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)
Barry sighs.
I’m now forcing my poor dog to listen to my dating-hell crap. I flick on my kettle in disgust.
“I paid all this money for these stupid jeans. Well, I shouldn’t have bothered. He wouldn’t have noticed if I was wearing a garbage bag.”
Fucking jerkface.
I make my tea, and Barry comes out into the kitchen and stands at the back door. “You want to go out?” I open the door, and with my hot tea in my hand, I sit on the back steps in the darkness as I wait for him to go to the bathroom.
Barry looks up at the fence and starts wagging his tail. I hear a noise in the darkness in the far corner.
What’s going on out there?
I get up and walk toward the noise. I see two hands holding on to the top of the fence; then a leg swings over. With a lot of huffing and puffing, Henley comes into view. He’s climbing the fence. He swings his other leg over and then jumps down.
“What are you doing?”
He jumps, startled to find me standing here. “I’m coming to visit you.”
He honestly thinks he can ignore me all night while flirting with Tittsy LaRue?
Ha. Of all the nerve.
“No, you’re not,” I reply blankly. “Go home, Henley. I’m not in the mood tonight.” I turn and storm back toward the house. He’s hot on my heels.
“Since when?”
“Since you’re a giant flirt.”
“I was not flirting,” he scoffs. “I was talking about very important things.”
I roll my eyes, and I march into the house. “Like what bra size Taryn wears? Give me a fucking break.”
“Are you jealous?”
“No,” I explode. “Why would I be jealous of her? And . . .” I gesture toward him in disgust. “You.” I put my hands on my hips to try and look convincing. “Go home.”
“No, we have an arrangement,” he fires back. “I would like my night tonight.”
“Oh, would you now? The answer is no.”
“You cannot be jealous; this is not a relationship. We talked about this, and you said you were fine with it.”
“I know that,” I whisper angrily. Why did I agree to this stupid fucking arrangement anyway? “What I am not fine with is watching you flirt all night right under my nose.”
“So you are jealous.”
“Oh my god. I am not fucking jealous. What I am is pissed off with you.”
Does he really think that he can ignore me all night and then turn up here for sex?
No way in hell. The man is an idiot.
“Because you are jealous.”
“Shut up and go home.”
“Not until you kiss me.”
“I’m not kissing you,” I spit. “I wouldn’t kiss you if you were the last man on earth.”
Lies!
“Go and kiss Taryn. I’m sure you’ve negotiated an arrangement with her already.”
“You cannot be jealous; you have no right to use that card. We have an arrangement. Nothing more and nothing less.”
Knock, knock sounds at the door.
We both fall silent. “Who’s that?” he mouths.
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
I open the door to the closet under the stairs. “Get in,” I mouth.
“No,” he spits.
I push him into the closet and close the door behind him. I open the front door to see Mason standing there. “Mason.” I frown.
Shit!
“Hi.”
“Hi . . .”
He hesitates. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime . . . on a date.”
“Oh . . .”
Shit, shit, shit.
“I just haven’t met anyone quite like you. I know we would hit it off.”
“I’m . . .” I pause. Henley’s words from only two minutes ago come back to me loud and clear.
You cannot be jealous; you have no right to use that card. We have an arrangement. Nothing more and nothing less.
I know that from his place in the closet, Henley can hear every word we’re saying. Maybe it’s time for some payback.
“I’d love to go on a date with you.” I smile sweetly.
A bang sounds from the closet, and Mason looks over toward it. “What was that?”
“My clumsy oaf of a dog.”
“Oh . . . so it’s a date?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Great.” Mason smiles.
“I’m working nights all week, so I’ll call you?” I offer.
“Sure.” He lingers, and I think he’s fishing for a good night kiss.
“Bye then.” I give him an awkward wave and close the door in his face.
Fuck . . . I’m going to have to get out of that one.
I wait for a moment, and another bang comes from the closet. I smile. That couldn’t have gone better if I planned it myself. I open the door. “Ready to come out of time-out?” I ask sarcastically.
His face is murderous. “You are not going on a fucking date with him.”
I act innocent. “You just told me that we cannot be jealous of anyone and that this is an arrangement, nothing more and nothing less.”
He narrows his eyes, knowing full well that I’ve got him.