Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“That’s perfect,” I respond, and I find myself leaning forward to hug her. “Seriously. Thank you. You have no idea how much you’re helping me out, Sammy.”
She hugs me back, but she also laughs. “Oh, trust me, with all of the trouble Seth has caused this year, I am the one who owes you.”
Mack
The hallways are empty and quiet as I walk from the front office to the auditorium. It’s a quarter till four, and pretty much everyone has left the building for the day. There may be a few cleaning staff left in the classrooms, but by and large, the school is abandoned.
A perfect situation, if you ask me, for my little “emergency meeting” with Katy.
I haven’t had any one-on-one time with Katy since I dropped her off at her apartment on Sunday night, and despite my attempts to dispatch a meetup via text, I still don’t know when this unfortunate stretch is going to come to a natural end.
So, instead, I’m ending it myself with a little white lie about an emergency with Career Day. As if that could even be a thing?
My in-person flirting has been more successful than my texts, as her scowls have been half-assed at best, and on more than a few occasions, I’ve even gotten secret smiles and laughs out of her.
It’s a far cry from the way things used to be, back when she hated my fucking guts, and it’s only emboldened me further in my pursuit of her.
I step through the doors of the auditorium and note there’s only one light on beside the stage. The room looks massive when it’s this dark, and my footsteps echo off the walls as I make my way up the tiled center aisle and find a seat near the front.
I pull my phone out of my back pocket to check the time. The screen showcases 3:55 p.m., along with a few missed text notifications. With five minutes to spare until Katy is supposed to meet me here, I decide to open up my inbox and tap the first unread message.
Kai: A good buddy of mine owns a motocross track about forty minutes outside the city. Even has two bikes we can borrow. Want to put your money where your cocky mouth is, City Boy, and have a little race when I’m in New York at the end of April?
Yes, I’m still text buddies with Katy’s dad. Two days ago, we had a banter-filled back-and-forth about motocross racing, and I might’ve told him I could take him.
Me: Bring it, Old Man. Name the time and place, and I’ll be there.
Frankly, my motocross experience is minimal at best, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure Kai will kick my ass. The man is a retired professional, for fuck’s sake.
But I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.
Kai: HA. I knew I liked you, kid.
I tap the screen into the next missed message in my inbox and find a text from my big motherfucker of a cousin.
Thatch: Investor meeting. Next Friday at 4 p.m. My Manhattan office.
Me: I’ll be there.
Thatch: Your ass better be. I’ve already had to reschedule this fucker twice.
Me: Technically, I was ready and able to be there for both meetings. The first time, you told me to stay in Florida because of something you read in a book. Monday, you didn’t even give me a reason.
Thatch: If this is how you’re going to try to schmooze the investors, things aren’t going to end well.
Me: You’re right. I appreciate the opportunity. It doesn’t matter why the first two meetings didn’t happen. I’ll be at this one.
Thatch: Just FYI, if you try to cancel on me last minute, I’ll sic my wife on you. I’ve never seen her actually castrate anyone, but she sure does love to talk about it.
Me: Like I said, I’LL BE THERE.
Thatch: Great. How did all that forced proximity go, by the way?
I start to text him back with as few details as possible, but the sounds of the auditorium doors swinging open and then swiftly slamming shut with a crashing bang! take priority.
Katy’s walking down the aisle, squinting into the mostly dark room as she tries to locate me, and I shove my phone back into my pocket.
“Mack?” she whisper-yells. “Are you in here?”
“I am, but you don’t need to whisper,” I answer through a laugh and stand to my feet. “Pretty sure we’re the only people left in the building.”
It’s hard to see in the shadows, but I swear she rolls her pretty little eyes as she closes the distance between us.
Thankfully, the light is better as she gets closer. I would have hated to have missed the way her toned legs look beneath the little floral dress that fits her body in the most delicious way. It’s this soft lace material that only showcases a hint of her curves, but the memory of their every detail is vivid enough in my mind to paint a much more extensive picture.