Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 92422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
And not for the better.
I’ll just refrain from telling him that he’ll probably feel twice as bad when he wakes up tomorrow morning.
“I hope he’ll be all right,” Britt murmurs, concern lacing her voice.
Unwilling to waste another second we have to ourselves, I wrap my fingers around hers and tug her into motion.
“He’ll be fine. I’ll send over some of the bruise cream I have. The guy should take ibuprofen for the next twenty-four hours. It’ll help with the inflammation.”
“We probably should have done something less physical.” With a frown, she shoots me a glare. “Or nothing at all.”
“How can you say that? Then we would have missed all this fun.”
She snorts as we glide across the ice. Now that Lance is gone, it only takes a few minutes for us to make a complete circle. By the end of the second loop, her muscles have loosened, and a smile quirks the corners of her lips.
The happiness that lights up her face is like a kick in the balls. The expression isn’t even aimed in my direction, and I feel it to the tips of my toes.
As pretty as I thought she was at the bar, it’s nothing compared to the way she looks with the bright winter sunlight streaming down, making the reddish highlights in her hair pop along with the rosiness of her cheeks from the cool breeze that slides over us.
If I didn’t fully acknowledge it before, I do now.
This girl is a knockout.
“Is this where you take all your dates in an effort to lure them into bed?”
A chuckle escapes from me. “Nope. Never.”
She glances at me with narrowed eyes. “Should I consider myself lucky?”
“Extremely. But you already realized that, right?”
With a shake of her head, she slants another look my way. “You’re kind of incorrigible.”
“I try my best.”
“You don’t have to try so hard.”
“Now you sound like my mother.”
“Smart woman.”
“Damn right, she is.”
She gives me another considering look. “Huh. You didn’t strike me as a momma’s boy.”
“Loud and proud. That woman is an absolute saint. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.” No matter what happens in my life, Mom has always been in my corner.
Britt turns, studying me more intently. “Are you close to your parents?”
“Yup. They’re the best. How about you?”
It would be impossible not to notice the way she tenses. Instead of pushing, I drop the topic and keep it light. I want to get to know her better and will take whatever crumbs she’s willing to throw my way.
When it comes down to it, I’m no different from Lance.
“You’re pretty good at this,” I say, only wanting to keep the conversation flowing.
With a shrug, her gaze flickers to mine before focusing straight ahead. “I used to skate all the time at a pond near our house when I was a kid. It was cheap entertainment.”
“That’s usually the best kind.” I waggle my brows. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
She shakes her head as if annoyed, but there’s a tiny quirk of her lips that tells me otherwise. “You really are incorrigible.”
“Noted.”
We make it a quarter of the way around the oval before she says, “Sometimes I really miss that, you know?” Her lips purse and a faraway look comes into her eyes. “The simple stuff.”
“Yeah, the memories I cherish the most and think about often are the ones we did as a family that didn’t cost a dime. Ice skating on a pond in the winter with my dad, sitting around a campfire and roasting marshmallows, Saturday night movie marathons in the family room with butter-soaked popcorn.”
A soft smile lights up her face and I’d bet money she’s thinking about her own happy childhood memories. A comfortable silence falls over us as we circle the ice at least half a dozen times. There’s something nice about spending time with Britt.
Almost like we’ve been doing it for years instead of just having met.
Even stranger than that, I’m pretty sure I could get used to this.
And it has everything to do with the girl at my side.
The one that doesn’t necessarily want to be there.
When Anna tries to creep into my brain, I wait for the anger and sadness to take hold and choke the life out of me from the inside out.
It’s a surprise when it doesn’t happen.
I draw a lungful of frigid air into my body and hold it captive before gradually releasing it back into the atmosphere.
As we skate past Lance, I realize that he’s no longer alone. A girl with two dark braids and a pink pom-pom knit hat tugged over the tips of her ears is seated next to him.
I nod toward her neighbor. “Well, well, well…would you look who found a friend?”
Britt’s gaze fastens onto the couple.
“Our little boy is finally growing up. Do you think one of us should have the birds and bees talk with him before things progress any further?”