Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“Thank you for helping today. I appreciate it.” The change of subject didn’t come as a surprise.
“I’ll be good and pretend I don’t know what you did there, but you’re welcome. I like working with my hands, and you stole my house, so…”
“Hey. I didn’t steal anything. You snooze, you lose.”
“I didn’t snooze! I didn’t know it was for sale,” I countered jokingly.
“Eh, your loss.” Remy shrugged, and it made me smile to see him be playful. It always felt like he was giving you this gift, like you passed some kind of test because he let you into his orbit.
“So like here? You want to be dropped off on the side of the road right here?” I slowed down, as though about to pull over.
“Remember, I know where you live,” he joked back.
“Stalker.” Glancing his way, I winked, and he grinned that quiet smile of his. Fuck, I still couldn’t get over the fact that he was sitting beside me.
“This hardware store we’re going to is owned by your friend?” he asked, and I chatted a bit about Knox as we went. We pulled into town, and as we got closer to our destination, Remy got more and more fidgety.
After I parked, I turned to him. “You’re nervous about being recognized?”
“Yeah, I…I need space. To breathe. I don’t want to be Remington right now. I want to be Remy, whoever the fuck that is.”
He’d always been uncomfortable around crowds and people. While he was able to slip into a different mindset onstage, it came crashing down hard afterward, or in crowds and when he met fans. At least, that was how it had been before. He’d started taking medication for his anxiety not long after he hit it big.
“I can go in for you. Give me a list, or let me run loose. But really, I think you’ll be fine. This is Havenwood. You don’t have to worry about mobs of people. You can likely get by without being recognized, but if you do, it will be a person here and there.” Until it got out. Not that he would have to worry about mobs at that point, but the gossip mill would go wild.
“You don’t have to do that. You shouldn’t have to do my shopping for me.”
I nodded. “So how do I introduce you to my friends?”
“Tell them I’m Remy. If they realize who I am, that’s fine. Or if you want to tell them. If you trust them.” He paused, rubbed his hands on his jeans. “If you trust them, then I do too.”
Damned if that feeling didn’t start swimming in my veins again, the one that made me feel unique, special, because Remington fucking Monroe put his faith in me.
My cell rang. I picked it up and looked at it before tossing it to the cup holder.
“Family?” Remy asked.
“Of course. I’ve been ignoring them since yesterday.” Nodding toward the window, I added, “Come on. Let’s do this.”
We got out of the truck and headed for the redbrick building. An older man tilted his hat at us as we walked by, Remy pulling his low as if that would make a difference. “He’s just saying hello.”
“I know. I’m from a small town, remember?” he countered.
“I think you might have forgotten.” I pulled open the door and signaled for him to go inside.
“And I think you’re really fond of giving me shit.”
“Do you expect something different?”
Remy paused and looked at me. “I don’t know what I expected when it came to seeing you again. You’re still you.”
Chuckling, I shook my head, pretending I didn’t feel those words in my gut, pretending they didn’t matter. “Who else would I be?”
Before Remy could reply, Knox’s deep baritone broke through. “Hey, man. What’cha up to?”
His black beard looked trimmed, matching coal hair hanging in his face. Knox was taller than me, with these clear, sea-green eyes that were almost transparent.
“Helping out an old buddy of mine. He bought the house on my street.”
“Your friend bought your house?” Knox said playfully.
“See? I told you it was mine. Everyone knows it. Some friend you are.” I winked. “We’re still working our way through it, as you can see. Anyway, Knox, this is Remy; Rem, this is Knox.”
“Hey, nice to meet you.” Knox held his hand out, and they shook.
“You too,” Remy replied.
There was zero recognition on Knox’s face, which didn’t surprise me. There would be people who knew who he was, obviously, but as a whole, I figured he would be pretty in the clear in Havenwood. Kellan was the only one of our friends who I figured would know right off the bat. And maybe his friend Natalie.
“We’re going to need a lot of shit,” I told Knox.
“You came to the right place.” He looked at the counter and the employee working there. “I’m gonna help Law. Let me know if you need anything.”