Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
He would eventually text me back. I was almost a hundred percent sure of it. But he was making sure I understood that our having sex hadn’t changed the way he felt about me. I wasn’t going to become someone he needed to talk to daily. His work was first, and when he had time, he’d get back to me. Maybe he was reinforcing that by leaving my text unread. It was a shitty thing to do. He could have at least responded with a, Made it back. Busy with work. Which the week before Thanksgiving week was normally their slammed one. In the past, they’d always closed the offices for Thanksgiving week. Still, he could be tied up with holiday preparations. Maybe.
The sound of my phone ringing had me jumping up and rushing to grab it. Jellie’s name lit the screen. Feeling guilty from the crash of disappointment, I took a moment to take a deep breath. She’d pick up on something being wrong if I wasn’t careful. Then she’d start throwing more setups at me. More men I didn’t want to meet. Knowing her, I’d bet she’d have someone show up for Thanksgiving dinner.
“Good morning,” I said as cheerfully as I could. My acting skills weren’t the best, but it sounded believable.
“Don’t good morning me!” she said into the phone excitedly. “Muscular, shirtless, and tattooed, wearing nothing but a towel, and I KNEW NOTHING about this! Spill. Right now!”
Ah. I’d wondered if Thurston would tell Zeke about the other morning. Seemed he finally had.
I pressed the palm of my hand over my heart and winced at the reminder of that morning. All Ransom had said. What we had done. How happy I had been with him. Yet three days later, and I was falling apart.
“And don’t give me the old friend bullshit you fed Thurst. I know your friends, and you do not have one who fits that description.” The accusation in her tone would be funny if I wasn’t ready to curl up into a ball and rock in a corner.
“Well, actually, it was the truth. He is from Madison. I tutored him in high school,” I replied, wishing we could talk about anything else.
“And … he was randomly in Manhattan, taking a shower in your apartment? Seriously, Noa! I am your best friend! Why did I know nothing about this?! When did you start talking? Did you bump into him when you went back to Madison? How did this happen? And is it going to happen some more?” She almost sounded giddy, except for the small pause she had added when asking about my return to Madison.
Even though Jellie knew my relationship with my mother had been nonexistent, she still treaded lightly when mentioning her.
“We texted on occasion. Then I ran into him again, and we talked a little. It’s not a big thing. He’s not the kind you have a relationship with.” Although, for a moment, I’d allowed myself to think that was what we were doing.
“Yeah, um, okay. This is me. You remember, your bestie? I require details, not a synopsis. That’s the right word, isn’t it? Synopsis? Oh, never mind. You know what I mean. I want more than that little bit of nothing. I’m not the damn media, looking to do a piece on this. I want to know every second, every little morsel. TALK!”
Sighing, I let my head fall back as I stared up at the ceiling. God, Jellie. Not today. I do not need this today. I need to mentally prepare for a weekend with you and your family. Pretending that I’m happy.
“There isn’t a big story to tell. He was in town; we met up, had drinks, then came back here. I haven’t talked to him since he left.”
“UGH! Are you trying to drive me nuts?”
“No, but I have to pack. I would make the story more interesting if there was something to tell.” Liar. There was so much to tell. So much I couldn’t even tell my best friend.
“We’re going to my parents’. All you have to do is toss some sweats into a suitcase and go get on the train.”
“I leave for an event on Friday evening. I’m not going home before then.”
“Where are you headed to this time?”
“Chicago.”
“Signing?”
“Conference. I’m the keynote speaker.”
She chuckled. “Your favorite!”
“Yeah, right. You know me. I love getting in front of people and talking.” I hated it. Every time I was asked to do it, I wanted to throw up.
“You will be awesome. You always are. I’ll look for someone to upload it to YouTube.”
I groaned at the reminder that any mistake I made would be forever recorded on the internet.
She laughed. “They love you. Embrace it.”
My phone beeped, and I jerked it away from my ear with hope soaring in my chest that it was Ransom. Unknown flashed on the screen.