Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 91862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
He cups my cheek. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.” I close the door and turn to Tessa. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry to ruin your evening.”
“You didn’t.” I wish I were lying in bed with Braden, but we accomplished the task for tonight. I let out a laugh. The task for tonight.
And now I’m beginning to feel that soreness Braden warned me about.
Oh, well. Tessa needs me, so my sore ass can wait.
I sit down on her couch and pat the seat next to me. “Come on. Spill it.”
She sighs. “It’s so stupid. I went and fell in love with the jerk.”
“That’s not stupid.”
“Why couldn’t I meet a man like Braden? He treats you with so much respect and love.”
“Have you forgotten he dumped me a couple weeks ago?”
“No. But things seem fine now.”
“They’re good, but it took a lot of work on both our parts. I even started therapy to get to the bottom of everything.”
“I know.” She shakes her head. “I guess I just want more than Garrett wants to give right now.”
“So you’re not in the same place. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. He did come back to you, and he’s willing to be exclusive.”
“That’s what he says, anyway.”
“Do you think he’s lying?” I ask.
“I don’t know. He could be. After all, he lied about having an early meeting tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s Sunday, Skye.”
“Braden has meetings during the middle of the night sometimes. We flew out to New York early on a Sunday morning that one time so he could deal with some kind of contract in China.”
I wince a little. That trip had cost me Tessa. I was so absorbed in Braden and my interview with Susanne Cosmetics that I neglected to call her to break our shopping date.
She doesn’t bring that up, though, thank goodness. Instead, she says, “Garrett Ramirez isn’t Braden Black. He’s an architect.”
“So maybe he has a breakfast meeting with the boss. Or a racquetball date or something.”
“Then that’s what he should have said. But what he actually said was ‘I have an early meeting tomorrow.’”
I check my watch. After midnight. “It’s too late to order pizza. How about I run across the street to the convenience store and grab a few pints of Ben & Jerry’s?”
She smiles. “Would you?”
“I absolutely would. As long as you promise no more drinking. Alcohol solves nothing.”
“I know. I know.”
“This isn’t like you, Tessa.”
She sighs again.
“Are you really in love?”
“I think so. I realize I haven’t known him very long.”
“You’ve known him as long as I’ve known Braden, and we’re in love. Sometimes you just know.” I can’t help a smile.
“And sometimes one person feels something the other doesn’t.”
“Tessa, you’re a catch. We both know it, and so does Garrett.”
“I’m not sure he does.”
“Then honestly? He’s not worth it.” I grab my purse. “I’ll be back in a flash. Dump the rest of that.” I nod to the vodka bottle.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I smile and leave the building. I don’t like going out alone at night, but the convenience store is right across the street from Tessa’s building. She and I go there all the time. Boy, if Braden knew I was going out alone after midnight, he’d be pissed as hell.
I walk into the store and head to the freezer section. Only two selections. Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia. It’s more of a Chocolate Therapy kind of night, but any port in a storm. I grab a pint of each and head to the checkout counter—
Addison Ames stands at the cashier.
I nearly drop both pints.
Do I say something? She hasn’t seen me yet. I can put the ice cream back and sneak out.
Fuck that.
I hold my head high and strut right up behind her. “Good evening, Addie.”
She turns, her eyes narrow. She looks oddly unsurprised to see me. “You mean good morning, don’t you?”
Yeah, she’s right. It’s after midnight.
She eyes my purchase. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Looks like an ice cream binge to me.”
“Maybe we’re going to eat it off each other.”
She scoffs. “Braden play with ice cream? Not a chance. Besides, we’re not anywhere near your place or his. Nice try, though.”
For your information, bitch, Braden has licked chocolate mousse and crème brûlée off every inch of my body.
But the words don’t come. No matter how much I’d love to taunt Addie, I can’t bring myself to do it.
Interestingly, she’s buying a pack of cigarettes.
“Didn’t know you’d taken on the nicotine habit,” I say.
“They’re not for me. They’re for my sister. She’s staying with me for a while.”
“Apple?”
“Only sister I’ve got.”
Apple, who doesn’t drink and regards her body as a temple. Who also can’t stand Addie. Not buying.
“Why is she staying with you?”
“She’s having her place redecorated. Paying some ungodly amount to make it look like a dump from the seventies, apparently.”