Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“I’ve been your friend forever, Winnie. I know when you’re BSing me.” She sniffs loudly. “And I can smell it now.”
“I don’t know why I even bother talking to you.”
“Because you love me?”
My laugh sounds brittle because it’s true. “Okay, fine. So basically, there’s this guy—”
“I knew it!” she says jubilantly. “Landlord Daddy? The guy you were telling me about before?”
“Maybe.”
“Bingo. Two for two.” There’s a pause, and I lie back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as I listen. “And you have a crush on him.”
It’s not a question.
I close my eyes. “Yeah. Something like that.”
It’s so embarrassing to admit it out loud, but today just confirmed it in the sickest way.
I have officially progressed beyond ‘attracted to’ Landlord Daddy and flown into obsessed-with-Archer land.
The fact that I’m this hurt over his honest, perfectly reasonable opinion shared in private with his mother proves it beyond any doubt.
“So what’s the problem?” Lyssie coaxes in that voice she has—the tone that drags my secrets out. “There is a problem, isn’t there?”
“Yes, there’s a problem.” I sigh. “He’s emotionally unavailable.”
“Oh. Oh, shit.” Lyssie sighs. “You really know how to pick them, Winnie. You’ve gotta break that pattern.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. But he’s not another Holden, at least. This guy, he’s divorced. Older. A lot of real, valid reasons to be leery of getting closer.” I pick at a loose nail before I catch myself and pin my hand down under my head. “Be honest, Lyss—how dumb am I being? On a scale of oops to chronic sponge brain?”
We won’t mention the fact that I’ve jumped in bed with him.
Some secrets are too precious to share, even if Lyssie’s BS radar probably tells her already.
“You’re not being dumb,” Lyssie says. “At least, not crazy dumb. It’s not like you slept with him or anything. Just don’t get too attached, okay?”
Yikes.
“Um, right. I think my manometer broke after the wedding,” I mumble.
“You’re not in a good headspace yet. That’s expected. Who would be after that gross engagement lasted for so long? You haven’t really had a chance to meet normal guys yet. Nice ones, I mean.”
Right.
I think I’m broken.
Archer Rory is anything but nice and that’s the whole reason he makes me tingle.
I let out a small wail, rolling over so my face gets buried in a pillow. “How does that help? What am I supposed to do?”
“Keep your space. Be nice to yourself. Be sensible. Slow down, smell the flowers, take some walks, adopt a puppy. There are good and bad ways to get over Holden, you know.”
“Oh my God, I’m on team puppy. But I was never into Holden,” I hiss. “I never loved him. You know that.”
“Sure, but you still left him and your old life behind. You’re not grieving the wedding or him. You’re mourning the old you.”
“Ugh.”
She’s too good at this.
“I know, being right all the time is hard work. You’ll buy me dinner to get me back when we hang out again.”
“Have I mentioned how much I hate your advice column?”
“All the time,” she says, a smile in her voice. I can’t help but smile back. “Look, it’s not as bad as you think it is. You’ve just had a lot going on. You’re emotionally vulnerable. So keep your guard up and put yourself first.”
I am.
And yet I also just let Archer waltz in and sweep me off my feet.
Maybe Lyssie is right.
Maybe this is a rebound with teeth and claws.
I wanted validation and affection since I never got any from Holden or Dad, so I picked the first gruff, gorgeous, unavailable older man who came along.
Sigmund Freud, eat your heart out.
“You gonna be okay?” she asks after a long silence. “You know I can come down there. It’s only a couple hours’ drive. Just say the word.”
Tempting.
But if she comes here and sees Archer and the way I feel about him—if she sees I’ve freaking moved in with him even if it wasn’t on a whim—she’ll probably haul me off to therapy the next morning.
“I’ll be okay,” I say. “Don’t worry about me, Lyss.”
“Nope, I’m gonna worry. But I also know that if anyone can look after themselves, it’s you. And you’ve still got your bees, right?”
“Yup. Thank God for one good thing.”
I press the phone tighter against my ear, imagining her here with me. Aside from the whole Archer situation, it would be amazing to pig out on tacos and watch K-dramas and just vibe with her.
“Miss you.”
“Miss you more. Keep the updates coming.”
“I will.” I end the call, tossing my phone aside.
The house seems oddly silent. I kick myself for imagining Archer coming to check up on me.
But why would he? After everything he said to his mom and the abrupt way I ran off the second we got home…
Oh, this is brutal.