Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 54383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
“The corset is too tight, Mom,” I say. “I can barely breathe.”
“Nonsense!” She grabs the strings and pulls them in even tighter. “Now, let’s see what we can do about these wayward ruffles.”
I suck in what will probably be the last breath of my life and wince as she stabs my skin with a pushpin.
Since I had the misfortune of beating Tully home from school today, I’m standing in for her latest sponsorship fitting.
“We’re sensing that the Renaissance era will be making a fashionable comeback in the near future, and your daughter’s online persona truly fits in line with our brand.” A woman in a light lavender suit, who looks like she’s descended from English royalty, sips tea in our living room.
“She has such lovely posture and bone structure.” The woman smiles at me. “That dress truly comes to life on you, Miss Crane.”
“Say, thank you very much, Scarlett.” My mother chides.
“Thank you, Miss. Very much.”
“Pardon me asking.” The woman sets down her tea cup and walks over to us. “But are you sure you don’t want to join your sister for this campaign? I know you don’t have as many followers as she does, but if you both did videos on her account, I’m sure our marketing department would negotiate a higher payout.”
“She’s not interested.” “I’m not interested.” My mother and I say in unison.
“Not even for triple the amount?” She smiles.
“No.” “She’ll think about it.” We speak in unison again, but our answers aren’t in sync this time.
“I thought so.” The woman smooths the lace sleeves of my dress. “Back in my day, there was no such thing as social media, influencers, or lifestyle bloggers.”
“I’m sure life was much better back then…”
“You kids these days can completely bypass college and build immense wealth with the tap of your fingertips,” she continues. “You can make connections all around the world without ever leaving your living room.”
“They have no idea how good they have it.” My mother chimes in. “I’m hoping Scarlett eventually takes advantage of her good looks and charm.”
“I hope so, too.” The woman picks up a footstool and motions for me to step on top of it. “Let’s finish the rest of the fitting, shall we?”
I tune out their conversation as they poke and prod me with needles and make notes on measuring tape.
When they’re done, I rush upstairs and lock my bedroom door.
Easton is already inside, leaning against the window with his arms crossed, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
“Something funny, Birthday Boy?” I ask.
“I’m not used to seeing you in bright pink.”
“Oh.” I look down at the dress. “Don’t get used to it.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Being a stand-in for Tully.” I shrug. “I was planning to call when I finished and got out of this thing.”
“Let me help you.” He walks over and motions for me to turn around.
Staring at him through the mirror, I watch as he unzips the side of my dress. He slides his finger along the sash tied at the front and slowly loosens it.
With his eyes on mine, he saves the pearl necklace I’m wearing for last, unclasping it and pressing a kiss against my neck.
Every nerve in my body comes to life and my heart skips a beat.
“You’re not supposed to kiss me there,” I say.
“You’re right.” He kisses my neck again. “Why is that?”
“Because it’s against my ‘I don’t want to go there with you’ rules.”
“You were supposed to rewrite some of those…” He lets the pearls drop to the floor. “When exactly are you getting around to that?”
“Soon.”
“You’ve said that before.”
“Then you shouldn’t be surprised.”
He sighs and gently grabs my waist, spinning me around to face him.
“I hate that I didn’t meet you first,” he says.
“Would that have changed anything?”
“Fuck yes.”
I want to believe that, but hypotheticals have never been my strong suit. It’s hard for me to see the shades in anything; it’s always black and white.
He pulls me into his arms and kisses my lips. “I got you a present.”
“On your birthday?”
He nods and points to my desk. A huge bouquet of pink roses is sitting on my books, and a new silver charm—a rose petal—is waiting to be added to my necklace.
“You don’t have to buy me things to get me to like you, Easton,” I say.
“I’m aware.” He laughs, letting me go. “I want you to have certain things.”
I walk over to the charm and quickly loop it onto my necklace before changing into a t-shirt and shorts.
I climb into bed first, and he follows, pulling me flush against his chest. Staring into my eyes, he toys with strands of my hair, and I inhale his scent.
“We need to find a new meetup spot for our weekends at some point,” he says.
“What’s wrong with your dad’s offroad shack?”
“The ‘For Sale by Owner’ sign isn’t there anymore. I think someone bought it and he hasn’t told me yet.”