Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 131728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Henley James is here in all his bastardly glory.
He stops the car outside my house, gets out, and opens my car door. He helps me out by my hand. “Good night, Juliet,” he says casually, as if I’m a stranger he met on a bus.
I frown.
“Have a good night.” He smiles.
I stare at him. What the hell? “You too,” I whisper distractedly.
He gets back into his car and circles around the cul-de-sac and drives off down the street.
What?
He’s going out?
I stand on the end of my driveway watching as his car disappears out of sight.
What the fuck was that?
Chapter 8
The hot water runs over my head as I lean up against the tiles.
I don’t understand this man at all. He was into it. I know he was because I was right there with him.
And then he flipped a switch—just like he did when we went on our first date.
Perfect when in the moment, and then he turns into something cold. It’s like he’s two different people. I’ve never met anyone like him.
Nor do I want to.
I run my hand down my face in disgust. And now to make matters worse, I have to see him every damn day—when I know he doesn’t like me—knowing that I like him.
My blood boils, and I’m infuriated with myself. He knew exactly what he was playing at, and I was like putty in his hands. Doing everything that he told me to do like a pathetic little puppy.
He’s probably at Vanessa the Undresser’s house at this very moment.
Giving her the steak that I preheated.
Ugh . . .
I roll into bed and toss and turn and kick myself for going there in the first place.
One thing I do know now for certain is that I’m not cut out for fake dating; all those romance books are full of shit.
This sucks.
The sound of a car wakes me from my sleep, and I sit up straight like a zombie.
He’s home.
I glance at the clock: 5:00 a.m.
Where the fuck have you been all night, asshole?
Unable to help it, I scurry to the window and spy through the sheer curtains. I watch as Henley slowly drives into his garage and gets out of his car.
He’s still wearing the suit that he wore to the wedding. I roll my eyes at my idiocy. What do you think he’s going to wear home, a bathrobe? You fucking idiot.
That is it!
I storm to the bathroom enraged with myself.
That is fucking it!
I dig my gym clothes out of my closet and put them on with fury.
Well . . . I’ve got news for him.
He can’t reject me . . . because I am rejecting him.
Who the hell does this jockstrap think he is? I’m going to be so damn hot that he will be begging, begging, for a speck of my attention, and I will be too busy dating hot men to give him the time of day. I’m going outside to wake up Barry, and then we are running fast, maybe even sprinting.
Screw him.
I march downstairs in my gym clothes, ready to fight a tiger and then chase a bear.
You want to play, fuckface?
Let’s go.
“Do you have an estimate of the costs?” I ask. It’s Wednesday, and Joel has sent me his notes and mood images for my house inspiration. I love everything about them.
“Well, depending on how quickly you want the work done, and the quality of the fixtures, I would estimate anything between thirty and sixty thousand,” Joel replies.
“Dollars?” I gasp.
“Heritage luxury is expensive, Juliet.”
Jeez.
I puff air into my cheeks as I think.
“Unless you want to change the brief and go for a less expensive quality.”
“No.” I think for a moment. I’ll find the money somewhere. “I want the best. This is my forever home. I guess we will start with one room and work our way through as the funds allow. Would that be okay?”
“That’s what I was thinking. Good idea. What room do you want to start with?”
“Definitely the living room. It’s the heart of the home and where everyone sees first. And besides, I really want a comfy couch to sit on.”
He chuckles. “Great, okay. I’m going to email you a selection of the couches that I feel would suit our style. Go through them, and see if you gel with anything. If you want to order it through me, I can get my thirty percent wholesale rate from these particular suppliers.”
“Oh, fantastic.”
“But of course you may find something similar at a cheaper price at another store. These suppliers are top end, but I feel like this shape of couch is what we are after.”
“Awesome. Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it.”
“Send anything that you find to me, and I’ll just check the color and dimensions. You don’t want to order something and find it’s too big or small for the space when it arrives.”