Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97073 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97073 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Here, in northern England, I’ve only cared about my paycheck insofar as it provides me the means to indulge in chocolate and journals. I guess if I were to stay longer, I would want to get a nice winter coat. Beyond that, none of it seems to matter. Alice ekes out a living running her small book shop and Mike and Oliver work on their family’s farm. Even Nate’s wealth is hidden away to the point that I doubt very many people realize just how much he’s sitting on. I know from working on the publisher side of things that his royalty checks are eye-popping. I asked him the other day if he sold his apartment in New York when he moved to England, and he shyly mentioned that he likes to keep it for when he travels. An apartment in Manhattan and a country cottage in England? I can’t imagine!
By the time I’m done people-watching and drinking my cappuccino, I get to work. I’m lucky there are only a few emails I need to glance through: company-wide newsletters, updated book release schedules, things that get forwarded en masse. Joy hasn’t emailed me directly for another update since we spoke on Tuesday. She’s giving me a long leash and I appreciate it, but maybe if she were breathing down my neck a little more, I would have had an easier time focusing on what really matters with Nate. Work, work, work! That’s what I should be caring about, not the rest. Not his dimpled smile and his callused hands and his perfect blue eyes.
I puff out an unsteady breath and scramble for my phone so I can call Andrew. I have excellent cell reception and I plan to use it.
It’s late morning here, so there’s a chance Andrew will be up and getting ready for work back in the States. If not, at least he’ll see my missed call at some point and know I tried to reach him; he’ll appreciate it.
Surprisingly though, he answers straightaway.
“Summer!” His voice is excited and nearly breathless.
Did he just finish a workout? It’s not really like him.
I smile. “Hey. Didn’t expect you’d be up. It’s only a little past 6:00 there, right?”
“Nope. It’s actually just past 11:00.”
I frown and pull my phone away from my ear to check the time.
It’s 11:17 a.m. here.
“Are you on a work trip?”
It’s a silly question considering Andrew never travels. He works long, grueling hours from his cubicle in a high-rise one block from Wall Street. His only commute is his short walk home to his apartment every night.
“Work trip? No… This is definitely for pleasure.”
I give a short laugh, still confused. “What are you talking about? Are you in New York?”
“No, actually I’m in Leeds.”
I press the phone closer to my ear even though it’s not overly loud in the coffee shop.
“You’re where?” My voice is filled with wonder. Surely I heard him wrong.
He laughs. “Leeds. England.”
My breath stalls in my chest. “Oh my god.”
“I know. It’s a little crazy, but it felt like I needed to take a chance on us.”
“Oh my god.”
I say it again, slower this time. My rapid-fire blinking isn’t helping to piece two and two together. I stand from my chair, sweep my laptop into my bag, and rush out of the coffee shop.
“What do you mean, Andrew? Are you seriously in England?”
“Yes.” He laughs again, a little nervous. “I’m here.”
I feel like I might start to hyperventilate. I need a paper bag. A doctor!
“You’re here,” I say, processing the news out loud.
This is completely unexpected. Andrew was the one to break up with me twice, though I didn’t even blame him this last time. He had to do it. He was making good on an ultimatum. I needed to get serious about us or he was going to walk away, and he did.
But now he’s here, performing some kind of grand gesture, and I don’t even know what to say.
What do I say?!
I press my hand to my forehead. “Andrew, I’m freaking out a little.”
I’m firing from the hip. Later, I’m sure I’ll regret not tempering my initial reaction better, but right now, I can’t help it. I’m just so shocked he’s here. Andrew has never been an over-the-top romantic guy. Our big nights out for anniversaries or birthdays involve reservations shared via e-calendars.
“I feel the same way actually. You know I’ve never been to England…”
But he’s here now. Expecting to see me.
He’s in Leeds and I’m in Kendal and I don’t even have my own car. I’m here with Nate!
“Give me your address and I’ll head your way.”
I kneel down to take a seat on the sidewalk, but I don’t make it. I just sort of bend over like I’m going to heave.
“I don’t…I don’t have the address on me. This is all so complicated. Andrew, you’re here…” At this moment, my brain screams at me to say something positive. “And I’m so happy. I am. I can’t wait to see you.”