Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
How about Sweet Spot Saturday?
I’m down. Tlk l8r *dynamite*
Quinn is heading back to Chicago tonight, so I spend a couple of hours hanging with him and Mav. Lovey and Lacey invite me to watch rom-coms with Rose, but I take a pass and a nap in the hammock overlooking the water while I wait for Winter to message.
My phone buzzes on my chest, waking me. The sun has set, and it’s already after nine.
At the beach.
Two photos follow. The first is a selfie of Winter dressed in an oversized T-shirt, braid hanging over her shoulder, chin covered with gauze, one brow arched. It looks like she’s in the parking lot. The second is of the starry sky.
It’s ambiance central here.
I wld have picked u up.
Needed to get out of the house. We still on for SSS tonight?
Hell yeah. omw
*water splash*
Several GIFs follow, including a cartoon hot dog thrusting.
Yeah, she’s definitely deflecting and looking for an escape. I brush my teeth, change into jeans and a fresh T-shirt, pull my hair back, and hop in my Jeep. Halfway to the beach, I pull over so an ambulance and fire truck can pass. My heart lodges in my throat when those vehicles turn down Winter’s road.
I slow as I approach the T-intersection, which is blocked by a cop car with flashing lights. Logan is standing at the mouth of the T, so I stop and roll down the passenger-side window.
He approaches, expression grim as he rests his forearm on the sill and leans in. “Sorry, BJ. The road is closed.”
“Yeah, I figured. This an alarm activation or something?” The Winslows and Kingstons have systems that sometimes get tripped by curious wildlife. The squirrels are notorious for chewing through wires.
Logan shakes his head. “I wish it was just an alarm activation.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
His walkie-talkie crackles. “Victim is in her mid to late thirties. Multiple breaks. She’s in and out of consciousness.”
“Fuck.” He blows out a breath. “You know where the Marks girl is?”
“She’s at the beach. I’m heading there now. What the hell is going on, Logan?”
“There was an accident.”
14 SOMEWHERE SOFT TO LAND
BJ
Winter is in the parking lot when I arrive at the beach. I don’t want to be the one to break her heart like this. But it’s better me than Logan—or worse, her dad.
I pull into a spot, and she leans her bike against the low fence that separates the lot from the beach. She’s on me the second I step out of the Jeep, one hand wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling my mouth to hers.
“Whoa. Hey. Hi.” Half an hour ago I was all about Sweet Spot Saturday. Now everything is different. I’m about to turn her entire world upside down.
“Hey. I’m super glad you’re here. Today has been a bag of shit, and you’re the only person who can make it better.” Her backpack clinks when it hits the ground. “I brought you a gift.” She unzips the bag and holds it open.
“Vodka and gin, huh? Is it martini night, then?” I try to smile, but everything is off.
“This is what my dad bought with my tuition money. He didn’t pay the car insurance. He didn’t buy groceries or get someone to fix the broken washing machine. He bought booze and smokes and rubbed it in my fucking face.”
“I’m so sorry, Snowflake.” I hate that this is her life, her normal.
She smooths her hand over my chest. “I shouldn’t have gone home after the game. I should have gone anywhere but home, but I had leftovers from the team lunch, and they had the best desserts, so I figured I’d just leave one in the fridge for my mom—even though she’s the one who told my dad where the money was. It’s so fucked up, BJ. She throws me under the bus all the time, and I still feel compelled to take care of her. Why do I keep doing this? Why do I keep putting myself in positions where I know I’m going to get hurt? It’s so stupid. What’s wrong with me?”
I tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “Nothing is wrong with you, Winter. You’re just trying to survive in a life that doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
“You know what he said when he saw the stitches? He didn’t ask if I was okay. He didn’t even ask what happened. He told me my face was the only part of me worth looking at, and now I’d fucked that up too. I don’t want to do this anymore. I can’t keep doing this.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “I need to stop talking. You’ve already seen what a mess I am. I’m too much of a hassle.”
“Hey. Stop.” I cup her face in my palms. “Take a breath.”