Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
“If you want. Before your mother moved in, I worked a lot more, so I usually wash the bedding a few times a week. I figured since I’m only coming twice now, two would be good.”
“Once a week is sufficient for me.”
She nods pleasantly. “I’ll make a note. Is there anything else I should know? Any food allergies? Favorite meals? Meals you hate?”
I open my mouth to answer, but before I can speak, Hayden comes around the corner. “She’s highly opposed to octopus.”
I crack a smile. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Parker.”
Mom is right behind him. She flashes me a pleasant smile, then her gaze drifts to the housekeeper. I can tell by the slight furrow of her brow that she is also unsure what to do with a housekeeper. Her gaze drifts again, then she turns back to me brightly. “Do you want me to pack your lunch?”
“Already done,” the housekeeper announces. “I made one for Landon, too.”
“Oh, he isn’t here this morning,” Hayden tells her. “He’s staying with my brother for a couple of days, so you don’t have to make him anything Friday, either.”
I’m hesitant to say anything, but since the thought popped into my head… “I could take it to him.”
No one responds.
“I mean, we’ll be in the same lunchroom. It’s already packed…”
“You don’t think he would taunt you for bringing him lunch?” Mom asks.
“I’m sure he will, but since I don’t care…” I shrug.
“It’s up to you, but you don’t have to,” she assures me. “I’m sure he was already planning to buy lunch today.”
Before long, Antonia plates our food and we move to the dining room to enjoy our breakfast together. It still feels awkward afterward when I take my empty dishes to the kitchen where she’s already cleaning, and she tells me just to leave everything on the counter and she’ll clean it up.
Hayden is clearly accustomed to this, so he drops his dishes on the counter without hesitation and fetches his briefcase to make sure he has everything for work.
I grab both lunches Antonia packed from the refrigerator. When I turn around, Hayden is standing there with Landon’s keys.
I frown at them, confused.
“Do you want to drive to school today?”
My eyes widen. “In Landon’s Jag?”
He shrugs. “He won’t be driving it.”
“Um… I think that would make him pretty angry.”
“Probably,” he agrees. “But if he can’t control his temper, he won’t be getting it back anytime soon. Might as well give him some practice.”
“I don’t know,” I say warily, eyeing the keys. “It’s a very attractive car, but it’s also a loud pain in the ass. I don’t even really like it.”
A lot like someone else I know…
“Well, you’re free to take it if you’d like to.”
“I think I’ll pass, but thank you for the offer.”
He nods and falls back to drop the keys in the key dish on the counter. “I can give you a ride on my way to the office. Maybe your mom can pick you up and take you to look at cars after school. I’d be happy to lease you something for the rest of the year, or even buy you one if you’ll need a car beyond this year. I’m not sure what your college plans are.”
My eyes narrow skeptically. “You don’t have to buy me, Hayden.”
His mouth tugs up ever so slightly. “I’m not trying to buy you, Parker. You’re my daughter now. I’m taking care of you like one.”
___
I feel a bit self-conscious when Hayden drops me off at school in his Maserati.
I’ve never been one to feel awkward or embarrassed about my mom dropping me off at school—that never made any sense to me—but after waking up in a seaside mansion and giving the housekeeper cooking me breakfast instructions on how best to serve me before being offered a Jaguar to drive to school in, I have never felt more like I’ve accidentally fallen into someone else’s life.
It’s only once I’m walking the halls at Baymont High with my eyes peeled for a Landon sighting that anything feels remotely normal.
This is how it’s meant to be.
I don’t know what he’s wearing today, or what he had for breakfast. I don’t know if he’s even here.
Not knowing makes me more aware, more watchful. It’s as if he’s around every corner, even though when I turn that corner, I never see him.
History class is next, though. If he’s at school today, I’ll see him there.
My stomach flutters at the thought. Gone is the delicious breakfast, apparently. Now it’s a butterfly cavern.
My mind is at once frantic and incapable of concentrating as I enter the classroom. As if I’m the Secret Service, I check the perimeter, sweep the room.
There he is.
He’s at his desk in the middle of the last row, but he’s not sitting forward getting his books ready like I will be in a moment’s time. Instead, he’s turned around in his chair, talking to the guy seated behind him.