Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry.” I put my hand over his to comfort him but then yanked it away as if it had been burned. I wasn’t supposed to fall for Jason, no matter how much his story tugged at my heart. Touching, any kind of touching, was off-limits. I couldn’t stop my thoughts from wandering south, and I didn’t want to trigger another lovemaking session. It would be best if I kept myself under tight control, nipping any amorous thoughts before they could blossom.
Living together was going to be hard. Coming home to dinner was nice, but the sight of Jason doing domestic chores had set off a yearning in my belly. I couldn’t have him, not in that way. We had to keep our relationship friendly, maybe even professional. I finished my meal and took my plate to the sink. Despite his protests, I cleaned the dishes and set them on a wire rack to dry. If we were going to be roommates, I was going to pull my own weight. I went to bed early, deliberately leaving the beer untouched in the fridge.
17
JASON
At work the next day, I logged all the photos we took, examining each of them from various angles. We had gotten a good one of the van’s license plate and looked up the registration information. It had come back to a company with an innocuous name, Evergreen Holding. It sounded like a shell company, like a front for something more nefarious. I looked up Evergreen Holding and found almost no information. They were registered but had no physical address, no staff, no board members. Definitely fishy.
“I’m clocking out,” Ryan said, standing up.
I checked my phone. It was almost seven. The day was over. “Do you want to grab a beer?” I asked.
Ryan thought about it for a second, then shrugged. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”
“Lemme give my buddy a call,” I said. I dialed Dillon and asked if he wanted to meet us at the Lucky Lady.
Of course, he had to ask his wife but got right back on the phone and agreed to join us. Ryan and I drove over to the bar, parked, and went inside. It was a slow night for the Lady, with only a few customers. We picked up some drinks and grabbed a table. A few minutes later, Dillon found us, and as soon as we were all situated with drinks, I started to loosen up.
“Have you guys met?” I asked my drinking buddies.
Ryan set his beer down and lifted a hand to call the waitress. “Yeah, we met a couple years ago when Dillon rolled into town.”
“Nice town, warm welcome,” Dillon agreed.
“I knew Dillon’s uncle pretty well. He used to come to every high school football game and cheer us on. Games are pretty serious in a town this small.”
I nodded. I had yet to attend a high school football game, but I knew the entire population turned out on Friday nights. “I’ll have to go sometime.”
“It’s fun to watch the kids play,” Ryan admitted, “but they’re doing horrible this season.”
Dillon and I laughed.
“So, how’s sharing the cabin?” Dillon winked.
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. “Fine, I guess.”
“Just fine?” Dillon nudged.
“Is there something you’re trying to ask me?” I demanded.
“Have you slept with her?” Ryan blurted out.
I didn’t answer, choosing instead to work on my beer.
“You have!” Ryan slammed a palm down onto the table.
I grinned despite myself.
“I always thought Lindsey was hot,” Ryan said.
“Was it just one and done?” Dillon asked.
I groaned, wanting to unload all of my anxieties but not completely comfortable with the idea. “I really should keep my hands off her. We’re roommates.”
“That’s what you should do,” Dillon pointed out. “What do you want to do?”
I cradled my beer in one hand, feeling the condensation leaking around my fingers. “I think I’m falling in love.”
Dillon cheered, and Ryan booed.
“Don’t do it,” Ryan said.
“Love is amazing,” Dillon said. “It’s scary as hell, but if you just give yourself to the process, it can change your life.”
Ryan took a deep swig, and when he came up for air, he told his story. “I had a crush on Ava since high school. It took me five years of working and watching her go out with some loser, to get up my courage to ask her out. I was totally in love. But then this guy came back around, and he started calling her. I was on the phone with her one night and found out she was texting this guy, at the same time as she’s talking to me! I went out that night and banged another girl.”
Dillon and I looked at each other. Not that “banging” was an unfamiliar term, but it wasn’t how I would have described my evening with Lindsey. Nor, I guessed, would Dillon have used that word to describe what went on between him and his wife. Maybe terminology changed when you were in love.