Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 106774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
My conversation with Renn didn’t last long—it was far shorter than I anticipated. He called to ask how it was going with Gray, and I didn’t even really get to fully explain the situation. As soon as I told him I was uncomfortable and didn’t want to work with him anymore, the call ended.
It can’t be a coincidence that Gray used that term.
I erase my response and type out a new one.
Me: They annoy me.
Then I hit Send.
“Since you’re all feisty tonight,” Gianna says, “this might be a good time to bring this up, Astrid.”
I look at her over the top of my phone, lifting a brow.
“We were brainstorming at work on Monday, and looking through old magazines for inspiration,” she says. “We came across this column where they took a question and then had a few different people answer it. I thought you might find it fun—and it pays. Not a ton, but a couple of hundred dollars.”
“A couple of hundred dollars for my response to a ridiculous question posed by a random person on the internet?” I ask. “That’s it? No catch?”
“That’s it. No catch.”
“I’m in,” I say, as my phone vibrates in my hand. Guess I’ll use that to start a legal fund.
“Great! Give me a few days to get everything together, and then I’ll give you more info.”
Gray: We’re better than this.
Me: Speak for yourself.
Gray: You are the only woman in the world who would argue with someone who’s trying to say nice things about them.
Me: Your point?
Gray: This is not going how I imagined.
Me: Great. Lose my number.
I turn my phone to silent and place it face down on the table.
Focus—and not on him. “I need to find another form of income,” I say, accepting another glass of sangria from Kim. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Do you ladies need anything else?” she asks.
“If you want to bring me the check, that should be about it,” Audrey says.
Kim winds her way through the maze of chairs and dirty tables.
“You need another form of income.” Audrey loops us back to my statement. “What kind of a thing are you looking for?”
“Something that pays heart surgeon dollars for administrative assistant tasks,” I say, blowing out a breath. “I’m in the same financial boat that I was in pre-Gray as long as the Trace thing doesn’t cost me the only arm that I have left. But I don’t have twenty thousand dollars to pay his bills, not to mention the attorney fees I'll incur to fight it. It just never stops. My financial boat is full of holes.”
Audrey pats my hand. “I’ll jump in your boat and help you bail water. Just let me know what kind of a pail to bring with me.”
Gianna groans. “Why do you always have to be so good and make me look so bad?”
I giggle.
“Bring a pail and join us,” Audrey says. “I didn’t say you couldn’t come.”
“No, but you said it first. You’re just so … good.”
Audrey and I laugh at the look of disgust on Gianna’s face. As if being good is somehow a terrible thing. Slowly, Gianna gives in and laughs, too.
“It’s a good thing I love you,” she says.
“I love you, too,” Audrey tells her. “And I’ll make you good before it’s over. Wait and see.”
Kim stops again and hands Audrey the check. She glances at the paper and gives Kim her credit card. As Kim steps away, something across the room catches my eye.
I’m not sure if it’s the plain black T-shirt that feels familiar or the width of his back. But when Gray turns around, putting his baseball hat on his head, his gaze collides with mine with the force of a Mack truck.
“Shit,” I hiss, heat creeping up my neck.
“What’s wrong?” Gianna asks. “Are you okay?”
“Did you eat a peanut?” Audrey reaches for my purse. “Where’s your EpiPen?”
I peek up through my lashes to find a pair of thick thighs moving toward our table. This is going to take more than an EpiPen, guys.
His cologne reaches us before he does, caressing us into a false sense of ease. Gianna picks up on his proximity first, naturally. A slow, sexy smile kisses her lips as she sets her sights on Gray.
What are the odds that he’s here? Why does the universe hate me?
Audrey flashes me a look, and I nod. Her face washes in horror.
I take a deep breath and then lift my chin. His eyes are still glued to me—a hot, sticky sort of glue that traps my attention and holds it tight. He comes to a stop beside Audrey, slipping his hands in his pockets.
My heartbeat quickens.
“Stalking is illegal in Tennessee,” I deadpan.
“Maybe I was here first,” he says.
Gianna sits back. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” I say without breaking eye contact with my nemesis. “Gianna and Audrey, this is Gray Adler. He was just leaving.”