Total pages in book: 215
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Clearly irritated with me, Zoey lets out an almost inaudible huff and forces a fake smile as she turns toward the conversation, leaving me almost gasping for air. Only there’s a different James daughter now demanding my attention.
Hazel stares at me, narrowing her gaze, and it’s clear that she’s the only other person at the table actually paying any attention to what’s been going down the past fifteen minutes.
Hazel doesn’t say a word, just watches me, only unlike her big sister, there’s no disdain or confusion swelling in her green eyes, just plain old curiosity. A smirk pulls at the corners of her lips, and with that, she lifts her hand, her fingers hovering in front of her eyes before turning them on me, the universal sign for I’m watching you.
A wide grin stretches across my lips, and I almost let out a real laugh, something I don’t recall doing for . . . actually . . . I have no idea how long it’s been. That move had Linc written all over it. He used to give me that bullshit all the time, and I hated it, but now, it only makes me realize just how much I miss it. Then just because she’s asking for a different kind of trouble of her own, I tear off a small piece of bread from the roll on my plate and brace it against the edge of my fork. With their parents’ attention firmly on the she-devil sitting across from me, I pull back the fork and launch the bread forward.
It arches high across the table, and I watch as Hazel’s eyes open. Without a second to dodge out of the way, it hits home, slamming right against her cheek.
Her mouth drops in mock horror, and she quickly scrambles for the piece of bread, only to dunk it in her water before loading it onto the end of her fork. Eight-year-old Hazel from three years ago would have already burst from the seams with laughter, but she’s eleven now, and she knows better than to draw attention to us before getting a chance at sweet revenge.
Seeing exactly where this is going, I give her a hard stare and shake my head, warning her that this isn’t a war she wants to start with me, and before I can even get my warning across, she launches the soggy bread. It hits me square in the jaw, and the way it clings to the side of my face is too much for her to handle before a loud, snorting laugh booms across the table.
All eyes turn to Hazel, wondering what the fuck has gotten into her as I fake a look of innocence and flick the soggy bread off my face.
My mom smiles wide at Hazel before turning her gaze toward me and holding my stare. As she realizes I had everything to do with that laugh, her face creases with the brightest smile, one I haven’t seen since before losing Linc.
Something flutters in my chest, and I do what I can to crush it back down, letting my gaze fall away.
Fuck, I miss Linc.
The last time I sat in this very spot, he was sitting right here with me, the four of us all cramped on one end of the table so we could fuck around away from our parents’ watchful eyes. My father was sitting on my mother’s right, looking at her as though she was his whole world. Funny how tragedy can show people’s true colors. He split six months after Linc died without a care for how Mom and I were supposed to get through it all alone.
I suppose I’m no better than my father. Only instead of leaving, I just mentally checked out. I was a ghost for Mom to have to deal with day in and day out, causing trouble and giving her hell. Shit, I’ve really been an asshole. If I knew how to apologize and make it up to her, I would, but I’ve never been any good at that shit. The only person who seemed to fully understand that about me was Zoey. She never held it against me and always helped me through it when I needed it, but now . . .
“What’s going on down there?” Erica, Zoey’s mom asks, her gaze settled on me. “You look like you just went somewhere.”
I clench my jaw, not particularly willing to entertain this, especially now with everyone’s attention on me, but despite everything, Erica has always been too good to me. She was like a second mom until I split. “Nothing,” I murmur, my gaze falling away. “Just noticing how there’s a lot of empty chairs at this table now.”
Erica gives me a sad smile, her heart falling out on her sleeve. “Yes. However, since the last time your mom came for dinner, there’s now one less empty chair, and to me, that’s cause for celebration,” she tells me. “You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you sitting around my table again Noah, even if all you want to do is trade glares with Zoey all night.”