Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I decided to shove all thoughts of him and the dream away. Besides, I was starving, and I still had work to do.
I frowned and looked around my room. A small fireplace was pressed in the corner, a writing table next to it. The carpet was green, and a bit worn, but the king-sized bed had soft, white sheets and a fluffy duvet, so I wasn’t complaining, especially with the sleep I’d had.
I went over to the bathroom. It wasn’t very large, but it had a clawfoot tub, which I remembered from back when my mom and I had stayed here. I flicked on the light and stared at myself in the mirror. I still had dark circles under my eyes which was rare even for someone who was a constant night owl and self-proclaimed insomniac, who pretty much Netflixed instead of slept.
Sleeping always led to bad memories.
Screams.
Darkness.
At least today the dreams had included great sex, right? There were worse things to dream about.
My dark hair was tangled past my shoulders, and my light blue eyes were still a little bloodshot.
With a shrug, I splashed my face, added some lip gloss for good measure, then looked around for one of my cardigans. A sudden chill had swept into the cove, making it nippy even with my fireplace on.
I shrugged into my black cardigan, added a small blue scarf, then grabbed my purse and headed out, my stomach practically leading the way as the smell of food beckoned from the quaint restaurant downstairs.
The narrow staircase gave way to the brightly lit lobby with its numerous candles and mirrors, and around the corner was the restaurant with seven wood-topped tables, each of them sporting a solitary candle, lending the room a more intimate ambiance.
The sign in front of the room read “seat yourself,” so I chose the table closest to the fire and pulled out the chair.
“I saw it, I swear!” a female voice shrieked from the kitchen. “I’m not losing my mind!”
“Day drinking again?” a male voice interrupted.
Complete silence followed.
Within seconds a tall, gorgeous woman with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes rounded the corner. Her brown skin was just as flawless as the rest of her as she offered me a wide smile and handed over a paper menu. “Dinner?”
“Yes, please.” I smiled and took the menu while she just stood there smiling. Finally, I cleared my throat. “And maybe some water?”
“Oh!” She put her hands together. “Sure, of course, we also have some great local wines, or you could do a sampler, or beer… but I don’t remember what kind of beer because I rarely waitress, for obvious reasons, but—” She just kept talking and talking and talking.
Finally, I interrupted. “Ginger ale.” As much as I wanted a glass of white wine, I didn’t think it was a good idea to produce my fake ID here.
She shut her mouth and seemed to bounce on her toes. “Fantastic, be right back. Oh, and the clam chowder’s my favorite.”
Her tall red heels clicked against the wood plank floor as she made her way back into the kitchen. Her designer jeans and expensive cream sweater looked extremely out of place in this small town; the woman could be a supermodel—a highly paid one.
What was she doing in Orca Cove?
The sudden strains of a violin playing filled the air as though they’d just turned on the music. So not necessary for just one customer, but it was relaxing all the same.
My brain was still having a hard time not thinking about Benjamin. It was almost like I couldn’t not think about him, which was a bit alarming, all things considered.
I licked my lips, tasting him still, wondering how, and trying not to freak out.
A throat cleared.
I jerked my head up to find the black-haired woman at my table. “Sorry, daydreaming.”
“Nothing wrong with a little dream.” She winked and set my ginger ale on the table, then pulled out a chair and sat, her red fingernails tapping against the table. “Some might say dreams are prophetic—what do you see in yours?”
Abruptly, I couldn’t look away from her.
So beautiful.
She was… everything.
I wanted to touch her.
Her grin widened. “Your dreams? I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
“Luna,” I answered without thinking. “My name’s Luna.”
Her eyes widened a fraction before she broke eye contact. It was like getting ice water thrown over my face.
I gave my head a shake and answered anyway. “My dreams lately have been… dark, let’s just put it that way.”
“Dark,” she repeated. “Maybe there’s a darkness in you?”
My head jerked up in surprise. Could she see it? Could someone finally see it? The constant pulsing around me, the dark cloud that never seemed to leave?
Then she burst out laughing. “I’m totally messing with you.”
I reached for my glass of ginger ale with a forced chuckle. “You do that often to your customers? Just sit down and scare the shit out of them?”