Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 132321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 441(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 441(@300wpm)
Jensen. That’s his name. Jensen. I like that.
“All right.” My father nods at me. “I’ll see you later.”
“Do you need me to help?” Please let the answer be no. I don’t think I could stand up straight for two minutes let alone prep a body right now.
“No. Paul’s meeting me there. And I called Rudy in. You enjoy a night off.”
I nod quickly. “Okay.”
I lazily track my father’s movements as he stops to speak to Rock, then Teller and Charlotte.
“You okay?” Jigsaw asks.
“No, I feel really spinny.” I loop my fingers through the air next to my head a few times.
“You want to go inside and take a nap?”
I slide my gaze to the big farmhouse that suddenly looks miles away. Nap in someone’s house during their wedding? That seems like poor guest etiquette. “No.”
He pulls out his phone and taps the screen several times.
A few minutes later, Sparky shows up, looking sheepish. He thrusts a thick, folded, shiny blue blanket at Jigsaw.
“Thanks,” Jigsaw growls.
“I’m sorry, Margot,” Sparky says. “I thought you knew.”
He looks so sad, I can’t be mad. Ha! I rhymed. “It’s okay. I’ve just never done it before.”
“I’ll stay with you and walk you—”
“Nope. I’m staying with her.” Jigsaw stands, and even though he’s only a few inches taller than Sparky, he seems to tower over him. “You’ve done enough.”
Sparky fidgets and shifts back and forth on his feet. “I’ll bring some snacks.”
My stomach lurches. “I feel too queasy to eat.”
Concern draws Sparky’s eyebrows down. “Queasy? That’s—”
“She’ll be fine.” A bit gentler, Jigsaw adds, “Some water and food would be good. She might be hungry later.”
“Got it.” Sparky salutes Jigsaw and hurries away.
Jigsaw unfolds the blanket and spreads it out under the maple tree next to us. It’s slick, and shiny, made of a sleeping bag-like material meant to keep us dry from the damp grass.
“Come on.” Jigsaw holds out his hand to me.
“You want me to just nap on a blanket?”
“You don’t have to sleep. Just close your eyes until the queasiness passes.”
Thank God for his strong, steady presence. I need his assistance more than I expected. I clutch his hand and use it as leverage to lift myself off the bench. My head might be in the clouds, but my body feels like concrete blocks in human form.
At the edge of the blanket, I toe off my heels and touch my feet to the cool, soft ground.
“Ahhh.” I close my eyes, enjoying the bliss of tiny blades of grass tickling my toes.
A low rough chuckle comes from below me.
My eyes pop open.
Jigsaw’s sitting on the blanket with his back against the tree.
I sway on my feet a little. Even relaxed and in bright daylight, he looks utterly lethal.
He pats the blanket next to him.
Exhausted and dizzy, I drop down and slide over the slick material until I’m kneeling next to him.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
I nod slowly, jostling all sorts of inappropriate thoughts and questions around inside my skull.
He pats his thigh. “Use me as your pillow.”
I blink and frown at him. “Are you serious?”
“Or fold the edge of the blanket up if you want. It’s big enough.”
I drag my gaze to where the blue meets green grass. It looks so far away. And Jigsaw looks so inviting. I slide my body down, the fabric of my dress making a zzzzzzp sound against the slick blanket.
I curl on my side, my cheek resting against his rock-hard thigh. “You’re very hard,” I murmur.
He chokes and sputters. “What?”
Slowly, the words that came out of my mouth trickle into my brain. “Uh, not like that.” I squeeze his thigh. “You’re all muscle.”
He chuckles. “Thank you.” His body shifts.
“Are you sure you’re comfortable like this?” I ask.
“I’m fine.” He shifts again and something glides over my cheek, pushing my hair over my shoulder. His heavy arm settles along my side, his hand resting on my hip. “I got you. Just relax. Try to enjoy the high.”
“Relax,” I murmur. The calm and safety absorbing me into another world.
CHAPTER NINE
Margot
Float.
That’s all I do for the next few…hours?
When I finally claw myself out of the soft, mushy feeling, I’m on my back with my hands folded over my stomach like I’m about to be placed in a coffin. The heavy weight of one of Jigsaw’s arms still rests protectively over me with his hand over mine.
I blink and stare into the branches of the tree above us. Green leaves and darkening sky beyond.
What time is it? I gasp and sit up, jostling Jigsaw’s arm. “How long have I been out?”
“Hmm?” He stares at me groggily. “A little while. Hungry?”
He reaches for a big blue-and-gray cooler on his other side. “When Sparky says he’s bringing snacks, he doesn’t mess around.” My stomach feels rumbly now instead of queasy, so that’s an improvement.
But as I sit up, my brain swims and sloshes around. “Has the pot altered me forever?” I blurt.