Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“The things you learn when you start asking random questions at one in the morning, huh?”
“That’s right…” He exhaled and seemed to be thinking for a moment. “You’re a good person, Carly.”
My heart fluttered. “How do you know that?”
“You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”
“I guess that makes you a good person, too.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” He chuckled. “Anyway, with Wayne’s mattress as my witness, I hereby, in this moment, officially take back anything negative I’ve ever said about you.”
“Oh… Besides my face, there are more things I don’t know about?”
“Doesn’t matter. They’d all be lies.”
“Well, then I take back calling you an evil pig.”
“You might want to hold on to that one. I can’t say it’s entirely inaccurate.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“That’s because you can’t see inside my head lately, Pumpkin.”
Wait, whaaaat? Were those offending thoughts about me or something else?
Josh stopped babbling after that, and eventually his breathing turned rhythmic. Listening to it soothed me. But even though there was a good amount of space between us, I realized I could sense the heat of his body behind me.
And now I found myself a bit wired. I retraced my steps through the events of the day. I felt terrible for wasting Neil’s time, and even worse for how much I’d wanted to come back home and see Josh. Now, with him on the other side of my bed, I felt even more guilty for relishing this feeling of warmth and safety.
***
The following morning, I learned a hard lesson. Sometimes even when you have the best intentions and try to do everything right, life still fucks with you.
Despite the fact that I had intentionally fallen asleep facing away, and with plenty of space between me and Josh, when I woke up, I was not only facing him, but my nose was only a few inches from his. I could feel his breath on my skin as he slept. I could practically taste him, and I had no desire to move back. This was the only way I could experience being this close to him.
So instead of moving away, I took the opportunity to stare at him in peace, to appreciate how handsome he was—the way his brown hair fell over his forehead, the ruggedness of his jawline, his masculine scent. This quiet observation was peaceful indeed—until his eyes shot open.
I flinched, jerking back. Who the hell wakes up like that? Don’t your eyes usually blink open gradually or something? His flashed open in one shot.
“Hey...” His voice was groggy. “Did I scare you?”
“No, uh…” I licked my lips. “I was just waiting for you to wake up.”
“You were watching me while I slept?”
“Yeah. I guess I was.”
Josh nodded and slowly got up from the bed.
I’d been expecting ridicule, or at the very least a response.
But he said nothing.
I watched his muscles move as he stretched, his T-shirt rising just enough for the sexy serpent inked on his back to taunt me.
He left the bedroom and turned toward the kitchen.
I lingered in bed so I wouldn’t have to face him for a while. After a few minutes, I could hear him getting Scottie up. The water started up in the bathroom, so he must’ve decided to do their manshower now.
I eventually dragged my butt out of bed, much later than usual.
Scottie and Josh were sitting in the living room, both with wet hair. Scottie was doing something on his iPad while Josh worked on his laptop.
“Morning.” I waved. “You showered early…”
“Yeah, Scottie woke up with a little surprise.”
“Ah.”
Scottie didn’t often have accidents at night, but occasionally it happened.
I walked over to make myself some coffee and spotted a note Josh had left me.
A Thank You from The Trappist Monks of St. Francis:
“Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell came on while I was showering with Scottie.
Coincidence? ;-)
CHAPTER 16
* * *
JOSH
LAST NIGHT WAS undoubtedly the best sleep I’d had in ages—even better than those nights back in Chicago in my own bed. Despite the guilt I felt for sleeping next to Carly, I couldn’t help looking forward to doing it again tonight.
When I’d finally messaged Neil back this morning, he’d asked if I wanted to get brunch. Carly had offered to watch Scottie, so I’d agreed. I figured it would be easier to address any questions he had about Carly in person. Plus, I hadn’t even seen him since I’d gotten to Woodsboro, so this was long overdue.
Neil had already chosen a corner seat at the Old Mill Diner when I arrived. He lifted his hand and smiled as he spotted me. An unsettled feeling developed in the pit of my stomach. I knew what it was: the now-familiar guilt I’d felt too many times to count.
“Hey.” I sat down.
“Hey, man. It’s good to see you.”
“How are you doing?” I asked.
He stared down into his cup. “I’ve been better.”