Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 89142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Yeah. And I love them both, truly, but I have to say, they’re a little nauseating sometimes.”
“Oh my God, you have no idea.”
“As I understand it, they’ve been friends forever?”
“Longer than forever. Mandy crushed on him for years, but he never thought of her as anything more than a friend. But somehow, he finally saw her.”
“He’s pretty damned whipped, from what I can see,” Tom says.
I sigh.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
The waitress comes by and takes Tom’s credit card.
“Yeah, I’m fine. But my God, it seems like everywhere I go, I find some tie to Mandy and Jack.”
“Black Inc. is a big company.”
“I know. But New York’s a bigger city. And to be honest, you’re the first person I’ve met in a while who actually knows my sister and future brother-in-law. I guess I’m just feeling…”
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s a long, boring story, and I come off bad in it.”
“I can’t imagine you coming off bad in any story.”
“Maybe we all come off bad in it. Which is just as bad.”
“Feel like talking?”
I glance to the dance floor, where Isabella is still clinging to the dark-haired man.
“Not particularly.”
“I’m a really good listener.”
I definitely don’t feel like conversing, but this man is very attractive and clearly interested. So why am I feeling nothing? Why am I not thinking about how to jump his bones?
What the heck is wrong with me?
Granted, I was on-again, off-again with Penn for so long, but during our off-again times, I never had any problem going to bed with another man.
Now we’re off-again permanently, and all I can think about is the masked man with the mesmerizing dark eyes.
Tom Carson seems like a good guy. He’s an attorney, and he works for Black Inc., which means he does well. He’s tall, though maybe not quite as tall as Phantom, with broad shoulders and a corded neck, at least from what I can see above his collar.
“I just got out of a relationship,” I say. “Broken engagement.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I should’ve gotten out of that relationship a long time ago. Apparently I’m the only one who couldn’t see that he wasn’t right for me. But I sure see it now.”
“That’s not a bad story.”
“Isn’t it? I stayed in a relationship for over five years with a man who never appreciated me. We were on-again, off-again for so long that sometimes I didn’t know which end was up.”
Tom nods. “I think I’m beginning to see the issue.”
“You think?”
“Now your sister and Jackson are engaged and planning their wedding. Just as you’re going through a breakup.”
“Yeah. I told you I come off bad in it.”
“Do you wish your sister ill?”
“Of course not.”
“Then I don’t see how you’re coming off bad in the story, Frankie. It’s okay to feel a little sad. To feel like this is supposed to be your time to shine, and it turns out it’s not.”
“You don’t think that makes me childish?”
“Maybe slightly, but we’re all childish sometimes.”
“I’m actually happy for Mandy and Jack. I love my sister, and I love Jack. I’ve known him forever. My sister… Let’s just say she deserves this. She’s been pining away for Jack for so long that she never really had another satisfying relationship. So I’m thrilled for her. For both of them. So why can’t I…”
He slides his hand over my arm. “Because none of this exists in a vacuum, Frankie. It’s okay to be happy for them and still feel a little sad for yourself. One doesn’t negate the other.”
“I just feel like I should be a bigger person than that.”
He laughs then. “And all this time I thought I had found the perfect woman. I mean, look at you. You’re beautiful. Stunning, actually, and clearly very intelligent. And available, from what I can see.” He shakes his head and then laughs. “But you’re just not perfect, damn it. I’m afraid there’s no future for us.”
I join him in his laughter. “Okay, you’ve made your point. No one is perfect. It’s okay to have these feelings.”
“It’s not only okay. It’s normal. I’d probably be feeling the same way if I were in your shoes.”
What a nice guy.
If it weren’t for that damned Phantom, I’d be all over Tom.
“Would you like to go out sometime?” he asks.
“Sure.”
Although I’m not excited about it.
“How about Saturday?
Saturday. I’m supposed to meet Phantom again on Saturday.
“Maybe Friday instead?” I have a family dinner at Mom and Dad’s every Friday, but I can cancel.
“Are you busy Saturday?”
“Yeah. Family plans.” Again, I don’t like lying, but I don’t even know this guy.
“I’m going out of town later this week, and I get home Friday afternoon. But I suppose I could make that work. Maybe a late dinner date?”
“How late?”
“About nine, at The Glass House?”
I force a smile. “Sure. That sounds great.”
He pulls out his phone. “Perfect. Let me make a reservation.”