Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25234 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25234 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
“So he wants you to just come and live with him?” she asks, shocked but in a good way. “And what did you say?”
“I told him…I would.”
“Wow, girl.” Misty smiles. “You’re really falling for him, aren’t you?”
I nod, blushing. “I am.”
“Do you think you love him?”
It’s strange to hear the question asked out loud. I think I’ve been pondering it for a while now; I just haven’t really thought about it directly until this moment. But it doesn’t take me even a second to answer.
“Yes.” I nod. “I do.”
“Wow,” Misty replies, her face lit up.
“And I’m taking your advice. Screw my aunt and screw her money. She can say whatever she wants when she finds out. I don’t care. I’m going to follow my heart.”
“Good for you!” Misty says, raising her seltzer like a beer.
“Hell yeah!” I laugh, cheersing it with mine.
We both take big swigs like we’re two frat boys out at the bar.
I hear the door ding behind me and watch as Misty’s entire expression changes. She frowns and looks over at whoever just came in. Out of reflex, I can’t help but turn, and when I see who it is, my entire body goes tense, and a chill comes over me.
My Aunt Beatrice steps into the parlor, her nose in the air like the entire place stinks. I instantly turn away, doing my best to hide myself, but she spots me.
“Hello, Skylar!” she calls out. I hear her high-heeled feet click-clacking across the floor as she approaches. “I thought I’d come visit you at work.”
I spin in my chair and force a smile that hurts my cheeks when I make it.
“Oh hey, Aunt Beatrice.”
Misty flashes me a glance and mouths, This is her? I discretely nod back.
Beatrice glances around the parlor and puffs air from her lips. “Why do people cover themselves in ink like they’re tapestries? I’ll never understand it.”
“Some people like it,” Misty chimes in, getting Beatrice’s attention.
Yeah, give it to her!
“And you are?”
“I’m Misty. I work here. Sky is my apprentice.”
Beatrice nods. Her eyes move across Misty’s tattoos, clearly unimpressed.
“Well, Misty, if you don’t mind, I’d like a word with my niece.”
Misty glances at me as if to say she’ll stick around to back me up if I need it. But I nod to let her know I’ll be okay, and she gets up to go over to Brian’s station. Beatrice takes her seat and stares daggers at me.
There’s a long, uncomfortable silence before she actually speaks.
“I know about you and Cade.”
“Wh–what about us?”
“Did you know he’s seen me naked?” she asks. This stops me in my tracks. Beatrice may be a cold-hearted bitch, but I’ve never known her to be a liar.
Even so, this is something I just can’t stomach.
“Bullshit.”
“Oh, it’s quite true.” She smiles. “He’s been trying to seduce me for weeks. I knew all he wanted was for me to invest in his business, of course. I saw right through him and turned him down, so now he’s going for you. He thinks he can get to me through you.”
My heart is racing. I can already feel beads of sweat on my brow and wipe them away with the back of my hand.
“Cade would never–”
“Oh come now, Skylar. You can’t be that naïve. He’s a man. Men love using women. Whether it’s for sex or money or both. And Cade believes you’ll give him both.”
I don’t want to believe it. I can’t. The pain in my heart is simply too much.
“No,” I reply firmly. “I already told him you don’t share with me.”
“And I told him that if you were a good little girl who went and got married, that I might reconsider,” she says, smiling like a snake. “So he knows where his bread is buttered. Didn’t he mention to you he wanted to expand his business with investment money?”
Our conversation from last night comes rushing back to me.
It can’t be.
Beatrice doesn’t even have to wait for my respond. It’s written all over my face.
“That’s okay, dear,” she says, patting me on the knee. “We all have to experience our first betrayal. I just thought I would let you know before you got in too deep with him.”
All I can do is stare blankly as she walks to the door and lets herself out.
I’m such an idiot that I didn’t even think about this before. It didn’t even cross my mind that Cade would be interested in my aunt’s money. What’s wrong with me?
Misty quickly rushes over and sits down.
“Wow, you were right about her being a bitch. What was that all about?”
I swallow hard. Both of my hands are trembling so I sit on them.
“She said…that Cade has been trying to seduce her for weeks.”
“What!? Bullshit!”
“And that he’s only getting with me because he wants to get to her money.”