Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
When things finally calm down, Josie tells us she can handle the rest. She gives us hugs, promises to come over later with our pay, even though we told her we don’t want anything, and sends us on our way.
Back outside, Ben kisses me again and I realize how easy it is to fall into this routine. I’m already there, but know he needs time to figure things out.
“How are you feeling?” The temptation to check his forehead for a fever is there, but I keep my hands to myself. I don’t want to embarrass him in front of onlookers.
“I’m great. I’m going to the bookstore,” he tells me. “And I’m going to walk around a bit. I’ll meet you in the studio later?”
“Sounds good. Be careful, please.”
Ben winks and walks away without promising to stay safe. I watch him until he disappears around the corner and smile to myself. I think we’re going to be okay.
22
BEN
As soon as I round the corner, out of Elle’s sight, I rest against the brick wall. I’m tired. I don’t know if it’s from busting my ass at Whimsicality or what, but I don’t want Elle to hover right now. I bend slightly at my waist and try to catch my breath. I’m sure I have a fever, but I might be overly exerted as well. I know I worked a lot and didn’t take a break, but I don’t want to admit that cancer is kicking my ass. Well, the chemo is. That shit is nasty and drains every ounce of energy I have. I hate the old adage, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Friedrich Nietzche can kiss my ass with his logic. The cancer, the chemo—it’s slowly killing me, and something tells me once it succeeds, there’s no coming back from it.
I stay where I am and slip my sunglasses on. I don’t want to make eye contact with anyone, especially if they might know me. I ran into enough people while working this morning to last me a lifetime. I could see it in their eyes when they looked at me—they knew I was sick—but didn’t ask. I mean, what do you say in a situation like that? “Hey, Ben, what the fuck is wrong with you?” No one is that cold, but a conversation like that makes things awkward. It’s just best if no one knows why Elle and I are here.
As I look around, it’s amazing to see the changes Beaumont has gone through since I was last here for Peyton and Noah’s wedding. The town is thriving, and I feel, in large part, it’s because of Liam and Josie’s dedication to making sure this is a place people want to live. It could’ve been so easy for them to pack up and move west to be with the rest of us, but they held fast to the notion that Beaumont is a great place to raise a family. Not going to lie, it felt great working at Whimsicality again. It was just like old times and it’s funny how it all came back to me so easily and I never forgot what to do. Of course, running into former classmates wasn’t high on my list, but I knew once I put the apron on, it was going to happen. I suppose it’s not a surprise to find me or Elle working there, or even Noah and Peyton. When family needs help, you help. It’s what everyone is doing for me, and technically, I’m not even family. I’m just a guy who fell in love with a girl, who happens to have the most amazing family I’ve ever met, and they took me in as their own.
The bookstore on Main Street is new, yet when I finally have the energy to climb the granite stairs, I step inside and take in the décor. The store looks like it’s been here forever. The wooden floor could almost certainly be the original one from when the building was built, who knows when, even though I have no idea what was here beforehand. If I remember correctly, the building sat vacant for a long time. Beaumont used to be the town everyone forgot about when it came to upgrading its infrastructure. Sure, people move here, but the town council rarely puts any work into dilapidated buildings. But then again, if my civics classes taught me anything, it’s not the local government’s issue, but the peoples’. The people of Beaumont have spoken, and they’re determined to revitalize their town. Honestly, I’m here for it. I love this town and the more I think about it, the more I want to move back. I think Elle and I can really make a go of it here. I know she’ll have to travel, but maybe it’s something we do together.