Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
I set my knitting on the coffee table, and uncurl from the couch.
I changed into red sweatpants and a matching T-shirt after school. My hair is braided to the side and my face hasn’t seen a stitch of makeup all day. I blame that on my almost all night knitting session.
“I’m coming!” I yell back.
“We didn’t bring any of those green beans mom makes.”
By the time I swing open the door, I’m laughing. Astrid and Stevie are too.
They look adorable in matching outfits of jeans and white sweaters that I knit for both of them.
“It was match your best friend day at school today,” Stevie says as she hops into my apartment carrying a takeout bag. “So, Mom and me made it match your best friend at home today day, too.”
She laughs at her own words. “Did that make sense?”
“It made perfect sense.” I motion for both of them to enter.
I’ve always felt a twinge of awkwardness when I open the door to find my cousin on the other side since she owns the apartment.
Astrid shoves a tray holding three cups with paper straws in my direction. “Strawberry milkshakes for the win.”
“For the women,” Stevie says. “It’s hot dog, milkshake and dress measurement day. That’s why we didn’t invite Gaines to come.”
I drop my gaze to her face. “Gaines?”
“My dad’s cousin,” she explains. “You met him at our house, remember? He’s the tall doctor guy.”
Tugging the bag from Stevie’s grip, Astrid chuckles. “Eloise knows who Gaines is. I think she was asking why we’d invite him in the first place.”
“Ohhh,” Stevie draws the single word out. “We wouldn’t, but we saw him in Vinyl Crush just now.”
I turn toward the table to hide the shock I feel. Gaines was in the record store?
I expected to hear him from at some point during the last week, even if it was via text, but I didn’t. I attributed that to his work schedule. The pressure he’s under is something I can’t even imagine dealing with.
“We saw him walking right toward us,” Astrid goes on to explain, “We laughed when we reached the door to the building at the same time.”
He was on his way to see me.
“Apparently, he’s browsing for an album for a friend.” Astrid shrugs. “I’m sure Castle will be able to recommend something perfect.”
“Right.” I take a deep breath to slow my racing heart.
“Maybe his friend is a lady doctor.” Stevie whistles. “Sometimes doctors marry doctors.”
I don’t want that doctor to marry another doctor.
“Gaines may never get married, Stevie,” Astrid tells her daughter. “His job is very important to him.”
I spin to face them again, wanting desperately to change the subject to anything but who Gaines Morgan may marry one day, since I can’t see any path that would lead me down an aisle in a wedding dress toward him.
The man made it clear that he doesn’t want anyone to know about us.
“I’m going to get married when I’m thirty,” Stevie reminds us. “Eloise will knit me a dress.”
I can’t help but smile broadly at the prospect of that. “That would be the greatest honor of my life.”
Stevie closes the distance between us to hug me tightly. “You’re one of my best friends, too.”
I tear up as I hold her close. “You’re one of mine, too, Stevie. I hope that never changes.”
The words Gaines said to me about not wanting to break Stevie’s heart echo inside of me. If we took things too far and it fell apart it would impact almost everyone we both love, and we can’t risk that. We can never risk that.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Gaines
I glance down at the album in my hand.
“Cupid Karma,” I repeat the name of the local band who financed everything they owned to make this record.
I know all of that because Castle gave me a forty-five minute lesson on the band’s history, including the fact that all three members are sisters.
I stepped right into that because I asked him to explain the band’s origins to me as if I was some fucking music aficionado.
I’m not.
I’m a guy who listens to whatever my streaming service thinks I’ll like. Their algorithm is fucked, though. I’ve run circles around Central Park listening to some classical shit, and other days, I’m bombarded with pop songs that I can’t understand the lyrics to.
I do have a favorite singer. Her stage name is Astrid Rehn. Her married surname is Morgan. Her songs always hit me hard, though, because I know the more recent stuff she’s written is about my cousin.
Every track I’ve heard for her new album is a literal love song for the ages.
The time I spent with Castle was time wasted.
Astrid and Stevie were heading up to see Eloise when I had to duck into the store to explain my presence in this part of town.
Since Castle practically pushed me out the door just now so he can lock up, I know Eloise is still not alone since Castle is on his way up to hand Astrid a sales report from last month.