Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
It looks like it was taken right when his son was born. He has tears in his eyes as he holds the little pink baby in his arms swaddled in a white cover with his father beside him. I walk out of the room, and it’s almost as if something is choking me. “I can’t breathe.” I look over at Olivia, who looks frantic. “I just can’t,” I say, trying to catch my breath, but nothing is helping.
I count to ten and not even that helps. I stop halfway to the door, and I have to bend over. “What’s happening?” Grady asks.
“She’s having a panic attack,” Olivia hisses and comes over to me. “Just take in small breaths,” she says, rubbing my back, but I’m struggling even with that. My heart just races even more, and my hands start to tingle, which only means I’m going to go down soon.
“Chair,” I say between trying to get my heart to settle. I’m suddenly lifted in the air, and I think it’s Casey, but it’s not.
“Get a cold rag!” Jacob shouts, and I want to push away from him when he leads me to a chair in a common room. He sits me down and squats down in front of me. “You need breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.”
“I think she knows how to breathe,” Casey hisses.
Olivia joins Jacob in front of me. “The beach,” she says, and I look at her. “Remember when we went to the beach, and I got a sunburn?” I try to smile, and my heart slows down. While Monica runs over with a rag and hands it to Jacob, who moves my hair to the side and puts it on my neck. “You told me to wear sunscreen.” Olivia tells the story. “I said I don’t need sunscreen, I’m from LA.” I shake my head now as my breathing finally returns to normal.
“You burned like a lobster,” I finish for her. I close my eyes, and my heart starts to slow down.
“She’s good,” Olivia says. I open my eyes, and all I can see is Jacob with worry all over his face. But I close my eyes again and just lean back in the chair, waiting a bit longer before trying to get up.
“How many attacks does she get?” Jacob asks Olivia.
“It doesn’t matter,” she tells him, and he is about to ask another question when I open my eyes.
“I’m good,” I say, taking the rag off my neck and handing it back to Jacob. “Thank you,” I say softly and look over at Casey who pushes his way to me and holds out his hand. I take it and stand, not once letting his hand go.
“We should get some food in you,” Casey says. When I nod, he leads me out, and I don’t make eye contact with anyone. “What the fuck just happened?” he hisses when we are standing by his truck.
“She had a panic attack,” Olivia says for me, “and it doesn’t help to be yelled at, cowboy.” She puts her hands on her hips. “Calm voices.”
He looks at her, and he smiles. “That so, darlin’?” His voice goes soft, and I swear she sighs.
“You two are gross,” I say, looking around. “You know what I want?” They both look at me. “I want a root beer float.”
“Do you know how much sugar is in that?” Olivia asks in shock, and I look at her. She wore her pink pants today with a small gold belt, her white shirt just short of the top of the pants, showing just a touch of her skin. Her nude Louboutins finish the outfit perfectly.
“Enough that I might get two.” I wink at her and turn around. “Casey, let’s go to the diner.” He nods at me, and he walks in the middle of us.
He pulls open the door, making the bell ring. I step in, and the chatter stops. “Well, then,” Olivia says, and I look around at the diner that we used to go to after school every single Friday. Most of us were having the ‘Friday Night Special’ right before the big football game.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Mr. Lewis comes out of the back in his usual brown pants and white shirt. His white apron is folded and tied around his waist. His white hat is on his head. “If it isn’t Miss Kallie.”
“In the flesh,” I say to him, and he smiles. “How’ve you been?”
“Never better,” he says. “You grab a seat, and I’ll send out Delores.”
I walk over to an empty table in the middle of the room. “Are those jukeboxes?” Olivia asks, pointing at one of the booths with the classic jukeboxes on the table.
“Yeah,” Casey says, holding the chair for her to sit in. “Some work and some don’t.”