Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 103918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
"I don't," I confirmed. "I grew up in foster care. But I have brothers. Four of them. All older."
Gideon let out a clucking sound and said, "Wow, four older brothers. That must've made for an interesting childhood. I'm envisioning lots of wedgies and pantsing."
I found myself laughing heartily as I said, "Wedgies? Pantsing? How old are you?"
Gideon actually gave me a light shove. Not enough to unbalance me, but enough to get my attention. The fact that he'd done it all made me feel all warm and gooey inside. "Brat," he said.
I laughed and asked, "How old are you really?"
"Thirty-eight," Gideon responded. "Now tell me about these brothers of yours."
Just like that, the humor dissipated and I found myself looking down at the sink, wishing I could see the water and the bubbles. How many times had I taken seeing something as simple as that for granted? Even after I’d learned as a teenager that I was at a higher risk of losing my vision at a younger age, I hadn't really believed it.
"Lex?"
The kindness in Gideon's voice was going to do me in, I just knew it. "Can we talk about something else?" I blurted as I began scrubbing at the dishes again. I had no clue if I was getting them clean or not, but I no longer cared. I just needed to keep busy so I wouldn't think about the men who'd made me a part of their family.
"What do you do in LA?"
I found myself glancing at him despite the fact that I couldn't see him. It was strange to know that there were certain instincts relating to human interaction that continued even though I didn't have the benefit of sight.
"How did you know I was from LA?" I asked. Tension rolled through me as I thought back through every conversation we’d had. I’d been careful not to reveal anything about myself and he wouldn't have been able to get the information off my paperwork with Harvey Parnell, the cabin’s owner, because I'd insisted on anonymity and hadn't given the man any private information beyond my first name. "And don't tell me you got it from Harvey because he doesn't have it," I warned.
The idea that Gideon had lied to me hurt like a son of a bitch. What if he’d told someone who I was? Where I was? What if, even now, word was getting back to LA? All it would take was for my name to show up on social media and that would be it. I was so angry that I dropped the silverware I’d been cleaning and wiped my hands on my sweatshirt, or Gideon's sweatshirt, rather. "I have to go," I bit out.
"Lex, wait—" Gideon began, but when he grabbed my arm, I shoved him off. I stumbled but managed to catch myself on the edge of the counter. I tried frantically to get my bearings, but before I could even take another step, Gideon was on me. His hand closed around my upper arm.
"God, you're frustrating," he said angrily. "Is it the world in general you don't trust, or just me?"
"Let go," I demanded.
To my surprise, Gideon did just that. I had been pulling my arm at the same time that he released me, so I fell back a little. But Gideon grabbed me once again before my back hit the sharp edge of the counter. Gideon released me as soon as I had my footing.
"You know what, fuck it, I'm done!" Gideon said coldly. "I'll take you back to your cabin."
I really wanted to tell him not to bother and that I'd get home by myself, but it just wasn't possible. I wouldn’t make it five feet by myself outside, let alone however many miles it was back to Birch Cabin. I could hear Gideon shuffling around the kitchen. There was no missing how he was slamming cabinets and drawers and muttering as he did so. It shouldn't have bothered me that I'd pissed him off, but it did. I opened my mouth to apologize but then snapped it shut again.
I heard Gideon call for Brewer, although call for wasn't quite the right term. It was more like he bellowed for the dog. I felt bad that the animal was being punished for something he had nothing to do with.
"You don't need to be a jerk to your dog," I said snidely. I was angrier with myself than with Gideon because I'd made him out to be something he wasn't. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd figured out who I was when he'd found me in Birch Cabin. I felt sick to my stomach as I thought about news articles with headlines like Founder of Dominion Entertainment Blind, Tries to Take Own Life. Not only would my brothers see that headline, but so would the millions of kids who played my video games. How many would see that message and think it was somehow okay to consider ending their lives when things became too difficult to deal with?