Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Good.
My phone buzzes with a text.
Nikki: At Tulsa’s show. What’s up?
Do I really want to go into all this through text while she’s watching her husband perform on stage? No.
Me: Just checking in. I made it to Deer Lake. Have fun tonight.
Nikki: I will. You, too. Enjoy the peace and solitude.
Yeah right. That’s the last thing I encountered tonight. And now I’m starving.
I return to the kitchen to see the food she made in the garbage. She was nice enough to leave the dishes in the sink for me to clean as well. That’s fun . . .
Opening the fridge again, I scan the food, but it’s mostly ingredients and not so much stuff to eat as is. I close it and roll my eyes. I need something to eat. That means a trek into town before everything closes for the night.
I get my shoes.
6
Poppy
“What an asshole!” I check both directions for oncoming traffic. It’s pitch black with no lights anywhere near this intersection. “This is what nightmares are made of, Marina. If you don’t hear from me—”
I’m not sure I’m in the right frame of mind to appreciate her laughter. With me or at me? It’s hard to tell, but she does reply, “You’ll be fine, Pops. Keep driving and stay away from strangers.”
“Hm. Sage advice,” I say, finally pulling onto the main road. “If only I’d known that before I ended up in the middle of a forest with a literal stranger. An asshole at that.”
I hear the sympathy sigh before Marina replies, “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.” She knows I just need to vent, and then I’ll be good again.
“It worked out alright. I’m leaving as I should. I don’t have to put up with that crap.” I slow my car as I approach a tight corner. Driving through the woods at night is not something I’m fond of. “Now I know why they struggled to fill this job. It was great on paper, I’m sure like he is. You accept the position—seven days, free room and board, cook, be discreet, and be absent from the client’s view. It’s great on paper when phrased like that. That’s how they get you.”
“Who’s they?”
Flailing my right arm, I exhale exasperated. “The agency, the asshole. I have no idea. Just them, the people trapping me into this horrible situation.”
“Who is the asshole again?”
Considering I signed an NDA, it’s probably best if I don’t get her involved with details like names. That I never knew it is a different story. “I think he’s a musician. There was a guitar, but I never saw him play. Doesn’t matter. Whoever he is thinks very highly of himself, arrogant like he’s famous, and treats employees like dirt beneath his feet.”
“I hate when fame goes to peoples’ heads. It’s one of the reasons I like living in Manhattan. LA is too celebrity for me.”
“I’m starting to think the same.”
“Does that mean you’re considering a cross-country move?” I will never be upset that she puts in the effort to convince me to move back to New York.
I laugh. “You’re very good, I’ll give you that. Not moving there, but I’ll still be there for the wedding.”
“You’re still catering it even after what happened at the luncheon?”
Scanning the dark street ahead, I allow my thoughts to meander down a different path, one of reconciliation. Is it possible to find peace in the relationship with my mom? Call me a fool, but a daughter can dream. I hate that I want this more than she does. I take a breath, quieter now, the anger settling into grief. “Maybe it’s dumb to want a better outcome for us.”
“It’s not dumb. I know that relationship is important to you, but I worry about you if it doesn’t work out the way you hope for.”
I need to try. Again. “If I do this for her, maybe she’ll—” A ping from my phone makes me glance down at it. “Oh no.”
“What is it?”
“I need to let you go. I only have five percent battery life and should save it.”
“No charger?”
“I don’t know where it is. The trunk. The cabin. I was in a hurry to get out.” I slow the car to look around, but it’s just too dark to see if it made it up here with my purse. I dig inside one-handed to make sure.
Marina says, “If you see a grocery store, pull over and charge in case of an emergency. You have hours ahead of you to go.”
“Okay, but why a grocery store?”
“Other people will be around, and you’ll be able to hang out in a public place. A restaurant or Target works as well.”
“Wise advice.” I smile, knowing I may not have my mom, but Marina’s right. I’ve found family in the Westcott and Warren clans. Finally feeling better, I can think straight. “Hey, how’d the meeting go?”