Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I guess I’m paranoid because of the whole diary thing. You read what I wrote about finding you attractive.”
“Much to your chagrin, you find the pig attractive,” he taunted with a nod.
“I don’t want you to think I’m hoping for something, or that I would ever go there. I know that would be wrong, and I have no intention of—”
“Jesus. Quit while you’re ahead, Carly. I know you weren’t insinuating anything, okay? That’s not why I hesitated. It’s just the principle of it, you know? Even though in the end it’s just a bed, lying next to you is still…lying next to you. And I guess I feel weird doing that when…he can’t.”
Okay, so this is about Brad. “I get it,” I muttered. I needed to just go to bed and escape the awkwardness I had created. “Well, I think I’m gonna turn in. I’d love to take a shower, but I’m afraid to wake Scottie.”
“He’s a pretty heavy sleeper. I think you’ll be good.”
“Okay. I’ll be quick.”
Once in the shower, I lathered shampoo in my hair, berating myself again for suggesting Josh share the bed with me tonight. How could he not think that was out of line? A part of me just wanted someone to sleep next to, that feeling of heaviness in the bed, of security. But I still needed my head checked for thinking it was a good idea with Josh.
Despite what I’d said about taking a quick shower, I took my sweet time under the water, hesitant to face Josh again. Eventually, I forced myself out and got dressed.
He was on the couch, surfing the net on his phone when I emerged from the bathroom. Bouncing his legs rapidly, he didn’t look like he was ready to go to sleep anytime soon. I went straight to my room without saying anything to him. That seemed safest.
About fifteen minutes into lying down, I was still ruminating when I heard him at the door.
His voice was low. “Is the offer still open?”
I stilled, then turned to face him. “Yeah.”
“That fucking couch is like a rock. I tried for a few minutes and gave up.”
“There’s plenty of room here.” I slid over.
Josh put his pillow in place, fluffed it a few times, and lay down. I immediately turned away from him, because that felt like the right thing to do.
Things were quiet for a minute.
“Do you always sleep at the very edge of the bed like that?” His voice cut through the darkness. “If I so much as cough, you’re gonna go tumbling.”
I was practically dangling over the side. “I was just trying to give you some space.”
“How big do you think I am? There’s more than a foot and a half between us. You can afford to sleep like a normal person.”
“Yeah.” I moved back toward him a bit. “Okay. You’re right.”
“This bed is freaking comfortable,” he said. “You’ve been living the good life.”
His phone chimed.
“Shit,” he muttered.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Neil. He’s just checking in—probably feeling me out for info on your reaction to the date. I’ll respond to him in the morning.”
I turned toward him and leaned up on my elbow. “You should respond now. Otherwise, he’ll think something bad.”
“Okay, yeah. I’ll just tell him I’m in bed with you,” he deadpanned.
“You don’t think that’ll go over too well?” I joked.
“Pretty sure it won’t.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, maybe wait.”
As I turned my back to him again, I could feel him rustling around in the sheets and adjusting his pillow.
“Damn…” He groaned. “Now that I know how comfortable this bed is, you might have a tough time getting rid of me.”
A long moment of silence passed. Then he whispered, “Thank you for the pumpkin bread.”
“Did you like it?” I asked, putting my hands under my cheek.
“It was really good, yeah. I think you might be converting me.”
He let out a loud yawn, and I settled back in. I was almost asleep when he spoke again.
“I never asked you why you started doing makeup. How did you get into that?”
“That’s kind of a random question,” I murmured.
“Yeah, well, that’s how I roll when I’m wired.”
I smiled, my back still facing him. “I used to love to put on my mother’s makeup growing up. I kept practicing into my teenage years and realized it was something I was pretty darn good at. So, rather than force myself to do something I wasn’t interested in after college—I’d majored in liberal arts—I went to cosmetology school and became even better at it. Mostly I love making people feel more confident about themselves.”
“Although, out in Hollywood you’ve got a pretty good baseline to work with, I’d imagine?”
“Yeah, but I don’t only work on celebrities. I also volunteer. I’ve done makeup for homeless shelters, too—women looking to rejoin the workforce.”
“That’s cool. See? I didn’t know that about you. Glad I asked about this.”