Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“Hi, honey, the tenant next door called and said you never came home last night. I hope everything is okay.” That would be Mom’s extent. Dad, on the other hand, would go, “Why weren’t you home last night? Did you have car trouble? Did you go home with someone? Tell me who it is.” Mom is soft to Dad’s hardness. That’s the cop in him, I suppose, and while I love them both, I’m a lot closer to my mom than my dad. A hazard of his job, working weird hours, and when he was home, Dad would still work. The phone never stopped, and cases never slept. Neither did he. I remember waking up for school, and he’d be sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee with a carafe sitting on a hot mitt. There would be times Dad never went to sleep because he worked through the entire night. I wouldn’t know, and he wouldn’t tell me if I asked. All I know is he’d take a break to make breakfast for the two of us. It was our time together, but because of the time constraint, it still wasn’t enough. As an adult looking back, I know he was doing the best he could. Still, twenty minutes a day wasn’t enough for a girl to unload all of her daily woes and drama on her dad. When we were just about done with breakfast, Mom would come out of the bedroom, he’d have her cup of coffee ready and her plate made up in the microwave. She’d take me to school, come back home, then she’d eat breakfast. Seriously, Mom never ate first thing in the morning, whereas Dad and I are ready to eat the second our feet hit the floor. Well now, for Dad that is.
I push back from my makeshift workspace in my apartment, ready to be done with sitting for the day. The folding card table and chair aren’t the most comfortable, but it works for the time being. My place is a work in progress. There are still a lot of items I need to purchase. Mom offered to go shopping with me, a pastime we both enjoy, except I wasn’t ready to junk up the place for the sake of going on a shopping spree. This is, for all intents and purposes, my first big girl place. My apartment before this one was more like a haphazardly thrown together hot mess express.
My back, neck, and even my ass hurt from sitting in one position for too long. The bath I took after coming home this morning is no longer helping. The slight twinge of pain when I move my legs reminds me of the way Fletcher took me.
“I guess it’s time to eat something.” My stomach grumbles. I haven’t eaten since earlier this morning, and the energy from that bagel is long gone. I’m still in what I like to call my work clothes—a black fitted scoop neck tee sans bra because why bother if I’m not on a live video call with a potential client. A pair of old gray sweatpants from my early days in college and ankle socks. I also keep a jacket nearby in case the air conditioning kicks on. There’s nothing worse than being on a computer for hours and freezing to death.
I weigh out my options: get dressed and go to the grocery store or get dressed and see if my best friend, Madelyn, has time to meet up. I pick up my phone, face recognition unlocking it, and got to my contacts. She’s the third one down on my favorites list, and my thumb presses her name on the screen. I place the call on speakerphone. It rings a couple of times, giving me ample opportunity to pick up my coffee mug, the various pens, pencils, and notepads I use to scribble my notes on.
“Well, if this isn’t a pleasant surprise,” Madelyn greets me.
“Wanna meet up for some shopping and pizza?”
Tacos and margaritas sound like a good idea, except then I’d have to drive home, which means limiting myself to one. My best friend living in Peach Springs is the absolute best thing ever. We lived in a dorm room our freshman year, then transferred to an apartment. After graduation, we drifted apart physically to start our lives, yet we talked every single day. A call, a text, a FaceTime call, it never failed that we’d gab on the phone for hours and hours at a time. I hung back, only really visited during holidays and breaks, choosing to stay in college longer than most would. I’m an overachiever, what can I say?
“That’s a dumb question. When and where?” This is why I love Madelyn—she’s up for anything. Now that she’s with Asher and isn’t working her fingers to the bone, it’s even better.