Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 117177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
“Six months ago, he met Miranda. She’s a little younger, forty, and has a teenage daughter. She’s nice. She seems nice. Her daughter is kind of a brat, but Miranda seems kind . . . and yet I still resent her because her presence is killing my mom.” A tear slipped free and I swiped angrily at it. “And I know my mother did this to herself, and she’s not exactly the nicest person to me sometimes, but all this crap she’s pulling is because she’s heartbroken. No matter what, she’s my mom, and I want to fix things for her, but I can’t. And now I’m just playing referee, and neither of them seem to care what this is doing to me, and I can’t tell them because I’m so busy trying to please everyone. My dad thinks I’m on her side, and Mom thinks I’m on his side, and it’s my feelings that get kicked around.” I was crying. Full-on crying. Embarrassed, I covered my face. “I’m so sorry I’m unloading all of this on you.”
Suddenly the car slowed, and I removed my hands to see Chris had pulled over. “What are you—”
I shut up abruptly as he released his seat belt and reached over to pull me into his arms.
He felt solid and strong, his embrace tight and reassuring. That strange sense of familiarity I felt around him overwhelmed me as I drew in his scent, as his warmth seeped into me. Why did he feel like such a safe place?
His comforting hold made me cry even harder.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, smoothing a hand down my hair.
After a little while, mortification returned, and I pulled out of his embrace even though his arms felt wonderful. Flushed, I couldn’t meet his gaze. “I’m so sorry. I’m acting like a whiny teenager.”
“Hey.” Chris brushed my hair off my face so he could look into my eyes. I felt myself falling into his. “It doesn’t matter what age you are, parents can still fuck you up.”
I gave a huff of humorless laughter, wiping at my eyes. “Ain’t that the truth.”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I promised. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He clipped his seat belt in and drove back onto the road. “Sometimes we bottle things up for so long that they just come pouring out when we least expect it.”
“Thank you for understanding.” I tried not to let my growing adoration for the man show. “For comforting me.”
He gave me a soft look. “Anytime.”
We drove for a little while in silence, and then Chris spoke. “I think your parents are probably the reason you’re a people pleaser.”
I nodded, feeling that resentment rise in me again. “Yeah, I think so. I hate confrontation, I hate upsetting people, and I end up dragging out friendships and relationships I’m not happy with because I don’t want to deal with the fallout. I don’t need a therapist to tell me my parents’ behavior created that.”
“That’s not good for you, Hallie. Or for the people in your life. Sometimes being nice so you don’t hurt feelings or get into an argument with someone is worse than just being honest. Sometimes there’s kindness in brutal honesty, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time.” He winced suddenly. “Anyway, it’s not your job to police their war. Like you said, in the end no one is happy when you’re too busy trying to please everyone.”
My brows drew together. “Are you suggesting I pick a side?”
“Yeah. Your side.”
“Isn’t that selfish?”
“In this case, no. Your parents are adults. They should be able to handle the divorce themselves, and that includes this toilet-paper incident.”
Despite the nervous fluttering in my stomach at the mere thought of leaving them to deal with the toilet-papered yard, the guilt that flushed through me at the thought of my dad pressing charges, my anger overtook those feelings. Would Dad really call the police, or was he just trying to force me into fixing the problem? And did Mom not care about the threat because she knew I’d cover her ass to keep the peace?
Did they not respect me at all?
“You’re right,” I blurted out. “Why the hell should I clean up the yard? I’m not doing it. I’m sweating at the mere thought of recusing myself from the situation, but I’m not doing it.”
Chris grinned at me.
His smile made me feel stronger.
“You can drop me off at my apartment instead.”
His gaze flicked back to me from the road, and I could have sworn there was pride in it. “I think that’s an excellent plan. So that means you’re free for the rest of the day?”
My heart leaped. “Uh, yeah, I guess.”
“Me too. How about a movie and takeout?”
I thought it sounded like the perfect distraction from my parents. I also didn’t know what it meant. Were we friends, or was this heading in a new direction? I didn’t know. Chris hadn’t made any romantic overtures, but there definitely seemed to be an attraction between us, right? Or was it all one-sided?