Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 62772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Mina - will you be at the bonfire tonight?
Waiting for her to respond, I tried to focus on Landon’s books again. After a few minutes, I realized I probably wasn’t going to get anything else read. I couldn’t stop thinking about seeing him again. What was I going to do if I ended up falling for him and then he reacted poorly when he found out what my initial plan had been? I would have to pay attention, making sure things didn’t go too far. I didn’t want to go past the point of no return and ruin something that might lead to more. I jumped when my phone alerted me to a text.
Yes. Why?
I’m in town and was invited.
Really? That’s great. It’ll be good to see you again. I didn’t even know you were in town! Bring a blanket. I’ll see you there!
I put the phone back down, pulling my knees in close. I couldn’t believe how easily a meeting with him had fallen into my lap. It would be nice to get a jump start on my article, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how I was looking forward to spending time with him for more than the story. I wondered if my initial feelings would carry through.
I had to focus. I couldn’t very well whip out my notebook of questions tonight. I needed to be in stealth mode, at least until I knew him better. My best bet was to transfer the questions to the notes app on my phone. I could easily hit Record when he talked, and he would never know. It was sneaky and could easily backfire, but it was the only plan I had on short notice. With that decided, I also needed to figure out what I was going to wear. It had to be an outfit that said I could be taken seriously but also kept his attention.
10
LANDON
She said yes. Now what? I couldn’t believe she’d already called. I wasn’t a big believer in fate, but something certainly seemed to be going my way. Suddenly, I realized I didn’t know what to wear. Shoot, I wasn’t even sure I had anything to wear. I didn’t have a lot of what one might call “in-between clothes.” The jeans I’d worn to town were worn, frayed at the edges, not something I would wear on a date. Was that what this was? No, even if my mind went there, it was simply two people getting together to learn more about each other… which was quite literally the definition of a date.
I went through my clothes, hoping I had a nicer pair of jeans. I had several pajama pants, which made sense since I’d spent the last several years in them. I also owned workout clothes because Amelia hadn’t allowed me to complete physical therapy in my pajamas. Then, I had suits. Why had I held on to them? I blamed Shelby—she’d probably thought I would need them on my next book tour.
Snapping my fingers, I remembered the pair of jeans Shelby bought for me last year. She said they were to commemorate ten years as a hermit, and maybe to convince me to leave the house. I’d kept them in the box she’d wrapped them in, and I distinctly remembered packing them. Digging through the closet, I found them in a larger box toward the back. I’d forgotten she picked up a shirt as well. Thank you, Shelby. If she knew what they were being used for, she’d be tickled pink.
Now, shoes. Grumbling, I knew my options for shoes were few and far between. I had holey work boots and ratty tennis shoes. Oh, and slippers if you wanted to count those. Stepping back, I was pretty sure I had passed a shoe store on the way to buy groceries the other day. I remembered because it had surprised me. It had been a long time since I’d seen a mom-and-pop shoe store.
Grabbing my keys, I didn’t even have time to consider my anxiety; I just got in the truck and headed to town. As I drove down my road, I looked at my phone. It might be a good idea to drive by Tara’s so I knew where it was, rather than trying to find it later. I punched in the address and started the navigation app. Ten minutes later, I slowed as I drove past. It was a log cabin, sprawled out on a nice piece of land. There was a circular drive, and it looked like the cabin had a screened-in porch on the back. I liked it. It looked warm and inviting.
Turning around at the next road, I drove back and headed into town. I was almost there when a car shot out from a side road, nearly hitting the side of the truck. I slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road, causing the cars behind me to honk their horns. Immediately, my heartbeat raced, sending me into a panic. Images flashed before me. The Ferrari spinning out of control, its engine bursting into flames as the firefighter dragged me out of the driver’s seat, waking up in the hospital afterward. A horn blared again, followed by someone yelling. The commotion shook me out of my daze. I looked in the rearview mirror, exhaling slowly. I needed to get off the road.