Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“I get it.” He sighs, wiping his hand over his forehead. “Yeah, I get it. Sorry, I just don’t like the idea of you out there before the sun comes up, walking to work with Lily.”
“It’s okay. Obviously, I called you last night when I was scared. The other stuff? The tire and the walking? It didn’t scare me.” I shrug and pick up my taco.
“Another drink?” Pete asks.
“One more,” I agree.
“I’m good. I could use some water,” Chase says and turns back to me. “Okay, let’s start over at the beginning and get back to first date conversation. What brings you to Bitterroot Valley, Miss Quinn?”
I chew, considering what to tell him. The tequila, God love it, is already starting to go to my head, and it’s a pleasant little buzz that gives me a boost of courage.
“Well, my aunt Paula, you know her”—he nods—“has lived here forever. Now that I think about it, I don’t know why she moved here. That’s something I’ll have to ask her. Anyway, like I told you before, I used to spend the summers here with her when I was a kid, and I loved it. I didn’t enjoy living in Helena.”
“Why not?”
“My parents aren’t bad people, but they’re not great parents, either. Dad was always campaigning, and Mom was obsessed with being the wife of a senator. They travel, they host parties and go to dinners, and I’m just…there. Or, I was. Anyway, I went to college, and I was expected to go into law. So, I got a political science degree.”
“Wow,” he says, winging up an eyebrow. “Where did you go?”
“University of Montana in Missoula. My parents introduced me to a guy they knew, Dennis, at a gala. He was also going to school in Missoula, and he was…nice.” I shrug a shoulder and pick up my new drink when it’s delivered. “He was handsome and made me laugh. Of course, he wanted my father’s political connections, and I knew that, but I didn’t let it bother me much.”
I take another drink and eat a chip, eyeing Chase through blurry eyes, thanks to the alcohol. He’s listening to every word I’m saying. I have his full attention, and I admit, I like that a lot.
“This is really a lot of information. Is this a first date conversation?”
“I don’t see why not,” he says and pops a fry into his mouth. “I asked. Go ahead.”
“Okay, well, I dated Dennis through college. I never moved in with him, though. He wanted to, but I liked having my own place. I shared an apartment with my best friend, Lyla. And trust me, this is working its way back around to what brought me to live here full time.”
“I’m riveted.” He chuckles and sips his water. “Seriously. Keep talking.”
“It’s a juicy story.” I waggle my eyebrows and sip my margarita. “So, we graduated from college, and I was kind of lost. Now that I look back on it, that’s exactly what I was. Lost. I didn’t want to go to law school. I was working in retail during the day and as a bartender at night. It was long hours, sometimes eighteen-hour days.”
I stop to think about that.
“Actually, I’m not going to complain about my long hours at the flower shop anymore because it’s way better than that.”
“It sounds challenging.”
“It was horrible. I’m not afraid of work if I enjoy the job, but those two jobs were not fun. Anyway, after one particularly grueling shift at the bar, I decided that I didn’t want to go straight home. Lyla told me she was going to host a party at our apartment, and I’d just finished serving drunk college kids all evening, you know?”
“Sure. You don’t want to deal with that when you just want to crash.”
“Exactly. So, I went to Dennis’s apartment. Figured I’d crash at his place. I was so tired.” I frown, remembering that night. “I knew when I walked in that something was…different. I just had a feeling in my gut. And then I found clothes in the hallway, and when I got to the bedroom—”
“Oh, no.” He shakes his head ruefully.
“They weren’t having sex,” I reply, remembering it through my foggy memory. “They were sleeping. Out cold. Dennis and Lyla.”
“The best friend?”
“The same one. I stood there for a few minutes, just looking at them, and I was numb. I left the key to his apartment on the kitchen counter and went home. I packed my things, loaded up my car, left that key on the kitchen counter, and decided that I didn’t want that life. I didn’t want them. Bitterroot Valley was always home for me, so I came here with Aunt Paula, and she took me in without a moment of hesitation. I’ve been here ever since.”
“Did you ever speak to the two assholes again?”