Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 100608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Are we going to talk about what’s going on with you, Jax?” she asks.
I flinch, closing my eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about anymore.”
“Oh, honey,” she murmurs. “Come here.”
My nerves are frayed and my emotions are out of control, not to mention I have a hangover from hell. I willingly let my friend hug me in a soothing way that makes me think maybe everything might be okay one day.
It’s a lie.
Nothing feels okay.
Everything hurts and it’s all my fault.
My lashes are wet, so I squeeze my eyes shut tight, clinging to Brie like she’s a lifeline. I can’t vocalize what it is I want to say, so hugging her will have to do. Maybe she can hear all the unspoken words bouncing around in the vehicle. The drive over here from my place to Dante’s was quite telling—tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
“Are you two…” She trails off.
“Not anymore.” My voice is raspy and barely audible.
“I’m so sorry.” Her hands rub calming circles on my back. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head.
“It’s his loss,” she coos.
“It was my fault,” I croak. “If my father finds out…the people of this town…I just, I can’t deal with that.”
“Not that it’s their business, I understand your worry. The townspeople are nosy and opinionated.”
“It was just a secret fling to scratch an itch, you know?”
“I know all about those,” she grumbles. “Sometimes the itch doesn’t go away, though, and lingers, right?”
I pull away and lean back in my seat, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes. “Whenever he’d come over, I’d make him park at the Caper Beach parking lot. So no one would see.”
“Oh, honey…”
“After last night, he took me home and parked in the driveway.” I pause, remembering the way he fucked me. How exhilarating it felt to have him there. “It was great until the next morning when I woke up. He was showering when I heard something outside. I was distracted by the fact that his car was sitting in my driveway.”
Throwing my hands into the air, I jerk my head her way, pain contorting my features.
“I, uh, I yelled at him when he came out. Told him he broke the rules. I was such a fucking asshole, Brie.” My eyes burn and I swallow down the emotion. “You should have seen his face. He broke the rules, but I broke his heart. Right then. I saw it in his eyes. Once I did it, I didn’t know how to undo it.”
She reaches over and takes my hand. “First of all, we’re going to get some breakfast in you. Once you’ve had your coffee and calories to drive away that hangover, you’re going to have to do some soul searching. And if Dante is who you want to be with, then you need to choose him.”
“I have chosen him,” I argue. “I can’t un-choose him. He’s it for me.”
“No, sweetie,” she says, her eyes hardening in that cop way that has some of the locals withering when she gets on their case. “You chose yourself. Your feelings. Your fears. Your reservations. Your past.”
Her words are a knife to my gut. Now that I’ve been punctured by them, life drains out of me quicker than I know what to do about it. I’m gaping at her, stunned by her cold, hard dose of reality she served as an appetizer to breakfast.
“But—”
“You don’t have to convince me,” she blurts out. “I know how your dad is and how the townspeople are. And, honestly, you don’t even have to convince Dante. I’m sure he knew how into him you were. You’re going to have to convince yourself that you don’t give a shit about this town or your dad. You have to give a shit about yourself so you can get your man back.”
I let out a ragged sigh and nod. “I don’t know how.”
“You’ll figure it out. In the meantime, let’s focus on one thing at a time. Breakfast.”
As she pulls out of the driveway, I stare at the B&B, wishing I had the balls to give Dante what he needs—wishing I could run back in there and claim him as mine.
Unfortunately, I don’t.
I reluctantly turn my head and try like hell to figure out how I’ll get him back.
“Oh my God,” Brie complains from her desk. “Just call him already.”
It’s been three days since he left my house and I haven’t spoken to him. The more time passes, the more stressed out it makes me. I want to tell him how I feel, but if he really is done with me, I’m not sure how I’ll take that information. Not knowing is almost better than discovering the truth.
“I’m busy trying to find the BFB Stalker,” I grumble, ignoring her as I flip through the pictures in Dante’s file of reports. “There haven’t been any new reports, but I feel like maybe I’ve missed something.”