Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 19583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
After wiping his hands on a towel he pulled out of his back pocket, Collin peeks around the hood to look at me. He cocks his head to the side with pity in his eyes. "Ma'am, your oil's drier than a week-old biscuit in the Sahara. When's the last time you got this car looked at?"
I'm about to tell him it's been at least two years, but my phone rings to distract me from the star of my teenage fantasies. God, he's even hotter than I remember. Why does Collin Wright have to be this stupidly handsome? He has the same effect on me as he did back when we were teenagers.
"Yeah, Mom?" I answer the call, forgetting that it's still connected to my car's speaker.
"Joshie just called and told me you're stranded. I can come and get you. You know, if you had that nice young man you mentioned traveling with you, he would have taken care of you. Didn't you say you were bringing your boyfriend? Where is he?"
Collin injects himself into the call. "Ma'am, Mrs. Brogan, Jelly … I mean, Danielle isn't stranded. It took me a while to get here, but I'm taking good care of her."
I can almost see Mom perk up. "Who's that, Danielle?"
"It's me, Collin Wright, Mrs. Brogan. I stayed with y'all those few weeks all those years ago."
"Oh honey, how are you? Wait a minute, is this the guy, Danielle? The one you've been all secretive about?" She pauses, her voice dropping. "Is your brother the best choice for boyfriends?"
I groan and run my fingers through my hair. "Foster brother for nine weeks doesn't make us related or even siblings, Mom."
She ignores me. "Okay, then. How about you bring him for dinner? Oh good, I don't have to leave the house. These meatballs aren't going to make themselves. Honey, you and Collin, come. The more, the merrier. You should have said something earlier, Danielle."
"Mom." I shake my head at the rapid-fire speed of this conversation.
I'm ready to tell her the truth, but Collin swoops in beside me to tell her, "Thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Brogan. I'd love to join y'all for dinner."
Mom talks over him, too. "Danielle, you really shouldn't be so rude to someone you're dating, especially around this time of year. It's very rude not to tell me you're bringing someone home with ya. On second thought, I’m going to run to the market and grab a few more groceries. Love you. See ya soon, honey."
My mother ends the call, leaving me standing beside Collin, who's grinning from ear to ear, his eyes shining with mischief. With his proximity, I forget the chill seeping into my bones. I forget my piece-of-shit car. I forget everything else, and all I see is him.
He sucks his bottom lip between his teeth—something he unconsciously does whenever he’s up to no good. "So I guess we're dating, Jelly Bean."
2
COLLIN
Danielle Brogan's ash blonde hair is pulled back into a high and tight ponytail that shows off the slender lines of her neck and draws my gaze to her hazel eyes immediately. I don’t even believe in fate, but it’s like something has aligned that allowed us to meet like this.
I can’t count how many times I’ve dreamed of seeing her again and showing her I’m a far cry from the boy I was. That I am now someone she can be proud of. Someone who can take care of her. Someone she can rely on. Someone who can give her a good life.
What I didn’t take into account was how all the pent-up desire and longing would come rushing back at me all at once, almost knocking me off my feet.
This grown-up version of Danielle makes my head spin, my heart slamming against my ribcage. It’s not even ten minutes, but I’m already too far gone for her. So much so that hugging her feels natural, and my body hums in excitement when she doesn’t push me away.
A deep shade of red blooms across her cheeks as she says, "You don't have to do that. If my car's ready to go, my roadside service should cover this, right? I can tell Mom and Josh the dating thing was a misunderstanding."
"You and your mother have conversations the same exact way." I laugh. "All over the place. Are you seeing anybody?"
"No." The relief that she's available is immediate, and I know down to the marrow of my bones that I won’t let her slip away. Not this time. Never again. "I told Josh I was dating someone to get him off my case. They all say I work too much, and I just didn't want to hear it through the rest of this week. I told my mother that I'd bring my boyfriend, but sometimes sarcasm goes right over her head."