Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
I take a deep breath, steadying myself and letting the words spill like a recounted litany. “I haven’t seen Richard in over a year,” I start, recollecting timelines and detailing the decision to leave my firm back in Houston. “Around that time, I realized staying there would mean continuously dealing with his harassment. It was affecting my work and my peace of mind.”
The deputy nods as he jots this down, though his presence doesn’t stifle the gentle resolve I feel as Banks remains beside me, lending silent support.
After a pause, I continue, “He made my life difficult, refusing to respect boundaries or professionalism. I figured leaving, starting fresh by opening my own firm here in Silver Spoon Falls, would put enough distance between us.”
I recount each particular issue and the frustration of navigating an environment fraught with unwanted advances and workplace politics. It’s liberating, in a strange way, to have it laid out, no longer a tangled mess but a thread unraveled into coherence. Up until now, I felt embarrassed by my inability to handle the situation without running away, but Banks’ support has changed my outlook.
As I finish, the deputy thanks me and reassures me my statement should help keep Richard from causing further disruption. Now, he’ll have to face the consequences of his reckless actions.
He leaves after a few more logistical questions, the door clicking shut, ushering back a semblance of quiet into the room. I exhale, tension sliding away slowly, making space for a lighter, more hopeful emotion as I turn my attention back to Banks.
“Thank you,” I tell him quietly, meaning so much more than the surface-level politeness of those words. I’m not sure what’s happening to me, but I’m pretty sure he’s well on his way to stealing my freaking heart.
Chapter 4
Banks
Sitting in the stark, no-frills hospital room, everything feels a bit too bright and too sterile. The kind of place where the air smells of antiseptic and the steady beep of machines serves as a constant reminder of what happened to her yesterday.
I’m parked in a chair next to Yvette, who might be the only damn comforting thing in this cold room with her quiet strength and those utterly captivating violet eyes. It’s been a long haul from the crash to here, but somehow, sitting with her feels like the most natural thing in the world.
Yvette looks over, her eyes catching mine. There’s something in her gaze, and I optimistically hope I’m not reading it wrong, and it truly is an understanding deeper than words. It’s enough to kick my brain into overdrive, telling me it's time to come clean. It might be reckless, laying it all out like this, but I can’t hold back.
“Yvette,” I start, voice rougher than I intend, but resolute. “This probably sounds insane, but from the moment you opened your eyes, something hit me right in the goddamn heart. In that instant, I knew I wasn’t just rescuing some accident victim—I was rescuing my future.”
“Your future?” She looks as confused as I felt the first time she looked at me.
“That’s right and I’m not going anywhere, for as long as you’ll have me.”
Her eyes flicker with something akin to surprise, and why the hell wouldn’t they? I mean, we met amid twisted metal and sirens, and now here I am, spilling my guts like some love-struck asshole. It’s got to come off weird, or maybe even downright unhinged.
But there's something raw and enlightening about the truth. I’m not even trying to rein it back because there’s an intensity in my chest that’s growing stronger by the second.
“I probably sound like some crazy stalker,” I continue, self-mocking, trying to ease the tension in the room. “Showing up here, wearing my heart on my sleeve, but you’ve got this way of making the impossible seem not just possible, but inevitable.”
She stays silent as she processes my little verbal bombshell, her expression shifting through disbelief, humor, and something else. God, I hope I’m not reading her wrong. I’m hanging by a thread here, grasping onto the hope my impulsive revelation hasn’t scared her off entirely.
“You’re serious,” she says finally, her voice steady, holding a note of curiosity.
As I stare into her striking violet eyes, I can tell she’s watching me like I’m some puzzle she hasn’t quite figured out yet. The room is so silent you could hear a pin drop. I need her to know that somewhere between the chaos and calm, she took a swing at my heart and landed the punch.
“As a heart attack,” I reply, attempting nonchalance but knowing I’m failing spectacularly. “Falling for my curvy little soulmate during a highway disaster isn’t exactly what I expected when I woke up yesterday morning, but here we are.”
The corners of her mouth quirk up slightly, and I feel the tightness in my chest ease a little as hope flows through my soul.