Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Alright,” he says. “Anything else?”
I want to throw my mug at his stupid head. Anything else? That’s all he can think to ask me right now? “I need to go to work. Maybe you could do us all a favor and stay home this time. Nobody needs you looming and glaring all shift. Especially not today. We’re just prepping and testing new recipes.”
“You want me to stay home?” he asks. “Why, so you can flirt with Zander and not get caught?”
“Really?” I ask. “You went out and hooked up with some random woman last night, but the idea of me flirting with Zander is crossing the line for you?”
Nolan’s carefree mask finally drops, just for a moment. “You’re the one assuming I slept with someone last night.”
I pause. “You didn’t?”
“I was tired,” he says, even though it sounds like a thin excuse. “Got to the bar, had a couple drinks, decided to head back home. End of story.” He waits, watching me as if I’m supposed to say something.
“Too bad for you, I guess,” I say. I’m trying to sound nonchalant, but there’s a frustrating amount of relief currently coursing through my body. Why the hell do I feel relieved? Every conscious fiber of my being knows I don’t want anything to do with Nolan. But my feelings can’t seem to get on the same page.
“Too bad,” he agrees. “I thought about taking you up on that offer to share the bed. This couch really is too small. But I thought you might stab me in my sleep.”
The smallest smile touches my face. “For once, it sounds like you made a smart choice.”
He chuckles. “We’ll revisit the topic, then. After I’ve removed the knives from the kitchen.”
I spend the first half of the day at Taste and head for Jesse’s cabin when we’re finished. To my surprise, Nolan never did show up. I can’t decide if it’s because he was trying to actually respect my wishes about not coming, or if it’s because he’s trying to prove he’s capable of not being overbearing about Zander.
Liam shows up to give me a ride to Jesse’s cabin.
He’s almost too pretty, and I find it hard not to stare at him like he’s some kind of art piece in a museum as he rests his hand on the wheel of the SUV. It’s cold, but he has the window partly down, letting the pleasantly crisp smelling air fill the car.
“Thank you for picking me up,” I say.
“Sure,” Liam says. “You didn’t want to ask Nolan for a ride?”
I hesitate, and he nods, making a sound of understanding, as if I’ve just explained everything that has happened so far instead of simply not answering right away.
“He’s a good guy,” Liam says. “Something happened two years back. He hasn’t told any of us what it was, but I know it shook him.”
I’m not sure what to say, because I don’t want to sound like I’m putting more importance on my influence in his life than is warranted. I decide to voice my thought. “You mean when I broke things off with him?”
Liam works his full lips to the side. He’s hesitating now, as if he’s not sure if he should be telling me something. “The breakup hit him hard. Yeah. But he was acting off a couple days before it, too.”
I stare. “What do you mean?”
“I usually have a pretty good sense for people. I don’t think the other guys noticed it. If they did, they never said anything. But something was bothering him. A lot. And then you guys broke up after that.”
I frown. “What do you think it was?”
“No idea. I tried letting him know I was open to talk if he wanted. Nolan never took me up on it.”
We ride the rest of the way mostly in silence, except for when I decide the awkward quiet is too much and ask Liam about hockey. We make smalltalk about the past season until we reach Jesse’s cabin, where I already know Caroline and Andi are planning to spend the evening.
I’m excited. I haven’t really been around all the guys since two years back when they stayed in town to be with Jesse for Christmas while he was sidelined with an injury. Back then, I thought some of the bonds we formed would last more than they have.
I’ve barely talked to any of the guys, except for Jesse, who comes back to Frosty Harbor every chance he gets to be with Andi. To my pleasant surprise, most of them seem to have remembered me, though. Even if we haven’t kept in touch, they’re all making sure I don’t feel awkward and treating me like part of the group.
When I step inside Jesse’s cabin, I see Maddox and Carter playing cards by the fire. Liam gives me a friendly pat on the shoulder as he walks past me and joins them, pulling up a chair. Maddox is holding his side, laughing hard at something Carter must’ve just said.