Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
One last check on Wes and I slipped into my bedroom and softly shut the door.
• • •
The ringing of my alarm caused me to bolt up in bed and I instantly winced. I had a terrible neck ache and sat up. Rolling my neck, I looked back at my pillow.
“Damn it.”
I must have given my favorite pillow to Wes last night. Swinging my legs to the side of the bed, I stood and stretched before I made my way out to the kitchen for a much-needed cup of tea.
When I opened the door, Wes was standing in my kitchen in nothing but a towel. I let out a scream and he jumped and let out a scream himself.
“What are you doing in my kitchen naked!”
He glanced down at the towel. “I’m not naked, I’m wrapped up in a towel. Why did you scream?”
I blinked several times as I attempted to clear the sleep from my eyes. “I live here, jackass! Alone! I wasn’t expecting you to be standing here…like…this,” I said as I swept my hand in the direction of him.
“Sorry about that,” he said with that smirk I swore he only saved for me. “I really needed a shower. How do you feel about taking a cooking class with me?”
Stumbling my way over to the Keurig, I put my tea pod in, placed my mug in the right spot, and started it. Turning around, I leaned against the counter.
“Why would I want to take a cooking class with you?”
His face blushed.
“Oh God, does this have something to do with Mandy?”
Holding up his hands, Wes said, “It does. Her planner said she has a cooking class set up with what’s his face.”
I chewed on my cheek to keep from screaming it was a bad idea. But it would allow me to spend more time with Wes, and I was clearly pathetic enough to stoop this low.
“Here’s my plan. You and I show up at some random places together.” He put air quotes around the word random. “With the way Mandy reacted to you yesterday at the coffee shop, it is bound to make her realize she’s making a mistake by marrying this guy.”
Shaking my head, I brought my fingers up to my temples and rubbed. “You aren’t making any sense.”
“It’s perfect, Clare. You and I show up at places where I know Mandy will be. Not too many because we don’t want her catching on to the plan or figuring out that I’m the one who found her planner.”
“Of course not,” I deadpanned.
“I mean, I should have thought of this before. The more she sees me with you, the more she’ll want me back.”
“Wes,” I said as I slapped my forehead. “Why don’t you just tell her you’re still in love with her and you want another chance.”
He swallowed hard. “I did do that. When she slept with me then snuck out in the middle of the night. She needs to see what she’s missing.”
I was dumbfounded. “Maybe she isn’t missing anything? Wes, she really seemed like she was in love with this Ron guy.”
“Fine, if she’s in love with him, then her running into us won’t matter at all, right?”
“Besides the fact that we’re lying about us being a couple.”
“Then let’s not lie.”
Confused, I asked, “What do you mean?”
Wes took a step closer to me and cupped my face within his hands. “Let’s date.”
“Are you insane? Have you totally lost your mind, Wes?”
He smiled. “I think so.”
“You want me to date you so that you can win your ex back and not feel guilty that you’re lying about this plan?”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes for a moment. “Wes, this isn’t going to turn out the way you think it will.”
“Maybe not, but I’m finding I like spending time with you. So unless you don’t like spending time with me…”
I tried to ignore the way his hands felt on my face or how he said he liked spending time with me. I wanted to tell him I was falling for him. That the person who was going to be hurt in the end was only going to be me. But I couldn’t. I kept telling him to be honest with Mandy when I couldn’t be honest with him. Or with myself. I knew this was an awful plan and also knew that I should walk away and not look back…but I couldn’t.
Sighing, I said, “If I do this, you are going to owe me so big.”
A wide grin erupted on his face, and he kissed me on the forehead. “I will totally owe you. I’ll do anything you want me to do.”
I lifted a brow. “Anything?”
“Anything.”
“I want to meet Brady Thompson.”
He looked so confused as he dropped his hands and took a step back. His head fell back, and he laughed his ass off before finally getting himself under control. “You’re joking, right? The guy doesn’t even live in Boston. He’s not even a football player anymore! I think he’s in Georgia or something like that. Hell, you work for the Boston Red Sox, you have a better chance of making that happen than I do!”