Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
She smiled and kissed me back, and we—fuck, were interrupted by someone leaving. Or stepping out for a smoke. Whatever. Immediately annoyed, I broke the kiss and looked toward the door, only to see Ella there.
Good grief.
Excellent timing, really.
Seeing hurt slash through Ella’s features didn’t make a lick of sense, but I did see the fake indifference and anger coming from a mile away.
“I waited for you,” she said.
Nora cleared her throat and made a move to back away, and I didn’t let her. She wasn’t the intruder here; Ella was.
“I don’t know why,” I replied. “I’ve told you we have nothing to talk about.”
Ella’s jaw ticked, and she slid her gaze at Nora, then back to me. “It didn’t take you long to find a new toy.”
“Oh, meow.” Nora lifted a brow at her. “Have your claws always been catty, or is that a new feature?”
Salty hothead incoming.
I squeezed her hand and suppressed my smirk, because Ella was one insult away from lashing out.
“In response to what you said—I waited longer than you,” I told her. “You can leave now.”
She gnashed her teeth and stood there silently for a moment, but she had nothing. In the end, she headed down the porch steps and strode across the lawn toward the carport.
If I could catch a break, that would be the last I ever saw of her.
“So that was Ella.”
Nora snorted softly. “I saw her inside earlier. I guess she has some regrets.”
So she’d heard through the grapevine how our relationship had ended. I wasn’t surprised.
“I couldn’t care less.” I cared about what was right in front of me. I had to make sure I didn’t push Nora away anymore, and then… Fuck, I was too scared to hope or have any expectations, but I was going to open myself up for baby steps toward a future that didn’t depress me.
That was something, wasn’t it?
“What does the rest of your weekend look like?” I asked.
She quirked a curious smile and tilted her head. “I work tomorrow, ten to four. Then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, ten to six.”
That sounded like retail. “What do you do?”
“I work at a reptile center in Arlington,” she responded. “Tiny place—it’s just the owner, me, and another part-time employee.”
All…righty…then. Reptiles. Snakes and stuff. Lizards. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised, given how close she and Lane were. Lane and Ty, with a side of Noa, were our reptile wizards.
“You like snakes and lizards,” I deduced.
She snickered, possibly because of my expression. I didn’t hate creepy-crawlies; I wasn’t afraid of snakes or anything, but I wasn’t fond of them either. I’d grown up in rattlesnake territory outside LA, so I could identify which ones got to stay on the property, which ones had to be removed, and which ones made me scream for Dad to take over.
“I love them, but I’ll never own one myself,” she answered. “The species I’m into are time-consuming and pretty expensive, so I’ll stick to working with reptiles and cuddling Lane’s babies.”
Lane’s babies.
“Have you heard of cats and dogs?” I had to ask.
She laughed and gave my arm an “oh, you” shove. “I love them too! But I live in a two-bedroom with three roommates, so that’s not happening anytime soon either.”
Oh, I remembered those days. When I’d moved out east for college, I’d shared a studio off campus with two other girls.
“But, so to, uh, circle back to what you asked earlier,” she went on. “I don’t have anywhere to be until ten tomorrow morning. Just so we’re clear.”
I smiled. I liked the sound of that.
CHAPTER FOUR
Nora Lilja
A few days later
“Someone’s got a date. You never rush out of here,” Cal noted.
I smirked and shouldered my messenger bag. “I have more than a date. I have a sleepover.” And the woman I’d be spending the night with was currently outside waiting to pick me up.
I was in heaven.
Well, cuddle heaven—so far. We’d spent the night on Saturday too, but nothing had happened besides kissing and cuddling. Which, to be honest, had been all kinds of perfect, because the Mistress in Penelope had come out to play. She hadn’t allowed me to derail her for a second. And she was clearly on a mission to get to know me.
“So that’s why you asked Ted to cover for you tomorrow?”
“Guilty,” I sang. “And on Sunday. See you next week!”
He chuckled. “Have a good one, kid.”
I blew kisses to my favorite lizards on the way out of the shop—particularly Daycrawler, who was being picked up by her new owner this weekend. They’d probably name her something ridiculous. To me, she’d always be Daycrawler.
I stepped out of one humid place and into another, though it wasn’t that bad yet. Come June, I’d hate Virginia just a little bit. It was why I tried to live in a swimming pool during the summer.