Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 163387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 817(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 817(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
It doesn’t matter that he never encouraged my affection for him or that he’d done his best to avoid me, something I now see in a new light. All that matters is that my heart has been set on him since the moment I first laid eyes on him, and no one, not even some daughter of an old washed-up family, is going to stand in my way.
CODY
Well, the question of whether or not her parents knew we stayed in the hotel is now moot. I’d forgotten that we’d been taken to the station by police escort, and from there, we’d traveled to the hotel with her parents.
Come Monday morning is when we both remembered, but before we could call a cab or one of the guys to come pick us up, there was a call from downstairs, and her phone rang at almost exactly the same time.
I’m not sure which of her relatives had called, but the call I answered from the front desk was about the car that was waiting for us downstairs. She grew flustered by this turn of events, but I kept reassuring her that things would be fine. If they knew we were there and had done nothing, then they were most likely fine with it.
She, on the other hand, saw traps and snares around every corner. I don’t think she fully understands how this boyfriend thing works. I’d asked her once over our very fulfilling weekend together how she usually handled relationships and hid my immense pleasure very well when she looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language.
I was aware, of course, that she didn’t have much experience, her kisses were proof of that, and that she may have mentioned never having been serious about anyone before, but I guess I hadn’t realized that except for a crush on some boy way back when, she’d never had feelings for anyone else before me.
Realizing that, I knew I needed to take the reins going forward because my baby would only end up butting her head against the wall she’d built up around herself to keep her family out. It was obvious, though, that she was terrified of something going wrong.
Since she refused to speak of it, I could only surmise that her fear was that they’d somehow find a way to run me off, not a chance if I were after their money or had some other ulterior motive, maybe. But all I wanted was her, anyway I could get her.
“Come on; we’re going to be late.” I took her hand and led her from the room neither of us wanted to leave. It had been the perfect end to a horrible start. In fact, I don’t think we even mentioned the incident or Susie even once. When I did bring up her car, at one point, she told me her family would take care of it, and that was that. Nothing else needed to be said.
Downstairs I didn’t run over and gape at the luxury car that sat in front of the hotel entrance, nor did I let my eyes fall from my head. I guess I was growing accustomed to the serious money my girl’s family had and the difference between that kind of money and the kind I was breaking my neck to make.
It was the first time I think I understood what the divide was between the nouveau riche and old-old money. It looks different. Like, I didn’t know that the understated clothes that Lisa wears everyday cost more than some people make in a month until I saw a magazine her mom had left back at the hotel from some earlier visit, and inside were some of the things that I’d seen her in before. The price tags had me hyperventilating.
I guess that was my first realization that old money isn’t as flashy as new. I guess the reason us plebians don’t realize the extent of that kind of wealth is because we’re not privileged to know the brands they wear, whether in clothes, jewelry, or whatever. Come to think of it, her mom hadn’t been wearing a ton of jewelry, but there was no doubt that the things sparkling in her ears and around her wrists were real diamonds.
If she didn’t know that the guy behind the wheel of the Rolls Royce was her new bodyguard, I’d eat my shirt, but she didn’t let on, and I didn’t say a word when he held the car door open for us, especially when he looked around covertly from behind his very dark shades that hid his eyes even with me standing three feet away.
Lucky for him, he looked about fifty, or I’d have sent his ass packing, parents or not. When we reached her dorm, both Alexis and Jess were there waiting, looking hopeful, but she froze them out, didn’t even acknowledge their presence.