Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“Ohmygosh!” My words come out rushed.
She laughs, holding her hands up innocently. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry!”
I wave a dismissive hand, laughing. “It’s okay. I didn’t hear you come up. I’m really jumpy lately.”
“I guess I can understand that. Being in a place you don’t want to be—not knowing what will come next.” Her wrinkled lips twist.
“Yeah.” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “How was Draco close?”
“Ah—well, every summer, he would come with us to the U.S. His father wanted him to learn a few things about the business. He wanted Draco to follow in his footsteps. I was against it, but that bullheaded man never listened to me.” She drops her head and looks towards the ocean. “You two met once. He was sixteen, which made you about ten years old, maybe? You were young, but we were at a shooting range. You were doing homework while your dad and my husband were doing target practice. I was there, but we arrived late. I remember it so well because it was the first time I saw my son stare at a girl. He watched you like a hawk through the window. You had your headphones on to block the noise out, and as you wrote, he watched every so often. He kept saying he wanted to join the men, but I knew he just wanted to get a closer look at you.” She smiles, as if she’s so proud of what he did. “When your father charmed me into letting him go out on the range, you dropped your pencil while you were trying to erase something. It rolled near his foot so Draco picked it up. It was sweet to watch. He handed it to you without a word. He kept staring at you but you were so oblivious. You were young, so flirting probably wasn’t a big deal to you.” She titters. “He was…nicer back then. Somewhat innocent. I never wanted him to change his ways. Back then, he was still my young, loving Draco.”
“So what happened to him? Why is he so cold now?” I ask softly.
“Muerte,” she murmurs. “Death can make any person cold. Distant. Heartless. Especially if the death hits you hard.” She drops her head, watching the waves ripple in. “His dad was important to him. My husband loved his son so much, and Draco knew it. I don’t think it would have hit him as hard if he were away when it happened, but Draco was there with him and he witnessed the entire thing. I wasn’t. I was here. But even being in here, I felt like something was wrong. I just had a bad feeling that day.” Her head shakes quickly. “Something wasn’t right. When my son returned home…I couldn’t even recognize his eyes. They were empty. Lifeless. I tried to hug him but he shoved me away. He didn’t talk about it with me—still hasn’t much to this day. If I mention his father too much, he starts to get angry.”
“He saw his father die?” I whisper, my eyebrows pulling together.
She bobs her head. “Firsthand. One bullet to la cabeza was all it took. Draco believes it was a setup. He still has people looking into it. He thinks the person is still out there.”
“Wow,” I breathe. I guess that explains some of it…but not all. “I’m sorry,” I utter.
She waves a hand at me. “Don’t be. It is already done. I won’t say I am at peace with it, but being married to a man like him, I knew what I was in for. It was a risk loving that man…but I don’t regret it. He made me happy, even if for a little while.” Her lips stretch wide to smile, and it’s genuine. She steps back and then turns to pick up the white bucket beside her towel
“Normally when I come out here, I look for shells.” She comes back with the bucket, showing me three of them. One is creamy looking, with a pink hue. Another has a blue tint. The last one is solid white, but it’s spotless.
“They’re beautiful,” I tell her.
“Mmm-hmm. I need to look for more.” She drops her arm. “I know you want to enjoy your time out here while you have it, so let’s bask in this sun for a while. Enjoy this, hmm? Once I’ve gotten enough sun, I’ll start doing some digging around to see what I can find.”
I nod, grinning as I turn around. “Sounds lovely.”
The sun has dropped since I’ve been out here.
I want to say it’s been at least four hours, and I am perfectly content with that. I don’t want this day to end.
I roll onto my back, the sun smothering my face and body. It feels nice and warm on my skin. I could soak in it all day.