Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Paul leans in and whispers to me, “I got that for her last week. Wait until you see the whole set.”
But that does it. My mind is instantly taken back to Sadie and the lingerie set she bought for me. I remember just how incredibly gorgeous she looked in it, and I’m instantly on my feet.
I don’t care if Sadie’s found herself another man or not. There’s no way I’m ready to move on. Maybe I never will be.
“No,” I say. “I can’t do this.”
“Oh, sure you can, honey,” Rachel replies. Her tone is sweet, almost motherly. Yeah, these two have definitely done this before, and they’ve definitely had to calm down a man from freaking out before too.
She places her hands on my chest and tries to push me back down on the couch. “Just take a breath. Everything is all right–”
“No, really,” I say, smiling and doing my best to remain calm and friendly despite feeling the complete opposite. “I should go. I need to go.”
“Come on, Jake,” Rachel says, almost pleading. “You said you have no woman.” She puts a hand on my shoulder as I step away from the couch, but I shrug it away.
“Yeah, maybe I said that,” I reply. “But…”
I glance over at Paul, who simply nods.
“All right, buddy,” he says. “We understand. I’ll have a car take you back to your place.”
“Thank you,” I reply. “And I hope you’ll continue to think of us in the future if you have any security needs.”
Paul smiles. “Of course we will.” But he’s just saying that. This will be the end of my business association with the Thortons.
As I walk outside wait for the car that will take me home, there’s only one thing going through my mind. No matter what she says, I have to get Sadie back.
45
Jake
It’s raining on the car ride home. I watch the beads of rain snake their way down the window, forming little rivers and streams, branching off until they reach the rubber seal at the bottom.
It’s definitely been a strange night. From the drunk would-be assailant to what almost went down at the Thortons’ house, this will be one to remember.
“Mrs. Thorton’s definitely a looker, wouldn’t you say?” The driver’s question comes so far out of left field I’m almost wondering if I heard him right.
I grunt back like a caveman. I don’t feel like getting into it with a guy who probably has the emotionally maturity of Ryan. I can only see the man’s face reflected in the rearview, but I can tell he’s smiling.
“I was happy to get this job, I’ll tell you that.” He smirks. We’re almost at my house now, so I just nod. This guy’s got a mouth on him and lacks professionalism. My guess is he’ll get himself fired within a month—two at the most.
“Thanks,” I tell him as he pulls up in front of my place. “Enjoy the job.”
“Oh, I will!” He chuckles.
I step out of the car and into the rain, which has now become quite a downpour. I pull my jacket up over my head to shield myself from the worst of it, but as I walk up my lawn, I stop when I see a figure seated on my front steps.
I squint for a moment, but then I realize who that figure is.
It’s Sadie.
She’s soaking wet, sitting out in the rain with her arms wrapped around her legs and her hair draped across her face. She’s hunched up so tightly that if I didn’t know it was her, I don’t think I’d be able to make out who she was.
“Sadie.” She raises her head slightly as I approach.
“Jake...” Her voice is quiet, timid, almost obscured by the sound of the rain falling all around us.
My first instinct is to go over to her, cover her with my jacket, and take her inside to warm her up. But I don’t know if my first instinct is the one I should listen to. Not anymore. When it comes to Sadie, I don’t know what to do anymore.
“What are you doing here?” I ask her. “Why are you sitting in the rain?”
It takes her a moment to answer. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss you when you got back.”
“You must be freezing,” I reply. I still desperately want to reach out and take her into my arms. “How long have you been here?”
“A while,” she says. It’s dark, and even with her hair in her face, I can see her unmistakable beauty. “You were out on a job, I guess?”
It’s a simple question, but there’s something in the tone of her voice. She’s asking me something else. It takes me just a second to get at, and when I do, I’m not sure I even believe it.
She’s asking me if I was out on a date with another woman.