Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“No, he shouldn’t have. But he was standing up for you, in his own Kai-like way.”
I rested my head on Landon’s shoulder, thinking about what he’d said.
“So no, I don’t think he ruined your chance of a decent and accurate report,” Landon continued.
“I guess not,” I said softly. Mrs. Greer had—or maybe I had, by not finding a way to get on her good side.
Landon was silent while he looked at the fire, but his muscles were tense. I could feel them as I leaned against him. “I spent a lot of the past year wishing that things were different, wishing that John and I had gone a different route that way, or that our timing had been better. But wishing that things were different doesn’t do any good. It just gets you stuck in a cycle, gets your mind trapped in a way you can’t get out.”
“Is that where you are?” I asked quietly.
“I was. For a long time. But maybe things are starting to get a little better now. Time helps.”
“So you’re saying that after I get a bad review, flunk my internship, and end up working the night shift at a motel along the highway, I’ll feel better about it after enough time has passed?’
“Hell no.” The spirit in Landon’s voice took me by surprise. “No, you fight for what you’ve earned.”
What? “Fight Mrs. Greer?” If Kai had been tempted to punch anyone, I wish it had been her.
“Fight for your career. It’s like what all these seniors here say…. If one door closes, open a window. You’re brilliant, Zoe. I think that if you really tried, you could open any damn window you wanted.”
The sudden passion in his voice got to me. But still… I had to be realistic. “I think some of them are painted shut.”
“You’ve l got five months left before graduation. You can test out a lot of windows before then, and if none of them open? Then take a chainsaw and make your own. That’s what you did to get this internship in the first place, right? You fought for it. And you’re about to graduate from one of the most prestigious private colleges in the nation. You’re a fighter, Zoe. You’re a fighter and you’re brave.”
Warmth filled my chest as I thought about his words. Maybe there was something I could do. Not with Mrs. Greer. Landon was right, she wasn’t going to change her mind. But maybe if I thought hard enough, I might come up with something else that could help. Maybe. But it was daunting. “Some days I don’t feel very brave.”
Landon set his beer down on the coffee table, then turned to me, gripping my upper arms as he looked me in the eye. “You asked three men you barely knew to teach you how to have sex. That’s brave as fuck in my book.”
A smile threatened to burst across my face, and I wrestled with whether to hug him or kiss him. But then, I did neither. I laughed.
“What?” He had an indulgent smile on his face, as if he was already prepared to laugh with me.
“You forgot the absolute bravest thing I did.”
“What’s that?”
“I let your brother give me a ski lesson.”
He laughed. “There’s a thin line between brave and foolhardy. But speaking of my brother, he’s working at the bar tonight. Want to go hang out with him?”
“Sure.” I pushed the blanket away and stood up.
“Asher might be able to take a break and come hang out as well.”
Wait. Was Landon speaking a little too casually? He made it sound like we might all four end up in the same location completely coincidentally, which seemed a little suspicious because we spent a lot of time together. But I did want to see them. And trusting Landon had never led me astray.
He held my hand when we walked over there, and it just felt so good. I’d always wondered when I saw couples on campus walking along holding hands, why they needed to do that. Did they think they’d fall over if they didn’t? Okay, sure, I knew that wasn’t the actual reason, but it just seemed so unnecessary. But now I knew—it felt good to feel his warm, strong hand wrapped around mine. It was a connection. It was comfort. I liked it.
He kept hold of my hand when we walked over to the bar, where a guy who looked just like him, only with a hundred times the chaotic energy, was behind the bar. We settled at the far end and watched Kai, who seemed to be in his element. He was playing to the guests, joking and flirting while mixing drinks. Maybe he had a future in bartending when he was done skiing. It kind of felt like he’d do well at any job that allowed him to show off and be admired.