Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
He didn’t say a word as he slinked out the door. I reached for the photo proudly displayed on my desk. The only personal touch in my office, I must have looked at it a hundred times a day. She was so goddamn lovely.
My little ray of sunshine.
She didn’t believe it, but she was still as pure in my mind as she ever had been. And nobody was going to take her away from me.
Nobody.
Chapter Eight
Brighton
“Are you sure you want to do this today?” Nicole asked as I flitted around and checked the clothing racks one last time.
“Absolutely,” I replied. “I still can’t believe how much work you put into this Nicole. This is really going to be amazing.”
“You did all of the hard work,” she said. “I just organized.”
“Are you kidding me? You raised more money than I ever thought possible. You turned this into a real charity. Because of you, hundreds of little girls are going to get to realize their dreams.”
“Because of Sophia,” she corrected.
She gave me a bittersweet smile as I glanced at the placard she’d had created for the foundation. Sophia’s Shoes. A nonprofit that would provide underprivileged children the opportunity to participate in ballet.
While it may have been a small kindness to the world, it was something I was incredibly proud of. One of the only good things I’d ever really accomplished in my life, I was committed to seeing the foundation grow and prosper.
The event organizer who’d volunteered her time strode up, looking completely professional in her black skirt suit as she glanced at her watch.
“It’s time,” she announced. “Shall we ladies?”
Nicole and I glanced at each other and smiled nervously as we walked towards the stage. The doors drew open, and a hundred little girls and their parents spilled into the room, filling it with laughter and light. They all took their seats and bounced around happily as they waited.
The event organizer took to the podium first, thanking everyone for coming and making her introduction.
“And now, if you’ll all give a big round of applause for the creators of this lovely foundation, Miss Brighton Valentine, and Nicole Baker.”
We both walked up to the podium, and I fidgeted while Nicole spoke first. Though she claimed to be just as nervous, she was a little better at this stuff than I was. I was happy to sit back and remain in the shadows, but she insisted this was something I needed to do. Something we needed to do together.
I barely heard her speech before she handed the microphone to me, and I cleared my throat as I tried to keep myself together.
“Thank you,” I stumbled over the words. “Um, thank you again for coming today. This project is something that started small. In memory of a little girl whose life was cut short…”
My eyes filled with tears and I had to pause for a moment as Nicole sniffled beside me. “This is obviously something that is very bittersweet, and while I never had a chance to meet Sophia Lockhart, I do hope this foundation will do her memory justice…”
My words trailed off as I connected to a pair of blue eyes in the audience staring back at me. They were overflowing with more emotion and pain than I’d ever seen before, and I nearly choked as I tried to wrap it up.
“So if you will please follow the instructions on your cards, and the lovely ladies at the tables will help you to get signed up.”
Nicole pried the microphone from my hand and turned it off, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Ryland. I hadn’t heard from him in over two weeks. As much as I’d told him that was what I wanted, it was a complete lie. I missed him so much. And now, without even his texts to fill the void, my world was emptier than it had ever been.
“What’s he doing here?” Nicole whispered. “How did he find out?”
I couldn’t reply. My throat burned, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the glassiness of his. His hands balled into fists at his sides, and I felt like I was betraying him somehow. I started to question everything that I was doing when he walked from the room without another glance.
“It’s okay,” Nicole’s voice wobbled. “It’s better this way. He needs time to process it. It’s good that he’s not here.”
Chapter Nine
Ryland
Whiskey annihilation.
The articles blurred together, and I took deep satisfaction in that. I had no inclination to keep reading them. To keep dredging up these horrible… emotions? And yet I was impressed with the publicity Nicole garnered for the event. She’d never worked so hard on any project I’d given her over the years.
She was dedicated to the cause. I was dedicated to seeing this bottle of Johnnie Walker dry by sunrise. It was Brighton who thought of this. She’d hit me right in the tiny fissure of my armor. Hell if I knew how she kept doing that. The million-dollar question was to love or hate her for it.