Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“Ladies, ladies!” Mama threw up her hands and tsked. “Rosie and Penny, that’s enough! I mean it. Come on. Not today. Let Genesis enjoy this in peace.”
Rosie sighed, flopped back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.
Despite Penny’s negative energy—and Genesis never particularly liking her sister-in-law—a part of Genesis couldn’t help but feel a tad bit sorry for her. Tony had found out about more financial damage the woman had done: they owed a shit ton in debt, and she’d been hiding it well up until the night Tony discovered her most recent dirty deed. Her mother apparently had a gambling problem, and Penny was a bit of a hoarder when it came to high-end makeup, clothing, and purses. Genesis couldn’t bring herself to completely hate the lady. Penny was obviously trying to fill a void of some sort, and Tony wasn’t always the best conversationalist when it came to emotional discussions. Tony worked all the time, and she was beginning to suspect that Penny felt lonely.
She was the mother of her nieces and nephew, for God’s sake, and she and Penny, though not terribly close or on the best of terms, did have good moments every blue moon. But Rosie was right. She hadn’t been invited… Penny had found out that Genesis was going to try on dresses from her mother, thanks to a slip of the tongue, and being a bit of a fashion buff, she invited herself, stating that she could help a great deal.
Genesis was ready to refuse once she found out, but Mama pleaded with her to allow the lady to come—throw her a bone. Tony had moved out into his own apartment about twenty minutes away and was having visitation with the children every week. Genesis was no fool—their marriage had been in serious trouble apparently even before this latest blowup regarding the missing money, unauthorized loans, forged checks, and reckless spending.
From her understanding, they were finally starting marriage counseling, but it didn’t seem Tony’s heart was in it any longer. He said he was tired of her manipulation and lies. According to him, Penny resisted the idea of taking accountability. He also expressed concerns that if he divorced her, instead of trying to make their marriage work, she’d get half of everything he’d worked so hard to build, not including the alimony and child support he’d have to shell out.
I bet he wishes he would have listened to me now, when I warned him about marrying her a long time ago. He should’ve gotten a prenup, too. Things had gone from bad to worse. I still hope that they can work it out.
“You look just beautiful! So, how’s everything going, Genesis?” The hostess returned, a big smile on her face. “Would you like to try on another gown?”
“Yes, I have a couple more picked out, actually. I hung them up in the back.” She pointed towards the dressing room area.
“Perfect!” The chipper woman dressed in all red clasped her hands together. “I have another veil that would look lovely with this gown, too. Maybe you can get the total look, so you can better decide, and then try on the others.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Cool. I’m going to get that veil and have you try it on. Be right back.” The woman was all smiles. Genesis couldn’t blame her. This dress wasn’t anywhere near cheap.
“Oh, before you go, can we have some water? I believe my family is thirsty.”
“Destiny didn’t bring you bottled water?” The woman looked completely flabbergasted, throwing her assistant under the bus. “Oh, I am so sorry. I asked her to do that a long time ago. I will get right on it.”
“Thank you, we appreciate that.” Genesis turned back to her reflection, butterflies fluttering away in her stomach. Excitement. Nervousness. In love beyond the depths of the word itself… And then, that sinking feeling returned. The same one she’d felt when she watched Roman leave her apartment earlier that morning at damn near the crack of dawn. She could see in his eyes that he wasn’t completely there. His mind was somewhere else, dispersed like fallen tree leaves along the wilderness floor.
Broken thoughts scattered like salt and pepper shakers cast all over a room, and smashing into the wall. The gun in his bag had proved he had something planned alright, and her jaw clenched as she tensed just thinking about it. So many ‘what ifs.’ He’d maneuvered past her questions and curiosity, but she knew in her heart that pushing the issue for some sort of confession would only force him to lie to her.
It doesn’t have anything to do with me. This is all about him. He was doing so well, too, letting me in, dropping his defenses, and now I feel like we’ve taken a step backwards. And what about his cousin who was drivin’ past my apartment, and then parked across the street? Ms. Charlie told me all about it a few weeks ago… Roman is concerned for my safety, despite the reassurances he tried to give me, and there’s no doubt that he’s up to something. What if that something ends his life?