Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
We said our goodbyes, and I drove to the hotel, pretending it was a coincidence that the guy I was meeting had black hair and a beard, like Knox.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Knox
The house was too quiet.
Logan hadn’t been living with me for long, but I was used to always having him there, and sometimes both Logan and Callum. Even Frankie Blue looked lonely as she glanced at me from the dog bed, like I was a disappointment and not nearly as fun as Logan. “I know, girl. It’s not my fault. He has a friend now, and it’s his first sleepover. We have to let him go.” She ran over to where I sat on the couch and put her front legs on the cushion. “You’re a good puppy, aren’t you?” I scratched behind her ears. “Maybe we should invite Callum over? What do you say?”
As soon as I had the thought, I struck it out. For some reason, I felt…silly inviting him over, though I couldn’t figure out why that might be. He was my friend. I enjoyed spending time with him. He was at the house all the time. In fact, I hadn’t done much with any of my friends outside of Callum in a while. Even after Law had come over when we worked on the fence, I still hadn’t made it to his place or to Griff’s to hang out. Though it was different now, having Logan at home. We were taking a biweekly art class and had homework at night and spent evenings working on our model planes. It wasn’t as easy to sit at the bar, shooting the shit.
Which meant I should take advantage of tonight and hit up Griff’s, maybe call Law or Josh to see if they would be there.
Just as I leaned forward to grab my phone from the coffee table, it rang. Callum’s name popped up on the screen, and I felt a strange jolt in my pulse.
I grabbed my cell and stood up, answering the call. “Hey, man. What’s up?” Was it me, or did my voice sound weird? Why in the hell my voice would sound unsure was beyond me.
“Have you guys eaten?” he rushed out with what sounded like a bit of annoyance in his voice.
“Um…no? Are you okay?”
“I’m coming over. I mean, can I come over? And I’m bringing dinner. If you say I can come over, at least. I’m bringing all the food and maybe some snacks too, so is there anything you like? Well, first, do you guys have plans?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at how he’d rambled. “No, I haven’t eaten. I think I said that already. Yes, you can come over. You’re always welcome here. Or we can…” My words trailed off. I was going to say we could go to Griff’s, but I didn’t. I suddenly realized I didn’t feel like going out. I wanted to relax at home with Callum.
“We can what?”
“Nothing. Hurry up and get your ass over here. It’s just me, though, so if you’re looking for Logan, you might be disappointed. I’ll have to be enough.”
“Oh.”
My chest tightened. “Is that a problem?”
“No, no. Of course not. It’s…it’s nothing. Ignore me. I’ll be there soon with all the food.”
“As long as you don’t forget the food,” I teased.
“Not a chance.” Callum hung up, and I found myself staring at my phone for a moment. I had no fucking clue what that was about. He’d never been so obsessive about dinner, and obviously something was wrong. I just didn’t know how those two things fit together.
I was wearing a pair of jeans already, but I tugged on a white T-shirt, then brushed my teeth. My insides felt jittery, which was a bit fucked. I had no reason to be nervous, so I told myself it was because Logan was at his first sleepover. I was stressing about that already. I’d made him crazy checking in about his medication, and his inhaler, and bringing his phone charger, and calling me anytime, it didn’t matter how late. I’d also made sure to tell Amanda about his asthma. He’d wanted to kill me, and I could understand why. But thinking about that didn’t change the jumpy feeling inside me, just added to it.
“Come on, Frankie Blue. Let’s go outside.” She came running, and we went out the back, into the fenced-in area I’d built with Logan and Callum. I tinkered around back there for a while, then threw the ball for Frankie Blue over and over and over again. She never got tired, and before I knew it, I heard a car pull up out front. Frankie’s ears perked, and she began yapping. “It’s just Callum,” I told her.
I went through the house, puppy feet tapping along the hardwood floors behind me. I opened the door just as Callum got there. He swept inside, a pizza box and other stuff in his hands. “Well, hello to you too,” I joked, closing the door and following him into the kitchen.