I Could Never Read Online Penelope Ward

Categories Genre: Angst, Contemporary, Forbidden Tags Authors:
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Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
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When I arrived at the one Mexican restaurant in Woodsboro, Lauren was already there. I waved at her as I came in, feeling more hungry than interested in making small talk. I concluded pretty early on that I wasn’t feeling it for her, though it would’ve been conveniently fantastic to have that kind of connection. I was a picky motherfucker as it was, but lately it had been even worse. Essentially, from the moment I sat down at the table, I knew this wasn’t going anywhere.

But I did stay to eat. I shoveled some fajita into my mouth and chewed a moment before I spoke. “So you must have a passion for human services to work in the field you do...”

Lauren put her fork down and wiped the corner of her mouth. “Can I be honest? I love my clients. But working with the special-needs population isn’t something I want to do forever. It’s very taxing emotionally, and physically sometimes.”

While I appreciated the honesty, her answer surprised me.

I dipped a chip in some salsa. “You have a good handle on Scottie and always seem so energetic. I just assumed you loved what you did.”

“I do love Scottie, and the other people I work with, but not necessarily my job as a whole. It’s a lot of work and long hours for very little pay.” She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “Tell me more about what you do.”

I spent the next several minutes boring even myself as I rehashed the basics of my job while plotting my early-exit strategy tonight. Lauren was attractive enough, and I was pretty certain she would’ve been a sure bet tonight, based on the way she was looking at me. But even the idea of meaningless, no-strings sex didn’t interest me. I was either broken, or I had a much bigger problem—and I wasn’t going there. I knew one thing, though: I needed an excuse not to go back to Lauren’s place tonight.

Sure enough, when we’d finished our meals, she straight-up asked me if I was interested in coming back to her apartment. So I had to come out with it.

“Lauren, I think you’re an amazing girl,” I told her, setting my margarita down. “And I enjoyed getting to know you better tonight. But the more I think about it, the more I think it’s better if you and I remain friends, given your working relationship with Scottie.”

That was a lie. A cop-out. But so was this entire date.

Her face fell as she ran her hand through her long, brown hair. “Why did you even agree to this date if that’s how you feel?”

I’d thought I’d be better at faking it. “I guess I only realized that conflict tonight.”

I hoped my bogus excuse was better than just admitting I wasn’t feeling it. But the disappointment in her eyes told me she might’ve read between the lines anyway.

The rest of the evening was awkward as fuck, to say the least.

***

The following night, my “date” with Lauren was a long-forgotten memory. As I sat in the living room, watching TV next to Scottie on the couch, my eyes kept wandering over to Carly’s room. Through the open door, I could see her getting ready for her night out with Neil.

She hadn’t asked me about my time with Lauren, and I was grateful. I didn’t want to lie to her, and for now it was my preference that she assumed it had gone better than it had. I didn’t need Carly suspecting I was invested in the least in what was going on between her and my brother.

I couldn’t help but notice how damn beautiful she looked tonight, though. She wore a short pink dress and had pinned a matching flower in her hair. It was like a burst of spring in dark, cold Woodsboro. But it didn’t matter what she wore; she was always damn beautiful. Her blonde hair had gotten longer over these past weeks, and her perfectly placed curves were the ultimate temptation—thank you, pistachio ice cream. I had to constantly remind myself that I had no business having these thoughts about Brad’s girl. Her going out with Neil was probably a blessing. Now I had double the reasons to stay away from her. This situation would definitely seal the deal.

In spite of all that, I got up and walked over to stand in her doorway.

“Where are you guys going?” I asked.

She put down her makeup brush. “Some place called Vincenzo’s?”

“Ah yeah, one of the nicer restaurants in Woodsboro.”

Carly turned to me and opened her arms. “Do you think I’m dressed well enough?”

I gave her a onceover, trying not to let my eyes linger too long on her body. “Yeah. You look great. It’s a nice place, but not super fancy or anything.”

She faced the mirror again and started to apply eye makeup. “You never told me how your date with Lauren went last night.”


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