Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Maxwell Sullivan had been afraid of his father. All those years he smiled and laughed and pretended everything was perfect, he was being abused. And in return, he’d abused Shane. A horrible cycle.
Shane’s throat burned as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. Christ, he couldn’t believe that had been Van’s reality underneath all that ugliness.
And for the first time in his life, he felt like the town had failed someone other than himself and his mom.
How many more secrets lingered within the county line that no one knew about, or that people kept quiet about?
Before he sat here dwelling on shit that couldn’t be changed, Shane killed the engine and got out. He heard the beat of music through the walls of the building, and it got louder the closer he got. He felt oddly nervous.
It was a Saturday night—the busiest night of the week at Round Table. Music assaulted him as he pulled the wooden doors open.
Shane scanned the busy bar, packed with bodies standing around and at the long counter. There was nothing to do in Last Chance besides drink on the weekends. There was the movie theater, but the teens usually went there. For those who didn’t want to drive to Portland, it was one of the two bars.
He scanned the room until his eyes landed on a booth in the back. Van wasn’t facing the door. His black curls somehow looked a little longer from the back. He was bent over the table looking at something, a pink T-shirt stretched across his muscular back.
He’d obviously known Van was already there since he’d seen his car, but Shane cocked his head slightly, thinking about the fact that he’d not only come, but he’d come early. It was eight fifty-five and Shane had expected to beat him here.
A body stumbled into Shane from behind and he turned around to see Beverly, another woman about his age whom he’d known his whole life. “Oh, hey, Shane. Sorry. My husband was supposed to call you. My car is making a funny noise.”
Shane grinned at her. “You know how Lyle gets. I’m sure he got busy with work and spaced it. You can bring the car down on Monday if you want.”
“Thanks, Shane. You’re the best. My sister is still hoping you’ll ask her out, you know.” Beverly winked at him. They had to know he was gay but every resident in Last Chance liked to pretend otherwise, trying to hook him up with women. Maybe it was hard for them to accept since he didn’t have a boyfriend and wasn’t parading lovers around town.
“She’s a lovely girl but I’m pretty sure we both know why that won’t ever happen.”
Beverly giggled and swatted his arm. “I’ll see you later!” she said before making her way through the crowd. Shane figured he should do the same and headed toward Van’s table.
“Hey!” he said when he reached it. Van’s head snapped up, startled.
“Oh. Hey.” It was loud enough that they both nearly had to shout to talk. Van exited out of his screen on his phone and nodded toward the other seat. “Have a seat. I’m glad I got here early and got us a table.”
Shane noticed his beer was half gone as he sat across from him. “You know how it is. Nothing to do in this town.”
“They could party up the old mountain fire roads like we used to.”
“Like you used to. Not me,” Shane reminded him and felt a small stab of guilt at Van’s frown.
“I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Shane waved him off. “I’m being a dick. I have a lot on my mind. You’re fine.”
Van leaned back in his seat. “I can drink to that. Jesus, if just being back here wasn’t bad enough. My mom doesn’t make it any easier.”
His voice sounded beat down in a way Shane himself felt sometimes. He wasn’t sure exactly how to reply though. “Yeah, family is hard. And you guys…you’re going through a lot.” He hoped that was the right thing to say. What was Van feeling with the death of his abusive father?
“I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Hell if I know,” Van replied and Shane chuckled.
“This is weird as shit.” Shane wished he had a beer to drink. As he glanced around for their waitress, he caught eyes on them. “You know half the people in this room keep looking at us, right? They know there was never any love between us, so now they’re wondering where you’ve been for twelve years, what it means that you’re back, and why the hell we’re sitting here together.”
“Let ’em wonder. They were always so goddamned nosy when they shouldn’t be, but didn’t pay attention to the things they should.”
Like what was happening in the Sullivan household.