Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
“Wow. Okay. Then that’s what I have to get.” Tristan looked around. “I guess I can see why he liked this place. It’s old school.”
Sparky’s was a Shady Hills staple. It was warm and inviting with décor that combined vintage memorabilia and local artwork. There were mismatched, vibrantly colored upholstered chairs at each of the distressed wooden tables. Regular patrons occupied the counter.
Tristan and I sat across from each other at one of the tables. I’d been nervous to see him, but now that he was in front of me, it almost felt like old times. He had a way of making me comfortable even when I should’ve been nervous.
As he looked me over, I felt the room fading away.
“You look beautiful, Emily.”
“Thank you.” I cast my eyes down, feeling oddly shy. “You look good, too.”
His gaze fell to my lips, causing my nipples to stiffen.
I cleared my throat. “You said you read all of Jacob’s journals?”
“I did.” He nodded. “Not right away. I hung on to them for months after you gave them to me. Toward the end of the tour, when I saw a light at the end of the tunnel and was confident I’d be able to finish my obligations without risking a nervous breakdown, I couldn’t hold off anymore. I was blown away by a lot—namely that he wrote music. That twisted me up the most.”
“Yeah. You have no idea how many times I’ve thought of that.”
“It was clear how much he cared about you, too.”
Jacob had written about how difficult our breakup was but that he knew we’d be in each other’s lives forever. That had touched me. Jacob had just started dating a girl from his college in the months before he passed. He’d told me about her during one of our last phone calls. I remember feeling relieved because it had lessened my guilt about the end of our romantic relationship. But that’s all I knew about her, because the date on his last journal entry was before he’d met her. Not sure why he’d stopped writing.
“What did you think of what he wrote about you?” I asked.
Tristan let out a long breath. “It hurt that he doubted my character, but I can’t blame him. He didn’t know me. But I hate that he was afraid to come find me.”
“I’m sure you can understand why. In his eyes, someone like you could think he was out for money.”
“Yeah, I totally get it. It just sucks. I never would’ve turned him away. Just the opposite. He wouldn’t have been able to get rid of me.”
His words tugged at my heart. “I know.”
When the server set the plate of waffles with bacon and pickles in front of Tristan, the aroma brought on a wave of nostalgia. I couldn’t help but laugh at Tristan’s hesitation.
“Have I mentioned I hate pickles?” He grimaced. “And mustard? But I’m gonna eat the hell out of this for him.” As I nibbled my own breakfast, I watched Tristan cut his waffle into pieces, being sure to layer each bite with all of the accoutrements. When he finally took a bite, he grinned with his mouth full sarcastically. “Mmmm…” Then he downed a bunch of water.
“Are you gonna be okay?” I chuckled.
He nodded, and I watched in amusement as he worked his way through the giant waffle, bite by bite.
“It actually gets easier with time.” He rubbed his belly. “I guess I can kind of see why he liked it. It’s got a certain bite to it.”
I laughed. “There are other things he liked that are easier to stomach. I just started with this because it was his favorite. And, you know, it’s kind of funny watching you suffer.”
He grinned. “By all means, don’t hold back. I want to learn everything about him. And if I haven’t thanked you enough for doing this, let me thank you again. I appreciate you agreeing to be my tour guide.”
“It’s not a problem.” I licked syrup off the corner of my mouth. “I’m glad to be able to do it.”
“So…what did your boyfriend say when he saw you with me?” he asked a minute later. “He didn’t look too happy. I hope I didn’t get you in trouble.”
I wiped my mouth. “He was a little freaked out at first, but I haven’t told him what happened on the tour between us, so he doesn’t have a reason to be suspicious.”
“Ah…the old, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“There was no reason to tell him. I never thought you’d come to town. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”
Tristan pushed his plate away. “We should talk about us, though, Emily.”
Us. My heart fluttered. “What about us, specifically?”
“I didn’t handle things well when I found out about Jacob. After I left my mother’s, I ran off to Europe when I should’ve gone to see you one more time. I owed you that. I don’t want you to think our time together meant nothing to me. I just didn’t know how to handle it, you know? Still don’t, really.”