Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Chapter Seven
The next morning was awkward, but not the type of exciting awkward we’d encountered yesterday in the tent. I’d slept like crap, and last night’s rejection that left me feeling sad had morphed into anger. We sat at a Waffle House filled with truckers and retirees. I stirred my coffee and let the spoon clank loudly on the table.
“Everything okay, Princess?”
“Fine.” I avoided eye contact and stared out the window as I sipped my coffee. It was bitter…and so was I.
Chance leaned back against the booth and splayed his arms along the top of the seat. “I may not be an expert in women, but I know enough about them to know that fine means definitely not fucking fine.”
“Well, apparently you don’t know me. Because fine means fine.”
He ignored me and continued with his analysis of one simple word. “And the speed at which the fine is delivered is directly proportional to the level of pissed off.” He drank his coffee and tipped the mug in my direction. “And your fine came pretty damn quick.”
The waitress interrupted as we glared at each other. “Everything okay here?”
“Fine,” I snapped. My response came so fast and sharp, the waitress was taken aback.
“Sorry. It’s her time of the month, and she gets like this.” He shrugged, and the waitress looked at him apologetically. I think she actually felt sorry for him.
I waited until she walked away. “Could you not do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make up stories about me.”
“I’m not sure it actually was a made up story. You’re quite the fucking bitch this morning. Maybe that’s your problem. Is it your time of the month, Aubrey? Is that what’s bothering you?”
“I’m not a bitch and no…that’s not what’s bothering me.”
“So you admit something is bothering you then?”
“What is this, a deposition? Are you a lawyer now? I thought you were an ass model.”
Chance glared at me; I glared right back. At least I’d sufficiently pissed him off enough to shut him up for the rest of our meal. We ate in unhappy silence and then Chance took the goat for a walk before we started back on the road.
He took the first shift driving. Five minutes into the trip, my phone was buzzing. Harrison’s name flashed on the screen. “Aren’t you going to talk to loverboy?” He asked facetiously, but I answered with honesty.
“No. I make it a point to only be an idiot once. He showed me who he truly was with his actions. It doesn’t matter what he says with words now.”
His eyes flashed to mine and then back to the road. We were quiet for another hour after that.
“What do you think about another detour? Sin City for a night or two?”
It made me sad to answer, but spending two more nights with him wasn’t a smart idea. I was already feeling something he wasn’t; putting some distance between the two of us was the right thing to do. “I should probably just get to California.”
He actually looked sad about my answer, which confused me even more. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”
Hours later, knowing it would be our last full day together, a feeling of melancholy settled in. We stopped to fill up and, as usual, Chance was sucking on a Pixy stick when he returned to the car.
“Want one to suck on?” He whipped a fistful of long purple sticks from his back pocket.
“No thanks.”
“You sure? You look like you could use a good suck.” He winked at me.
“Why do you do that?”
“Eat sugar?” We loaded back in the car. Chance was driving again.
“No. Make remarks with sexual innuendo to them all the time.”
“Guess my head is always in the gutter when I’m around you.” He pulled away from the pump and navigated out of the parking lot.
“Except last night.” I mumbled under my breath, apparently louder than I intended.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Can we not rehash last night? I felt like an idiot enough. You don’t have to pretend to be attracted to me to make me feel better today. I’m a big girl.”
“What?” His brows drew together. “Is that what you think? That I’m not attracted to you?”
I shrugged and rolled my eyes.
Chance muttered a string of curses and pulled off to the shoulder of the road. We hadn’t even made it a mile since the gas station stop. At this rate, I’d never get away from him. He threw the car into park and got out, slamming the door hard behind him. The whole car shook with the strength of his anger. I watched from inside as he paced. He tugged at his hair as he walked back and forth on the dirt, grumbling something to himself. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I didn’t need to in order to be sure it was a whole lot of four letter words.