Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Josh is an asshole. Amen to that. About time Luce saw reason for a change.
I just hope he didn’t do anything stupid when she broke it off.
I feel like I should go to her, but if I show myself now, we’re gonna have one helluva lot of explaining to do, and that mixed with Lucy’s announcement? It’s not something anyone needs right now. I can’t help thinking of my dad and how things would be if the shoe was on the other foot. If he was finding out about Bowdie and me… If I was pregnant with his child.
Not if, Beth. When! Remember what Bowdie said about stretching you out like cookie dough to make a baby shape? Yeah, I remember. Crystal clear.
Once Lucy offloads and has her moment, there’s a lot of silence and only murmurs from what I can hear until it’s clear Lucy wants to use the bathroom. That’s when shit gets about as real as it can right now.
My heart’s in my throat, and my mind races, clutching for ideas and reasons I’d have for being in her dad’s office bathroom, probably looking and smelling like he’s fucked me senseless all morning.
Bowdie’s deep voice travels loud and clear when he stops her.
“Ahhhh! I wouldn’t go in there, Luce!” he exclaims, chuckling nervously. I can just picture Lucy’s “Why not?” expression.
“I…uh… hehe… I kinda backed up the toilet if you really wanna know. All that airline food and being in a cramped seat for thousands of miles,” he says, not holding back on the imagery that even has me making a face, glancing with disgust at the toilet though I know it’s not true. The whole place is immaculate, and the bathroom smells like Bowdie—crisp and refreshing, like a forest near a waterfall.
“There’s the bathroom out in reception,” Bowdie explains, but Lucy knows the way.
Once I hear the office door close, I unlock the bathroom door as quickly as I dare, Bowdie’s face an inch from mine as soon as I do. He doesn’t tell me anything. He doesn’t shush me or tell me to get out, not just yet, anyway. He kisses me. He kisses me long and leisurely before he asks me if I’m okay and if I heard everything. I nod dreamily, happy enough just to have his lips on mine again, but we really need to decide what we’re gonna do about Lucy.
Do we tell her, or do we keep it a secret? If we tell, our forbidden crush turns into a full-blown “man and woman wanting to spend every waking moment together” kind of instant soulmate relationship. Bowdie’s already decided, and whatever he wants is fine by me, although I have to admit I’m a little surprised by his response.
“While she’s busy, I want you to get fully dressed and go out as far as the elevators and wait. Once you see Lucy come back in here, then come back in,” he coaches me.
“For the job interview you mentioned when you picked up Lucy’s things?” I volunteer, proving to Bowdie that I understand the plan and coming up with a reason for my being here on the fly.
“That’s it!” he whispers, kissing me again, squeezing me as close as we dare, given the time limit. “Now hurry,” he urges me with a jut of his jaw toward the door.
Lucy could spend her whole life in a bathroom and still feel it worthwhile, but I don’t wanna take any chances, so I do as I’m told quickly and quietly. Everything goes to plan until the part where I just appear wearing track pants and an old T-shirt for my “job interview.”
Talk about a casual opening.
Then again, I’ve had my first on-the-job training this morning, and the uniform seems a little overdone. Both Bowdie and I seem to work better naked.
Lucy’s surprised to see me, of all people. She buys the whole job interview story Bowdie mentions in passing, but there’s no hiding the look in his eyes from me. He even mouths the words “I love you” to me when Lucy has her back to him at one point. Everything about our diabolical plan to keep our love a secret, for now, goes swimmingly until Lucy asks a fairly reasonable question.
“So, you got all my things from Beth’s? I might ride home with you then,” she tells Bowdie.
Normally, any other time would be fine, and yes, any other time Bowdie would have collected her things from our house, except this morning, we were kind of busy with other things. Bowdie grimaces, sucking in some air and making a show of his pained expression. “I haven’t had a chance to pick up your things yet. Maybe you could go pick them up yourself?” Bowdie suggests, fumbling for his keys that should be in his pocket but could be anywhere by now.