Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Will wasted no time pulling back from the table and standing. “I’m going to dance.”
My jaw flexed, assuming he meant with the woman he’d brought tonight. But instead, he walked over to the table next to us and took the hand of the woman he’d been flirting with.
I frowned, but Evie at least pretended to be a good sport. She smiled as we watched Will make a spectacle of himself, twirling the woman around on the floor. When a second song started and Will pulled his partner close, it felt awkward, so I tried to distract Evie.
“I should have warned you about Erin. If you so much as look in her direction, the next thing you know she has you opening your wallet or working for her.”
“Oh, no. I’m happy to volunteer. Home Smart is an incredible organization. I really need something like that in my life.” Evie smiled. “Thank you for inviting me.”
I thought it was strange that she thanked me since I hadn’t been the one to invite her. But she probably assumed the company paid for all of the seats, which it had. “My grandmother is the one who told me about the program,” I said. “Some of the people she’s worked with got housing through Home Start.”
“Ah. I should’ve known Kitty was involved somehow.” She smiled. “I’m sorry I made us late. Will feels horrible about ripping my dress.”
“He…ripped your dress?”
“Oh, I thought you knew. He said he was going to text you to let you know we were going to be late. I was all dressed and ready, but I needed to use the bathroom before we left. My zipper was stuck, so I asked Will to see if he could get it. He did, but he tore the zipper right from the seam. I only had this dress with me at my sister’s, since the majority of my clothes are still in a storage unit. So I had to wait for her to come home and sew it for me. I don’t have a clue how to sew, especially not the fabric of a dress. Then when she finally got me fixed up, and we were about to leave, one of my contacts popped out.” She shook her head. “So it worked out well that you asked Will to pick me up. Otherwise, I would’ve made you late, too.”
“I asked Will to pick you up?”
Hearing the question within my question, Evie paused to study me. Her brows drew together. “He said you had to come early, so we’d meet you here.”
I was missing something. First she’d said I invited her, and now she thought I’d arranged to have Will pick her up. Something was off, but I’d been hanging out with Will for too long to not know that the best way to handle it was to go along with things.
So I nodded. “Right. Some of the sponsors come early to work the door, greeting people with the staff of Home Start.”
When the second song ended, Evie excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. Will walked back over to the table a minute later. He sat in Evie’s chair next to me, rather than his own, and leaned down to speak quietly next to my ear. “I’m going to duck out early.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
He motioned over his shoulder to the woman he’d been dancing with. She was already standing with her purse in her hand. “Carly suggested we go in the other room, so we don’t have to talk over the music. I suggested we go to my apartment instead. She’s in, so I’m out.”
“What about your date?”
“What date?”
“You came with Evie, didn’t you?”
Will smiled. “Bros before hoes for life, man. Do you really think I would date the woman you’re hot for?”
“What the hell are you talking about? She just told me you picked her up, and I saw you walk in together.”
“I told Evie you invited her.” He shrugged. “That all the executives attended, and you asked me to share a car and introduce her around since you had to come early.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because you’re a damn idiot and weren’t going to ask her yourself.”
“Did you ever think that’s because I didn’t want to ask her?”
“Not for a second. You like her, and we both know it. You just think it’s a bad idea because she works for your company.”
“Maybe that’s because it is a bad idea.”
“Some of the best times in life start off as bad ideas, my friend.”
Will slapped his knee before standing. “Speak of the devil.” He held out a hand to Evie, whom I hadn’t seen coming. “I’m going to ditch this place. Merrick will give you a ride home.”
“Oh, okay. Though it’s fine. I can call an Uber later.”
Will smirked in my direction. “I’m sure the boss will insist. You two have fun.”