Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Me too.”
We were quiet, not really talking much as I gave him directions to my apartment. It was in the nicer area of town, where people with money lived, and where I would never be able to stay if not for Seth.
“So like, you’re kind of hot, Uncle Dane.” I didn’t know why I said it… Because it was true? And because I didn’t like to hold back? If someone was hot, why wouldn’t I say it?
Dane’s eyes went wide, then shot toward the mirror to look at Hailey.
Oh shit. “Does she not know?” Maybe he wasn’t out with his family.
“What? No, she knows. I wouldn’t keep something like that to myself. It just feels weird to be flirting in front of my niece—oh, and for you to be flirting with me.”
“Well, like I said, you’re hot, but your personality could use some work.”
I meant it as a joke, but every part of Dane tensed up. His jaw was tight again, his hands clenched around the steering wheel.
“Fuck—I mean, shit. I mean, no bad language. I was joking. You’re awesome.” Which we both knew was an exaggeration, since he was sort of moody and like, vanilla-ice-cream plain. He hadn’t been into the gummy bears either, but I was trying.
“You don’t have to pretend you think something you don’t.”
“How do you know what I think?”
“Because I have eyes in my head? And I hear us when we talk to each other?”
Well, he had a point, but that was mostly him, if you asked me.
“I live right up here on the right.” I pointed to our building.
“You live there?”
“Yeah.” Did he have to sound so surprised? I mean, he had reason to, because I couldn’t afford this place, but still.
Dane didn’t reply. I waited a moment as he pulled up in front of the building, but he still didn’t speak. Okay, obviously, we were back to where we’d been before…maybe even ten steps behind that. Me and my big mouth.
But then, why should I care what he thought of me?
“Thanks. You got me home just in time for my massage and facial,” I lied.
“Enjoy.”
“I will. Tell the little one I said bye.”
“I will.”
“See you at work.” Get out of the car. Why wasn’t I getting out of the car?
“Yep, see you there.”
Ugh. Now I was annoyed. Why was he grumpy this time? Because I lived in a nice apartment? And maybe because you called him boring and said his personality could use some work.
Someone needed to learn how to take a joke. “Fine,” I replied, though I didn’t know what I was fining.
“Fine,” Dane countered, and I wondered if he knew what we were fining.
Then I got out of the car, and the second I closed the door, he pulled away.
One step forward, a mile back. His personality could definitely use some work.
10
Dane
I stepped out of the shower and looked at the time on my phone, making sure I wasn’t running late. As I slipped into my jeans and a Playground T-shirt, I thought about how I hadn’t laid eyes on Jesse since that day at the park, but since it was the weekend again, I’d see him plenty.
Plus, Hailey wouldn’t stop chattering about him. It was Desse this and Desse that, enough to make Bree ask who in the hell this Desse person was. She raised an eyebrow when I explained that Jesse was a dancer from the bar, but I brushed her off.
And apparently now a singer too. My serenity in the Underground was officially ruined.
To think I sort of got sucked into his energy field or something by actually putting gummy bears—gummy bears!—on my ice cream. Completely ridiculous. And gross.
So why did I keep thinking about him, about how he presented himself away from work? Plainer clothes and makeup-free, but still a huge personality. It radiated out of his skin. And tried to invade mine, but nope, not going to happen.
Didn’t matter anyway, because by the end of our car trip to his swanky-ass apartment, we were back to frenemy status.
“Just in time for my massage.” Seriously?
So why didn’t he have a fancy car to go with his fancy lifestyle? Did he pawn it off like Steve did with all our possessions? He once lived in a place like that, and I’d moved in with him, only to realize—too late—that it was all a facade. His credit had been stretched to the limit, and he owed money to so many people and places that my head spun when it all began unraveling right in front of my eyes. And all of that might’ve been understandable, because people had money problems, after all. Except he’d lied about it, gambled, and emptied the apartment of all our things. They were mostly his things, but still, I had contributed the little I could.