Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
That hard jawline of his clenched. And so did his fist. For a flash, that smile of his turned into a dark line of pain.
“If I wanna take care of you by doin’ a small favor, it’s just because you’re a dope ass human being, and one of my best friend’s sisters. If that’s what’s in my heart, then I’ll do what I want. Genesis, don’t tell me how to spend my money even if it involves you.” He jeered forward, his voice as calm as the sun rising after a peaceful night. “You have the right to not accept it. I can’t make you take it, but you can’t tell me how to feel about what I did, and you damn sure can’t try to psychoanalyze me and tell me why I did it. Every assumption you made about the reason I did what I did, was wrong. You coulda just asked me. All of these theories you conjured up could have been avoided.”
She lowered her gaze and nodded.
“I suppose you’re right. I could have just asked you, but let’s be honest—I didn’t expect to get a real answer, Roman. I just knew I didn’t want you to do that, but I also didn’t want to be harsh about it, either. Just wanted to make myself clear.”
“Fair enough. You’ve made it Krystal, with a ‘K’, clear. Don’t run my pockets, and I won’t tell you what career you should go into, especially based on how much money I think you could make. You’re talented and smart, but in retrospect, I could have kept that comment I made at the dentist office about your profession to myself.”
“So, even though I told you to not send me any money, are you sayin’ that you may do it again, knowing that I will send it back?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on what I think you need, if we’re friends by then, still datin’, or something else is going on altogether.” He paused and glanced towards the back of the restaurant. He’d done that a couple of times, but every time she followed his line of sight, she didn’t see anything or anyone particularly exciting. “A lot of factors to consider. I’d rather send it, and you not want it, than you need it, keep quiet about that need, and I not send it. Think of the money I may or may not send you like a tampon.”
“Huh? What in the world are you talking about?”
“You hate that you may need me, but you’re damn glad I’m there when you do.”
He could’ve just used the analogy of a life vest or something like that, but no, he had to turn this into something silly.
He took a deep breath. Their eyes burrowed into each other’s souls. And then, they both smiled. “Their house wine is usually the best deal on Saturday nights, but you choose whatever you wish.”
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. You’re hilarious, Roman. Stubborn. Interesting, too.” She leaned back in her seat as an attendant approached and filled their glasses with water from a steel pitcher.
“So I’ve been told. Before we begin orderin’, I need to tell you something.”
“Yeah, you mentioned earlier that there were two things you wanted to say. What’s the second one?” She reached for her phone in her purse once again, this time turning it off.
“Tony is pissed about us being on this date. He told me not to ask you out. After you asked me out instead, I did let him know, and he wasn’t happy about that, either.”
“I know. Oh look, they have blackberry wine here. Royal Oporto is a port.” She tapped the menu with the tip of her finger. “I wouldn’t expect that to be available at a fancy place like this, but it could be a dessert wine, so maybe they—”
“Hold on. You know about him not approvin’ of this?”
“Yes, of course. I told him we were going out. Like you, I don’t bite my tongue, and I wasn’t going to keep it no secret. I just wanted to be open and upfront with him. I explained to him that I thought you were attractive, and I liked your personality. So, I asked you out.” She placed the wine menu down and folded her hands, one on top of the other.
“And I’m sure that went over about as well as a wooden stick in a blender.”
“Pulp fiction smoothie with an extra log. He started going clean off, and I told him to calm down. He started yelling even louder, so I hung up.” She shrugged. “I then woke up to a bunch of text messages, which led me to explaining to him that he could go straight to hell, and if he didn’t have the directions, I’m sure he could Google it, since he found directions into my business just fine. I also let him know that if hell wasn’t to his liking, he could go anywhere he wanted to, except for in my personal choices. Friend or no friend of his, this is my decision, not his. Shit, I don’t like his wife, but I keep it cute.”