Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75770 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75770 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
And we’re smiling.
Except we’re not.
The smiles are all forced, and I can easily see beneath every one of them.
Dark circles mar Brett’s blue eyes, and Sebastian’s cheeks are slightly hollow. He dropped some weight after we lost Jake, and Coach was on him all the time about it during football practice. “Get some meat back on those bones, Tate. You can’t block without muscle. And you, Barrett, get your fucking head in the game!”
Yeah. My head wasn’t in the game that season. Insomnia plagued me. I went to bed every night fearing that the next day the cops would come pounding on the door after finding something to tie us to the horrors of that summer.
None of us got any the night of Homecoming. We took our dates home right after the dance and then raided Seb’s mother’s stash of liquor. We headed back to my parents’ ranch and got blackout drunk in the old barn. That’s when we sealed our pact again.
That we’d make something of ourselves. That we’d never again be tempted by someone else’s riches.
That we’d make our lives count.
We lived up to that pact, and here we are.
So many things have changed for us…except for one.
We’re still waiting for that fucking shoe to drop.
I jolt out of my daydream when the phone in my room rings. I hastily shove the photos back into the safe, lock it, and then grab the receiver.
“Yeah?”
“Sebastian, it’s Evangeline.”
I rub at the ache on my temple. “What the fuck is it now? I agreed to stay. What the hell else do you want?”
“River…”
I should apologize for barking at her, but I don’t. “Evangeline, I agreed to stay. You know my terms. Two weeks, and you’ve already burned part of that time.”
“I understand.” She pauses a moment. “I’ve arranged an activity for the rest of the day. Something we’ll do as a group. Sort of.”
“I thought Emily and June were supposed to have dates tonight. You know, since they weren’t chosen for private dates last night?”
“Change of plans. Brett’s not here, so we’re tabling that. I’ve spoken to Emily and June and they’re fine with it.”
I gulp down the spike of jealousy I feel at Emily’s name. She and I have nothing in common except scorching chemistry in the sack.
“Okay,” I say. “What’s the plan then? And can I get out of it?”
“River…”
I sigh. “Fine. What is the plan?”
“A cook-off.”
I nearly drop the phone. “Uh…I don’t cook.”
“That’s part of the fun. You’ll learn. Chef, along with his two sous chefs, Marc and Katie, will teach you. I brought in a fourth chef as well. You’ll be divided into teams of two.”
My heart drops to my stomach. I already know who I’ll be paired with.
“Each team will create one course,” Evangeline continues. “Then we’ll all eat dinner together and everyone, including the chefs, will vote for their favorite of the courses. The team who gets the most votes will get to choose who they’d like to have a date with the next night.”
“What about Emily and June and their dates?” I ask.
“For God’s sake, River. It will all work out.”
“Isn’t Sebastian supposed to do a concert tomorrow night?”
“I’ve rearranged the schedule to accommodate everything. Would you please just trust me?”
Trust her? Is she serious? After everything I found out?
“I can get this back on track,” she assures me. “This will be fun, and it will help build team spirit.”
“This isn’t a team,” I say. “The guys and I may be a team, but the women are all in competition with one another.”
“River, please. It may not be perfect, but it will give us something to do. Maybe get everyone’s head back in this.”
“All right. I’ll participate. On one condition.”
“Which is?”
“I think you know.”
She sighs. “Yes, I know. Need I remind you, though, that the last two times you were paired with Misty, it was at your own request?”
“Because I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I need a break from her.”
“I understand, and I’ve already paired up the teams. You’ll be with June, and the two of you will be responsible for the main course.”
“Great.”
“I thought you’d prefer that. You’re a beef rancher, River. You know a lot about—”
“I raise it and I eat it. Doesn’t mean I know how to cook it.”
“Fine. Do you want a different course?”
“No. The main course is fine. Whatever. Who are the other teams?”
“Ariel and Sebastian will do the appetizer, Alex and Heather will do dessert.”
“That means…”
“Yes. Emily and Misty are paired together for a salad or vegetable. Or both. I’m not sure what the chefs have in mind.”
Great. Emily and Misty. The one who wants me and the one I’ve fucked into next week.
Nothing can go wrong there…
“You there?” Evangeline asks.
“I’m here.”
“This will be fun. I’m giving you a Misty reprieve, and after all, you’ve got to eat. I need your cooperation, River. Do I have your word?”