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)
He hangs up.
“Maddie, you need to go home,” I say.
“What, why?”
“Because Damon knows where I live, but he doesn’t know about you. Go out the back door and get home fast, okay? Text me when you’re there.”
“Are you serious?”
My voice breaks. “You have to, Maddie.”
Mom leaps up from her chair when the apartment buzzer goes off. It feels like something cuts through me, too. She shoulders her bag. “Is it … him?”
Her emphasis on him makes me wonder if she’s talking about Landon or Damon. I go to the front window and look out at the street. Then I check my phone. Landon sent me a photo of Ethan, his business partner. “It’s him,” I say. “Our ride.”
“Are we sure about this?”
“Would you prefer to wait here for the Irish mob to show up, Mom? Landon is doing this for us, to keep us safe.” I turn to Mom, finding her frowning at me. “You can look at me like that all you want. I’m saying this because it’s true, or do you think he made up the mob and The Bear, too? Do you think he invented it all?
“Of course not,” Mom whispers.
“We have to go. Come on.”
I take her hand, and we leave the apartment and go to the main entrance together. Ethan is tall and wide, built similarly to Landon, except he looks a little slicker, a little less genuine somehow. Perhaps a bit more corporate, but he’s here, helping us, so I should probably stop judging.
“Lily?” he says. “And Vivian?”
“Yes, hello.” Mom steps forward and offers her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you,” Ethan says. “I wish it could be under different circumstances. I hear you are staying with me for a couple of days?”
“If that’s okay—”
“You’re more than welcome. Let’s go. Mind if I drive?”
I know why he’s saying that—extra precautions. They don’t want Damon to be able to track us. Ethan leads us across the street to a sleek black sedan, precisely the car I’d imagine him driving. We put our bags in the trunk, and then Mom and I get into the backseat.
“Is Landon okay?” I ask as Ethan starts the engine.
“He’s safe,” Ethan replies, “but I don’t know much. He just told me I had to come and get you, so that’s what I did. I asked if he was safe. He said he was, but that’s all the information he’d give me. He’s been acting strange since …”
“I know about his diagnosis,” I mutter.
“He hasn’t been himself,” Ethan says. “Or, maybe, he has been himself.”
“Huh?” I say.
Ethan shakes his head slowly. “I don’t know. Sometimes, I wonder if Landon even really knows who he is. Sometimes, I think he went from dedicating his life to the pro bono work to our business because …”
“You helped him,” I say. “He told me.”
Ethan flinches. “He talked to you about that?”
“Yeah,” I say, glancing at Mom. “Sorry, Mom. I can’t say.”
Mom waves a hand. “This is all crazy enough without adding more madness on top of it.”
Ethan takes a corner, running his other hand through his hair. “I helped him, so he decided to help me with the business. The thing with Landon is—or was—that he doesn’t place much stock on his happiness. He performs. He rises to the occasion. He’s become richer than God, but I think he didn’t stop to think if it was what he truly wanted. Since it was what I wanted, maybe he just went along with it.”
Ethan sighs. “Sorry, ladies. I didn’t mean to unload.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I say quickly. “I should be saying thank you for this insight into Landon.”
“Since his diagnosis, and since …” He glances in the rearview.
“What?” I whisper.
“Since he ran into you again, Lily, he’s finally thinking about what he wants. You’ve helped him discover himself more in a few days than anyone else could have in years. That’s why he’s doing this. That’s why he finds our work hollow now. I can’t even blame him for it. I want him to be happy with whatever time he has left.”
The last bit makes me wrap my arms across my middle. I feel tired, drawn out, and achingly emotional. Mom reaches across and touches my hand. I’m shocked she’d offer support when it comes to this.
“Ethan,” Mom says.
“Yes?”
“Tell us about Landon’s girlfriends.”
That gets a rueful laugh from him. “His what?”
“His girlfriends. His dating life.”
“Why?” Ethan asks.
“Why don’t you want to tell me?” Mom counters. “Is there something you’d like to hide?”
“No, but if you want me to start dishing out dirt on my friend, you’ll need one hell of a reason.”
“My daughter is in love with him—”
“Mom.”
“I want to know he isn’t love-bombing her. He’s older than her, you might’ve noticed.”
“Mom, I’m an adult, sentient person who, you might have noticed, had to grow up fast,” I snap.