Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Andrew lets out a resigned sigh, and his arm tightens around me.
“I gambled, Drew,” I murmur. “I rolled the dice. I went all in knowing damn well he might not be able to go all in with me. What I didn’t figure out was how bad it would hurt. And it hurt because he so easily gave up. He didn’t even try. Caved at the first stumbling block. His message was that I wasn’t worth the effort. It shredded me to know I wasn’t even important enough to try… to get past the discomfort and awkwardness of it all to him.”
Andrew releases me and leans away so he can turn to look at me. “You do get he has insecurities, right? He was not handling how badly Jamie’s death upset you.”
“Of course, I know that. I know that because I know Dane. I know him probably better than he knows himself. I’ve seen firsthand the demons that chase him.”
Tilting his head, Andrew looks at me with wide eyes. “What kind of demons?”
I don’t answer him, just pick up one of the large envelopes and hand it to him. “My house is getting listed for sale next week.”
Andrew curses. “Fuck… this is really happening, isn’t it?”
I don’t respond to his question. “The realty company is going to handle putting the rest of my stuff in long-term storage. I named you as my power of attorney and the documents are in here, so you can handle the closing when the house sells. Will you do that for me?”
“Of course, I will,” he says in almost a daze as he takes the envelope. I feel terrible for how badly I’m overwhelming him right now.
I hand the last envelope to him. “Give this to Dane.”
“What is it?” he asks as he takes it.
“Something I should have given him a long time ago,” I whisper as I look at the envelope that contains everything Dane would need to find his father. “Back in our senior year at Berkley, Dane’s dad came to the apartment one day. Dane was really freaked out, and I essentially had to chase him off because Dane was sort of frozen. But the man told me his name and that he just wanted to reconnect with his son. So, I ended up tracking him down and kept the information to give to Dane if he ever wanted to find his dad. I never gave it to him, though. I kept it because I didn’t think Dane would want it. I tried to give it to him a few weeks ago.”
Andrew’s eyes travel to the envelope. “But he didn’t take it.”
“Said he didn’t want it. But I hired an investigator two days ago to update the information, and his father is in the same town working the same job. I want you to give this to Dane. He can decide what to do with it, but I shouldn’t keep it anymore.”
I stand up from the bed and smooth my dress down. My flight doesn’t leave until tonight, and I long for a hot bath to soothe the tension from my shoulders. Then I’ll be going into some comfy travel pants and a pullover as I have a long flight ahead of me.
“Where are you going?” Andrew asks as he stands up. He leans over and picks up the other envelope that contains my resignation.
“Paris,” I tell him.
“You’re taking the job Fabron offered you,” he says.
I shrug. “I’m going to talk to him about it and see if it’s something I’m really interested in. But I will probably take it.”
Andrew steps up to me and shakes his head, his face filled with fear and doubt. “This is so impulsive, Avril. It’s not like you. It’s only been three days… you should give Dane time.”
Bringing my hand up, I touch my fingers to his cheek and smile at him. “Time won’t fix this for Dane. He’s been like this for thirty-nine years and I believe him when he says he can’t. But time will fix it for me. Time and distance is what I need.”
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, but then he asks in a choked voice, “But what about me? I don’t want the distance. I don’t want to lose my best friend.”
And I lose it right there. The tears well up fast and spill. Apparently, I wasn’t as dried up as I thought I was. I fling myself into Andrew’s arms, and we squeeze each other so hard I can barely breathe.
When his hold on me loosens slightly, I manage to tell him, “I’m going to miss you so much, Drew. But we’ll talk every day, and FaceTime, and we’ll visit each other all the time. You’re not losing me.”
“I am,” he insists as he squeezes me again. “And while I understand why you’re doing this, you have to know this is a mistake, Avril. You may not see it now, but this is a mistake.”