Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
I cannot.
I have no chill, not anymore, not with him.
I’ve literally spent countless hours writing about this man in my diary as a child—and as a teenager, there is no chill with him!
The truck hums along, the quiet moments between our banter filled with a comfortable silence. But soon enough, his fingers start tapping on the steering wheel to a rhythm only he can hear.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” I ask, a playful grin tugging at my lips.
He glances at me and grins. “Just thinking about how lucky I am to spend this evening with such amazing company.”
My insides melt a little. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
He chuckles, his gaze returning to the road. “Good to know.”
As we approach a stoplight, he reaches over and tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his touch sending a shiver down my spine. Ugh, I wish it wasn’t so easy for him to give me goose bumps. Shouldn’t I be playing hard to get or at least make myself less available?
Too late for that, Tess. You’ve been to hell and back with this guy. There’s no backpedaling and giving him more of a challenge.
You will lose.
Every time, your diary says so.
Dear Diary, I think I love Drew Colter and he doesn’t know I exist…
Me, aged 11.
Age 13, age 17.
Well, he knows now. I just don’t know how he feels about me.
Drew meets my gaze, a playful grin tugging at his lips. “We’re doing something romantic.” He pauses. “At least, I think it’s romantic. Daisy helped me out a bit. I got some things from the diner where she works.”
Daisy.
I wonder what she thinks of me and Drew and our situation.
It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. All that matters is us and what we think. It’s hard to think that way when I want to be included in their family dynamic and have them like me. Accept me. I want them to know I only want what’s best for Drew because I care so much about him.
I’ve spent my life worshipping this guy, and I think…
He’s at the point where he worships me, too.
“Are we driving to the middle of nowhere?” ’Cause that’s what it looks like. The city lights disappear behind us, buildings getting farther and farther apart until the streets fade away in the rearview mirror.
“Seems like it, yeah?”
Hmm. We can’t be going on a picnic. It’s in the middle of the evening!
Could we?
“Are we going on a picnic?” He mentioned food from Daisy’s diner, and we are in a truck.
My wheels turn at the same speed as the wheels of this truck are turning, barreling down this long country road.
“Yes, ma’am.”
A picnic? In the middle of the night?
I wonder how he’s going to pull this off when the blinker goes on, and he slows us down, turning off the road onto what looks like the entrance to a field.
An open gate greets us.
This feels kind of like home, and the ranches where we live, dirt roads and split rail fences and cattle roaming in the tall grass.
We drive and drive, hitting potholes, and then the ride gets bumpy when he veers off the road, driving into the field toward the top of a rise.
Up and up.
Then he slows to a stop. Having located just the perfect spot, he cuts the engine and the lights and turns toward me.
“Stay put, kay?”
I nod, mouth gaping a bit.
“And no peekin’.”
Another nod. What on earth is he up to…?
Drew climbs out of the truck, hopping down onto the ground and disappearing into the dark.
I hear the tailgate open, then the scraping of metal against metal.
Thumping.
He climbs up, then hops down.
It’s quiet for a few moments, then he’s back up in the tailgate again, shifting things around.
I face forward, though I’m tempted to look back.
So tempted ’cause like he said, I’m nosy.
But in a good way.
Suddenly, after a bit of banging around and some more noise, the passenger side door opens, and Drew holds out his hand to me. “My lady, dinner awaits.”
I have no idea what to expect when I step out of the truck, and nothing could have prepared me for the sight that greets me: blankets spread out in the field, layered on the ground, and a garden table arranged in the center with two chairs.
A tablecloth.
Candles in the center.
Lanterns on the ground with candles throwing light, casting a glow.
A few tiki torches burn, four total, one in each corner of the makeshift dining room.
“I…” I suck in a shocked breath. “Drew, what is all this?”
He takes my hand, leading me toward the setup. “This is a romantic dinner for two.”
Romantic is an understatement. As my eyes scan the area, nothing surrounds us but a farm field and the open sky. It’s pitch black darkness except for the coach lanterns and the stars flickering in the sky above.