Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 108636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
My cheeks heat as memories assault me, and I glance up at my dinner companions. They’re all occupied, thank God, but thinking of orgasming at Beau’s figurative hand while they sit five feet away causes anxiety overload. I have to wonder if, at some point, Beau and I were real and not a secret, would I eventually get over how awkward it would feel for my second family to know that we did intimate things?
For my sanity, I don’t let myself go there. I have a million hurdles to jump over before that’s even a remotely viable possibility, and quite frankly, I don’t know if I’ve got the vertical lift to handle it.
ElizaBeth: Definitely not.
ThunderStruck: Good.
ElizaBeth: And what about you?
ThunderStruck: What about me?
ElizaBeth: Are you talking to any girls in South Beach like you did me last night?
ThunderStruck: Fuck no.
Not just no, but fuck no. A surge of confidence washes over me, so much so, I consider getting flirty again.
ElizaBeth: Good. I want you to—
“Who are you texting?” Avery questions, snapping my attention up from my half-typed message.
“N-no one,” I stutter, fumbling to close out of the Midnight app as I do.
“You sure?” She quirks a skeptical brow. “Because if you’re, like, making plans to go out tonight with someone else, you best be explaining. Ain’t no way I’m going to spend my entire Saturday night with Neil and Diane. I have my calendar blocked off for you.”
“You do realize we’re both sitting here, right?” Neil questions, and Avery just rolls her eyes.
“Of course I do, Daddy.”
He laughs at that.
“I’m not making plans,” I explain in a rush. “I was just texting my mom.”
“Okay, well, when you’re done with that,” she says, taking another sip of wine, “figure out what club you want to go to. David has VIP at TauTau, but I can’t stop thinking about Echo.” She shrugs. “I’m sure we can get VIP there too, even if it’s new.”
“David?” I question. “What happened to Seb?”
“Ugh,” she groans. “Don’t even get me started on that guy.”
“Who is Seb?” Neil asks, looking between the two of us.
“He’s a guy Avery went on a date with last week,” I state, more than happy to throw my best friend under the bus to keep the topic of conversation far away from the person I was messaging with just a minute ago.
“You went on a date, honey?” Diane questions, a hint of excitement in her eyes.
“That guy is so boring that I swear, it would’ve been more fun to eat my new pair of Louboutins than go out with him,” Avery states, flashing a glare at me as she does. “So, how about we change the subject before I have to strangle Juniper for even bringing it up?” she says. “I just got these acrylics yesterday.”
“One day, honey, I hope you find a man who actually keeps your interest,” Diane says, and Neil’s chuckles are so loud they basically come from his toes.
“Diane, I think we need to invest our hope in Avery finding a man who can put up with her, not the other way around.”
“Daddy, you know I’m a total catch,” Avery retorts.
“Of course I do, princess,” Neil says, warmth in his voice. “Catch of the century. Just need a man with an AMEX Black Card and a trust fund to reel you in.”
“See? You get me,” she says to Neil, pointing an approving index finger at him. “I deserve only the best.”
“Exactly, princess,” Neil agrees. “Both you and Juniper deserve the best. Which is why if you ever bring some schmuck home who doesn’t meet that, you can bet your ass I’ll be showing him straight to the door.”
“I can’t wait for the day I get to see both of my girls get married,” Diane muses, her voice all soft and dreamy as her eyes look far off in the distance. It’s like she’s imagining our actual weddings.
But I guarantee the man I picture waiting for me at the altar doesn’t come close to what’s in her vision. And I sure as hell know that man wouldn’t be in Avery’s mind either.
How could it be, though? I’ve kept my secret crush on Beau from everyone for years, thinking nothing would ever come of it.
And now look at me.
The time is nearing eleven, and Avery is upstairs in her bedroom getting ready to go out. Sure, she doesn’t live here anymore, but she refused to pack when she moved out. She just bought dupes of everything for our condo so she could leave a full set of her belongings here. It only takes me half the time to prep and fluff, so to keep myself occupied instead of sitting around and checking for messages from ThunderStruck—of which there are none—I’ve decided to grab my paddleboard and oar from the Bankses’ garage and head down the sand-covered path that leads to the beach.