Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 94897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
But her mom was tall and thin, not average height and rounded.
Her mom wore Tom Ford perfume.
Haley wore Chloe.
But dang, how did Archie miss that, when her dad found someone to love, he’d given the same thing to Archie?
“I can’t wait for you to meet him, I think you’re really gonna like him,” Archie told her.
And Haley looked her dead in the eye when she replied, “If he’s anything like his father, I know I will.”
Yeah, she had to watch that movie.
This meant ditching the shop so she could watch during the day because Jagger had her nights.
She gave Haley a squeeze, Haley squeezed back, and when they let go of each other and turned to Andy, they saw his eyes were bright with tears.
“Such a lovable lug,” Haley said softly.
She was so right.
Archie went to her dad, kissed his cheek, got another hug, and felt like a loser bitch that she’d made him wait this long to witness his two girls connecting.
She’d make amends later, starting tomorrow night.
Now she had to get to the theater.
She’d already blown off a pickup from Jagger, who wanted them to go to the movie together.
And by the time she hit the Chez Artiste theater, she was cutting it close to the movie starting, and was five minutes late for when they agreed to meet.
Jag was waiting for her with the concessions he’d already bought.
And Archie felt that sleeping dragon shift when Jag saw her, and she knew he wanted to ask why he couldn’t pick her up and why she’d barely made the screening time.
Giving him permission not to share, she’d somehow taken away his ability to ask.
She didn’t push about something important, and he was returning the favor—with everything.
But she hadn’t asked for that favor.
More, she didn’t want it.
After giving him a greeting kiss, she grabbed her drink and the nachos, he had the popcorn and his own drink with the Milk Dud box poking out of the back pocket of his jeans, and they hit the theater.
They were seated and settled before she leaned to him and shared, “I had to pop by my dad’s. I needed to talk to him about something and it ended in me bonding with Haley. Also realizing I’ve never really bonded with Haley. That’s a longer story I’ll tell you after the movie.”
“Cool, cool,” he muttered, grabbing a chip loaded with ridiculously yellow cheese and more jalapeños than she’d be able to deal with, and she liked it spicy, and shoving it in his mouth.
“Baby,” she called.
He looked to her.
“You know you can ask me anything, right?” she queried.
“Yeah,” he said, going back to the chips and turning again to face the screen as he chewed.
She caught his jaw and brought him to face her again.
“I’m serious, Jag.”
“I didn’t think you weren’t.”
The lights dimmed, and since they couldn’t get deep into this during a film (not to mention, she was a trailer girl), she let his jaw go and went after her own chip.
But she couldn’t focus on the trailers.
Because somehow, she’d messed up.
Now she needed to figure out how to fix it and evidence was suggesting going right to the source, that being Jagger, wasn’t the way she could do that.
It was clear he was a get and give kind of guy.
She gave him headspace, and he was determined to return it no matter that she didn’t need it.
And that was all kinds of sweet.
But that didn’t negate the fact she didn’t need it.
So she needed to find another fix.
Archie had the feeling she’d find the path to that fix watching a documentary she really, seriously wanted to see.
And she was completely dreading watching.
Chapter Thirteen
Boys Like You
Jagger
Outside the school, Jagger sat on his bike next to Dutch, who was also sitting his.
They’d found a place just around the corner where they could see the entrance to the school, but you’d have to be looking to see them watching.
They were this way because they didn’t need anyone getting up in their shit about what they were doing.
It was bordering on creeping.
But Jagger wanted answers.
Since that sitch with Mal the week before, Jagger had made a point to hang at the store, mostly just to be around, be visible.
Be available.
For Mal.
Mal hadn’t taken him up on this in the way Jagger wanted, sharing what might be going down at school (or after it) that continued to drag his mood down.
That didn’t mean Mal didn’t respond to Jagger being around.
They connected.
It was surface, but definitely Mal got something out of Jagger giving a shit.
Could be it elevated his position in the kid gang at the store, having Jagger’s attention, Jagger being Archie’s, Archie being so fucking awesome.
Could be he just needed a consistent man in his life since his dad was temporarily out of the picture, and Fabe didn’t play favorites, but he was also at work, and his work wasn’t hanging with the kids, so he didn’t have the time.