Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“So, what do you say?”
“You barely know me,” Harlow said.
“Yeah, I know, but what I do know I like, and I think we could be friends, you know?” Hailey asked and she did that lip-biting thing.
This did seem so fast to Harlow but at the same time, whenever she was around Hailey, it helped her to forget, and right now she would gladly give anything to forget.
“You know what, I think you’re right, we do have fun together.”
Hailey giggled and then clapped her hands. “Is that a yes?”
Harlow couldn’t help but smile and laugh along with her. There was nothing wrong with finally letting loose and having fun, was there?
“This is amazing. We’re going to have so much fun together. I promise you won’t regret this. I feel we need to celebrate. I’ve got to start organizing. You could come and live with me tonight. I’ll order pizza this time. Oh, wait, we could just go and eat at the diner.”
Everything was moving so fast but Harlow didn’t even want the ride to slow down. The moment it slowed, she couldn’t stop thinking about everything that happened in the last few weeks. She didn’t want to think about anything. Not about Hunter or their time together, and certainly what she lost. Unconsciously, she pressed a hand to her stomach and she felt that jolt of pain, threatening to consume her. Tears pricked at her eyes and she struggled to focus and breathe.
“Harlow, are you okay?” Hailey asked.
Pulling out of her own thoughts, she forced a smile to her lips and nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. I think us moving in together would be an amazing idea.”
****
A Few Days Later
Harlow finished packing the few remaining items into a box. She had already seen the landlord and the bruises on his face were already healed. She’d been surprised by how disappointed she was, because he had earned that beating, taking advantage of young tenants with overcharging. At first, she thought moving in with a woman she barely knew was a bad idea, but now she looked forward to it.
Hailey’s house was much nicer. It was warmer and didn’t have any bugs or the risk of rats. Actually, every single place had a risk of those pesky vermin, but they weren’t exactly invited, unlike here.
She didn’t have a lot of stuff. Jude and Bernard had offered to help her move, and she had accepted. Jude had a pickup that made it easier to pack up. Hailey was back at her place, accepting all the boxes, while she opted to pack the last of her stuff.
There was a knock at the door and she called for them to enter without seeing or hearing who it was. At the sound of footsteps, she looked up. Big Dick was inside her apartment. They hadn’t talked to each other in quite some time.
“What do you want?” Harlow asked, putting the last picture in the box and tensing her body, expecting a fight.
“You didn’t ask for my help,” Big Dick said. “You didn’t ask for any of the club’s help.”
“Why would I ask for your or any of your club’s help?”
“Harlow, you didn’t even ask Ava or Raven, or Abriana. Not even Larissa.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t need to ask anyone else for help.”
“But you get Jude and Bernard to help?”
“They’re my brothers as well, and they stopped by to check on me.” Harlow laughed. “The funny thing is, so did Erick. Did you know that? The nasty brother who I hated all these years actually came to see me. Even at the beauty parlor.” It had been a surprise for her when he walked in. He even offered to pay for lunch, and she’d been quite surprised. It had been a weird lunch, but Erick wanted to know if she was okay.
“Why didn’t you come and ask me?”
“Look, I get it. You were angry with everything that happened and I don’t blame you, I don’t, but I’m not going to ask you for anything.” She shrugged. “And it’s nearly done anyway.”
“I told you, Squirt. You can come to me for anything.”
Harlow snorted. “No, I can’t.”
Their friendship had taken a hit, a big one, and Harlow didn’t know how to repair it. Even when he was being a pain in the ass, he always made her smile. Being around George was always the fun part of her day, but not anymore. She didn’t know what he wanted from her. They were not going to repair this damage quickly.
“Why Hunter?”
Tears filled Harlow’s eyes. She hated this. The tears were the worst. The sudden burst of emotion and feeling that always took her by surprise. She wanted to hate Hunter, and to a point, she did. He had broken her heart in more ways than she thought possible.
“Please, don’t.”
“You could have any guy. There are tons out there your own age. Hunter is an asshole. He fucks married women. Harlow, how could you be so stupid?”