Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
A smile touched her lips, and I hated that it seemed genuine and only made her stand out more. What had I expected? This was Oz, Greek god incarnate. Of course the women he dated would look like that. I wondered if she knew he was in the Mafia.
“That sound okay?” I heard Toby ask, and I jerked my eyes off them and back to him.
I had no idea what he was talking about. I was afraid to pretend I did and agree because it could be something like, Why don’t we go back to your place? or, What about dinner and a movie?
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I zoned out. My head is starting to hurt,” I lied. At least about my head. I had in fact zoned out on what I was afraid was jealousy. Over Oz. The man who should have been a cause for nightmares, but instead only showed up in my dirty dreams. Those were not scary at all.
He glanced in their direction, trying again to see what I kept looking at, then back at me. “I was seeing if you wanted to go watch the sack race,” he said, sounding unsure now.
I knew we probably both had students in it, but, no, I didn’t want to go watch the sack race. I had been here for four hours with him, and I was ready to go home. I’d been seen and done my duty, and I didn’t want to people anymore.
“My head is getting worse, and I need to lie down,” I explained.
The disappointment on his face was loud and clear, but apologizing for this would only give him some hope there would be a next time, and there would not be. This wasn’t a date, although he seemed to think it was.
“Yeah, uh, if you’re sure,” he said as if he was agreeing to a root canal and not a five-minute drive to drop me off. His gaze went back toward Oz and Miss America. “Is there someone here you don’t want to see? I’m good with leaving and finishing the day with a movie. Maybe at your place. I can go pick something up for dinner—”
I shook my head, cutting him off before he went on any further. That sounded like a form of torture I was never going to be up for. I was a good listener. I always had been, but Toby liked to hear his own voice and talk about himself more than he liked to breathe. I didn’t want the details of his life anymore today—or ever.
“This is going to be a migraine. I can feel it. I need to be alone in a dark room for the rest of the day.” Major lie. I didn’t get migraines, but when Marley did, that was how she dealt with them.
The concern in his expression now matched his further disappointment. While I was having an internal struggle NOT to look back in Oz’s direction. Toby had noticed already, and if I looked again, he would be certain it was Oz I was looking at. Even if he didn’t have a gorgeous woman with him, he drew attention all by himself. The two of them were like a bright, obnoxious beam that said, Soak in our perfection. Envy what you will never be.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s get you home then,” he replied.
I wanted to weep with relief. This was over, and the next time a mandatory school event was happening on a weekend, I’d be armed and ready with my excuse if he asked me.
Nineteen
Winslet
Along with the only bottle of red wine I owned, my box of Goldfish that still remained a mystery, and my favorite pajamas, I had spent the past two hours watching season two of Lucifer. I’d wanted some crime solving, but I had also been in a bad-boy mood. This show covered all those bases.
It was after seven, and I was feeling buzzed. My thoughts kept going to Oz. Staying focused on the show was proving to be more difficult. I stuck my hand into the box of Goldfish and got a handful. I should probably put more in my stomach. Half the bottle of Zinfandel was gone. There was no telling what Perry had paid for it either. He’d given it to me my first day of school last year as a celebration on my new job. Since I wasn’t much of a drinker, I’d never had a reason to open it.
Tonight, I had needed something stronger than the light, fruity white wine I normally had on nights like this. It was eleven dollars a bottle at the grocery store I went to down the street. Unfortunately, the stronger the wine, the more expensive the wine, but it still did not take away my thoughts of Oz. They seemed to just get more unrestrained as they galloped freely through my head.