Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
There was only one thing I cared about—my boy.
I noticed I’d started to drift away, entertained by my own endless thoughts, and I stared at him with no expression, having an out-of-body experience. “Are you here for work?” I had to actively encourage myself to continue a conversation because it wasn’t natural to me. I didn’t try to be an asshole. I was just misunderstood…and no one realized that. But I really made the effort with my family because I loved them.
“Yeah. They’re thinking of transferring me here permanently.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise. “For what purpose?”
“This hotel just has more foot traffic, more VIPs, and they want me to take the Guest Affairs Manager position since it’s being vacated soon. It comes with a nice pay raise, all the benefits, and it brings me closer to you. So, I think I’m going to take it.”
I was happy to have him here because I had no family on the East Coast, but I was also worried about Derek. His uncle wouldn’t be there when I couldn’t be. “That’s great…” My voice faded away in disappointment.
“You’re the worst liar,” he said with a laugh. “Having me around would be that bad?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I just…don’t want Derek to only have Mom.”
“Well, she already said if I move out here, she’s coming too.”
I sighed, my chest tightening with that feeling I couldn’t describe. My mother had been devastated when I left California. After she lost my father, she clung to us like life rafts.
Tucker studied my face. “No way to get Valerie out here?”
I didn’t want to talk about her, to tell him how everything was. Whenever I thought about my predicament, the way she kept Derek from me, it elicited this unfathomable reaction from me…like I was so angry I wanted to cry. I’d never been so livid, as if I could rip a skyscraper apart and watch it collapse. “No.”
“Then how is this going to work? Are you going to go back and forth—”
“I don’t want to talk about this.” I stared him in the eye, my heart stopping because I refused to feel the pain. When I’d found out Valerie was pregnant, I was so pissed off. I didn’t want children. My career was too important to have such an annoying distraction. But then he was born…and it was the first time in my life I actually felt something. He made me feel human, made me feel emotions people had tried to describe to me that I could never understand. But then I held him, and everything clicked. I couldn’t learn that stuff in a textbook or a lecture. It was biological, instinctual.
Tucker dropped the conversation, taking a drink of his beer.
The waitress brought my beer then wordlessly walked away.
I immediately grabbed it and took a drink, downing half of it.
He turned quiet, letting the awkward silence drag on. “Anything else new with you?”
I shook my head. “Just getting settled.”
“Where’s your building?”
“It’s the Trinity Building.”
He nodded. “Nice place.”
“Yeah…” It was a beautiful residence.
He glanced at the girls again. “Alright, you ready to do this?”
I turned with his look, seeing the four girls sitting there, wearing dresses that showed off their long legs. They were all attractive, drinking fruity drinks after a long day on the job. One of the things I liked about sex was the lack of talking. It was all physical, all chemical, so it was easy for me to understand, easy for me to be good at.
“Which one do you want?”
One had long brown hair, a slender body, and bright blue heels. “Brunette.”
“Alright, let’s go.” He took another drink of his beer.
My heart started to race. “So, I just walk up to her and tell her I’m divorced?”
“No.” He got to his feet. “Just walk up to her and say hello. Everything else will follow.”
Man, those were vague directions.
“Come on.”
I grabbed my beer and joined him.
He walked to the blonde and extended his hand. “Hello, I’m Tucker.”
She turned to him and smiled, as if she liked what she saw. “Franny.” She placed her hand in his.
I walked up to the brunette, who was already staring at me like she’d seen me coming from a mile away. Some of her hair covered her face, the open curls scattering across her shoulders. When I got close, I could smell her perfume, practically taste her lipstick. I stopped in front of her and stared, one hand in my pocket while the other held my beer. “Hello.” I did what my brother told me and waited for something to happen.
Her mouth immediately melted into a smile, her eyes softening as if she found me attractive. One finger twirled her hair as she looked me up and down. “Hello. I was hoping you would come talk to me. I’ve been staring at you for the last twenty minutes.”