Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 118459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 474(@250wpm)___ 395(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 474(@250wpm)___ 395(@300wpm)
“Just listen to me. I don’t know why you left her behind. I don’t know why she hooked up with Gage, and I don’t know why that was fine with you. And honestly, I don’t give two fucks. It matters not to me. But things have changed, and I didn’t just walk in the front door and meet you today.” I bury my head in my hands, the conversation starting to make me sick.
“Gage trusted you,” Will says, his voice without the edge from earlier. “You two had each other’s backs from day one. Don’t you think he’d want you to have it now?”
“I do,” I say, my voice rising with frustration. “I’m doing everything I can to take care of his family. I’ve moved his wife and kid in with me. What more can I fucking do?”
Will watches me, his eyes narrowed. “Do you think when Gage married Jules the fact that you dated her first was wiped from his brain? Because I assure you it wasn’t. I fucking guarantee you it wasn’t, man. He knew you loved her.”
“I still don’t see your fucking point and you better make it crystal clear quick.”
“He trusted you, Crew. Only fucking you. And I think if he could pick anyone in the world to take care of her, make her happy, it’d be you. So you feeling guilty and having a conscious for the first time in your damn life is kinda dumb. If you’re going to become some philosophical badass, pick another topic because this one’s stupid.”
I burst up and take a deep breath.
“I don’t want to talk about this. This isn’t what I was saying.” I don’t look at him. What he’s just spewed is blasphemy. It’s fucking craziness and I don’t even want to think about it. I don’t want to consider it. It’s not the way things are fucking done.
The phone rings, cutting through the tension. I see it’s Julia and I grab it off the table, grateful for the interruption. “Hey.”
“Crew,” she says, her voice choking back tears.
“Jules? What’s wrong?” The hairs on the back of my neck stand. “Where are you?”
“I’m on my way home. I just got a call from Dr. Perkins’ office.” She pauses and I hear a slight gasp. “The therapy has been denied.”
“What?” I shout.
“Yeah,” she says, her voice trembling. “I shouldn’t have called you, but I just . . .”
“Why?”
“Insurance denied it. Said that the medicine would be covered, but all the other things would not.” Her voice wobbles, and I know she’s trying hard to control it. “So they denied us unless I can get fifty thousand dollars.”
Adrenaline surges through my veins, the top of my head feeling light as the energy courses through my body. Motherfucker!
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. I just . . .”
“We’ll figure it out,” I say through gritted teeth. “We’ll figure this out.”
“We can’t come up with that kind of money, Crew. We can’t get a loan, we can’t pawn or borrow that kind of money.” Her voice cracks again and the sound resonates in my chest. I hear Ever in the background, singing, and I can’t handle it.
“I’ll figure it out. I swear to God, I will figure this out.” I look at Will and he has turned the television on, watching SportsCenter. “Hey, Jules?”
“Yeah?”
“I might not be here when you get here. It’s important. But I’ll be back, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I promise you, I’ll be back tonight.”
I end the call, scroll through my contacts, and press SEND.
“Get your ass up and let’s go,” I bark. Will’s on his feet in a flash, tossing me a curious look.
“Shenanigan’s.”
“Hey, Jordyn. Is that guy in the suit still there?”
She laughs. “Yeah. He’s sitting at the end of the bar watching the door. He ordered a mojito. What guy drinks that?”
“Pour him another. I’ll be there in twenty.”
TWENTY
CREW
The gravel cracks behind me as Will jogs to catch up. The streetlights are on, casting a weird glow over the parking lot. I park in the back next to Jordyn, the lot fuller than usual for a weekday night.
“You gonna tell me why we’re here? I’ve got the feeling we aren’t getting a beer.”
I twist the toothpick around in my mouth. I’ve gone over this meeting a hundred times in my head on the way over. I’m not sure what they even want. I just know I need it to go a certain way, to plant a seed that with a little luck will grow just in time.
“I’m meeting with a reporter,” I say.
“For?”
“Watch and learn.”
“Watch and learn,” he mutters, stepping back as I open the door to Shenanigan’s. The chimes go off as we enter. Jordyn looks up and smiles.
The bar is pretty full, but the atmosphere is calm. Too calm. There’s no music going and the televisions are even on mute. Just the sound of someone playing pool cracks through the air.