Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 73192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“You talk to me.”
I screeched and whirled, finding my dad at the door with it open wide and Tyler on the other side of it, his arms crossed, looking amused.
“I don’t talk to you,” I shot back instinctively. “I snarl at you. Or you snarl at me and I can’t let it go at that, so I have to counter back your asinine comments.”
Tyler looked even more amused.
“Whoa, T. What the hell are you doing here?” Dad asked, looking surprised to see his friend. “And why the hell are you talking to my daughter?”
Tyler’s eyes crinkled at the side when he grinned.
“I was patrolling the neighborhood because I got a burglar alarm in the house eight lots down,” Tyler pointed over his shoulder. The only house that would’ve bothered putting one in was the huge two-story house that started where the driveway ended and extended out all the way onto the lake. It had massive pilings that extended down into the water, holding up a deck from heaven. “Saw your truck and thought I’d stop in to say hi. I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Dad extended his hand to Tyler, who took it and shook hands with him.
“What about the part about you talking to my daughter?” Dad asked.
Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.
He did it.
“Your darling daughter decided to trespass on my property last week and steal some moss off a tree.”
I felt my dad’s gaze burning into my cheek.
I flushed and looked away.
“Reagan Rose, what have I told you about that?” he said slowly.
I shrugged. “Not to get caught.”
Tyler snorted, as did my father.
I glared at them both—but Tyler harder.
Okay, so my father would never in his life say that.
But…whatever.
“You know damn good and well that I didn’t say that. That was your stepmother. That wasn’t me,” Dad countered.
I bit my lip and tried not to laugh.
“She’s sorry.” Dad sighed.
I sniffed lightly. I was so not sorry. I was far from sorry.
Tyler snorted. “Yeah…no, she’s not.”
I found my lip twitching into a semblance of a smirk but immediately smoothed out my features. It wouldn’t do for him to know that he made me laugh.
“Honestly, I’m just surprised that she’s talking to you.” Dad shook his head. “The last time she got caught trespassing, she was hauled into jail and only told the arresting officer her name. They thought it was a stall tactic and I was called. Then I had to explain that she was incredibly shy and never talked to anyone, not even her friends sometimes. They let her go with the understanding that she wouldn’t trespass anymore.”
I mashed my lips together.
Okay, so I knew better. Sue me.
My dad sighed.
“I gotta go. I’d offer to take you out to lunch for your troubles, but I have to meet my wife to go shop for a new car. Ours was totaled last week when some dumbass ran off the road and smashed into it while she was at work.” Dad pulled his keys from his pocket. “It was nice seeing you, man.”
Tyler and Dad shook hands and I walked away. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too,” he called from my entryway. “I’ll lock it.”
I rolled my eyes.
There’d be no point in locking it. The people that lived on the lake were all over the age of seventy. The only two younger people in this entire community that I’d seen were Tyler and me.
“Bye, Reagan. Nice talking to you,” Tyler called out.
I flipped him off over my shoulder and he chuckled.
His stupid chuckle could still be heard after my father closed and locked the door.
The bastard.
***
I shuffled reluctantly into the restaurant—one a town over from Hostel that looked so fancy that I felt totally out of place just walking into it—and went to the hostess stand.
“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?” the cute little blonde asked.
I nodded. “Cree.”
Janie had made the reservation and told me in no uncertain terms that I was to go, or there’d be hell to pay.
I decided to go…but only because I really did want to start dating again, but I knew I wouldn’t do anything about it on my own.
Sadly, Janie was a hundred percent right.
I needed help.
I was socially awkward, and even worse, I got extremely anxious when talking to people, even more so when I didn’t know them.
I already knew how this date would go.
I would sit there, not talking, occasionally spitting out a one- or two-word reply to the questions he asked. And, if all went well, he wouldn’t think I was a total freak and might even ask me out on a second date since it was so obvious how shy I was.
“Right this way,” the hostess gestured with the palm of her hand.
I followed her and let my eyes skip around the room, one person after another, wondering who my date was.