Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Oh my God.
I’d never been involved in a car accident before.
Yet another first experienced with Connor Clash.
Luckily, it was fairly low impact. Our car had basically creeped into theirs but still… it was our fault.
My stomach knotted and when Connor moved to pull up behind the car with the busted tail light thanks to us, my palms began to sweat. “What do we do?”
At the look of horror on my face, Connor remained straight-faced. “Well, I have a gun in the back seat.” He let out a regretful sigh then turned to me and nodded lightly. “We’re going to have to kill them.” My brows hit my hairline and Connor chuckled. “Emmy, relax.” His grin told me I was being ridiculous. “We’re just going to exchange insurance details. That’s all.”
We pulled in behind the sensible sedan and when a young man stepped out, he was clearly upset, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. He walked to the back of his car and bent over, touching the bumper and assessing the damage.
“Here. Hold this,” Connor said as he handed me his half-eaten hot dog. I took it, looking down at it in disgust and then watched as my handsome rock star approached the man. I wasn’t nosey by nature but this was a new experience and because of that, I wanted to know how these things usually went. So, I slowly wound down the passenger window so I could listen in.
Connor spoke first. “Hey, man, I’m really sorry. I was distracted. I’ll tell my insurance company it was completely my fault.”
The man kept surveying the damage. “It doesn’t look too bad but… shit,” he shook his head. “My mom’s sick, dude.” He straightened and turned while speaking, “I can’t afford to be without my car, even for a day.” And when his gaze landed on Connor, he did a double take before his eyes widened and he realized exactly who it was who had hit him. Under his breath, he mumbled, “Oh my God.”
Connor sighed in understanding. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He scratched at his chin. “Is it bad?”
The man didn’t respond. He just stood there a long while, unblinking, before he uttered a confused, “Huh?”
“Your mom?” Connor prompted, completely oblivious to the fact that this man was having a small aneurism. “Is it bad?”
That seemed to snap the guy out of his stupor. “Uh, yeah. Cancer,” he shrugged.
Connor sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. “Shoot, man. That fucking sucks.” He thought a moment before adding, “Tell you what, why don’t you give me your details and I’ll work on something that won’t put you out.” Sliding his hands into pockets, he clicked his tongue as he continued to think out loud. “I’ll figure something out. I’m not gonna leave you in the lurch.”
The man seemed stunned. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Yeah, my man,” Connor chuckled mildly. “I do.”
Suddenly, the guy’s shoulders dropped. “No, really. It’s actually not a big deal.” His arm swung out to the back of the car. “All the damage is superficial and the car isn’t even that great. I was looking at getting a new one anyway.” He forced a small smile. “We’re good.”
Connor watched the man closely for a second. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” the young man said firmly.
That was when I slid out of the car. As I approached, the man gasped then let out a loud barking laugh. “Holy shit.” He chuckled to himself before getting out, “You’re the Violet Dame.” He raised his head heavenward then murmured, “This can’t be happening. Unbelievable.”
The show of admiration made me automatically uncomfortable and to counter it, I came forward and gently placed my hand on his upper arm, my face apologetic. In a tone that was one hundred percent pre-Left Turn Emily, I asked a quietly unsure, “Are you okay?”
The man looked down at my hand before absolutely beaming. “Yes,” he laughed quietly, almost disbelievingly. “I’m good. Honestly.”
“I’m glad.” Relieved, I swallowed hard, my tongue feeling like sandpaper against the top of my mouth. “That was my very first car accident.” I forced out a humorless laugh. “I’m a little shaken up.”
Connor was by my side in a second. “Baby.” His arm was around me and he tried not to laugh. “That wasn’t a car accident. That was a barely a fender-bender. It was a love tap.”
I lifted my head to look at him and glared hard, attempting to shrug him off. “It was terrifying.”
At that, Connor began to laugh openly. “Oh, please.”
My elbow connected with his stomach and he grunted as I berated him. “What did I say? ‘Stop shoving your mustard breath in my face, Connor.’ ‘I’m not going to kiss you, Connor.’ ‘Stop it, Connor.’ ‘Watch the road, Connor.’”
Connor just grinned before nudging the young man. “Isn’t she something?”