Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“Reach out if you need anything, please.”
“I will. Thank you.”
“Good to hear from you. Take care.”
After we hung up, I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat and gripped the wheel with both hands. It was fine. It was just one truck. It didn’t mean this wasn’t meant to be. I could find another one.
And maybe it would even be better to find one that didn’t remind me so much of Dash, of the time we went to see it, of the conversations we had, of the nights we spent, of the way he always kept me warm.
Those memories were vivid enough.
Swallowing back the tears, I turned on my car and drove home.
TWENTY-SIX
dash
It took me less than twenty-four hours to get everything in place. On my way to the airport, I called Xander.
“Hello?”
“Hey.” I could hear the noise of the pub in the background.
“You’re alive. We’ve been wondering.”
“Sorry. I’m alive.” I smiled. “It’s just been a crazy week.”
“How did the audition go?”
“Shitty.”
“So you didn’t get the part?”
“Not even close.”
“Sorry, dude.”
“Don’t be.” I realized I didn’t even care anymore. The only role in life I wanted right now was the guy who got to call Ari his own. “Everything is great. But I need a favor. You busy tomorrow morning?”
“No. What do you need?”
“A ride.”
“A ride where? Are you in town again?”
“I will be. I’m flying in on the red eye. I have something I need to do tomorrow and I can’t drive myself.”
“What is it?”
I explained what I was doing, and he started to laugh.
“So will you help me out?” I asked while he continued to guffaw in my ear.
“I’ll help you out,” he said. “But first you have to admit I was right about the strings.”
I grimaced. “You’re such an asshole.”
“Say it, or I’m not driving you.”
“I could ask Dad.”
“Dad’s in Tennessee. Not getting back until tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’ll ask Austin.”
“He’s delivering a table to Chicago tomorrow.”
“Fine. You were right about the strings,” I said through my clenched teeth.
“Thank you.” He paused. “So you’re sure about this?”
“I’m sure. You know, you said something a few weeks ago while we were standing outside the diner that I keep thinking about.”
“I’m a thought-provoker, it’s true. But what was the thing?”
“You said something like, ‘Anything I can do to make her dreams come true, I’ll do it.’”
“Yep.”
“And you said something about the distance being hard, but that you couldn’t imagine your life without her. That’s how I feel about Ari right now. Like I know it’s not going to be easy, but whatever it takes, I’ll do it. If she says no, she says no, but I have to try.”
“She’s not going to say no,” Xander said.
“She might. Nothing is certain.”
“Wrong. Some things are certain, and one of them is that I have eyes. And those eyes can see. And what those eyes saw while you were here is that she’s in love with you, and what those eyes have seen since you left is that she’s fucking miserable. She doesn’t even look like the same Ari.”
My gut clenched. “You’ve seen her?”
“She worked last night. I gave her tonight off because she looks like she hasn’t been sleeping. She’s messed up, dude. You gotta fix this—but only if you’re going to do right by her.”
I punched the accelerator a little harder. “I’m on my way.”
At the airline gate, I pulled my hat down low and sat in a corner, facing the wall. While I waited for my boarding zone to be called, I checked my messages. There was a text from Mabel, who I’d confided in; one from Veronica, whose help I would need tomorrow; and a voicemail from a number I didn’t recognize. I hit play and put the phone to my ear.
“Hello, this is Katherine Carroll. I’m sorry to call out of the blue like this, but my assistant Olivia confessed the mix-up at the party and gave me your number. You were so good with the girls, and I appreciated it even more once I learned the truth about why you thought you’d been invited. In fact, I really could not get you off my mind, and usually when that happens, it’s my intuition talking to me. And then I happened to be at Delphine’s shop for a reading that day you came in. I apologize for eavesdropping, but I heard your conversation, and I was even more convinced that I needed to reach out. I was in the process of doing a little research on you when my office called with the news that Tom Holland has a scheduling conflict and can no longer shoot All We’ve Lost. I wondered if you might still like to read for the role of Johnny? No promises, of course, but I think you have the right look, and I like the fact that you haven’t done any major films before. Feel free to have your agent reach out to my office, and we’ll get a meeting scheduled. Have a great day.”