Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Ready?” I ask Kristy.
“Yep. Book club, here we come.” She grabs the bowl of chips and the matching bowl of dip, while I grab the tray of brownies, which is the last of the food that we need to carry outside. I might have gone overboard with the snacks, but I knew two of the ladies in attendance were pregnant, and their cravings are all over the place to hear them tell it. I want to have something for everyone.
Sterling sees me and heads my way. “Thank you for the extra chairs,” I tell him.
“You’re welcome. What time is this thing over?” He holds my gaze, not once looking away.
I shrug. I have no idea how long this is going to take. “I don’t know, a couple of hours? Why?”
“Dinner.” He rubs what I know are ripples of abs beneath his T-shirt. “What are we having?”
“Do you want to go out?” I ask.
“Nah, let’s just toss something on the grill. Text me, and I’ll head back over with everything that we need. That way, I’ll be here to help you clean up. I’d also like to talk to you about something, and we still have yet to talk about whatever it was you wanted to run by me the night I went to be with Ryder and my brothers.”
“Thank you.” I smile up at him. His blue eyes are watching me intently, and there’s a look there that I can’t quite decipher. “Yeah, dinner and we can talk.” I nod, letting him know I like the idea.
He leans in, and my breath hitches. Is he going to kiss me? Here? In front of everyone? I close my eyes, waiting for his lips to press mine, but instead, his hot breath brushes against my cheek. “Have fun, Tink,” he says. His voice is thick and husky, and the heat of him is gone far too soon. I open my eyes and watch him walk back into my house.
“Oh, before we start, I need to tinkle.” Mindy giggles at herself and moves past me inside the house.
I stand frozen. How could I have thought that he was going to kiss me? Did anyone notice that I was positioned and ready? My fucking eyes were closed and everything. Tonight. I’m going to tell him tonight. I can’t handle this anymore. To hell with the plan. To hell with needing time. It’s happening tonight.
I fiddle with the food to look busy until I get my raging hormones under control. I can only hope that no one is paying too close attention to me. I mean, how many times do I need to rearrange the three different dips?
“Hey,” Kristy calls out. “Are we ready?”
“Yes. Let me check on Mindy.” It’s just an excuse to buy myself some more time, but I guess it’s my duty as book club host that I check on Mindy. “Mindy?” I call out once I’m inside. No answer, so I head down the hall to knock on the bathroom door, but what I find stops me in my tracks. Sterling is standing just inside the spare bedroom with his phone out, and Mindy is telling him she can’t wait to hear from him. Her hand is on his arm, and she’s standing way too close to him. Sterling smiles at her, and that’s when his eyes find mine. Is that guilt I see on his face? I can’t be sure. The blood is rushing, and I can’t focus. What I do know is that I heard her tell him she can’t wait to hear from him. I know that she was touching him, and he was typing something into his phone.
“Tink?” Sterling calls out to me, and I realize I’ve been frozen, staring at the two of them.
“W-We’re ready to start.” I start backing away. I can’t stand here and watch the two of them together. How could he just give in to her? After all these years, he chooses her over me? No. Not over me. He’s my best friend. Nothing less, nothing more. I’m the one who needs to remember that. I can’t just change the rules as I go. I thought the extra touches and the heated looks meant something. I thought his drunken confession was his truth.
That’s what I get for thinking.
Sterling Kincaid is and will only ever be my best friend. I’m glad I found out now, before I embarrassed myself later tonight.
“Alyssa? Are you feeling all right?” Sterling asks. He takes a step toward me, but I take another step back.
“Fine. I’ll be outside.” I turn on my heel and rush back outside. The door is barely closed behind me when Blakely comes rushing over.
“Alyssa, have you seen my uncle Sterling? He didn’t leave me, did he?” Blakely asks, her hands on her hips. “That’s very naughty.”