Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 112762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“You okay?”
“Yeah, tripped. Anyway, it was not worth the two-hour round trip.” I pressed the phone to my shoulder with my ear as I used both hands to fumble for my car keys.
“Aw.” Monroe sounded even more disappointed than me. “There wasn’t even one bloke there you fancied?”
“Nope. And I parked somewhere I shouldn’t have.”
“That’s rubbish. There was absolutely no one there that made you forget you-know-who?”
You-know-who.
Having an almighty crush on Walker had brought me nothing but an emotional roller coaster and distraction I did not need. Apparently, he was back from his vacation, but I hadn’t seen him all week. The worst part of him distancing himself was that Callie even asked after him. She wanted to know where he was. Kids were more perceptive than we gave them credit for, and I think my daughter sensed I liked Walker. I think she liked that I liked Walker.
That was proof I should never let a guy into our lives until I was sure he intended to stay. And I had to be better at guarding my feelings. If Callie could sense them, then I knew Walker had too. Hence the distance he’d put between us.
Rejection stung.
“No. Most of them just stared at my breasts the whole time.”
“Well, can you really blame them?”
I grinned as I stopped at my car. “Have I ever told you how good you are for my self—mmmughh!” Something suddenly covered my mouth, and it took me a second to register it was a gloved hand. A hard body pressed me against the car from behind, and I screamed behind the hand.
“Sloane? Sloane?” Monroe’s muffled, frantic voice could be heard from where I’d dropped my phone on the ground.
I butted my head against my attacker and slammed my elbow into his gut. He grunted, not expecting the force of it, and I turned to find a man, a good few inches taller than me, wearing street clothes and a ski mask.
Eyes of indeterminate color beneath the streetlights glared ferociously at me. He lunged and I cried out, falling back against my car, the scream for help choking inside me. My hand dove into the pocket of my sweater and just as he reached me, I lifted and sprayed that crap into his eyes.
The smell stung my nostrils as he grunted repeatedly in pain and fell to his knees. I stupidly stood there, frozen, as he stumbled to his feet and ran away, weaving all over the place because I’d blinded him.
“Sloane!” I heard my name yelled as if from a distance, and it pulled me out of my moronic trance.
Scrambling for my phone and purse, I snatched them up and dove into my car, hitting the locks. I shook from head to toe, a cold sweat breaking out over my body as I floored it out of there. My phone automatically connected to my car, and Monroe’s frantic voice filled it as I heard her telling Brodan something was wrong.
“I’m here, I’m here!” I shouted in my fear and shock.
“Oh my bloody God, what happened?” Roe yelled back angrily.
“Someone tried to mug me.” Tears came now, and I knew she could hear them as I explained, “He came up behind me before I got in my car. I fought him off and sprayed my pepper spray in his eyes. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
“What the … Brodan …” Her voice trailed off, and then I heard her husband’s voice. “Sloane, it’s Brodan. Are you safe to drive?”
“I … I … uh … I’m in shock, but I can’t stop.” I shook my head as an image of stopping only for the attacker to appear again popped into it. “I want to come home.”
“Okay. Okay. Stay on the phone with us, then. Come to us first before you collect Callie. Okay? It’ll give you time to calm down.”
“I smell,” I said in realization. “I’ve got pepper spray on me.”
“Then you can shower and change your clothes here. It’s not a problem. Just… come here first, all right?”
“I can do that.” I wiped the sweat off my forehead. “Someone tried to mug me. What the actual hell?” It was like I couldn’t catch a break. “Is this for real? Who gets attacked twice in one month?” Anger I tried so hard to fight back won. “Fuck my life!”
I sat on Monroe and Brodan’s couch, clutching a hot mug of tea between my hands. I hadn’t even let Monroe hug me when I arrived at their place. Instead, I’d jumped straight into the shower to scrub the smell of pepper spray off me. Then I’d changed into a dress of Monroe’s that barely fit because she was so petite. Thankfully, Brodan had given me one of his hoodies to put on over it.
My clothes were currently in their washing machine.