Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
From that day forward, it was like my mother was a stranger.
I loved her, but she was gone.
There wasn't a single time in the last ten years that I had thought about her and smiled. But right now, all I can think is that I wish she had lived long enough to see a view like this. That she could have known the kind of strength and freedom that comes from living by the sea. As bitter as I've been at my father for the majority of my life, I wonder if the story Mom told of him leaving because of some mid-life crisis is false. Could it be that he left because of Mom's addiction? Maybe he just couldn't take it anymore. He shouldn't have left me with her, but...
We need to talk when he gets back from California. Badly.
I dash the tears off my face and shake my head. It's time to head back to my new home and make something for dinner. I've promised myself over and over again not to dwell on my mother, and I don't plan to start now.
It isn't until I bend to pick up my bag from the sand that I feel the sensation of eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck rises, and I rub at it unconsciously. Could it be him again?
When I first left Sage and Salt and walked across the street here to the beach, I was so sure the mysterious man from earlier had followed me. I turned and saw someone watching me, but it was too far to tell any details. But his clothes and his silhouette were so familiar. I knew in my bones that he followed me from the cafe.
But when I continued to stare, he left. Even if it was him, he didn't deem me important enough to approach. I tried to let the thought go, but now I'm having that same sensation.
What the hell is going on?
The wind picks up and my hair whips across my face. I turn slowly to look at the street that runs along the edge of the beach.
No one.
A shiver runs through me and I pull my jacket tight, hurrying to my car and throwing the bag in the backseat. Then I start the engine and drive away.
Why would someone be watching me? The thought, on the surface, freaks me out. But if it’s the man from the cafe, I'm way less scared, which is a stupid thought. He's still a stranger! But he looked at me in such a way that felt like I was already his. Like we weren't strangers at all.
What's going on in my head?
I've never been with a man before. The only person who has ever seen me naked is me.
But this man is something else. His eyes were so intense, his gaze lit me on fire.
So what does it mean that I'm now feeling eyes on me again? If it is him, does that mean he wants me? Does it mean he'll come for me and take me the way I was already imagining in the back of my mind?
Maybe, just maybe, if it's him, I'll give in.
Getting home just as the sun fully falls behind the horizon, I let my bag fall on the floor just inside the door and kick my shoes off. Triple-checking that the door is locked, I stride into the kitchen, the heavy tide of exhaustion rising to take me with every step.
I need to eat, and as I open the fridge, I'm relieved to see that Dad hadn't exaggerated about plenty of food being stocked. A few minutes later, I have a turkey sandwich made, sitting at the breakfast bar and trying my hardest to keep my eyes open as I eat.
It's so much more than just the exhaustion from traveling today. There's also the shock and grief, and the general newness of everything around me. And, at the back of my mind, the awareness that I am being watched.
It may be nothing, but still.
I finish the sandwich and clean the dishes, putting them away and wiping down the counters. It's a little strange being here, in a house this size all by myself. In a city where I know no one except for my dad and a few people online.
As if I need another reminder that it's just me.
I could use a bath, but the bedroom is calling. I'll grab a shower and wash away the last of the travel grime tomorrow. Inside my bedroom, I have my shirt and bra off before I see that the curtains are open. The night is still young, and there are several lights on at houses farther on the street. Before I can freak out, I rush over and yank the curtains closed. My heart is pounding, but I remind myself that they're all so far away, and there's no way anyone could see anything.