Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 41935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
An alarm blares in my head. It’s pretty much just the word fuck, stretched out to last about ten seconds. How could we have been so careless? Dalton snuck out of my room around four a.m. after our first two nights together, but he asked if he could stay the night after the third, and it was too tempting to resist.
We thought as long as we arrived separately to sunrise yoga, we’d be okay.
“Mornin’, ladies.” Dalton strolls up with a lazy grin, and now that I’m paying attention, I can see what Farrah will see.
Under-eye circles. Bed head. The same shorts he wore yesterday. He might as well be wearing a shirt that says, “I just spent the night fucking.”
Ugh. I’m going to have to become a stripper to make the kind of money I make working for Farrah, and I don’t have the body or the mental fortitude for it.
“Good morning,” Farrah says, pasting on a fake smile. “How was your night last night?”
He shrugs. “Pretty quiet. Went to bed early. How was your date with Josh?”
“It was fine.”
She starts the yoga session, and I try to seem fresh and well-rested by doing every movement as well as I can and not complaining. It’s not the end of the world that she knows Dalton wants someone other than her; it’ll just be the end of the world if she finds out it’s me.
“Sorry, I overslept,” JP says as he walks up to us about twenty minutes later.
“That’s okay,” Farrah says lightly. “At least you’re honest. There’s nothing worse than a backstabbing liar.”
JP wrinkles his brow. “Yeah, I slept through my alarm.”
“Return to downward dog,” Farrah says.
I don’t dare even make eye contact with Dalton. My stomach is churning nervously because I feel like Farrah will see right through me no matter what I do.
“Did Josh keep you out late last night?” JP asks.
“No, not at all. I went to bed early last night, just like Dalton.”
She says his name pointedly, making me cringe inwardly. Maybe I should tell her the truth when she and I are alone.
No, I can’t. She’ll lose her shit. Say I stole him from her.
Can wheelchairs get repossessed? I imagine a couple of big, scary-looking guys lifting my poor father out of his specialized chair, setting him on the couch and leaving with the chair I haven’t quite paid off yet.
Fuck. This is awful. Why did I think this was worth risking my dad’s care?
“I feel sick,” I say weakly.
I’m desperate to end this yoga session, but I’m not lying. I could throw up any second now.
“Lie down, see if that helps,” Dalton says, approaching me.
I curl into myself in the sand, his hand on my shoulder like an electrical jolt.
She’ll see. She’ll figure it out. Why is he touching me?
“Let’s just call it,” Farrah says. “I’ll stay here with Alice until she feels better.”
“Yes!” I muster all the enthusiasm I can. “You guys go do your thing. Farrah will stay with me.”
“You want to see how much faster football players can run than hockey players?” JP asks Dalton. “I’ll slow myself down so I don’t embarrass you too badly.”
Dalton’s laugh is halfhearted.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asks me.
I want to scream at him to leave. I need time to think before Farrah finds out what we’ve been up to behind her back.
There’s enough money in my bank account to pay off the chair. Will is getting paid now that he’s a resident instead of a med student. With my experience, maybe I could get a job as an assistant for another celebrity, even if they don’t pay me as much as Farrah does.
“I’m fine,” I assure Dalton. “Go run. I just need to rest for a few minutes.”
He and JP take off down the beach, my heart returning to a normal rhythm once they’re gone. Farrah plops down in the sand next to me.
“God, I hope you don’t have the flu or something.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I wish you’d listen to me about eating that shitty fast food. If the food doesn’t make you sick, the germs from the people’s hands making it will.”
“Uh-huh.” I press my cheek to the cool sand.
“So anyway, we need to work together to figure out who Dalton’s fucking. My money’s on June.”
“You’re probably right.”
“She made it pretty damn easy for him. She spreads her legs when he walks past.”
I laugh lightly because Farrah is a total hypocrite, but she’s my hypocrite. Despite her many flaws, I like being around her. I just wish I wasn’t around her sixteen hours a day, seven days a week.
“Why don’t you just go for JP? Like you said, he’s taller, and you want tall kids.”
She sighs heavily. “I probably will. But I still want to know who Dalton’s sticking it in. I can drop a bomb on him during filming if I want.”