Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
My brows drew in as I tried to remember. “I don’t remember that.”
Candice laughed. “Because you had drank so much you could hardly walk. And Michael Mathews was hanging all over you.”
“And Nate punched him,” Rosie said. “Remember Josh had to pull Nate off of Michael because Nate kept hitting him.”
“What?” I asked, leaning forward. “Why?”
Candice looked at me like I was insane. “He thought Michael was taking advantage of you because you were drunk. You guys got into it, and if I remember right, you said something…oh my gosh, what was it?” Candice looked around. “We were all so shocked.”
“You said something like, just because you’re repulsed with touching me doesn’t mean another guy isn’t,” Rosie stated with a smile, as if she had just cracked the code to world peace.
“I said that?”
“Girl, you were so drunk. Do you even remember Josh Shaw driving you home?”
I slowly shook my head. “I don’t remember that.”
Josephine chuckled. “I’m not surprised; you were wasted. Anyway, that Callie girl kept coming on to Nathan, and after that, he was so worked up I just remember him taking her to his truck. According to her, they had sex in his back seat.”
My stomach churned.
“Yeah, but you can ask anyone in our class; Nate never went that far with anyone,” Candice said. When she looked at me, she frowned. “Haven, are you okay?”
I quickly nodded. “Yep. I’m fine.”
Josephine’s eyes went wide. “Oh, girl, I’m so sorry. You still like him.”
“You do?” Lizzy asked, commenting for the first time.
Josephine took my hand in hers. “I’m so sorry I brought that up.”
I forced a smile. “Honestly, it’s okay. It’s fine. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t know he was having sex with girls. Women, whatever. And a lot of them.”
My four friends exchanged looks before Rosie said, “But he didn’t. That’s what we’re saying. Nate was all talk in high school. Besides that Callie girl, he never hooked up with anyone. At least, not that I knew of.”
Josephine, Candice, and Lizzy all nodded in agreement.
I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better or worse. That small voice in the back of my head tried to remind me of why it was that Nate didn’t want to touch me. Would he really be put off knowing that my father had abused me in the most horrible of ways? I wanted to think no, but his actions said otherwise. But the way he was looking at me earlier…oh, it was all so confusing.
The DJ got everyone’s attention after the last song ended. “All right, folks, it’s open mic tonight at The Blue Moose. Who is going to be the first person to come and sing?”
“Speaking of Nate,” Rosie said. “He won’t stop looking over here.”
The rest of the table all looked to where Rosie’s gaze was.
“Oh my gosh, you guys?” I said as I slid down in my seat.
“What is it about a guy in a baseball cap,” Lizzy said as she fanned herself.
“Aren’t you engaged, sis?” Rosie mused.
Lizzy stuck her tongue out at Rosie. “A girl can look.”
“He’s confused.”
Everyone looked at Candice.
“Who?” I asked.
She slowly shook her head. “Oh my God. It all makes sense now. That night, he hooked up with that girl to try to forget about you, Haven!”
Rosie clapped. “Yes! Classic guy move. Sleep with one girl to try and forget about another. But the way he looks at you, be still my heart. The boy is currently melting over you.”
“Nonsense,” I quickly said as I waved Rosie’s words away. “He doesn’t look at me any differently than he does any other woman.”
Candice snorted. “Please. The man cannot stop looking over here, Haven. You two like each other. Why aren’t you doing anything about it? I could think of worse guys to hitch my wagon to.”
“If that were me, girl, I’d be ditching my fiancé and be all over that tall, dark, and handsome man,” Lizzy stated.
Rosie stood. “Come on. I’ve got the perfect song for you to sing. You sing it all the time.”
“What? No!” I said as I pulled my arm free from Rosie’s grasp.
“What song is it?” Josephine asked, clearly excited to find out.
“That Kelsea Ballerini one!”
“Yes! Yes!” Candice said as she stood up with Rosie. Both of them grabbed my arms and pulled me up.
“Guys, I’m not going to sing.”
As they dragged me to the setup stage, everyone started to look as I actively tried to get away from my two best friends.
Rosie squeezed my arm. “You’re making a scene.”
“Me?”
“Hello, ladies,” the DJ said when we stopped in front of him.
“Do you have the music for that Kelsea Ballerini reimagined song?”
He looked at us like we were crazy.
I sighed. “‘Love Me Like You Mean It’, the reimagined version.”
He grinned. “I do have that one. Is that the one you’re going to sing?”