Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 151044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Hale hadn’t texted yet, so I assumed he knew nothing, which was better. I preferred to keep my confusing feelings private until I made sense of them.
Maybe I was being childish…
I couldn’t fault my father for moving on. People got divorced for that very reason. I just didn’t understand what was so good about his other family that I apparently lacked.
“Would you like me to order dinner, madam?”
I looked up at Percy, discomforted by the idea of having a steady audience while I deconstructed every inadequacy of my life back to the days of in utero. “I’m not really hungry.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Would you like me to fetch a doctor?”
My head cocked. “Was that a joke?”
“Perhaps a slight one.”
I appreciated what was truly an attempt to cheer me and as much as I enjoyed that, my butler used words like perhaps and fetch. “Do you have access to a time machine?”
“Perhaps. I’ll look into it straight away.”
He left me to my own devices as I stared at today’s Wordle. Flustered with my inability to solve a simple word game, I swiped the app shut.
Not being able to reach Hale made me want to call Elle, but that would be a mistake. Would she ever know what I went through today? Would she care?
Like a festering wound, the mere thought of our dysfunction turned my stomach. The idea of her learning that the lunch with my dad didn’t go so well left me really… tender. I just couldn’t take her judgement or I told you so comments right now, so the urge to call her faded faster than expected. Maybe I was finally coming to terms with our situation.
Did she honestly expect this to just blow over by the wedding? When Seraphina told me Elle ordered her dress I was shocked.
Was she getting a fitting? Did she have her shoes? Fuck if I knew.
I wasn’t going to apologize for being happy, nor was I going to let her say those terrible things to me because my relationship with the Davenports made her uncomfortable. Those were her problems talking, not mine. I just wanted to be her friend. But even that was becoming less appealing as the distance continued.
After scrolling through my contacts and discarding every possible person I could text to distract me from thinking about my father’s other family, I let out a huff. I needed to get out of this hotel and do something. Blow off some steam.
I glanced at the door then listened for Percy. As much as I enjoyed playing princess in the tower, I didn’t feel like being around people. A hard thing to accomplish when sitting in one of the most populated cities in the world.
I quietly stuffed my phone in my bag and checked that I had cash and out the door I went. Just as the elevator pinged I heard Percy call my name, but I dashed inside before he could stop the doors from closing.
The lobby was buzzing for late afternoon and several cars waited out front at the valet. I slipped out the entrance and spotted the black sedan idling on the corner. A plume of cigarette smoke surrounded Marty’s head as he turned and our gazes met. He frowned, probably wondering why he didn’t get a call that I was leaving, then he tossed his cigarette on the ground and strolled toward me.
I don’t know what came over me, but I ran.
Well, I jogged.
He called my name, then doubled back to get the car. I cut through a group of tourists snapping photos in front of the Pulitzer Fountain and dashed down 58th. Cabs intercepted traffic and clogged the intersections as pedestrians moved about the busy walkways.
When I spotted the familiar sedan coming around the corner, I made a quick left and went back toward Fifth Ave, knowing Marty would be trapped in gridlock for a minute or two.
From there I walked. I walked until I could no longer see the spires of The Plaza peeking overhead. I walked through construction zones and busy intersections and some sort of business district. When I hit the entrance to the train station, I turned—no real clue where I was heading, but I continued to walk until everything looked unfamiliar.
My new boots were beginning to hurt my feet and I regretted not changing into more comfortable shoes after my lunch date. I looked for a restaurant that might serve booze so I could rest for a while.
Following signs to a rooftop establishment, I snuck into an aged building and took the elevators to the top floors. Black and white polished checkered tile met with deep blue walls. Dangling crystals cascaded from the ceiling as the stunning display of liquors illuminated on the far wall called to me like a mecca.
“Can I help you, miss?”