Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 87911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Alfie was a difficult subject for her to forget.
Even though her mother promised her no one talked about that dreadful night, she hadn’t been able to leave the house during the last month before graduation.
“Honey, I’m not stupid. You and I both know the reason you don’t date. I get it. I really do, but you’ve got to do something about this. You can’t spend your entire life judging other men because of him.”
“Is he still in town?” she asked.
“Yes, and he’s also a prospect now as well.”
“He is?”
“Yes. I don’t know how he earned his patch, but he did. As did Ian and Riley. I told you, I’ve got no reason to know anything more. I’ve seen their leather cuts. Alfie tries to talk to me, but I ignore him.”
“You’re being rude to him?” Chloe asked. “I know you hate being that way, and you shouldn’t be that way with him, or with anyone. It makes you uncomfortable.”
“I’m not going to lie, it does, but I can’t help it. I remember how sad and broken you looked.”
“Maybe I should come home. Face my fears,” Chloe said. The very thought of it turned her stomach.
Leaving Satan’s Croft was the best thing she ever did, and her mother never judged her for it.
“I can hear the panic in you, Chloe. You’re not ready. One day you’ll be ready, and when you are, I’ll be waiting for you.”
Chloe released a breath. “You should date Eagle. Is he seeing anyone?”
“No, he’s not seeing anyone, and well, the last time we spoke, it didn’t go well.”
“Mom?”
“No, I’m not telling you any of my business. You don’t need to worry or to know about it. I’m your mother, yes, but I also can have a life of my own. Now as your parent, I’m ordering you to go on this date. To be sensible and to also have fun.”
“You know those two things don’t go hand in hand.”
“You’re my daughter, and I know you’ll make it work.”
“Speaking of the whole parent thing, have you heard from him?” Kurt had been around a couple of times in the last five years, but from what Lily would tell her, nothing had come from it.
He wanted to get back together and he’d made the usual promises, but after everything that happened with Kurt, then with Eagle, her mother had sworn off men, all men, for a lifetime.
She personally felt it was a little too harsh, but again, this was her mother’s life, not hers, and there was nothing she could do to change Lily’s mind.
“No, sweetie. I’m sorry.”
During the time he’d been around, not once had Kurt asked about her, or paid any attention to her.
He’d ignored her very existence. She didn’t want to see him either, and it was childish of her to behave that way, but she wasn’t changing her mind.
“I better go. Get ready. I’ll send you a picture of what I look like.” She blew her mother a kiss, promised to talk soon, and hung up.
The stir-fried vegetables held no appeal anymore. She boxed them up and would probably eat them another day. She hated waste.
Her date wasn’t for a few hours, so she sat down on the sofa, picked up a good book, and tried to allow the time to pass, while also not thinking about Alfie.
He’d tried, and she’d left.
There were times she was flooded with regret when it came to him.
She had been falling for him, and he’d broken her heart.
“You’re not going to think about him. It was five years ago. Get over it already.” If she really regretted leaving him behind, she could have easily gotten a cab and gone home.
She’d been tempted to, but each time, she’d found herself just back where she started from.
Forgiving Alfie … could she do it?
He’d not taken and shown the video—that much she did know. And her mother had said about someone else filming it, Daniel, the guy he’d beaten up at school, but it had been too late. The video aside, Alfie’s initial intentions were what broke her heart. He’d been planning to hurt her, but she also knew, he had changed his mind. This was what made it so hard for her. The bully she had known was gone, and in his place stood a guy she had fallen for—but it had started out as a plan to hurt her even more. Ugh, this was so hard for her because she knew he was both kinds of guy, the good and the bad. She wanted to just forget about everything and move on. But how could she move on without him?
Running fingers through her hair, she pressed her face against her hands and wondered what the hell she was going to do. Her life wasn’t complicated here. She worked, read, and worked some more.