Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 61160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“Not really.” I squinted at a bright sign, a neon pink “Come stick your Crowned P in this W.A.P.”
“What’s a W.A.P., Dillon?”
“Wet ass pussy,” he said.
“I see.” I smiled. “Maybe I should’ve chosen a small island for my new life instead.”
“Don’t try to take my advice now.” He scoffed. “That ship sailed long ago. By the way, you chose poorly—very poorly—with this Chloe woman.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Whatever the dictionary says ‘poorly’ means,” he said, sitting up. “Very smart girl, very ambitious, very should’ve-been-more in life, but…”
“But what?”
“You better hope like hell no one ever finds a connection between you two.” He warned. “It’ll get uglier than anything you’ve ever experienced.”
“Was she a demon in her previous life?”
“Worse.” He pulled a folder from under the cushion. “Hopeless romantic who dated around and couldn’t keep a boyfriend for more than a few months at a time.”
“That’s nothing to be worried about.”
“Oh, yeah sure.” He shrugged. “Except every time she broke up with someone, she made a Facebook status that went semi-viral and they’re quite the ride.”
I raised my eyebrow.
“I copied and pasted all of them for you. Oh, and you’ll love this. One of her best friends runs a huge-multi-million-listener podcast where she once had Chloe on as a guest. Want to guess what their topic of conversation was?”
“I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
“The art of giving unforgettable blowjobs, “so good he’ll come in your mouth within minutes,” they say.” He rolled his eyes. “Very classy.”
“Interesting.” I smiled. “What’s the name of her friend’s podcast?”
“Figure that part out yourself.” He tossed the folder to me.
“You’ve done all the work ensuring she’ll be safe from scrutiny, right?”
“Of course,” he said, nodding. “As long as this will just be a private co-parenting thing without feelings, sex, or dating with you two, I think it’ll be fine. There won’t be any sex, right?”
I avoided that question.“Did you find her home address?”
“I did.”
“Can I have it?”
“For what?”
“I would like to send her some flowers.”
“For what?”
“I want us to start over,” I said. “I want us to remain on the same page.”
“Tell me the type of flowers and what you want in the note. Then I’ll handle it.”
“I was hoping for a more personal touch.”
“That’s not happening.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Your brother and sister have called a few times. Spend your night talking to them instead of worrying about Miss March.”
“You’re never giving me her home address?”
“Never.”
* * *
Sometime around midnight, I tried to keep my expression as stoic as possible while my younger twin brother and sister “cried” onscreen via Skype.
“I just don’t understand you, brother,” Priscilla said. “You just left us behind, no warning. It was utterly selfish and cruel.”
“You’re a wanker and a fool,” Charlie added. “Plenty of people would kill for this life and you just throw it away like it doesn’t mean anything. And for what? Books?”
“We have books here. You proved that you’re good at it already. You can come back and do that here.”
They even talk in the same cadence as Father…
“Victoria has been crying her eyes out.” Priscilla dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex. “You made a fool out of that poor girl. She loved you.”
She loved herself. I rolled my eyes.
“The press will continue to follow your every move there,” Charlie said. “You didn’t escape from anything. You just brought all your troubles across the pond with you. That said, if you come back and apologize within ninety days, I will be the first to publicly forgive you.”
“You can keep it,” I said. “I’ve already told you that I’ll come to your joint birthday party and our grandmother’s annual celebration that is weeks after that. That’s all I can promise, and I didn’t make this decision for either of you to understand.”
“You’re even more selfish than I thought!” Priscilla shouted. “You are—”
I hit the mute button and ran a video on a loop that made it appear as if I was still there.
Walking over to my floor-to-ceiling windows, I looked down at Seattle, waiting to miss my view back in London, but it never came.
As I was watching The Great Wheel spin in purple and blue lights, my phone buzzed with a call.
Unknown number.
I hesitated a few seconds before answering.
“Hello?”
“Hi.” Chloe’s distinctive, raspy voice came over the line. “It’s me, Miss March.”
“I’m aware, Chloe.”
“Yes, well …” She cleared her throat. “Do you have a few minutes?”
“Depends. Is this phone call about work?”
“That’s the only reason I would ever call you.”
“Of course.” I smiled. “What about it?”
“Hazel was supposed to send me some important files from a Peter Truss before my trip, but I think she sent them to you instead. Can you check and forward them to me?”
I placed her on speaker and checked my inbox. Sure enough, Hazel had sent it to me an hour ago, addressed to Chloe.