Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I was a big fan of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches my mom made, so I told Timmy Tommy to shove it. He did. He shoved his clumsy fist straight into my nose at warp speed.
My nose broke in two places, but while I waited for x-rays at the hospital with my dad at my side, I ate that goddamn sandwich, and it tasted as sweet as I knew it would.
I approach Lia’s desk. Today is her last day. The occasion was marked with cupcakes in the break room this morning and a sentimental speech from Dominick, even though Lia has only worked here for a few months.
“What can I do for you, Daniel?” she asks as she pushes back from her desk. “Are you ready for Operation Surprise GC?”
I’d smile at the fact that she’s given Gina’s surprise party a code name, but I’m too damn pissed at the moment. That phone call from Nevada ruined my entire fucking day.
“Do you know where Gina is?” I ask, trying to keep an even tone.
Her shoulders stiffen. “Oh no. Is the plan falling apart?”
I shake that off because the birthday party is my last concern. Gina is all I’m thinking about at the moment. I need to find her now.
“No.” I take a breath. “I want to up the surprise quotient and show up at her photo shoot.”
I’m firing from the hip, but it’s plausible enough that Lia buys into it. “That’s an incredible idea. I know she’s working with Ella Kara today.”
“Do you know where?” I push. “Where the photo shoot is?”
She shrugs both shoulders, sending her blonde hair drifting onto her back. “I don’t. I can text her and ask, but that would seem suspicious.”
Since I’ve already sent Gina a dozen text messages and tried calling her at least half as many times, she’d reach out to me before responding to anyone else.
That’s not my ego talking. That’s intuition. I know Gina will panic when she sees my repeated attempts to contact her.
“That’s all right.” I nod. “Thanks anyway.”
“You’ll have her at Grandma’s restaurant at eight, right?”
“On the dot,” I promise, even though I have no idea what Gina’s life will look like three hours from now, let alone an hour from now.
“Perfect.” Her smile shines bright. “That’s it for me, Daniel. It’s officially quitting time. I am no longer an employee of Modica.”
“We’ll miss you,” I say to lead this conversation to its end. “But I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Two and a half,” she corrects me.
“Right.”
It’s not as though I’m unaware of the time since I feel as though there’s a ticking time bomb strapped to my back at the moment.
With her attention on her phone, she waves a hand in my direction. “See you later.”
I don’t offer a response because I’m already sprinting toward the elevator.
I can fix everything with a press of a button, sending a nice tidy sum to someone who snapped a picture of Gina and me exchanging vows in Vegas, but I owe it to my wife to tell her what’s going on before I bury that picture forever.
For better or worse just got a hell of a lot more real.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Gina
I stare at myself in the full-length mirror in front of me.
“If you ever get married, that’s the dress for you,” Sophia Wolf says. “Gina, you look beautiful.”
I do.
I see it.
When I arrived just over three hours ago, Sophia screamed in delight when she saw the state of my hair.
It was still naturally wavy, partially contained by the loose ponytail I had it in.
She immediately insisted that the hair stylist she hired for the shoot not touch a strand of my hair. The woman almost complied. She ran her fingers through it and added a little spritz of some papaya-scented product that she promised would chase any frizz away.
I love the way it looks almost as much as I love my makeup.
The man tasked with that promised me a natural look that would wow. He wasn’t lying. I look incredible.
The sound of horns honking lures my gaze toward the city skyline. We’re on the terrace of Howerton House. It’s a venue in midtown that has become the place to have a wedding.
I toured it less than two months ago with Arietta. A date opened up, and Dominick pulled a few magic strings to secure the space if they wanted it. They did, so their wedding will take place right in this spot just a few weeks from now.
“I love the dress,” I tell Sophia while holding tightly to the bouquet of red roses in my hand. “I’ve loved all of them, but this is my favorite.”
It’s the fifth I’ve had on today, but it’s the most me of all of them. It’s satin with a ruched bodice and spaghetti straps. It’s simple, elegant and drapes my body perfectly.