Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 24266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
I honked my horn at him.
“I’ve been trailing you all week!” He shouted, pressing a hand against the glass. “I’m not leaving without you telling me something I can report.”
“I could’ve killed you…”
“But you didn’t.” He’d read my lips perfectly. “Are you going to give me something or not?”
Jesus Christ. I rolled down the window and motioned for him to move to the driver's side.
“How excited are you about finally settling down and getting married?” he asked.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come on!” He prodded. “Your engagement is the worst-kept secret on all of Wall Street. When exactly are you tying the knot with Carmen Reese?”
“Not until next year.” I relented with a smile, letting him snap my photo. “Before you ask, no, you’re not invited.”
He laughed, and I rolled up the window.
Wary that he might jump again, I waited for him to step onto the curb before pulling into my condo’s private garage.
I wouldn’t miss this world of cutthroat reporting on my every move at all, and I was beyond ready to leave. I was retiring at the height of my powers, and I had nothing else to prove. There was nothing else I wanted in this life except a family of my own.
Well, maybe some peace and quiet as well…
Taking the elevator to the top floor, I walked into the empty living room, where a massive bouquet of red roses greeted me.
“That was quick!” Carmen, ran into my arms. “Did you get everything done?”
“I did.” I kissed her lips. “Thanks for being patient.”
“Always.”
Tiny drops of blood dripped from her fingertips as she pulled away from me.
“What happened to your hands?” I asked.
“I cut them on your brand-new rose stems.” She shrugged. “I guess the florist forgot to shave off the thorns since it was a rush order, but that’s okay. It makes them more real.”
I was going to suggest that she order from the best florist I’d ever known next time, but I held back.
Not today, Everett.
Not today.
“Mother, can you believe Everett is leaving this place behind for me?” Carmen kissed my cheek.
“I wouldn’t, if I were him.” Her mother joked. “Why can’t you start your new lives together here? There’s far more to do here than in East River.”
“Eads River, mother.”
“Whatever.” She scoffed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you two already purchased a house for me there, but…It’s such a small town. What type of name is Eads River, anyway?”
I held back a sigh.
The mere mention of my hometown made the hairs on my neck stand up. I still spoke to plenty of friends and family who lived there—still clung to the memories like my best possessions—but I’d done everything in my power to avoid physically returning.
Everything to avoid seeing Dahlia Foster again.
“Well?” Carmen’s mother waved a hand in front of my face. “Is there a reason you’re going there?”
“Carmen wants to move there, Mrs. Reese,” I said. “It’s only fair since it’s the best place for her to homestead, and I’m retired now.”
“Ignore her, Everett.” Carmen shook her head. “I’ve gone over this a hundred times before, and she’ll be fine. Besides, how crazy is it that the number one ranked place for what I want to do also happens to be where you grew up?”
“There’s another word other than ‘crazy’ for it…”
“It’s fate!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into my office. Then she whispered, “Make sure the movers pack up this room by tomorrow morning. My mom loves to snoop around.”
As if on cue, her mother joined us and walked to my bookshelf. She ran her fingers along the spines, stopping when she reached my high school yearbook.
Pulling it off the shelf, she flipped through the pages.
“Oh, my wow.” She fanned herself. “You’ve always been handsome.”
“That’s why he was voted Mr. Popular.” Carmen showed her the page that featured the homecoming court.
I was donning a crown in the front seat of a cherry-coated convertible.
My best friend since kindergarten, Leo, was playfully holding my “ruling staff,” and Dahlia was smiling at my side while holding a lush lily bouquet.
I didn't need to look at the page to remember how her raven-black hair fell past her shoulders in perfectly coifed waves, how her coffee-colored irises shone under the field’s bright lights.
I still recalled how stunned she was that everyone voted for her to be Queen. How she never truly realized just how fucking stunning she was.
“Who is this girl?” Mrs. Reese pointed to Dahlia. “Let me guess, Miss Popular?”
“No, she didn’t win that one,” I said. “She got Most Likely to Bite Your Head Off, though.”
“Her name is Dahlia Foster.” Carmen smiled. “She was his first true love until she abandoned him for someone else.”
“Oh.” Her mother clucked her teeth and slammed the book shut. “Well, shame on her for cheating, but I’m glad she fucked up, so you could find him.”