Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
When we finally wrapped it up, my mom was there with her bright Welcome Wagon smile. “Brooks? Honey, it’s time for your speech!”
I closed my eyes and expelled a breath toward the ceiling. Jesus fucking Christ. All I wanted to do was find Mal. I couldn’t escape the feeling that I’d messed things up badly.
“Brooks?” Mama said.
I ran a hand over my face. “Yeah, coming.”
“Don’t forget to thank—”
“I know.” Without another word, I moved past her and trudged up the stairs to the front of the stage. I gave the crowd a bright, fake smile. “Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you so much for coming here tonight, and thanks for another great Lickin’! First off, I’d love to thank everyone who made tonight possible! Thank you to General Beauregard Partridge and Partridge Pit for donating all of our food, and to the Licking Thicket Beautification Corps for these amazing flowers—”
I pointed toward my mother and her friends standing in the crowd, and Ethan swung a spotlight in their direction, which almost made me laugh despite wanting to punch something. Not quite what Mr. Ivey intended, but it was cute.
I paused for the applause to die down, and as I scanned the crowd, I saw Mal making his way toward the exit. Fuck. I needed him to stay.
“And thank you to Mal Forrester for his amazing Welcome to Licking Thicket sign. We are so very fortunate to have such a work of art in our town!”
Mal froze and turned toward me in disbelief, but I lifted a hand toward him like a game show hostess, and when Ethan put the spotlight on him and the whole town started clapping, Mal’s quiet exit was foiled.
“A huge thanks to Mr. Ivey and his crew for helping to set up all the electronics for tonight.” I pointed toward him in the crowd, and he waved his thanks…
And the velvet curtain started opening behind me.
I pressed my lips together, fighting a grin. Poor Ethan.
“I’d also like to thank—”
But then the crowd started muttering. My mother stared up at me with eyes wide as saucers. Mrs. Ivey screamed, “Oh my Jesus Lord!” And even Mal looked stunned.
I darted a look over my shoulder to see what the fuss was about… and found my ex-girlfriend caught in a deep-diving tonsil exploration with my fake boyfriend.
Well. Fuck.
“Ava Marie!” Mrs. Ivey yelled. “You get away from that boy!”
Paul and Ava finally seemed to realize their backstage hookup had become a front-stage spectacle, and they did move apart… but only slightly.
Ava grabbed Paul’s hand and turned imploring eyes on her mother.
“No, Mama!” she cried, like a character in one of those TV movies I swear I only watched for market research. “I can’t because I… I love him!”
Oh my God.
“But, Ava,” Mrs. Ivey insisted, lifting a hand to block the glare when Ethan swung the spotlight at her. “You can’t love him. You’re… you know!”
“Presbyterian,” Aunt Birdie explained.
“What? No,” Mrs. Ivey said, confused. “We go to the same church as you, Birdie.”
“Illegitimate?” Lurleen guessed.
“Absolutely not,” Mr. Ivey said staunchly.
“Already shacked up with this hottie?” Alana jabbed an elbow into Mal’s ribs, and Mal flinched but was too stunned to protest.
“Pregnant!” Mrs. Ivey blurted out. “She’s pregnant!”
Ava gasped. “Oh, my God. How did you know?”
“Oh, Ava,” Mrs. Ivey scoffed. “Honey, no one drinks that much tea.”
“But…” Mr. Ivey looked from his wife to his daughter in confusion, and then his angry gaze narrowed on Mal. “You! After I let you use my workshop and everything?”
Mal’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, and he looked to Ava for guidance. If I hadn’t already thought he was incredible, I would have thought it then, because he looked like he was willing to let Mr. Ivey strangle him if that was what Ava wanted.
“No, Daddy!” Ava said. “Mal’s not the father.”
“Wait, he’s not?” Mrs. Ivey demanded.
“No.” Ava exhaled sharply. “He’s my best friend, and he came here to provide moral support. But Mal’s… gay.”
“Gay! Oh, dear Lord, she done turned another one.” Amos Nutter shook his head and made a tsking noise.
“Hey! She didn’t turn anyone,” I said hotly. “I was always gay, I just wasn’t ready to come out in high school. Ava was an amazing girlfriend.”
“Excuse you! You don’t get to defend Ava!” Mal yelled from the crowd. “If you’d really cared about her, you wouldn’t have made her fall in love with you and then run off and left her.”
I gaped at him, shocked and hurt. Was that really what he thought? Was that really what I’d done?
“You broke her heart,” Mal said, his voice cracking a little. I’d swear his blue eyes were shiny with tears… or maybe it was from Ethan and the death-ray spotlight he kept swinging at each person, like this was the world’s most insane telenovela.
“Well, I mean, in retrospect it wasn’t really broken—” Ava began from behind me.