Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“We’re just friends.” Pulling my keys from my pocket, I headed for the back door again.
“Don’t fight it, darling. Tomorrow we should do a tarot reading for you, feel out where this might be heading. And take an umbrella! The leaves are upside down, and that always means a storm.”
I yanked the door shut behind me, drowning her out.
Just under an hour later, I texted Felicity from the banquet center parking lot. I’m here.
I’ll meet you right outside the front door! she texted back.
Before getting out of the car, I checked myself out in the visor mirror. Was my hair neat enough? My tie straight? My scruff under control? If I’d had more time, I’d have shaved or at least trimmed it up. At least I’d ironed my shirt. I wasn’t that good at it, since I usually had my shirts pressed at the dry cleaner, but my suit coat would cover it up. I grabbed it from the back seat, shrugged it on, and locked up my car before walking slowly toward the banquet hall entrance.
With every step, a sense of dread built beneath my skin. My chest grew tighter. My breath quickened. Inside were a bunch of people I didn’t know at all, but who would be eager to judge me. They’d know who I was. They’d heard things about me. They probably thought I didn’t deserve the money. Surely, they’d notice the way I was sweating. They’d ask questions and I’d stumble over my answers. Maybe I’d stumble over my own feet. I’d forget names. They’d think I—
“Hutton!” Felicity came running toward me and threw her arms around my neck, clinging to me like she was drowning. “Thank you so much for coming! You look amazing.”
It surprised me when she didn’t let go right away, and it felt good to be held that tightly. For a moment, I stayed completely still with my arms around her back, her chest pressed against mine. When I inhaled, I smelled her perfume—it wasn’t the same one she used to wear, but I liked it. That scent and the feel of her in my arms took the edge off my nerves.
But when Felicity stepped back, she could see I wasn’t entirely okay. “I’m sorry, Hutton.” She reached out and took my hand, squeezing it. “Forget this. You don’t have to come in.”
It wasn’t the first time I’d stood in a parking lot with a woman and hadn’t wanted to attend a social event. But in those instances, I’d been told things like, You’re being ridiculous. Stop being selfish. You need to get over yourself. It meant a lot to me that Felicity understood—so much that I would try to get over myself . . . for an hour. Near an exit. With a cocktail.
“Are you saying you don’t want to be engaged to me anymore?” I teased.
“No. I’m saying that I realize how ridiculous this whole thing is. And it’s not fair to you.”
“It’s really fucking ridiculous. But let’s do it anyway.”
“Really?” Her smile lit up her face.
“Yeah. As long as I don’t have to talk much.”
“I’ll do all the talking,” she said, tugging me by the hand toward the venue. “Promise.”
“Then it’s a deal.” I let my eyes wander over her. She looked so pretty—her bangs looked like she might have gone at them with the scissors at some point today, but her eyes were huge and luminous, and her lips were full and pink. The dress she had on showed off curves I didn’t realize she had, and the hem was shorter than she normally wore. I glanced down at her feet. “You made me wear a suit and you’ve got sneakers on?”
“That wasn’t the plan, but yes.”
“It’s okay. You look beautiful.” I opened the door for her.
She stopped abruptly in the doorway and looked at me. “I do?”
For a second, I was afraid I’d said something wrong. My collar felt tight. “Yes. But it’s not that I don’t think you look beautiful other times. I always think you’re beautiful. I just meant that right now you—”
“Hey.” She smiled again and put a finger over my lips for a moment. “It’s okay. It was a nice compliment. You’ve just never said that to me before.”
“Oh.” I relaxed a little. “Well, I meant it.”
Her cheeks grew slightly pink. “Thank you.”
I followed her through the lobby into the room where the reunion was taking place, and immediately my shoulders and neck tensed up again. At least a hundred people were there, seated at round tables, filling plates at the buffet, waiting in line at the bar, standing in groups with drinks, chatting and laughing and having fun. It was so easy for some people, I thought, grateful when Felicity took my hand. Why was it so fucking hard for me?
The music was loud as Felicity led me between some tables and across the wooden dance floor. She nodded and smiled at people as we passed them, but I kept my eyes on her. Eventually we reached the line for the bar, and she turned to me. “Drink?”