Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
You’re my everything too, Callum Park.
Callum
It’s distracting as fuck having Willa in my class. I barely made it through the damn period without being overly obvious that my attention was solely on her. What was even more maddening was having to ignore that dipshit of a stepbrother of hers. After what she told me earlier today in the copy room, I’d wanted to beat the shit out of him.
Somehow, by some goddamn miracle, I survived the class period with both of them.
Now I have more shit to deal with.
Like my annoying little sister.
“Did you talk to Dad?” Gemma bounds into my classroom without so much as a hello.
Groaning, I close my laptop where I’d been grading assignments during my planning period and look up at my sister. Sometimes she reminds me exactly of Jamie at her age. It’s probably why I’m not as close to her as I am with my brothers. She’s a never-ending reminder.
“Yep.”
Her hands go to her hips and her brows hike up. “And?”
And it fucking cost me.
“I told him the girl you want to stay the night with is a good student and that you’ll be safe.” I grit my teeth. “And now we’re having dinner tonight together.”
She squeals happily, not at all concerned with the fact I’ve taken a proverbial bullet for her. “Thank you, Cal. You’re my favorite brother. No lie. I owe you big for this.”
I lean back in my chair and it creaks. “Don’t corrupt my student.” My girlfriend.
“I’m a good girl,” Gemma says, with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “We’re just going to watch movies and eat snacks.”
“Stay away from her stepbrother.”
Her lip curls up. “Levi? Spencer and Dempsey would freak if I even talked to him.”
“I’ll freak too,” I grumble. “Seriously. He’s a dick and not exactly nice to his sister.”
“I won’t talk to him.”
“Good. Now go to class already.”
“I’m late now. Write me a note.”
I grumble but rip off a piece of paper from my notebook and scribble out an excuse for her being late.
“Have fun at dinner with Dad,” Gemma says sweetly. “Who knows…maybe you two will finally patch things up.”
Doubtful.
“Maybe,” I allow. “Later, twerp.”
She flips me off but is all smiles as she leaves my classroom. As soon as she’s gone, the reality of my situation hits me in the gut. Tonight I’m having dinner with Dad. Just the two of us. While my bratty sister spends the night with my girlfriend. So fucking unfair.
Wilde Eats is Park Mountain’s most beloved restaurant. It’s been around longer than I’ve been alive and has seen multiple renovations as the times change. Recently, it’s undergone a modern upgrade with sleek metals and warm woods. Despite the high-end feel to it, Wilde Eats still boasts the same menu it’s had since its inception. Juicy, tender steaks, savory seasonal casseroles, and secret-recipe pies that lure in tourists from sea to shining sea.
It was also Mom’s favorite place to eat.
We all frequent Wilde Eats. Well, everyone except Jude. Mom’s death haunts him the worst.
“Hey, Mr. Park,” a friendly, young voice chirps. “Your dad’s already waiting for you.”
I recognize the student from a couple years ago who’s since graduated—a freckle-faced girl who spent every class cheek down on the desk and drooling.
“Miss Thompson,” I greet with a nod. “Hope you’re doing well.”
She grins and wiggles a hand at me that reveals a thin gold band with a speck of a diamond. “Mrs. Wendell now.”
“As in Josh Wendell?”
“Got pregnant after high school and he made an honest woman out of me.”
“Congratulations.”
I leave her at the hostess stand and wonder if Josh is still a loser. The kid barely ever came to class. He failed statistics miserably. But people change. For their sake and the kid’s, I hope he did.
Dad sits in a booth by one of the big windows that offers a picturesque view of Park Mountain. The lodge, twinkling and massive, can be seen in the distance beyond the thick trees that blanket the mountain. He’s dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit, having come straight from the office. I’m made aware of the fact we’re wearing an eerily similar suit, which makes my skin crawl.
I am not like him.
“Dad,” I greet, voice flat and emotionless.
He turns his attention from the window to take my presence in. His icy blue eyes skate over me and then, in a dismissive way, he picks up his wine glass and brings it to his lips.
I slide into the booth and roll my head over my shoulders, attempting to force my tense muscles to relax. Being near Dad never fails to keep me wound the fuck up.
“I see Gemma has you doing her bidding,” Dad says as he pours me a glass of wine from the bottle on the table. “How’d she manage that?”
“She’s a good kid.” I shrug and pick up my glass. “Plus, she’s really good at begging until you give in.”