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)
“He seems like a great guy.”
“Pretty sure everyone thinks that,” I muttered. Everyone but me. Liar.
She cocked an eyebrow. “So why don’t you?”
I sighed. Jesse was cool and funny, and I’d totally misjudged him about where he lived. I felt like I needed to make it up to him, somehow.
“Guess I don’t want to get sucked into someone’s orbit again, especially if they’re a distraction or not good for me.”
She nodded in sympathy, then said, “But I think you’d be able to tell if someone was conning you again. Jesse doesn’t seem like that at all. Remember, I had my suspicions about Steve all along. You just didn’t want to listen to me.”
She was right. She’d told me she wasn’t sure how she felt about me moving in with Steve, and to give it more time, but I’d fallen for him pretty quickly. A few months into our relationship, I realized he was living way above his means. Everything in our apartment had maxed out his credit cards, and soon he was borrowing money, then rides when his car was repossessed.
It wasn’t long before I’d figured out he was gambling—mostly on sports bets, but on horses too—and sometimes he would disappear for hours at one of the casinos in the city. He’d become erratic and unreasonable, we’d argue a lot, and then he’d be conciliatory and promise to do better. We’d be okay again for a little while—until the next time he owed someone money. It was a mess of a situation and had he not left me, I was definitely gearing up to walk away.
But relationships were complicated, especially when feelings were involved, and as it turned out, I was way better on my own.
“It’s not only that.” I swept my fingers through my hair. “Jesse and I work together, so if it went to hell, I’d have to see him all the time.”
“I see what you mean. Awkward. So maybe just have fun?”
I snickered. “That’s what he always says.”
She arched a brow. “Maybe he’s right. Besides, you don’t want life to be all work and no play.”
“How about you?” I countered. Bree didn’t have much beyond work and parenting.
“It’s different for me because I have a kid to take care of.”
My gut roiled. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but Mark—”
She held up a hand as if to ward me off. “I know, and we need to have a conversation about how much he works. But I’m also nervous to bring it up…”
“You just gave me a whole speech about living a little. I don’t want you to sell yourself short either. You and Mark are good together, but when he’s gone so much, it might chip away at some of that stuff.”
“You’re right. I don’t want to start resenting him.” She sighed. “Two peas in a pod, you and me.”
“In the meantime, why don’t you plan a night out with your friends?” I suggested. She’d fallen out of touch lately, it seemed. “I’ve got Hailey covered. You haven’t seen them in a while.”
Her face brightened. “I just might do that. Thanks for being such a good brother.”
That night as I lay in bed, I scrolled through a text from Craig telling me that Logan had a fever and Danny was out of town, so he had to bow out of the Rent production tomorrow night. Tommy had left two tickets at will call, and I knew Craig was a fan, so he’d been the first person I’d thought of at the time.
I considered what Bree and I discussed earlier. About what a good guy Jesse was, and how I wanted Bree to be honest with Mark and also have more fun. How could I expect that of her if I didn’t do it myself?
A seed of an idea hitting me, I scrolled to Jesse’s number.
Hey, are you interested in seeing Rent tomorrow night? Tommy left tickets, and I thought maybe you’d want to go with me?
Why was my hand shaking? Ah, fuck it. The only thing he could do was say no. Maybe he was on schedule or had other plans—or wouldn’t want anything else besides fucking around. But this would be a way for me to make it up to him and maybe get to know him better in the process.
When I heard the buzz from his return text, I tapped on it—and inhaled sharply.
Are you asking me on a date?
I rolled my eyes but grinned. Brat.
Nope, just thought you might want to see a musical with a friend.
Are you actually calling me a friend?
I bit back a groan. We’ll see. Jury is still out.
There was a long pause, and I stared too hard at my cell as he typed a reply.
You don’t owe me anything just because I helped with Hailey.
I actually did, but I wouldn’t tell him that.