Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“Thanks. I do appreciate that. Unlucky for me, though, as she’s posted more after the initial one.”
“And you’ve watched them?”
Devy nodded. “It’s like a train wreck—I can’t look away, even though I know it’s about my life. At least she doesn’t say my name. Even though all my friends in Chicago know it’s me. And I guess here as well.”
“Have any of those friends reached out to you?”
“They did, initially, but haven’t since.” Were they truly her friends? Wondering made her feel ten times worse and even more alone.
They sat there on the steps, listening to the foghorn in the distance and the soft melodic cadence of the water crashing against the docks. Every so often a car would drive by and honk, and they could hear people down the street, talking loudly. Mostly, they sat there, saying nothing to each other, just like they’d done many times before back when they were teens. Only now, Devy couldn’t look at Hayden, not with her tearstained face and bloodshot eyes. She wasn’t the girl he remembered.
Back then, she had a voice. She was loud, laughed a lot, and smiled endlessly. Dev couldn’t recall when she’d changed but suspected it was when she went off to college with Chad. It was at Northwestern when he started to assert himself more.
Or she allowed it to happen.
“On Friday, I’m taking Conor into town to buy some cleats. Baseball tryouts are on Saturday. Would you and Maren like to join us?”
Maren would for sure, but the invite was for them both.
Devy risked looking at Hayden.
She opened the door and found Hayden on their front porch. “Colt’s not home,” she told him.
“Damn, okay. Where are you off to?”
“The beach. Wanna come?”
“Are you walking?”
She nodded. “Do you see wheels with my name on them?”
Hayden chuckled. She liked the sound of his laughter. She liked him. More than she should. But he confused her, a lot. Occasionally, they’d make out. It was usually when he was at her house, or they’d find themselves alone somewhere. Being alone was hard, though. Dev was either with Laila or Colt was around, being an annoying brother.
“I’ll drive.”
Hayden opened the car door for her and waited until she was fully in before shutting it. He jogged to the other side, giving Dev a few seconds to stare at him. He was so freaking hot. She couldn’t stand it half the time. She definitely couldn’t stand it when one of the Fleming sisters flirted with him. He was hers.
Well, she wanted him to be. And Devorah thought he would be if it wasn’t for her brother. Colt needed to butt out of her life.
Hayden slipped behind the steering wheel. He smiled at her and then started his car. Instead of turning around and heading to the beach, he drove them out of town.
“What beach are we going to?”
“Jamestown Cove,” he told her. It was a place where they were unlikely to run into anyone. A place where they could act like they were the only two people in the world.
As soon as they were out of Oyster Bay, her hand went to the back of his neck, where she played with the ends of his hair. She wished she knew how to make him fall in love with her.
The words “I love you” or “I’m falling in love with you” played on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him, to put her heart out there and tell him he didn’t have to worry about Colt or her father. That she could handle them.
A horn honked, grabbing her attention.
Devorah tore her gaze away from Hayden and looked out the front window. Colt hung from the window of his truck, hollering at Hayden. Devorah dropped her hand and faced forward, fighting back a wave of tears that threatened to unleash. Life was unfair.
Even before Hayden said the words, she knew they were turning around and following her brother and their friends. She thought about telling him to drop her off at home, but any time with Hayden was time she craved.
Someday, Hayden McKenna would be hers.
She blinked and pushed the memory of their high school days away from her thoughts. Now, when she looked at Hayden, she saw nothing but friendship in his eyes, or least that was what she told herself it was. It was better thinking he wanted to be her friend than to play along in her self-pity game. He knew she was depressed, and he didn’t seem to care.
“That would be lovely,” she told him. “I know Maren would like to see more of where we’re staying.”
“Staying?”
Devorah nodded. “We have a life in Chicago. I have a business and . . .” She trailed off. “Oyster Bay is temporary. It always has been.”
Hayden nodded, and his lips pressed into a thin line. “Well, it’s a date then,” Hayden said and then blanched. “Not like a real date, but one of those ‘I’ll put it in the calendar’ sort of things.”