Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I shouldn’t have cared that he was sharing a moment with those other women. I’d already made it clear to him that I wasn’t interested, but the twinge was still there. And it grew even stronger when Caroline pointed at him and said, “There he is.”
“That’s the guy?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s him.” I was still watching him interact with those other women when he turned and glanced over in our direction. Butterflies erupted in my stomach when his eyes found mine. Normally, I would’ve looked away or run for the hill, but this time, I didn’t. This time, I stayed put and kept my eyes trained on his. He held my gaze for several moments, then he lifted his beer and gave us a quick chin lift. When he turned his attention back to his friends, Caroline leaned over to me and purred, “Oh, my. Isn’t he divine?”
“Yeah, he’s okay.”
“He’s more than okay, Jules,” she argued. “The man is absolutely scrumptious. We’ve gotta get over there and say hi.”
“What? Now?”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know.” I motioned my head over at the women he was talking to as I told her, “He looks kind of occupied at the moment.”
“Occupied? Pfft. I don’t care about those crotch-sniffers.” She gave me a nonchalant shrug. “Besides, it’s not like I’m going to go over there and pounce him. I’m just going to say hi.”
“Hmm. Okay. Do what you gotta do.” I took a quick look around, and when I spotted MJ at the cooler, I turned back to Caroline and said, “I’m gonna go grab a drink.”
“Wait. You aren’t going to go with me?”
“Um, no. You’re on your own with this one.”
“But this is your chance to cut loose and live a little.”
“It’s not gonna happen, Caroline, so just let it go.”
“Okay, fine.” She rolled her eyes with a pout. “But don’t come crying to me later tonight when you end up going home alone.”
“There will be no tears from me. I promise you that.”
“We’ll see.”
Unable to force myself to move, I stood there and watched as Caroline sashayed over to Q and started talking to him. I couldn’t help but notice how Q’s eyes lit up when she placed her hand on his arm and started talking to him like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. They continued to banter back and forth, and it was clear from their flirty smiles and body language they were really hitting it off.
As I stood there watching them together, I could feel myself shutting down. I tried to tell myself that I was the one who’d let it happen and that I could change things if I really wanted to, but the walls still went up. I could feel them closing in on me when Hayes came up beside me and offered me a beer. “You look like you could use one of these.”
“More than you know.” I took the bottle from his hand, then took a drink before saying, “Thanks.”
“No problem.” It was uncanny how much he looked like his father. They both had the same height and build, and the same wild, dark hair, deep-black eyes, and thick goatee. They even had the same compassionate personality, so I wasn’t surprised when he asked, “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a bit more crowded than I expected, and it’s taking me a minute to adjust.”
“I get it. It’s a lot to take in.”
“Yes, it is.”
“I’m actually kind of surprised you came tonight.”
“Me, too.” I motioned my head over at Caroline as I told him, “I was coerced.”
“Is that so?”
“Um-hmm.” I chuckled as I told him, “Caroline can be very persuasive.”
“Oh, I know. You should’ve heard her the day she tried to convince me to shave my goatee. She almost had me until I mentioned it to some of the guys. Thankfully, they set me straight, and I didn’t end up doing something stupid.”
“I’m glad you decided to keep it. I think it suits you.”
“Thanks. I do, too.” An awkward silence fell upon us, and I feared he would find some excuse to leave. He didn’t. He simply stood there with me and drank his beer—which I found very endearing. After several long moments, he asked, “How are things with your car?”
“Great. She’s running better than ever. I really appreciate you and your dad helping me out like you did.”
“We wouldn’t have even known about it if Q hadn’t called.” He glanced over at Q, then back to me. “I gotta say, he seemed pretty concerned about ya.”
“I don’t know why. I told him I had it covered. Besides, he doesn’t even know me. Why would even he care?”
“Guess you’d have to ask him that.”
I looked back over at the fire, and just as I expected, Q and Caroline were still talking. I took a long sip of my beer, then grumbled, “I think I’ll pass on that. Another beer, on the other hand...”