Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
“But that one looks exactly like the ring you wanted. I literally can’t tell the difference. I’m sure a much cheaper knockoff will look fake, and then we’ll run the risk of someone at camp figuring us out.”
Marnie shakes her head. “I can’t let you spend eight thousand bucks on a fake diamond ring for me, Max.”
“What if Wayne Walters is an expert in diamonds? I’m sure he’s bought his wife several big, fat diamonds over the years. They’re famously in love.”
“It’s too much.”
“It’s my money, Marnie. And my con. I’ll decide the budget for the fake ring, okay?” I chuckle. “Not gonna lie, I’m also motivated by the thought of my father seeing that ring in photos and shitting his pants. I’d gladly pay eight grand to piss him off.”
Marnie furrows her brow. “You’re planning to post photos from camp?”
“No, but I’ll text photos to Auggie, and he’ll pass them along for me. He’s not close to our father, but he stays in touch.”
Marnie looks excited. “Okay, thank you. But only if you’re one hundred percent sure you don’t mind spending that much on a fake ring.”
I wink. “I’m sure, Boo.” I hand her my credit card, and she makes the purchase and thanks me again. As she hands the card back to me, I suddenly realize we’re semi-entangled on the couch and my palm is resting comfortably on her thigh. How long has my hand been there? I jolt and yank my palm off Marnie’s leg, muttering my apologies, which then causes Marnie to jolt and scramble to disentangle her legs from mine.
“Don’t apologize,” Marnie says. “It was my fault. I don’t know how I got tangled up with you like that.”
“We scooted close to be able to look at your screen together,” I stammer. Even as I’m saying it, my eyes drift to Marnie’s lips again. I’ve never wanted to kiss someone this badly in my life. Not even back in middle and high school when I got a hard-on with every breeze. Not even with Skylar in college, when I stupidly thought I’d found the great love of my life. I remember I couldn’t wait to get back from whatever away-game to see Skylar again and kiss every inch of her. I felt addicted to that girl’s lips, I remember. It felt like kissing her gave me life. And yet, looking back, that addiction pales in comparison to the one I feel whenever I think about Marnie. Physically, anyway, the craving I feel for her lips, body, and touch, blows everything else out of the water.
Marnie’s eyes briefly flicker to my mouth and her cheeks catch fire. Am I crazy, or is she dying to kiss me, every bit as much as I’m dying to kiss her? When her eyes return to mine, I don’t break contact. Do it, I think. Fuck your no-sex rule, baby. Let your pulsing clit be your guide.
Holy shit. I think Marnie is leaning toward me, ever so slowly, like she’s going to kiss me. Holy fuck, she is—so I lean in, too. But just before our lips meet, Marnie’s phone rings and she jerks back to answer it.
“Hey, Dad,” she blurts, her face aglow and her features tight. “Oh, thanks for doing that. No, she’s got enough pills to last her. Thank you for double checking, though. Okay, have fun. I love you, too.” She disconnects the call. “My father picked up a refill of Ripley’s heart medication today and forgot to drop it off before heading to your mother’s house for the night. He wanted to know if he should drop the bottle off in the morning before heading off to wine country.” She’s coming across as fidgety and adrenaline-fueled. Flustered as hell.
“Your father seems like a great guy,” I say, feeling pretty flustered myself.
“He is. He’s been my rock when it comes to Ripley. Both in terms of babysitting and helping me out with expenses. I don’t know what I’d do without him. If left to my own devices, I couldn’t afford her expensive medicine and the tuition for her amazing preschool. I’d have to pick her medicine, obviously; and even then, I’m not sure if I’d be able to cover it every month.”
I ask how much the medicine costs, and when Marnie tells me, I’m outraged. “Nobody should have to pay that much for lifesaving medicine, especially for a child.”
Marnie agrees and says, “Unfortunately, I’m too old to be on my father’s medical insurance as a dependent. The only health insurance I can afford barely contributes to prescriptions. It’s more like a safety net in case something catastrophic happens.”
I shake my head, feeling disgusted. “What about the preschool? How much is tuition there?”
Marnie tells me the number, and I whistle. “Fucking hell. It’s pre-school.”
“Yeah, but they’re specialists. In the year Ripley’s been going there, she’s blossomed into the chatterbox you see now. She was practically nonverbal when she started a year ago. She’s got some learning disabilities.”