Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“Well,” he answered, “unbeknownst to her, Joanna’s maid of honor, Celia, is the same Celia who has come between you and Breckin.”
It took a minute. I wasn’t really awake yet, and now I had no coffee. I squinted at him, like maybe that would help with the clarity. “What?”
He cleared his throat. “Celia Hughes is downstairs in my kitchen.”
“Celia Hughes is downstairs in your kitchen?”
He nodded. “Yes. She’s there, and so are Breckin and Beth and a distraught Joanna. Joanna’s concerned that you might hate her, and while I’ve only just met Celia, I would say that she’d rather chew off her own foot than stay here a second longer than necessary.”
“So why is she still here, then?”
“Because presently she finds herself in the middle of a heated argument with your ex-partner.”
I sighed. “Then I guess I should go down and meet her.”
“What?” Alex choked on his coffee. “No! What the hell for?”
“It’s Monday, isn’t it?” Evan asked out of the blue.
We all went silent, looking at him.
“Right?”
“Yes, it’s Monday,” I replied, annoyed. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Don’t most people have to work on Monday?” Evan seemed confused. “I mean, why is everybody here? Don’t they have jobs?”
It was a valid point.
“And who’s Celia whoever again?” he grumbled.
I scowled at him.
“What? I wasn’t listening. I can’t even see until the caffeine hits my bloodstream.”
“She’s the woman Breckin cheated with, idiot,” Alex barked at him, which was loud in the small bedroom, and especially that close to my ear. “We talked about this just last night.”
“Lower your voice,” I ordered, crawling carefully over Alex since he was holding hot coffee on an unsteady surface.
“You’re actually going down there.” Alex sounded incredulous.
“What am I supposed to do? Hide up here? Show Celia that I’m spineless and scared and weak? I haven’t done anything wrong. I didn’t cheat on anybody.”
“But, Trace—”
“No,” I interrupted, holding up a hand. “Seriously, I’m going down there. I want to see her.”
“Fine. I’ll go with you,” Alex said, throwing off the covers.
“No, you stay here with Evan. Dad’ll go with me.”
Alex looked like he might protest, but Dad silenced him with a simple gesture to be still. I opened the bedroom door, and Cord was there, poised to come in along with Bo, who, I was sure, was checking to see where my father was.
“Hi,” I greeted Cord, petting the dog before reaching for the cup. “That’s mine now. Evan has his.”
“I put half-and-half in it, and cinnamon ’cause I know he likes it.”
“Oh,” Evan whimpered behind me.
So we played musical cups once more, and Cord started chuckling along with my father.
“Did you bring a scone?” Evan asked him.
“Eat the rest of mine,” I growled but stopped when Cord pushed my glasses up a little higher on my nose. “What?”
“I like these on you.”
I felt my face heat. “Thank you.”
“Are you going down?”
“I am,” I announced, passing by him, and then descended to the first floor.
I realized as I walked into the kitchen what I was wearing. Sometime in the early morning, before I’d woken up the second time from my hot dreams about Cord, I’d gotten up, taken one of my horse pills, and changed into a white T-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms. I looked like I just rolled out of bed, which I had, but that was hardly the point. Everyone else looked great, as it was a little after eleven thirty, and I was a slob. Fantastic. Beth looked stunning, and Joanna would have looked good too if her eyes weren’t swollen from crying.
“Good morning,” I greeted her, walking over and staring down at her before giving her a soothing pat on the shoulder.
She looked up at me and sighed heavily.
I forced a smile before turning to my ex and his one-night stand turned baby mama.
Celia Hughes looked like she was maybe thirty, with a flawless golden complexion and straight blonde hair with bronze and wheat highlights. It fell to her shoulders, and wisps of layers brushed her face. Her eyes were pale seafoam green with traces of laugh lines around them. She was a startlingly beautiful woman. Her face was simply luminous.
I didn’t know what to do. I had not brushed up on the etiquette for this situation. All I could think to do was extend my hand to her. “I’m Tracy Brandt.”
She took my hand and squeezed it back. Not wimpy, not too strong, just enough to tell me she was there. “I’m Celia Hughes.”
“Can we talk?”
“That would be great.” She rose, and I gestured for her to follow me into the living room.
Breckin started to say something, and I saw Celia wince. When I turned to him, I noticed how wrung out he looked. “It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”
He furrowed his brows but nodded before I led Celia away.