Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
I turn in my seat and scan the room. I suck in a breath when I see Dominic sitting across the bar with his foster brother, Gabe. Dom is staring at me, and I turn in my seat so fast that I feel I might have whiplash.
Violet laughs and sits back in her seat. “Well, that’s a reaction.”
I bury my face in my hand. What is it about Dom that makes me react this way? How does he still have a hold on me after all these years?
I lift my head and look at my friend. “I have to go.”
She bursts out a laugh, and when she sees I’m not joking, she shakes her head. “Lucy, you’re kidding me, right?”
I shake my head as I move to the edge of my seat. “No, I need to leave… right now.”
Her mouth drops. “What is wrong with you?”
I grab the edge of the table. “I can’t do this. I’m not ready to see him again.”
Violet continues to shake her head and holds up her glass. “I’m drinking… you're drinking. I’m not sure exactly what you want to do. Neither one of us can drive right now.”
I’m about to jump up and run out the door. I can walk home, but guilt for leaving Violet here alone makes me stay in my seat. “What time is Josh coming?”
She looks at her phone and checks the time. “He had practice. He’ll probably be here in around thirty minutes.” Violet’s husband is the running back for the Jasper Eagles.
I suck in a breath and let it out nice and slow. “Thirty minutes. Okay, I can do that.”
I can feel Dom’s eyes boring into me, and I peek over my shoulder. Sure enough, even from a distance, I can see him watching me. As long as he stays on that side of the bar, I’ll be okay. I turn back to Violet and silently repeat to myself all the reasons why I should avoid Dominic Evans. Number one on the list is that I don’t trust myself with him. Today he not only fixed my car, but he held me and tried to fix my heart. I need to resist him, and in order to do that, I need to keep as much distance between us as possible.
6
DOMINIC
“What the fuck, Dom? You invite me for beers and then stare off into space all night?”
My brother Gabe sounds pissed, but he’s the type that never stays mad long. I debate telling him, but in the end I know I just need to say it because it will explain why I’ve been staring across the bar since we got here. I nod my head toward Lucy. “Look.”
He turns in his seat and looks around the room. When he doesn’t immediately spot her, I give him a clue. “She’s with Violet.”
He zeroes in on Violet and Lucy and then flips his head back to me. “Is that Luciana?”
I nod slowly. Even I have trouble believing she’s here. “Yep, Luciana Raven, in the flesh.”
Gabe whistles softly. “What’s she doing in town?”
“I’m not sure.”
Gabe is looking at me, waiting for me to continue, and when I don’t, I can hear the frustration in his voice. “Have you talked to her?”
I take a sip of my beer. “Yeah, her car broke down when she was driving into town. I stopped and gave her a ride. Her car is at my shop.”
Gabe scoots to the edge of his seat. “Is she in town visiting her mom? She moving back? Did you get the scoop?”
I put my hands up in front of me. “Whoa, slow down. She’s staying at her mom’s, but I don’t think she’s moving back. She’s engaged… well, she was. I’m not sure if she still is.”
I grimace thinking about the bruise on her face.
Gabe’s forehead creases, letting me know he’s deep in thought. His hair is loose today and wild around his face. He looks more like a lumberjack than a firefighter right now. He’s quiet for so long I know he’s got something on his mind. “What is it? What are you thinking?”
He slams his hand on the table between us. It’s so loud and hard that the people around us all stop and stare. Sometimes Gabe doesn’t know his own strength. He’s looking at me proudly, like he’s just solved one of life’s big mysteries. “Now’s your chance to win her back.”
"Stop," I say, even though my hope is already starting to rise.
He smiles excitedly. “No, listen. This is perfect. Come on, it’s fate, man. She breaks down, and of all the people in Whiskey Run, you’re the one that stops and helps her. What are the chances of that? This is meant to be, I’m telling you.”
“Did you miss the part where I said she’s engaged?”
He’s not giving in, though. He shakes his head, determined. “Nope. Listen, normally, I’d say she’s off limits, but this is different. I saw you two together. You were in love, and you wanted to be some kind of martyr. Now’s your chance to fix it.”