Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
I swallow. “I’ll do my best.”
Carter gives me a harsh look, but when he talks to Grace, he becomes the uncle everybody loves. That’s one of the most impressive things about Carter. He can change from a seasoned man who’s seen it all to an absolute favorite of the kids.
“Let’s get you home, Grace. Sound good?”
“Sure.” She rolls her eyes, then winks at me.
I do my best to smile at her, but she doesn’t even realize how messed up her situation has made her. Maybe she doesn’t know I can see through the sassy, cocky front she’s putting on. I can see through it to the terrified child underneath because I used to be her.
Carter leans over as we lead her out of the building. “You can’t help her.”
“How can you say that now?” I hiss.
“Because you look like you’re going to do something stupid.”
“You know I can hear you, right?” Grace says.
“Sorry,” we both echo.
“You can help me,” she says.
This time, I don’t reply. I don’t want to shatter the hope in her voice, but there’s nothing I can do—nothing I can do.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LANDON
“He just doesn’t understand me,” Rosita Rubberton, the English heiress who apparently has a one-way crush on me, says. I can feel Ethan glaring at me, silently telling me to focus, flirt, and invest time in this business relationship.
I can’t because I’m distracted. I keep waiting for my cell phone to ring or vibrate. Maybe I shouldn’t have told Vivian about the “kiss,” but lying to Lily’s mom would’ve felt wrong. If we’re going to have a … a what? A relationship? Months, not years.
“Excuse me,” I say, standing up, my chair making a scraping noise on the floor.
“Uh, all right,” Rosita mutters, narrowing her eyes at me.
I go into the hallway, take out my phone, and scroll to Lily’s name. I want to call her so damn badly. I don’t like how we left things at all, but how can I pursue a woman after her mom warned me away? Then, there’s last night. It was too … hell, hot and steamy, but it wasn’t as romantic as she deserved.
“What are you doing?” Ethan snaps, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“I was going to make a call.”
Ethan grits his teeth, then sighs. “It better be goddamn important.”
I can’t take the impatience in his voice or the disappointment. Deep down, I know I’m causing him so much hassle. Somehow, all this seems less important now. “I was calling the oncologist to schedule that appointment.”
“Oh.” He nods, relaxing a bit. “Okay. Good. Sorry, bro …”
I press down on the number on the recent calls list. I need to face this anyway. I need to know just how long or short I’ve got. I can’t keep running. Maybe I’ll find out I’ve got even less time than I thought, making me realize I should leave Lily alone. What can I offer her?
“Hi, I’m calling to book an appointment …”
After some back and forth, the receptionist says, “Our notes tell us you were waiting for Doctor Coleman?”
“No, that’s fine. I can see anybody.”
“Oh, let me see then …” She taps some keys. “It looks like our next appointment is—I’m sorry—the day after tomorrow at five p.m.”
“No, that’s good for me,” I say, trying to hide my relief. It’s another day of putting off the inevitable and not facing it honestly. It turns out I’m not as brave as I felt moments ago. “Thank you.”
“Good, brother,” Ethan says. “I’m happy you did that. Now …” He gestures at the office door. “Can we?”
I sigh, nodding. “Sure.”
I have to remember all Ethan has done for me. When we started this business, he was upfront about what I’d have to sacrifice. “If you don’t think you can give this your all, tell me now, no hard feelings. When we do this, we need to be all in. Let’s be honest. It’s about cash. It’s the opposite of your other life.”
My “other life” was the pro bono work. Ethan was right. In the beginning, this business took everything from us.
Rosita huffs when we return, giving me a look I don’t like at all. “Have you handled your business, pretty boy, hmm?” She giggles.
“Pretty boy,” Ethan smirks. “I’ve never heard him called that before.”
“Really?” Rosita looks me up and down in an over-the-top way. “That is very surprising to me, I have to say.”
“Shall we get on with it?” I snap.
“All right … no fun. As I was saying, he didn’t understand me. He didn’t care about me. He didn’t listen to me. He was thoroughly selfish, and the fact is, if he wants anything, he’ll have a better chance getting on his knees and begging than trying to go the legal route.”
“Then maybe you should let him,” I grunt without meaning to. It’s her tone, the self-entitlement, the pointlessness of this all, like it’s weighing down on me.