Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
I open the door and motion for her to get inside. “Unlikely.”
Once she's seated, I climb in and start the engine.
“Maybe she regrets ending it. I can't imagine why anyone would come back to where their ex lives just to help out his family,” she says, using finger quotes.
I shrug, not wanting to think about it. Aspen and I dated for years, and it took months to get over her. Though I'm glad she ended it before I proposed, she still shattered my heart. After going through that, I vowed I'd never commit to another serious relationship. Although it was said in anger, I still doubt I'll ever trust a woman again.
“Even if that were true, I'd never give her a second chance after what she did,” I tell her truthfully.
“Hmm...could be fun showing her what she's missing.”
I furrow my brow. “And why would you want to do that?”
She shrugs with a smile. “You're not the only one who's gotten hurt from an ex who said they wanted one thing but suddenly changed their mind and wanted something else.”
“What's the story there?” I ask as we drive closer to my house.
“I'll save that for another day.”
After I park, she hops out, but I stop her before she closes the door. “After work, I'm meeting up with a buddy. So I'll be back around ten.”
“Oh. Alright. I'll probably be painting until then anyway.”
I give her a nod, and she shuts the door. Once she's inside the house, I leave and head toward the bakery. My mom needs me to look at something, and I text Levi as soon as I arrive.
Finn: Wanna meet for a beer later?
We didn't have plans prior to me telling Oakley, but I needed a reason to stay away for a while. Between trying to keep my distance and pretending to be a couple, things are beginning to get confusing.
Levi: Sure, 8?
Finn: I'll be there.
There's only one bar in our small town, and unless it's a game night, it's quiet.
I greet my mom and aunt when I walk into the bakery while my grandma chats and rings up customers. Though she's normally at the inn, she stops in to help when it gets busy.
“How are things going with Oakley?” Grandma asks.
“Great.”
I haven't told her about our fake relationship agreement, but I'm sure the news will spread, and I'll have some explaining to do.
“Are you being a gentleman while showing her around?”
“Of course. Took her on an apple picking tour earlier.”
“Wonderful! I bet she enjoyed that.”
Before I can respond, Aspen walks out from the back and comes toward me.
Fucking hell. Is she everywhere at once?
“Hey, Finn.” She looks around. “Where's your girlfriend?”
“Painting,” I quickly reply, moving away from my grandma before she asks questions. “I'm just here to look at one of the ovens, then I'll be out of everyone's way.”
“You have a girlfriend? Who?” my grandma blurts out.
Aspen crosses her arms. “You didn't tell her?”
“Like I said, it's recent,” I grind out between my teeth, then turn to face my grandmother. “Yes, it's Oakley.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh. When did—”
“Mom, I need you over here for a quick minute,” Aunt Paisley blurts out, giving me an escape.
I mouth a quick, “Thank you,” and head to the back. Luckily, Aspen doesn't follow and returns to restocking the shelves.
After a couple of hours of tinkering with the oven, it’s finally fixed, and I leave. I stop by the harvesting facility to check on something, then help Roy repair the other tractor. Double tours will be running during the celebration, so they have to be dependable.
At seven thirty, I finally head into town to meet with Levi. I arrive at the pub before him and start with a beer. When he shows up, he orders a whiskey and a basket of fries.
“So you wanna talk about why we're drinking on a Monday night?” he taunts, knowing I save going out for the weekends. “Anything to do with your ex-girlfriend being back?”
“Just needed some space and time away from home,” I admit.
“From the new girl, huh? She driving ya crazy?”
Yes, but not in the way he's thinking.
“She snuck into my bed last night,” I tell him, knowing what he'll say.
“Wow. So I guess it's safe to say you're over Aspen.”
“She didn't like the couch,” I clarify. “I woke up, and she was sleeping next to me.”
“Bet that was a new experience for you.”
“She's a pain in my ass. Like a little sister who won't leave me the hell alone.”
He arches a brow. “You sure about that?”
“I don't know...” I sigh. “When Aspen showed up, I blurted out that Oakley was my girlfriend, so now we're pretending to date.”
“Wait...” He bursts out laughing. “You what?”
I drown my beer, mentally slapping myself. “It was stupid, but then Oakley went along with it, and now she's staying at my house.”