Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 132649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Iris joined in the woman’s infectious laughter after a few seconds.
“Fine, you got me,” she said, after the laughter had died down. “For a second there I was convinced I’d committed the absolute worst social faux pas.”
That set Vicki off again and when she finally stopped, she wiped tears from her eyes.
“In answer to your perfectly fine question, Iris,” Ty said, giving his wife a pointed look. She rolled her eyes unrepentantly. Iris liked her a lot. “She’s eight months along.”
“And she really shouldn’t be hosting tonight,” Hugh—who’d rejoined them just as Ty replied—inserted, with a censorious glare at Ty.
“It’s like you don’t know your sister, Hugh,” Ty scoffed.
“We entrusted her to you, Ty. This isn’t what I call taking good care of her.” Wow, Iris was starting to see why Jazz had said the man had a stick up his arse. Then again, he appeared legitimately concerned for Vicki, whom Iris hadn’t realized was his sister until now.
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me, Hughie,” Vicki dismissed with a nonchalant wave, before refocusing her attention on Iris. “Do you have any over-protective big brothers, Iris?”
“A younger one, and he likes to act all tough and protective, but he’s just a baby, really.”
“I have two. In fact, you stayed in the home of my older brother, Miles, last month with…” Her voice trailed off and her face paled.
And there it was…
That big old elephant came stomping right through the room to take a pachydermian-sized dump all over a perfectly good party.
Iris sighed. “So, I’m guessing everyone here knows about the Trystan thing?”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry, Iris. You probably don’t want to talk about it. You don’t have to. I wasn’t going to mention it, but my pregnancy brain is a foggy bitch lately.” Ty palmed his distressed wife’s nape and appeared to give it a gentle squeeze. Vicki leaned against him gratefully.
“It’s fine, Vicki,” Iris said, keeping her voice gentle. Because it really was fine. Nobody in this room had any malice in their hearts toward her. She’d sensed that almost immediately, and she was so grateful Colby had persuaded her to join them tonight. “It’s impossible to avoid the subject and, really, this is the first time I’ve been out since… everything. And it’s unrealistic to think people won’t mention it, or be curious about it. I just hate that it’s probably going to be the most interesting thing about me from now for eternity.”
“Well, that’s bollocks,” Vicki said vehemently, and Bella and Colby—who had drifted over along with everyone else when the conversation had become awkward—made sounds of agreement. “You will not let what happened between you and that man define who and what you are, Iris. We refuse to allow that. You hear me?”
Iris’s eyes misted as the unexpected kindness from these lovely people threatened to completely overwhelm her. She inhaled deeply and said, her voice a little shaky, “So, Miles Hollingsworth is your brother? Small world, isn’t it?”
Iris had a wonderful evening. And when she and Colby finally left many hours later, everyone present had insisted she come to the next family night. Iris left feeling like she could become real friends with these people. It was an exciting, giddying prospect, and for the first time in weeks it felt like something in her life was going right.
Until it all came crashing down when—in the Uber on the way home—Iris’s phone started dinging repeatedly. Dread immediately started eating away at her stomach lining again, recent experience having taught her that when her phone started blowing up, it almost always signaled some new catastrophe or the other.
“What’s going on?” Colby asked and Iris shrugged.
“I’m not sure,” she whispered, digging her phone out of her handbag. At least twenty messages from her parents, Robbie, her former flatmates, and a few of her clients. In addition to five missed calls from her mother, one from Robbie and several from Chance.
This couldn’t be good.
Mum
Put on Mike Holmes. RHGT NPW!!
Robbie
ARE YOU WATCHING THIS?! 😳 🖕🏽 💪🏽
Nora
OMG, Iris. Are you watching H@H? Girl, this is epic.
The rest were of a similar vein. Not as awful as Iris had been anticipating but baffling nonetheless.
Colby’s phone started buzzing and beeping and pinging as well, and when she checked, she grimaced.
“I’m getting similar messages from Jazz and Vicki and the rest, and one from Chance, who says… and I quote—tell Iris to brace herself.”
“Iris, maybe we should wait for Chance to come home to fill us in, before we…”
“No, we’re watching it right now,” Iris interrupted her friend a little rudely—resolve and determination adding steel to her voice. Colby sighed, and sat down next to Iris on the living room love seat. She reached for the remote.
“It’s live, about half an hour into the show. Do you want to watch it from the beginning?” Iris hesitated and then nodded.