Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Audrey snorts, tea shooting out of her nostrils. I giggle before it turns into a full-blown belly laugh. Pearl hands her a napkin, laughing, too. Audrey’s eyes water as she tries to get herself under control.
“I apologize for her,” I say to Pearl. “Audrey is a good girl, and we love that about her.”
“Hell, yes, we do,” Pearl says. “There’s nothing wrong with that, Auddie. You are who you are. People these days are too afraid to embrace how they really feel. That’s why there are so many unhappy souls walking the earth.”
She’s probably right.
“But, back to your man,” Pearl says, turning to me. “Are you having sex yet or not?”
Audrey’s flabbergasted. Bewildered. If she had Pearl pegged to be a sweet old lady, which I think is the case, she’s understandably shocked.
“I’m having great sex,” I say. “It took some finagling, but I finally got the dick.”
“Good for you. I was remembering you in my prayers in the evenings.”
I laugh. “You were praying for my sex life? Pearl. Baby. You’re a great friend.”
“Oh, hell. God created sex,” Pearl says. “How can it be a bad thing? It’s only dirty because humans made it that way. If you’re not hurting anyone, I say enjoy it.”
We sip our tea as Audrey and Pearl get into a surprising conversation about traveling. It seems Pearl was quite the jetsetter back in her day. Audrey goes all over the place with her family. As I listen to them debate what’s the better island—Grand Cayman or St. Thomas, my thoughts float to Drake.
I imagine him in his parents’ living room, sitting across from Big Ed. I wonder if his sisters are there and if his mom is making something delicious in the kitchen. Drake said she would be doing that today. After all, it is Sunday, and Sunday dinners are a big deal in the Bennett household.
My shoulders pull forward as a hollow warmth settles in my gut. Not being with him feels like such a loss, like a bruise that only I can see. I should’ve gone, too. I wanted to. It just seemed ridiculous to dig myself in deeper with those sweet people. There’s no need to create a bond with Barb and Big Ed, or Evie and Elodie. The fewer complications, the better.
My throat thickens, and I try to wash it out with another drink of tea.
“Well, Pearl, we’d better get going,” I say, once her and Audrey’s travel tales end. “I have a big week coming up, and my house is a disaster.”
“Sure, honey. I understand.”
Audrey rinses our glasses out, and Pearl places them in the dishwasher. I wipe down the table and push in our chairs. Then we return to the entryway and the infamous coat tree.
“It was nice to do business with you, Pearl,” I say.
She cackles. “You know that’s a damn lie.”
I laugh, too. “Have fun on your cruise.”
“I’ll call you with a report.” She turns to Audrey. “It was nice to meet you, young lady.”
“It was nice to meet you, Pearl.”
Audrey and I lift the coat tree, which is inexplicably heavier than I would’ve imagined. We nearly trip going down the walkway. We manage to get it into the truck bed without damaging either the wood or the metal, then climb into the cab.
Pearl waves as we back out of the driveway.
Audrey takes a call from her brother as I gaze out of the window, wishing that I were with Drake. Because there will come a day, sooner than later, I fear, that I won’t have the choice.
And that’s going to really, really suck.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Drake
“Hey, gorgeous,” I say, wrapping my arm around Gianna and hauling her into me. “I missed you.”
She smiles up at me. “I missed you, too.”
I close the door before taking her face in my hands and pressing a kiss to her lips. Her body relaxes the moment we touch, and I can almost see the stress of her day melt away. I love that I can do that to her.
“Where’s the coat tree?” I ask after pulling back. “I need to see this thing.”
“It’s in the living room. Audrey helped me clean it off outside because it had about thirty years of grime on it. It’s not looking too bad now.”
She leads me into the house, our hands locked together.
“Auddie, this is Drake,” Gianna says, stepping to the side. “Drake, this is one of my best friends Audrey.”
A pretty woman with light blond hair and the shyest smile nods. “Hey, Drake.”
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” I smile back, hoping it makes her more comfortable. “I take it that’s your truck out there?”
“My dad’s. We took it to get Vern.”
I glance at Gianna. “Vern?”
“That’s what we named the coat tree,” she says, as if naming inanimate objects is typical. God, I love this quirky woman. “Doesn’t it look like a Vern?”