Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Through it all, Maven fit in like she was already part of the family.
My mom all but interrogated her at dinner, but not in the way she would if she were sizing someone up. It was more like she was so genuinely curious about Maven and everything that she was that she just couldn’t stop asking. She lit up with every answer, fascinated by Maven’s upbringing and career.
Grace was just as bad, squealing when she found out Maven loved yoga and begging her to take her to a studio for a class while they were in town. She also told Maven repeatedly how jealous she was that Maven’s place was so close to the beach.
And while Dad was quieter with his interest, he loved how quick-witted Maven was, how she volleyed back and forth with me and with him. She made him bust a gut more than once throughout the night, and when Maven told him what her plans were once this assignment wrapped up, Dad’s eyes shone like she was his own daughter, and he had a right to be proud.
He pegged me with a curious look, too — one I couldn’t bear for long before I looked down at my cocktail and took a long pull.
It was surreal — having them there in my new home, having Maven there with us. And as much as I pretended to be annoyed with all the questions my family asked her, the truth was I loved it — because I got to know more about her, too. And every new little story she told, every piece of herself she revealed? It made me feel like a greedy kid in a candy store.
I wanted more of her.
I wanted all of her.
It was almost three in the morning by the time Grace dragged my yawning parents toward the door. They were staying at a hotel on the Riverwalk just a few blocks away.
“Thank you for changing your plans for us tonight, son,” Dad said, clapping my back in a tight hug. “Hope we didn’t cramp your style.”
“Please, he’s got no style to begin with,” Grace said, but she hugged me like she’d missed me, and I knew she had.
“It was a great surprise,” I told them earnestly. “Hopefully I can show you around a little before you have to go.”
“We know you’re busy,” Mom said, yawning again as I tucked her into my side. “We’re just happy to steal you away for whatever you can manage.” Her eyes lit up on a smile as she pulled away from me and framed Maven’s arms with her hands. “And you, young lady. You are just… sensational. It was so lovely spending the evening with you.”
Maven flushed. “You, as well, Mrs. Tanev.”
“I want to meet these amazing parents of yours. Let’s all have a little get together, yes?” Mom looked back at me with the question.
I glanced at Maven, who had the strangest look on her face then — like she was sick or sad or both.
“We’ll see, Mom,” I said, guiding them all toward the door.
Everyone hugged again, and I noticed my dad speaking to Maven in a low voice while Grace and Mom asked me about the International Mall in town. I tried to make out what he was saying but had no luck, and when he patted Maven’s arm with a grin, she smiled, but that same sad look was etched into her expression.
My stomach tied up in knots at the sight.
The goodbye dragged on for twenty minutes before they were gone, and as soon as the door shut, silence fell over me and Maven like a cold, wet blanket.
I stood there with my hand on the knob for a moment before swallowing and turning to face her. She looked as if she were in a daze, her eyes unfocused where they stared at the floor between us.
“Sorry about that,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck with a smile. “They can be a lot.”
“They’re lovely,” she whispered.
And then her eyes welled with tears.
I’d never seen her like that, never watched as her face warped and all the walls she held so firmly around her crumbled into dust. It tore through my chest like a gunshot, seeing her sad, seeing her in pain.
“Mave,” I said, crossing the room to where she stood. I wrapped her up in my arms, which made her go stiff before she softened and gripped onto me, burying her head in my chest. I held her tight for a long time, feeling the air around us growing heavier, colder.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, over and over, sniffing before she pulled away from me. “I’m going to go. It’s late.”
I blinked as she swiped the tears from her face and grabbed her purse. “What? You’re leaving?”
“You have practice tomorrow. You should get some rest.”