Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 143382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 717(@200wpm)___ 574(@250wpm)___ 478(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 717(@200wpm)___ 574(@250wpm)___ 478(@300wpm)
Damn.
“I’m sorry, Lolo,” I muttered. “It’s hard to talk about it. And it’s hard to explain. It wasn’t like they were abusive or anything. They just didn’t care.”
“That’s abusive, Jess,” Harlow countered.
“Others have it a lot worse,” I replied.
“I’m not best friends with others,” she shot back. “I’m best friends with you. And how you grew up stinks. And I don’t like it. But I get you now more than I ever did.” She smiled, it was a bit trembly, but she did it. “I just thought you were a kickass bee-yotch. And I’d always wanted to be friends with a kickass bee-yotch, and you’re the most kickass bee-yotch there is.”
Did people say “bee-yotch” anymore?
I didn’t ask that.
It went against the grain, but I knew it would mean something to her, and she meant everything to me, so I twisted in my seat, pulled her into my arms and hugged her.
“We are witnessing growth right this very instant, folks, and I’m here for it,” Raye joked.
I let Harlow go and shot a look at Raye, at the same time I pulled out my phone and dared, “Wanna see growth?”
“Hit us with it,” Luna invited.
I pulled up my contacts, found Eric, and disregarded my finger was shaky when I hit go on his number.
I put my phone to my ear.
It rang once (once!), and he greeted, “Hey, Jess. You good?”
“Hey. Yeah. I’m fine. Out for brunch with the girls, but I wanted to say thanks for coming over last night.”
“Not a problem.”
“It, uh…meant a lot.”
“Really not a problem, babe. Happy to do it.”
Shit.
Shit.
Fuck.
“I also wanted to know if you have plans for tonight?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Do I?” he asked back.
Why was that answer sexy AF?
“On No-Fucks-to-Giving, you got two movie picks, and I only got one. So I thought I’d order a pizza and we could even things out and watch Joy Ride.”
“How about you come to my place, and I’ll make us pizza, and we’ll watch Joy Ride?”
Oh my God.
He was into me.
My clit started tingling, my heart started hammering, and I suddenly turned all girlie and shot big, happy eyes at my chicks.
Harlow lifted her hands and did the clapping motion without clapping so it wouldn’t make noise.
Raye and Luna just smiled at me.
“Jess? You there?” Eric called.
Oh shit.
“Yeah. I’m here. Sorry, our food was served,” I lied.
Raye snorted. Luna rolled her eyes. Harlow kept clapping silently.
“But that’d be good. What time?” I asked.
“Six work?”
“Yeah.”
“Great, babe. I’ll text my address.”
“Can I bring anything?”
“Just you. I’ll have us covered.”
Just me.
Oh man, that gooey feeling was coming back.
“Okay. Good. Awesome. Fantastic. Looking forward to it.” Must…stop…mouth! “See you then.”
“See you then, Jessie,” he purred.
Purred!
Jesus Christ.
He was totally into me!
“Bye,” I pushed out.
“Later, Jess.”
I hung up and gusted like I’d just run a hundred-yard dash, “That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
“Worth it though, yeah?” Raye asked.
We would have to see.
I still nodded.
“What’s No-Fucks-to-Giving?” Harlow asked.
Maybe it was what I’d just done, and all it’d taken me to do it. Maybe it was all the emotion about Jeff and my parents surfacing. Maybe it was the fact I’d learned that I hadn’t been as good of a friend as I should be to the best friends you could have.
But when Harlow asked that, I busted out laughing.
Harlow was smiling tentatively when I was done, and I told her, “It’s what people with shit families call Thanksgiving.”
“Do you get turkey?” she asked.
I nodded. “And stuffing, and all the other good stuff that makes you need to unbutton your pants when you’re done shoving food in your face.”
“Oh my God, did you unbutton your pants in front of Eric?” Raye asked.
“He said it was a compliment to the chef.”
“And again, love you, you know it, but you really, really, really have had your head up your ass about this guy,” Luna remarked.
I couldn’t get pissed at her.
Because I had.
And I had a date with him that night.
So I was no longer in any mood to be pissed.
I was in the mood to hit up my brothers’ friends, hopefully find out something that would settle my mind, then go home and be more of a girl by picking out the perfect outfit, doing the perfect makeup, going and buying the perfect bottle of wine.
And having an at-his-house-for-pizza-and-a-movie date with a hot guy.
“I’m just gonna say, you know, you might have Eric, after tonight, if things keep going good,” Harlow started as we drove from Jeff’s bud number three, David, to Jeff’s bud number four, the last bud on my list, Joshua.
Newsflash: so far, none of them had heard from my brother.
“But if you find yourself in the zone again, you know, the bad one you mentioned at brunch, and you want company, you can call me,” Harlow finished.
“Me too. I’m just a couple of doors down,” Raye said. “I could be there in a jiffy.”