Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
We walk out hungry and irritable and are met with a cacophony of noise.
“Hey, Calder,” chirps Birdie. She hops over and gives me a kiss on the cheek. Tuck’s scowl deepens, and he stomps away, the back door slamming behind him.
“He’s hungry,” I say in explanation. Birdie doesn’t buy it, but I can’t explain why he’s ticked off because to anyone outside the Justice men, it’s going to sound like fake superstitions. “What’s going on here?”
I wave toward a suitcase full of clothes that is splayed open on the floor. The seniors from Sterling’s class aren’t being measured for suits but are all wearing some form of cut-off, chopped-up shirts and shorts and—is that a tablecloth draped around Dixie Donaldson’s frame?
“I have a new inspiration,” Birdie shares. Her eyes gleam with excitement. “Before, we had booked all these models to wear my clothes, but they all looked the same. They were boring, but these girls in all their different shapes and sizes are real. They’re so alive and vibrant and will be perfect for my collection. I want to shoot my look book here and not in Vail, and I want these girls to wear my clothes.”
“Can we, Mr. Justice?”
“Say yes, Mr. Justice.”
“Please! If you say we can do it, my mom will agree.”
A chorus of pleas fill the air. I throw up my hands. “Sure. I don’t mind.” I don’t even know why I’m being asked. Birdie’s smile stretches across her face, lights up her eyes, and makes her glow. Shit, I’d do a helluva lot more than lend the ranch for a fashion show to get that look on her face.
“It’s lunchtime,” I tell her, my voice a little husky.
“Okay.”
“Sterling, take the girls to the kitchen. There should be sandwiches and soup there,” I instruct. I tuck Birdie’s hand into the crook of my elbow. “You being a good girl?”
“I’ve been too busy with this”—she gestures toward the garment-strewn floor—“to even think of being bad, but now that you mention it, maybe I should take a trip to the bathroom.”
I tighten my hold on her hand. “Don’t you dare.”
In the dining room, Tucker, Cane, and Blake are already seated. To my surprise, Widow Justice is there as well. She presses her lips together when she spots Birdie and me.
I jut out my chin. “You got a problem, Widow?”
She looks past me to pin her dark gaze on Birdie. “You need to leave now before they install you in the Widow’s Chambers.”
My cousins and I blink in surprise. How does she know that’s what we call her suite of rooms?
She lets out a hollow laugh. “You don’t think I know what goes on in there? How that’s the place all the women stay who aren’t good enough for the marital bed?”
“You’re talking nonsense,” Tucker shoots back. “Earl married you.”
“Yes, he put a ring on my finger and gave me his last name, but we weren’t married. How could we be? He was still tied to his dead wife.” She returns her attention to Birdie. “You should see my room. It’s pretty and pink and white and gold, but if you scratch underneath the surface, it’s all black. This is a terrible place for women. Run away while you still can.”
Chapter Twelve
Birdie
My mother pushes her chair back from the table, leaving her untouched food and strolls from the room. The sound of her heels clicking accentuates each step that she takes, making her exit more dramatic. It’s par for the course when it comes to her.
I’ve been here for over a week, and this is the first time she’s actually spoken to me or been around. She’s made no effort to seek me out. If I’m being honest, I haven’t sought her out either. I’ve actually been avoiding her. I’d almost forgotten that she was even still here.
The room grows quiet upon her exit. I’m grateful that no one says a word. My face flushes. Embarrassment washes over me for so many different reasons. Of course everyone knows what Calder and I have been up to. It’s not a secret. He’s a bit handsy. We haven’t put a label on it, but my mother just did.
She made it perfectly clear to everyone that I’m only a fling to Calder, nothing more. I wish I could say I was shocked by her words, but I’m not. It does make me sad that those were the first words she’s spoken to me. No one has really brought up the fact that my mom and I are avoiding each other, but I know they can sense it. I was grateful that none of them had pressed me for details.
“I forgot something in my room.” I turn and flee toward it. I expect Calder to follow me, but when I make it back to my bedroom he doesn't show after a few minutes. I lock my bedroom door before I then lock myself in the bathroom. I need to put as many walls as possible between myself and everyone else before I let the floodgates go, knowing that once I do, it’s not going to be a pretty sight.