared my throat, skimming my spoon along the surface of the hot chowder. “I had private tutors.”
“You were privately tutored for twelve years?”
It took me only six years. But that wasn’t important. Will didn’t need to do any math that night.
“It wasn’t so bad.” I blew on the spoonful of soup before taking a cautious sip.
“That must have been lonely.”
He had no idea. Starting college at twelve made it hard to find friends. Not that I had no friends. Most of them were adults.
“I made friends online,” I said, picking at the top of my bread bowl.
“Social media?” Will asked.
“Gaming.”
“You’re a gamer?” He perked up.
“Yeah, why?” I sipped my lemonade through the straw.
“I’m a gamer too.”
His confession shook my composure. I had a million questions, per usual. What did he like to play? What system did he have, and what were his favorite platforms? Did he enjoy single or multiplayer games?
“Would you like to play with me?” I asked.
After swallowing his soup, he licked his lips. “Are we still talking about gaming?”
“Of course, what else would we be talking about?” I bowed my head for the next slurp of soup. As soon as it touched my lips, I got the innuendo.
Oh my god.
I cleared my throat, trying to figure out what a mature young woman would say to his suggestive reply.
“Um . . .” I dropped my spoon in my soup, then pressed my napkin to my lips, keeping my chin tucked. My heart rattled my chest as much as his words rattled my composure.
I couldn’t imagine what a twentysomething woman would say. Being a genius didn’t expedite certain life experiences. When it came to flirting, I was no more experienced than any other seventeen-year-old. If anything, fast-tracking through school robbed me of even the average experience.
“I’m kidding. I know we’re talking about gaming,” Will said.
I nervously laughed. “It’s fine if you’re not.”
Yes. I said that.
Maybe my sex CV was empty, but always being the youngest in every classroom had made me very brave, even when that bravery got me in over my head. That was the case with William Landry.
I peeked up at him.
“Check, please,” Will said, holding up a finger to get the server’s attention.
Then, the most embarrassing thing happened—tears welled in my eyes. I was on the verge of becoming a full-fledged woman, and it hit me all at once.
Chapter Six
Will
“Don’t.” I shake my head at Everleigh. “It’s been eleven years. You’re not allowed to cry.” I jab a finger into my chest. “I’m the only one who gets to cry over what happened between us. You nearly destroyed my life.”