Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
“What do you want?”
She wanted to run at the aggressive tone and barely managed to contain her composure. “I’d like to speak to Loker James, if he’s available.”
His eyes pierced, boring into hers. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
“Then make one,” he snapped, taking a step forward and opening the door.
She remained where she was, but turned around to face him, “We both know he won’t answer my call if I did.” Standing resolute, she had to lock her knees to keep her legs from shaking.
Train let the door close, raking her face with a stern gaze. “Stay here. I’ll see if he’s available.”
Nodding, she waited as he took out a cell phone and began texting.
As she watched Train, she heard a sound to the side. Turning her head, she heard a door open. Her heart skipped a beat at seeing the man standing in the doorway.
Shade.
They silently stared at each other until she was the one who broke the tense silence.
“Shade.” Proud her voice didn’t come out in a squeak, she steeled herself once more to be thrown out.
“Megan.” Shade’s expression, nor his tone, gave any indication at how he felt seeing her. His eyes then moved to Train.
“She wants to talk with Viper. I just texted him,” Train explained.
“You can wait in the office.”
Burying her hands in her coat, she walked to the office door and went inside, then moved toward the desk, but didn’t take one of the two chairs positioned in front. She clenched her hands in fear when she heard the door close, only to relax when she found the room was empty.
Would it be bad manners to sit? she asked herself.
Afraid her legs would give out because they were trembling so badly, she sat down, keeping to the edge so she could stand up quickly if she had to.
She had just managed to get her nerves under control when she heard the door open. Turning her head, she was glad the chair was under her. Too frightened to move, she remained seated.
“Thank you for seeing me, Mr. James.” She focused on her words, keeping the quiver of fear out of her voice as Loker James moved further into the office with Shade following. Viper went to sit behind the desk while Shade closed the door then took the chair next to her.
“You wanted to talk to me?”
Bowing her head, she kept her eyes focused on the denim covering her knees. Unlike Shade, Viper made it plain what he thought of her—a mixture of antagonism and dislike was easily discernible on his harsh features.
“Yes, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. I didn’t think you would agree to see me if I called.”
“I wouldn’t have,” he replied coldly. “But since you’re here, go ahead.”
Megan opened her mouth to begin the prepared speech she had written over a thousand times over the years and had memorized so she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in front him.
Under her downcast lashes, she saw Viper lift a hand to stop her.
“If you’re here to apologize for nearly killing my daughter when she was in the NICU, let me save you some air. I’m never going to accept the apology bec—”
“I know you won’t,” she interrupted him. “I wouldn’t, either. Neither you, nor Winter, can hate me more than I hate myself. There isn’t a day that has gone by that I don’t wish it hadn’t happened. Your wife was the kindest person to me in town. She was more upset when I quit school than my parents were.”
Megan was unaware her voice had grown hoarser the longer she talked.
“Mrs. James always made me feel smarter than I was. My mother used to tell me I wasn’t the brightest shade at the makeup counter, and she was right,” she said self-depreciatively. “I was terrible in school. I just never seemed able to focus enough to study to make good grades. I couldn’t finish a book because I read at a snail’s pace, then I’d get frustrated at how stupid I was when I fell further and further behind. Mrs. James did everything to try to help me. She offered to tutor me and gave me extra time to make up assignments I couldn’t complete on time. I didn’t take any of the help she offered and married Curt.” She felt the taste of bile in her mouth after she spoke her late husband’s name.
“That, in itself, shows how stupid I was.”
Viper and Shade sat silently as she talked, listening.
“Winter was everything I wanted to be and never could be. I was jealous of how smart she is, the respect everyone gave her. I was even jealous of how you treated her. I saw you help her into a truck as if she was the most precious thing in your world. The way you looked at her is how I knew you would never accept any apology from me.”