Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 86199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
I’ve never looked up a chick on social media.
It seems stalkerish.
And that’s the last thing I am.
Girls have always chased after me.
Not the other way around.
The cell burns a hole in my pocket as I hit the parking lot and click the locks on my truck.
No way in hell am I breaking down and doing it.
I shove the thought from my head and yank the door handle before sliding behind the wheel. One press of the ignition and the vehicle roars to life. Instead of hauling ass out of the parking lot, I sit and stew as an internal struggle takes place in my brain.
What I need to do is forget all about that chick.
Not make things worse by finding out who she is.
And where I can find her.
I mean… I do have her necklace, though.
She probably wants it back.
My hand rises to touch the tiny W pendant that hangs from the delicate silver chain.
So, maybe I should—you know—return it.
And the only way I can do that is—
Before I can finish the thought, I’m sliding my cell from my pocket and opening the home screen. I bring up Insta and type in River’s name. A tiny icon of him on the ice pops up, along with a few other people with similar names.
Just as I’m about to hit the icon, my thumbs pause, hovering over the screen.
Am I seriously going through another dude’s socials to find some girl who snuck out of my bed after we slept together?
Am I?
Fuck it.
Apparently I am.
I tap his name and wait for his profile to load. Information and images in a grid pattern populate the screen. My gaze slides over the photos until it lands on one with her in it. My heart stutters before slamming against my ribcage as I stare at them. Their arms are wrapped around each other’s shoulders and they’re both grinning at the camera.
That’s all it takes for jealousy to explode within me.
All I have to do is tap the photo, and she’d probably be tagged in it.
That’s the reason I did this, right?
To figure out who she is so I can track her ass down.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
If this photo is anything to go on, the place I’ll find her is warming River Thompson’s bed.
I hit the line at the bottom of the screen and swipe my thumb upward until the images dancing before my eyes disappear and I’m back to the home screen.
Irritated with myself, I toss the phone onto the passenger seat and shift into drive before squealing out of the parking lot.
15
Willow
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Holland asks from beside me as she studies the blue Victorian set away from the road.
My teeth scrape across my lower lip as I carefully turn the question over in my head. “Nope. Not at all.”
She snorts. “Just what I love—a well-concocted plan that has little chance of succeeding.”
A fresh burst of nerves prickles at the bottom of my belly as my fingers drift along my collarbone. “I need my necklace back.”
“Here’s an idea you might not have explored—just ask him for it.”
I rip my gaze away from the house long enough to meet her serious one. “He can’t figure out who I am. And I can’t take the chance that River will find out what happened between us either.” I press my lips together and nod, as if trying to persuade myself this is the only path forward.
Because, apparently, I haven’t convinced Holland of it. Her dubious expression tells me everything I need to know. She’s never been one to sugarcoat anything. And with the way she grew up, I can understand the reason for it.
“This is the way it has to be.”
“If you say so…” Doubt creeps into her tone as her voice trails off.
I straighten my shoulders. “I do.”
If only I felt nearly as confident as I sound.
This is me taking a page from the fake-it-until-you-make-it book.
I just hope it doesn’t blow up in my face, because that, unfortunately, seems like a distinct possibility.
“Fine. Let’s go over the plan one more time.”
I suck in an unsteady breath before gradually releasing it back into the atmosphere and attempting to calm the tension that vibrates inside me like a live wire. “As soon as Maverick leaves, I’ll go to the front door and knock. Hopefully, someone I don’t know will answer. I’ll tell them that I left something in Mav’s room last weekend. Then I’ll hightail it up there and search it.”
“And if no one’s home?”
“If the front door is unlocked, I slip inside, haul ass to his room, and hope it’s there.”
“And I’ll wait here, wishing I had some popcorn while you try not to get caught.”
I turn and glare. “I could really use your support and good vibes.”
Her lips crook. “This is me giving you my full support.”