Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“Do you want to eat on the screened porch?” Chase asked. “You used to like storms. Except that one time you were home alone and the electricity went out, remember? Griff was at work and couldn’t get off, so he sent me over. You almost took my head off with a baseball bat because you thought I was an intruder.”
“Oh my God! I forgot about that. It was your fault, though. You were creeping through my house and didn’t call my name. What was I supposed to think?” I couldn’t believe Chase remembered it. The baseball-bat thing was likely pretty unforgettable, since I could have killed him, but the fact that I liked storms? That surprised me. I was quickly realizing Chase Hawthorne was full of surprises.
“You were supposed to not try and take my head off.” He went toward the side door leading to the screened porch, and I followed him.
“Well, next time announce who it is.”
“Next time I save you from being alone when the lights go out?” Chase asked playfully.
“Well, I didn’t need you to save me then, and I don’t now. I would have thought that was obvious by the fact that I nearly killed you. You’re fast on your feet, by the way; you ducked out of the way quickly. But I also wouldn’t complain about being in the dark with you.” I said that last part in a flirty tone, and Chase looked over his shoulder and smiled at me. It nearly knocked me on my ass. God, he had the best smile, his eyes going a little squinty, with wrinkles around them.
“I’ll remember that.”
We went to the porch and sat down. The air was still muggy, but it wasn’t too bad. Rain beat down on the house and the roof of the porch but didn’t hit us. It was nice being there. I’d lived in the same house my whole life, in town, not in the outskirts like Chase’s place was.
“So, what else do you remember about me?” I found myself asking. I was a glutton for punishment because I knew all the stories would likely be of something stupid I did, or him and Griff teasing me, but I liked thinking that Chase had filed memories of me away, that he’d kept them for so long.
“Hmm…” He took a bite of pizza, chewed and swallowed. “I remember you were always one of the smartest people I knew, and also one of the most creative. You’ve always been good at art, and it’s incredible to see that you’re doing something with it.”
Oh… That hadn’t been the response I’d expected. I liked this one much, much more.
“I remember you always had a big heart. One time you found an injured rabbit. Griff and I didn’t think it would make it. He thought it was best to end its suffering, and I agreed, but you wouldn’t even consider that possibility. You were heartbroken. You wanted to fix the little thing, and that made me want to believe she could be fixed. I wanted to make her better, so I told Griff I’d take her to the vet. We put on oven mitts to protect our hands and put her in that little cage you had from your old cat. Remember that?”
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I remembered it. I remembered everything, and Chase seemed to remember a whole lot more than I thought he would.
“So I took that wild rabbit to the vet. Griff told me I was wasting my time, and I knew I was, but I just…fuck, you wanted it better so much, and I wanted you to have that. You’re spoiled if you haven’t realized it.” Chase chuckled, but I didn’t. I could hardly breathe. My heart was thudding so hard, it was scaring me. “The vet knew it was a lost cause, but I still asked her to try. Hooked the little thing up to IVs and all. She lasted two days. Broke my heart when you lost it, when she died. You made me take her home again, and we buried her in the backyard. You remember?” he asked again as he turned to look at me.
Fuck, if I didn’t want to cry then and there, but I didn’t let myself. I fought to school my features. “Yeah, we were lucky Doc Johnson did that out of the kindness of her heart.”
Chase turned away and took another bite of pizza, and…holy fucking shit. Noooo. “That was free, right, Chase?” He’d told me the vet was doing it to be nice. Chase hadn’t had shit for money back then. “Chase?” I insisted.
“Was a long time ago, Kell. It doesn’t matter.”
But it did matter. It mattered to me. It mattered a lot. “Chase! You shouldn’t have done that. You didn’t have the money to take care of some random animal just because I got all worked up about it! I can’t believe Griff let you pay for that.”