Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Randall looked beyond me into the room, his expression suspicious like I might be trying to walk out with a lamp or a pillow. “What about that?” He pointed at something.
I glanced behind me and saw my wedding dress in a sad, deflated heap of tulle and silk on the floor. “I don’t want it. It’s garbage.”
“You’re just going to leave it like that?”
“Oh—sorry.” I went back into the room and balled up the dress as much as I could, then made a big show of attempting to stuff it in the tiny wastebasket. It overflowed like the foam on a beer poured too fast. “That better?”
Before he could answer, I walked out, dragging my suitcase filled with clothing for a luxury Hawaiian honeymoon behind me.
It was only when I reached the sidewalk outside the inn and realized I had absolutely nowhere to go and less than five dollars to my name that I gave in and shed a few tears, tugging my bag over the rough cement. But my mother had taught me there was no use crying over spilled milk, so I dug a tissue from my purse, mopped up my face, and made a plan.
Morgan could send me some money, right? All I needed was a train ticket back to Chicago so I could get some clothing and then plane fare to New York. And I’d pay them back plus interest as soon as I could get a job—I’d take anything.
I pulled out my phone to call her—the battery was dead.
“Okay, universe,” I muttered to the twilight sky. “Now what?”
The universe was annoyingly silent.
“Fine,” I mumbled. “Be that way.” I decided to head for Main Street. Maybe Ari and Steve would let me charge my phone at Moe’s.
But when I reached Moe’s and looked through the window, Ari and Steve were nowhere to be seen, and unfamiliar servers were behind the counter. Too humiliated to walk in and explain the situation to a new crowd, I fought back tears and turned around again.
I only knew one other place to go.
Praying that Mabel would answer the door and I wouldn’t have to face Austin Buckley again (now I knew what Ari had meant by intense), I knocked three times.
The twins came barreling toward the screen door like it was a race. Owen was there first and pulled it open. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi, Owen. Hi, Adelaide.”
“Veronica?” The young girl tilted her head. “You look different. I like your hair.”
“Thank you.” I tried to smile. “I was wondering if Mabel was here?”
“I’ll get her!” Adelaide took off running, leaving Owen and me alone.
“You can come in,” he said. “You’re not a real stranger, so I don’t think my dad would be mad.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind waiting out here on the porch.”
Owen came outside, letting the screen door slap shut behind him. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing at my suitcase. “Are you going on a trip?”
“I was supposed to, but it got canceled.”
“Our trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes got canceled last year because Grandpa had a heart attack.”
“Oh no!” I said. “I hope he’s okay now.”
“He is. We’re going to California soon to visit our mom. We go every summer.”
So she lived on the other side of the country. Interesting. “That will be fun.”
“Not all kids live with their mom and dad,” he went on. “Some kids live just with their dad, like me and Addie, and then some live with just their mom.”
“Sure. I lived with just my mom.”
“Did you visit your dad?”
“Uh, no. I didn’t.”
“Was it because your mom would miss you too much? Daddy says that’s why we only go to California once a year. He misses us too much when we’re gone.”
“Something like that,” I said, begrudgingly finding it sweet that Austin seemed to be such a devoted father. Too bad he was such a curmudgeon of a guy.
“Did you FaceTime your dad? We FaceTime our mom on Sunday nights.”
Before I could answer, the screen door flew open and Mabel burst out onto the porch, followed closely by a scowling Austin and then a taller version of Austin but with a beard and a smile. Adelaide was the last one out the door.
“Veronica,” Mabel said breathlessly. “Are you okay?”
“Yes and no,” I said. “I’m sort of stranded at the moment, and my phone is dead. I’m so sorry to ask, but do you think I could charge it here? Maybe there’s an outlet on the porch?”
“There isn’t,” Austin said, looking put out that I’d returned. Maybe I’d interrupted dinner or something.
“Hi,” said bearded, smiling guy, offering a hand. “I’m Xander Buckley.”
“Veronica Sutton. Nice to meet you.”
“You’re welcome to charge your phone at my house,” Xander offered. “My dad and I live two minutes from here and we have plenty of outlets.”
“That’s ridiculous,” said Mabel. “You can charge your phone here, Veronica. Let’s just go inside.”