Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Hi,” I say back, and I want to see her. “How far is Chicago to Dallas?” I ask her, and she laughs.
“I have no idea,” she says, and I see that she is sitting on the bed now. “Why?”
“I wonder if there is a flight out,” I tell her the truth.
“Are you crazy?” she says, laughing. “You can’t just come here.”
“Why not?” I ask her. “Don’t you want to see me?” I joke with her.
“What were you saying about the clothes?” she asks me.
“Oh that,” I tell her. “I really liked the fact that I was on your mind so much you got me clothes.”
She rolls her eyes. “How bad was your Twitter account?” she asks me, and I shrug.
“Did you know I was on SportsCenter five times last night,” she tells me and now lies down on her side while looking at me. She is so beautiful, she takes my breath away. “My sister texted me each time she saw it.”
“Yeah, I saw it too,” I tell her. “Now the question is whose jersey are you going to wear when I come to town?”
She giggles. “I don’t usually wear jerseys,” she says, and I frown at her.
“Did you think about the casino night?” I ask her.
“I did” she says softly. “Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Yes.” I don’t even think about it. “I think it’s the best idea I’ve had in a long time.”
“Okay,” she finally agrees. “I’ll book myself a hotel.”
“No,” I tell her. “I have three bedrooms.”
“Um,” she says. “I’m not really …”
“Okay, book a hotel,” I say. If this is the only way she will come, then she can have her hotel room.
“I have a call coming in from a client. Let me call you back,” she says. I nod at her, and the phone disconnects.
I get off the couch in search of some food when my phone rings again, and I think it’s her, but see it’s my mother.
“Hey, Mom,” I say, picking up the phone and putting one of my prepared meal in the microwave.
“Evan,” she says. “I was thinking about you.” Her voice getting tight.
“You saw the news?” I ask her with a laugh, knowing she saw the news.
“If you’re asking me if I saw your penalty shot from last night, I did,” she says. “It was a great shot.” She pauses. “She’s very pretty.”
I laugh now. “Have you spoken to Candace?”
“I have,” she says. “She isn’t happy about this.”
“Yeah well, she needs to get used to it,” I tell her.
“It’s just that …” she says and trails off.
“Yeah, I get it, Mom. I date a lot,” I tell her. “I get that I’ve had lots of woman. But,” I say, trailing off, “I like her.”
“Okay,” she says quietly and waits for me to continue.
“I really like her,” I tell her. “It just feels different.”
“Your sister doesn’t want you to get hurt,” she tries to defend her.
“I don’t want to get hurt either.” I look up. “But I want to get to know her.”
“Then you get to know her,” she says. “Just tread lightly.”
“I will, Mom,” I say, and she changes the subject. We speak for about ten minutes, and then I let her go.
I’m cleaning up the kitchen when the phone rings, and I suddenly smile. She isn’t just calling me; she’s FaceTiming me. I prop the phone up while I wash my dish and see her face come into the picture.
“Are you washing the dishes?” she asks, and I see she is sitting at the desk now with her own phone propped up.
“I am. I just finished eating,” I tell her.
“I just ordered room service,” she says. “What did you eat?”
“Chicken and veggies,” I tell her.
“Did you cook that yourself?” She raises her eyebrows.
“Nope,” I say turning off the water and walking to grab a hand towel. “I have meals brought in. What did you order?”
“A kale salad and some grilled salmon,” she says. “I’m going to hit the gym tomorrow morning before work.”
“I have to be on the ice at nine,” I tell her. “We have two away games on Tuesday and Thursday but then come right back and have a Friday game.”
“Where are you going?” she asks me.
“First Philly and then Boston,” I tell her.
“Oh, you have to have a cheesesteak for me,” she moans. “The one with the Cheez Whiz.”
When her meal gets there, she doesn’t let me go. Instead, she eats, and we chat the whole time. She tells me about getting kicked off her school bus when she was six for telling the bus driver he was a douche canoe. Then Zoe also did because she just did what Zara did. The stories had me in stitches, and it makes me like her even more. She loves her family fiercely, and she will fight tooth and nail for them. She reminds me of Candace.