Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 114211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
It wasn’t. The scar on my nose is proof. The whole thing went dangerously wrong. It’s now the biggest humiliation of my life. I’ve never been so humbled in the worst possible way.
“Yep,” I answer. “Rehearsed. Down to cuttin’ open my face.”
“What did y’all use for fake blood? And if it isn’t maraschino cherry juice, then I don’t wanna know. The girls and I have a bet going on. An unofficial bet. Sorta. Honestly, they probably forgot.”
My smile squeezes right up as I lean over the counter more. “Is it Biggie’s? Did Trey go to Biggie’s? Or Patsy’s? Or back home? Can you gimme a hint?”
“Did you know I used to be scared of his husband Cody?”
I’m really not in the mood for a chat. “No,” I answer anyway.
“Back when Trey and Cody were first dating—if dating’s what anyone with a proper mind would call it—I thought poor Trey was in danger. Marybeth and I both. Shoot, I remember hiding behind this desk when Cody showed up here unannounced once …”
“Well, I’m glad we’ve learned better.” I glance at the window, forming a laundry list of where I’ll go next to look for Trey.
“We also talked a lot about you back then.”
I turn back to her. “Say what?”
“Jimmy’s big stunt after you took his prom date from him. Oh, I remember I could’ve spit fire when anyone mentioned yours or Jazzy’s names.” She chuckles as she digs through her cup of pens, choosing a different one to twirl around. “I keep finding myself wondering why I’m so quick to judge people. Cody, just from what I heard. You, also from what I heard, how you did Jimmy wrong—”
“There’s a lot more to that story,” I cut her off, “and it was ages ago, besides. All of that’s in the past. Even Mrs. Strong loves me now. Why else would she invite me to make a fool of myself at that crazy bachelor circus?”
“No, no, that’s the point, that’s what I’m getting at.” She sets her pens aside. “How many more scandals is it gonna take before I realize all I got to do to see the truth is use my gullible ears a little less and my trusty eyes a little more? Cody isn’t bad. He’s a saint. And maybe you’re not so bad either, Mr. Myers.”
I huff. “Well, about time someone around here realizes that.”
She laughs, finding that funny, I guess. Then she stops. “You know what? I’ve got a friend who’s about your age, and she just finished up college last spring and may settle down here for a year or two. Oh, I think you both would be just perfect together! More I look at you, more I can see it. You two’d make the cutest babies.” Suddenly she’s on her feet. “This is just what my boring life needs. Please let me set you up! I wanna be a maid of honor someday!”
I laugh that off. “Carly, hey, hey, calm down—”
“Carla.”
“I’m not lookin’ for nothin’ with nobody, thanks. I just need to see Trey, and preferably before you start ringin’ my own wedding bells before I even picked out a tux.”
“Just one date, would you? One little date? I’ll pay for it. Even go to Nadine’s if you want, out in Fairview, fancy Nadine’s.”
The restaurant Juniper and I were sent to on an all-expenses-paid date after she won me at the auction, when we laughed too much, disturbed everyone, and couldn’t take anything seriously. I dropped my knife six times. She drove the waiter crazy asking for two whole bottles of wine that she nearly downed herself—it was damned impressive. We must’ve been there for two whole hours. Even the head chef Mario Tucci himself came out twice to ask—in a stuffy voice I think he was hoping came off polite—if we needed anything else before leaving. After that door hit our drunk asses on the way out, I’m sure we were placed on a secret blacklist.
“Unless it’s that you aren’t into women?”
I come out of it. “Huh?”
“Did I get you all wrong?” Carla lifts her eyebrows. “Oh, would you’ve been more excited if it’d been a guy friend of mine?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t. Some people don’t. They say it with their eyes.” She winks at me. “Is that what this is? Are you telling it to me with your eyes, Mr. Myers?”
I’m not sure why her question has my heart dancing around in a full panic. Nor why it made me suddenly hug the jacket to my chest even tighter.
Then I see Bridger in this jacket.
A flash of his face right in front of mine. On the church floor.
Kissing.
What the fuck?
“Anthony?” calls Trey’s voice from behind.
I turn my head so fast, it pops. He’s at the front door to the clinic. “Trey!” I leave the front desk—and Carla’s annoyingly giddy eyes like she just struck gossip gold—and that random-ass vision of Bridger I just had and won’t even attempt to explain—and come right up to him. “I thought you went out to lunch or something.”