Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 110492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
The last thing she did was open the small linen cupboard beside the shower stall. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached far to the back of the top shelf, praying she would find what she was looking for.
To her relief, she found it far back in the dusty corner, behind as stack of old face cloths. It was a little round china pot with cherubs painted on its curving sides.
Nana had given it to her as a secret wedding present, right before she left on her honeymoon.
“Now, I know you and Chuck want to have one of those marriages where you share everything and put all your money in one account,” she’d said to Torri. “But I have always believed that it’s good for a girl to have a little extra put by, just for herself in case of emergencies. So I want you to keep this a secret, just between you and me.”
Upon opening the little china pot, Torri had been shocked to see a roll of hundred-dollar bills and another, larger roll of twenties. Nana and Grandpa Pete had always lived simply, (another reason why her inheritance from them was such a surprise.) She had tried to give the money back, but Nana had steadfastly refused.
“I’ll be fine,” she had told Torri. “This is your secret stash—just for you in case of emergencies. Promise me you won’t tell—promise me now!”
Torri had promised and she had kept the promise, never telling Chuck about her “secret Nana stash.” Now she was glad she had. She tucked the cash away in her duffle bag, sending a thought of thanks to her grandmother. She supposed Nana probably hadn’t revealed that she was leaving her a small fortune because she wasn’t sure about Chuck—she never had quite warmed up to him.
Nana always knew best about men—I should have listened to her, Torri thought ruefully. She bet that her grandmother would have liked Vic—she wouldn’t even have minded that he was an alien cyborg.
Come to think of it, Torri didn’t mind that herself. It was too bad more human men weren’t like him, she thought. Though he was so big and strong, the big Kindred scout was incredibly gentle. She couldn’t help thinking of the way he had held her in the closet while she cried…the way he had stroked her hair and soothed her and kissed away her tears…
But you’re married, whispered the guilty little voice in the back of her head.
Not anymore! Torri told it firmly.
If Chuck wanted a divorce, he could damn well have one. And since he had already moved on from their relationship—about three years before it ended, as it happened—she could too.
From now on, she wasn’t going to feel a bit guilty about thinking that Vic was handsome or enjoying the way his touch made her feel. From this minute forward, she decided, she was officially divorced.
Lifting her chin, she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. A determined looking woman stared back at her. She had a mark on her cheek where O’Toole had slapped her and her bottom lip was a little puffy, but other than that she looked much better than she had in the past three months.
She was wearing normal clothes again instead of those awful scrubs—a pair of jeans and a wine-colored sweater that looked good with her black hair and amber-brown eyes. Her hair was brushed and neat and her face was clean, if devoid of make-up.
“Not bad, considering I just broke out of a mental hospital,” she told her reflection. She was surprised to find that she felt lighter than she had in months. Not only was she free of St. Elizabeth’s, she was also free of Chuck and a marriage that had been in a rut for a long time. For years she had been trying to get around the wall that had grown up between herserlf and her husband and wondering what had happened to their intimacy—now she knew and she was done with him.
She was going to put Chuck and her failed marriage in the past and go have an amazing adventure with a really hot cyborg and hopefully save the Earth from evil invaders in the process.
It was most definitely a fresh start.
Torri walked out of the bathroom feeling happier and more confident than she had in a long time. Vic was waiting patiently for her but when he saw her, he did a double-take and his eyes grew wide.
“Torri, you look so different!” he murmured. “This new clothing suits you very well.”
“Thank you.” Torri blushed and did a little twirl for him. “Come on—we’d better get going.”
She held out her hand for him and Vic took it and entwined their fingers.
“Let’s go save the world,” Torri told him. “And I am never, ever coming back to this house again.”