Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
I shrugged. “I guess we just feel differently. There’s no need to take it personally, Lexi.”
“I guess.” But she looked so sad about it, I almost admitted the truth.
Instead, I decided to change the subject. “So whose family should we tell first?”
She exhaled. “Gosh. I don’t know. Everything hinges on Gran, so we really need her to believe us. Should we tell yours first? Use it as a sort of dress rehearsal?”
“We could.” I thought for a moment. “Today is Wednesday. My brother Xander is opening a bar in Cherry Tree Harbor this Friday night, and I don’t want to take anything away from that. Think we could attend the event but wait until Saturday to make the announcement?”
“Sure,” she said. “And then Gran on Sunday?”
I nodded. “That works.”
“And Tabitha.” She wrinkled up her face. “My mean cousin.”
“Tabitha is mean?”
“She’s difficult,” said Lexi, forming the word slowly. “But she hasn’t had it easy. Her dad abandoned her and her mom when she was young, and her mom remarried right away. Had more kids. I think she was ignored a lot. Always wanted attention, so she’d act like a brat.”
“She had it easier than you,” I pointed out. “And I bet you weren’t a brat.”
“No, I wasn’t a brat.” Her grin turned a little wicked. “But since I was a better, faster skier, I’d get back at her by beating her down the mountain all the time. She couldn’t keep up. I’d wait for her at the bottom of the slope, pretending to be asleep.”
I elbowed her. “Now who’s mean?”
“Listen, Tabitha doesn’t need your sympathy. She grew up gorgeous and never lacks for attention.”
“She’s gorgeous, huh?” I pretended to be intrigued. “Does she look like you?”
“Not one bit.” She pulled out her phone and opened up an Instagram account. “See? Angelic blonde. Big blue eyes. She’s a travel influencer now.”
I took the phone from her and studied the posts.
“Well?” Lexi prompted. “Gorgeous, right?”
“She’s cute, I guess. But I’m a married man.”
Lexi punched my shoulder. “Haha.”
I opened up one post and scrolled through its multiple photos, which showed Tabitha posing on a mountaintop in a hot pink outfit. “Is that at Snowberry?”
“Let me see.” She took the phone back and gasped. “No! It’s at The Summit! That little shit collaborated with The Summit!”
“Seriously?” I leaned over Lexi’s shoulder and read the caption. Sure enough, Tabitha had posted all about autumn packages at The Summit, northern Michigan’s premiere recreational resort in all seasons. “Wow.”
The flight attendant asked for phones to be placed in airplane mode, and Lexi switched it on before shoving her phone inside her bag. She fumed for a minute or so, and then said, “You know what? I can’t think about her.”
“Don’t. Let’s focus on putting together a business plan and a pitch deck. I’ll reach out to potential investors right away.”
“Okay.” She looked hopeful again. “I have lots of ideas.”
“Can’t wait to hear them.”
Smiling, she laid her head on my shoulder. Reached over and picked up my hand. “Thanks for this.”
“You’re welcome.” I noticed she was still wearing the friendship bracelet.
By the time the flight took off, she was sound asleep again. Once we were cruising above the clouds and my nerves settled—believe it or not, flying doesn’t bother me the way balconies and high dives do—I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
When the flight touched down hours later, we were still holding hands.
Thanks to the time difference, it was already late by the time we got back to Lexi’s condo. We had planned to start working as soon as we got in, but we were so exhausted, we decided ordering pizza and watching The Bear was all our brains could handle.
After only a couple episodes, we were both dozing off. “Let’s just call it a night,” she said, getting up to put the leftover pizza away.
“Sounds good.” I yawned. “Do you want me to sleep out here?”
After sticking the box in the fridge, she came back into the living room. “Do you want to sleep out here?”
“No. But I want to respect your space.”
“I appreciate that, but you might as well sleep in the bed. Although I have to warn you,” she said, “I’m too tired for sex tonight.”
“Me too.”
Of course, that wasn’t true.
She showered first, and she was already in bed when I climbed in beside her, lying on her side, and I couldn’t resist curling my body behind hers. That’s when I discovered she was naked.
So was I.
And as soon as I pressed up against her, my dick sprang to life, tapping on her ass like it was asking permission to enter. My hand slid over her hip and up her belly, covering one breast. I played with its pert little tip, and it changed shape for me.
“I thought you were too tired for sex,” she said.