Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“What’s wrong?” Jake nudged my arm with his. Bonnie was talking with a salesman.
“Nothing.” I shook my head, and he frowned. “Okay, I was… I don’t really know how to say it without it coming off wrong.”
“Try me.”
We stopped and looked at each other. “I’ve always had it easy. Your mom, you, I don’t know what you went through with your dad, but your mom is starting over, from scratch, and I hate that I’ve never really had to work for anything. I only have a job because I want one, and I don’t even tell my mom about it. I lied to my best friend about how much the rent at our apartment was to get him to move in with me, because I knew he would think it was too much if he knew the real price—and it is. Like…why do I need an apartment that nice? I don’t know. I feel…gross.”
Jake stared at me, his brows pulled together and cute little wrinkles on his forehead from concentration. The more he looked, the more uncomfortable I felt. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and what if he thought I was an asshole after what I said? A spoiled brat who could have whatever he wanted and whined about it. “I know it sounds dumb, but—”
“It doesn’t sound dumb. It makes you sound pretty damn special, if you ask me.”
“Oh,” I whispered, then beamed at him. Like I could tell I was beaming and probably looked like a cartoon character. I knew I should stop, but I couldn’t make myself do it.
“Quit being so damn adorable.” Jake shook his head playfully, smiling.
“What are you two talking about over there?” Bonnie asked.
“Nothing,” I said, still smiling.
We continued shopping. It was only a few minutes later that I saw the cabinet. It was light blue, and the wood showed through. It was aged but also just plain old, with two doors that opened below and a few shelves on top, with glass doors on them. It wasn’t modern like the things in my apartment, and it wasn’t fancy, but I loved it. “Oh my God. How cute is this?”
“Ooh, I like it too!” Bonnie replied. “You should get it.”
“I couldn’t…” But why couldn’t I? Who cared if it matched anything I had or looked modern? Who cared if I knew my mother would hate it? She was all the way in Philly. Did I think she would lecture me? Did I think keeping my apartment decorated in a way she liked would make her tell me she loved me? Hug me? “Should I?”
“Yes. You’re getting it. If you don’t, I’m buying it for you.” Jake nudged me, then leaned down until his mouth was close to my ear. “Maybe it’s about time you started doing more things you want and less things that are expected of you.”
I smiled. God, I wanted to do that. But could I really? Without making a mess of things? “I’ll take it,” I decided.
“Good for you!” Bonnie agreed.
“There you go,” Jake concurred.
It was so silly, so small, but the moment was perfect.
10
Jake
“Sounds like you’ve been working your butt off,” I said to Mark as he handed me a beer. We were catching up on his front porch, which was a thing we tried to do every few months.
“Yeah, it’s been busy, but Bree and I have an agreement now about how many weeks should go by without seeing each other.” He sat down in the wicker chair opposite me as his eyes took on a dreamy look. “It’s really been working well.”
“Happy for you.” I reached forward to clang our bottles together.
The life of a trucker was no joke, and sometimes required sacrifices to your family life. Plus, constantly being on the road had its own challenges, but he had been able to make it work. He’d been to some cool places, though, which was something not many of us would ever get to experience. He’d confided that he and Bree had gone through a rough patch last year, so now they’d made a more concerted effort to FaceTime and talk frequently, which I admired. Mark was a good man with an awesome family, and that was something to aspire to.
Not that I’d know, because I’d never had a real relationship, only a couple of regular hookups with women who’d tried the dating thing with me, but it had gone nowhere for both of us. No strings attached worked well for now.
Mark lifted his hand in a wave as a car pulled in the driveway and Bree’s brother, Dane, stepped out. He’d just walked up the stairs to greet us when Mark’s daughter, Hailey, came barreling out the door. “Unca Dame!”
I cracked a smile because Hailey was a sweet little girl. When she flew into Dane’s arms as if it had been years since she’d last seen him, he laughed and twirled her around. Dane had lived in their basement for a couple of years while he went through a tough period of his own with an ex-boyfriend, and though I didn’t exactly know all the details, it was nice to see him bounce back.