Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
If I could hold on to Nana and Pop’s house for the rest of my life, I would. But even if I didn’t need the money, it’s only right that the house be sold to someone else. Perhaps a young family that’s just starting their lives together. Perhaps this could be their first home where they will welcome their children and make memories. Perhaps the couple would grow old in that home the same way Nana and Pop did, and they would cherish it with everything they are.
That’s the dream right there.
As for me, I’m suddenly finding myself wondering if my dream of starting a new business in New York is really what I want.
Seeing Nick again and having him in my space the other day was a lot to take in. We weren’t fighting, weren’t trying to invoke some kind of war, we were just being, and damn it, I hate how nice it was. But when he stepped into me by the kitchen counter, I could have sworn he was going to kiss me, and at that very moment, I couldn’t breathe. Just like out on the side of the road, but that was different, that was full of ravenous emotion. In the kitchen when he looked into my eyes and I could feel his warmth enveloping me, I could have crumbled. Hell, I would have been a puddle on the ground if he’d actually closed the gap and pressed those full lips against mine.
“I need help, Nana,” I whisper into the night, gazing up at the moonlight that spreads a beautiful glow over Blushing. “I need you to tell me what to do. I’ve never felt so lost. I’m a mess. I love being home in Blushing, but I hate that the reason I’m here is because you’re gone. You brought me here and forced Nick back into my life, and now the thought of having to leave him behind again is already haunting me. I can’t bear to hurt him again.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I try to blink them back. “Please, Nana. Send me a sign. Tell me what I’m supposed to do.”
Leaning forward on the small park bench, I brace my elbows against my knees, and just as I hang my head down into my hand, a bright flash of light steals my attention. I gaze down the street, trying to figure out what the hell I’m looking at when I realize it’s a neon sign that reads OPEN in the window of Blushing’s most beloved Bar & Grill.
Oh, thank God. I don’t mind if I do.
Getting up from the bench, I take my time as I stroll through the familiar streets of Blushing, and by the time I push through the door, I’ve got a message from Sarah saying she’s already on her way.
Making my way through the busy bar, I find a stool right at the bar and make myself comfortable, arching a brow as I find my new bestie, Oxley, busily pouring a drink.
“Well, shit,” he says, a smirk playing on his lips as he puts a beer down on the bar and slides it toward an eager customer. “Something tells me this might just be the best night I’ve ever had behind this bar.”
“Oxley Stone, what the hell are you doing working here?” I ask. “I thought you worked out by the airport doing . . . actually, I have no idea what you do.”
Oxley laughs and reaches for a wine glass. “That ring didn’t pay for itself, you know?” he says, indicating toward the chilled bottles behind him. “I take it you’re a Moscato girl?”
I scoff, silently surprised by how well he was able to read me. I’m absolutely a Moscato girl, but tonight, I’m gonna need something a little stronger. “Usually I am,” I admit. “But I’m here to get fucked up.”
“Ahhh, say no more.” Oxley abandons the wine glass before grabbing a bunch of mixers, and before I can even think about what I want, he places the perfect concoction in front of me. “That should do the trick,” he says with a devastatingly gorgeous wink.
Narrowing my gaze on the glass, I drag it toward me before lifting it to my lips and taking a small pull from the straw, and my mouth instantly fills with sinful bliss. “Holy shit,” I groan, taking a deeper pull. “Are you sure you’re really into dudes? This is so freaking good. I’ll marry you if he says no.”
“Right. Because Nick is really going to stand for that,” he says. “Tell me, have you fixed it yet?”
My phone rings on the bar, and I grin at Oxley. “Ahh, would you look at that? Saved by the bell.”
He rolls his eyes, and my mood immediately plummets finding Dwayne’s name, my boss from SC Corporate Management, flashing across my screen. I knew he’d come crawling back. It was only a matter of time.