Total pages in book: 198
Estimated words: 186242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 931(@200wpm)___ 745(@250wpm)___ 621(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 186242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 931(@200wpm)___ 745(@250wpm)___ 621(@300wpm)
She was one of the only people to call me that here. Even Clara only called me Aurora. Probably because it was my aunt and uncle who had started calling me Ora.
“Hi,” I greeted her. “Are you coming with us?”
She blinked, and her smile dropped just a tiny bit. “Is that okay?”
I smiled extra wide, hating that for some reason she’d think I wouldn’t want her around, especially since things were fine between us but just a little awkward for whatever reason, and nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
Her smile back was timid but brighter.
Johnny happened to glance over then and made eye contact with me.
“Aurora,” Clara called out over her shoulder. “This is Johnny, Amos’s uncle.”
I couldn’t help it, I said, “We met at the hospital.” I forgot I hadn’t told her about all . . . that.
I walked around the Explorer and came to a stop beside Clara who smiled at me.
“Nice to see you again, Aurora,” the man drawled.
“Nice to see you too.”
I wished I put more makeup on now. I hadn’t gotten around to it because I’d been so tired thanks to the chaos last night, I hadn’t exactly gotten a good night’s sleep. And it wasn’t like Clara—or Jackie—cared if I had bags under my eyes.
“Did Rhodes give you a hard time the other night?”
I grinned and shook my head. He had to be referring to the night I’d snuck over to see Amos. “No. He said thank you. I figured that was pretty good.”
The way he tilted his head said he thought so too. “Have fun on your trip. Clara said you’re going to Ouray; it’s nice up there. See you around?”
“Sure,” I agreed, figuring I’d probably see him around the store since I wouldn’t be at the apartment too much longer.
Clara gave him a quick hug, Jackie and I waved, and then we were loading into her Explorer and Johnny was getting back into his car.
Her little sigh had me leaning between the two front seats—Jackie was in the front passenger—and peering at her.
Was that a dreamy look on her face or what? I glanced at Jackie to find her smirking. I wasn’t imagining it.
Clara looked at us and instantly frowned. “Yes?”
Neither one of us said anything, and she sighed again and turned on the car.
“He’s a sweetheart, okay?” She started to reverse. “And he’s cute.”
I leaned back into the seat and put the seat belt on. “He is cute.”
“He just split up with his girlfriend about a month ago . . .” She trailed off.
“Aunt Clara’s been wanting to get in his pants,” Jackie said out of nowhere.
“Jackie!”
I laughed.
“He is cute,” she confirmed, not exactly sounding happy about it though. “But I’m not saying I want to marry the guy or . . . or . . . get in his pants. I don’t even want to date him. I’m not ready yet to be with anyone else, but I can still look.”
Something in my chest churned at her own step she was admitting to. We were all trying to take small steps in our lives, trying to get somewhere.
I guess the good thing was, there might be a finish line with a specific time we needed to get there but none of us knew what it was.
Clara kept talking. “And, Jackie, quit telling people about Johnny.”
The teenager blew a raspberry. “You said sex wasn’t a big deal.”
“It isn’t for a lot of people, but only when you’re ready. Some people believe that it’s a transfer of energy, and you don’t want to pick up on anyone’s bad energy. And I told you you can have sex with whoever you want once you’re eighteen.”
“You’re so weird.”
“Why am I weird?”
“Because you’re supposed to tell me that I should wait until I get married!” Jackie argued back.
“You don’t have to love every man you’re with. Right, Ora?” Clara said with a peek over her shoulder.
I had loved every guy I’d ever been with. All whopping three of them. Two had been puppy love, but the last one . . . well, it had been real. Until it got burned alive and to a crisp. But that wasn’t the point Clara was trying to make. “Exactly. No one ever tells a guy to wait for someone special. My uncle used to just beg my guy cousins to wear a condom. A skinny sixteen-year-old with bad acne isn’t going to be a prince charming. At least just wait until you make sure the guy isn’t a total immature douchebag.”
“Uh-huh. And boyfriends just bring problems,” Clara kept going, gesturing to me for my own input.
Considering none of my past relationships had worked out . . . she wasn’t wrong. “I haven’t had that many boyfriends, but yeah, they’re a pain in the ass.”
Jackie turned around in her seat to peek at me. “You haven’t had a lot of boyfriends?”