Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
When I’d found him with another woman, I’d filed for divorce so fast, no one saw it coming except for Jack. He’d known I was unhappy. Hell, he had been unhappy too. But when I’d filed for divorce late last summer and moved back in with my parents, Jack had suddenly seemed more angry than anything else. He’d harassed me nonstop, until I’d finally taken out a restraining order against him. After my father had his heart attack, the last thing I wanted was for Jack to cause more issues in our family.
As soon as the divorce was final, Jack had taken off for France, where his father had another business.
Once I’d left him, everyone I knew told me their true feelings about him, and they all asked me over and over why I’d stayed with Jack for as long as I had. Stupidity. Fear of failure. A deep worry that I wouldn’t be able to make it on my own. But they were all silly reasons I’d talked myself into believing, keeping me in a loveless marriage way longer than I should have been.
Now my divorce was final, and I had been granted the house. Though I didn’t want it, to be honest. Jack had never made a fuss about giving me the house. He’d actually freely handed it over to me. The judge had also ordered him to sell his half of my boutique, Coastal Chic, to me and only me. But so far the asshat had either been ignoring my lawyer’s emails and calls, or he was dead.
There was no way I could be so lucky that it was the latter.
I know. I know. It was a terrible thing to think, but…it was also the truth.
“Do you want me to help you make a list of things that need fixing?” Harlee asked.
Glancing around the bare house, I shook my head. I had gotten rid of every single piece of furniture. Every painting that Jack had bought and hung up. Every ugly-ass curtain he’d demanded we buy. All of it was gone. The entire house was empty, and I was starting over from scratch. I didn’t want a single reminder of him in this place.
Jack took what he wanted, and the rest I’d had hauled away and donated to charity. Right down to the godawful ugly gold silverware he’d insisted we put on our wedding registry.
I turned to my best friend, Harlee Tilson. I wasn’t sure what I would have done the last few years without her or my two sisters, Palmer and Addie.
With another quick look at the empty walls, I asked, “How about we go get some paint and get rid of this awful beige? This place needs more color.”
Harlee’s eyes lit up. I hated to paint, but Harlee lived for it. I was also positive I could talk my sister Palmer into helping by simply offering her free food and beer.
“That sounds like a lot more fun,” Harlee said.
I laughed as I grabbed my purse, and we headed out the door to the hardware store.
“You know, if you stare at that wall long enough, you might be able to make it move with your mind.”
My entire body tingled at the sound of Brody’s voice. I forced myself to put on a small smile and looked at him over my shoulder. He was standing there with a basket in his hands and that damn crooked grin of his. Every time I saw Brody, he got more and more handsome. I was honestly surprised he was still single. Of course, he was only thirty-two and, according to our local gossip column, not in a rush to settle down anytime soon.
“I’m trying to figure out what I need to fix a light switch.” I gestured to the hardware shop’s plethora of light-switch options.
He raised a brow. “At the shop?”
“No,” I said, turning to face him full on. “The house. I moved back in, now that the divorce is final.”
Brody gave me a small nod. “I can, um, stop by and take a look at it if you want?”
I chewed on my lip as I thought about whether that would be a mistake or not. It had taken me several years, but I’d finally gotten over my anger from the night I’d given him my virginity. Since Brody had returned to Seaside after being discharged from the Navy, we’d both silently ignored what had happened between us.
We were still friends…and that bugged the shit out of Jack. I’d never told him who I’d given my virginity to, but I had a strong feeling he’d always suspected it was Brody. He’d never asked, and I’d never offered up the information. It was another wall between us in our marriage.
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m going to see about hiring a handyman. There’s a pretty long list of problems that I need to have fixed.”