Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“So you got in last night as planned?” she asks.
“Yes and no. My mom ended up dragging me to John’s Ice House after I landed.”
She cracks up at this. “Oh god. How’d that go? Bet everyone was excited to see you and tell you straight to your face just what they think of your current predicament.”
“Ding ding ding.” I laugh. “Honestly though, it really wasn’t so bad. Pam O’Neal was there. Haven’t seen her in a while. She was nice. But you’ll never believe who I ended up talking to the most.”
“Who?”
I lower my voice and whisper into the phone. “Sawyer Garnett.”
Her response is immediate and vehement. “Oh god. Ew. I hope you told him to go screw himself.”
“Not exactly…”
“What do you mean? What was he like? He doesn’t have Facebook.”
“Arrogant as ever. Handsome as ever.”
She gags, totally disgusted. “He led me on like you wouldn’t believe. I fell hard for him and he didn’t give two shits about me. Same thing happened to Jenna and Laura too.”
“But that’s all water under the bridge now.”
“Water under the bridge? Pfft. You think because I have a husband I adore and two wonderful but insane children, I’ve forgiven Sawyer? Absolutely not. I rue the day I first laid eyes on him.”
“All right…forget I mentioned it.”
“What’d he want with you anyway?”
I run my finger pad along the handle of my coffee cup wondering if it even bears mentioning. I don’t want to lie to her though, even by omission.
“He sort of…I don’t know, acted like he was asking me out.”
Her voice reaches a new scary octave. “DID HE ASK YOU OUT?”
“Kind of?” I wince. “It was just some teasing banter over a game of pool.”
“Yuck. I hope you put him in his place. Wait—” She cackles maniacally. “Oh—OH, this is perfect! Don’t you see?!”
“I don’t see,” I drawl sarcastically.
“Oh ho. Oh my god. This is going to be the best thing ever. If you go out with him, we can give him a taste of his own medicine! Teach him a lesson! You’re going to be karma! A vigilante hero! My vigilante hero.”
“What are you on about?”
“Don’t act like it wouldn’t be insanely satisfying to take Sawyer down a peg or two. The shining prince of Oak Hill.” She sounds disgusted. “And hey, you can channel all that rage you have for Matthew—kill two birds with one stone. You’ll be doing the entire female population a huge favor.” I don’t say anything, which means she’s forced to double down on her plea. “Please do this for me. You’re so freaking hot! What a huge waste to have won the genetic lottery and not use it to help others! Think of it as charity!”
“I don’t even understand what you’re going on about, but I don’t like it. Me messing with Sawyer isn’t going to make you feel better,” I assure her.
I hate having to be the adult here, but one of us has to think sensibly! What she’s suggesting is truly out of the question.
“No, actually I’m pretty confident it will. I love when horrible things happen to my enemies.”
“See, that’s the sort of thing you’re supposed to just think and not say.”
“I didn’t say it. You’re my best friend—anything I say to you doesn’t count. Of course I wouldn’t tell anyone else this stuff. Do you think I’m a monster or something?”
I sigh, knowing I won’t make any headway with her. Kendra didn’t have a tiny crush on Sawyer. She had a deep-seated obsession and he acted pretty heartlessly toward her. Just like Matthew, and millions of other men who think they can toy with hearts and not deal with the consequences of their actions.
Kendra must sense that my stance is weakening.
“One date. That’s it. You just lead him on, same as he did me and Jenna and Laura and countless others. Oh my god, I bet I could get them all to sign a petition. There are potentially hundreds!”
“Kendra.” I say her name as a warning knowing she’s the type to actually go through with something like that.
“Okay, forget about the petition, but seriously all you have to do is make him think you’re interested and then wham, pull the rug out from under him. Break his heart. Make him weep. Tear him to shreds.”
“You need therapy.”
“I do therapy.” She sounds offended that I’d suggest otherwise. “Every day at noon when my kids go down for their nap, I get to watch an hour of uninterrupted Housewives and tuck into the ice cream bars I hide inside an empty bag of frozen peas. Oh my god, it’s bliss.”
“MOM!” a tiny voice bellows. “NATHAN PUT MY DINOSAUR IN THE TOILET AGAIN!”
“Duty calls,” Kendra groans. “Keep me posted though. I want minute-by-minute updates.”
“I’m not going through with this,” I insist.
“You will. For me.”
While I eat my breakfast, I contemplate our conversation. There’s no way I’m going to carry out Kendra’s ludicrous plan, but she does have a point about someone needing to humble these men. Matthew, Sawyer…they’re all the same.