Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Noah kept his eyes on me. “This is Emily.”
“Holy hell.” With her straight, blonde hair flowing down her back, she looked me up and down then smiled hard. “You are adorable!” She made it to the bottom of the stairs and Noah went to her, helping her down the last few steps. Her blue eyes sparkled. “Isn’t she adorable?”
Noah, I could see, was trying not to laugh. “She sure is.”
Wait. Was this Noah’s wife?
The woman came to me, holding out her hands, and I returned the gesture unconsciously. She took hold of me and pulled me close, her eyes roaming my appearance. Her voice was small but sweet. “You’re so tiny. How tall are you?”
Stuttering, I said, “F-f-five three,” but it came out sounding like a question.
“The clothes. Those glasses. Ugh. That backpack!” She gasped before clutching me to her side. “I love her. Can I keep her?”
“Amber.” Noah frowned at the sweet lady. “She’s not a pet.”
The woman, Amber, gripped me tighter. “I’ll treat her real good, Noah. I swear.”
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose but he did it smiling. “Jesus Christ.”
That was when Micah came down the stairs. When he got to the bottom and saw Amber holding me like a ragdoll, his brows furrowed. “Honey,” he started cautiously. “Why are you choking the life out of Miss Emily?”
Oh. Amber was Micah’s wife.
Got it.
Amber loosened her grip on me, but only slightly. She then stated matter-of-factly, “I’ve decided to keep her. You’ll just have to find another assistant for the boys. Sorry.”
Micah smiled down at the woman as he approached. “Okay, honey. I think the baby needs some rest now.”
Amber glowered at him. “The baby is fine.”
“And you need to let go of Emily.”
“I don’t wanna let go of Emily.”
“Let—” Micah attempted to pull her away. “Let go of Emily, honey.”
A moment’s struggle, then, “Fine.” She released me with a sigh. She then turned to me. “I’ll see you later to take you through your position, okay?”
My voice was quiet. “Okay.” But through my awkwardness, I managed to return her smile.
Even though she was a little strange, Amber was super affectionate and that struck a chord with me. I craved affection and I immediately liked her. She looked like a whole lot of fun.
Micah threw me an apologetic look as he led his wife away. My returning look told him it was nothing. That was when Noah uttered the scariest words I’d ever heard. “So, do you wanna meet the guys?”
My heart flatlined then restarted with a jolt.
“The guys?” I swallowed hard. “The band?” My mouth was dry, and I was finding it hard to breathe. “They’re here?”
Oh no.
My stomach cramped violently.
“Wait.” Noah folded his arms across his chest, looking down at me in incredulity. “Are you telling me you didn’t do any research on Left Turn?”
My shrug was weak. “I-I wanted to but—” I was revealing too much. “—I don’t have the Internet.”
Noah’s brows arched. “You don’t have the Internet?” He sounded outraged.
I know. It was strange in this day and age. “No, I don’t.”
Couldn’t afford the Internet, actually, which was why I went to my local public library every few days to check my email. Sometimes, if I was really desperate—and lately I had been—I would go to Jim’s to use his computer.
“Okay,” Noah drawled. “Well, now’s as good a time as any. I think it’s important to see if you mesh well. After all, this tour is a big deal for them.”
Tour.
Did he just say tour?
My body turned stiff as a board. The blood in my veins, ice cold.
Ah, geez.
What the heck have I gotten myself into?
My heart beat so hard I wondered if Noah could see it bouncing out of my chest.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. “Sure,” I croaked out. “I’d love to meet them.”
“C’mon.” Noah took me down the long hallway, and the instant I heard the male voices, my insides clenched.
“What?” One man laughed. “Get the fuck outta here, Lee. No way.”
“I swear to God,” another man returned.
A third man cut in. “And what? She just casually invited her partner to join in?”
“I fucking swear to God, man. And the dude is built. Like, at this point, I’m scared to say no. What’s worse is—” He paused a second. “—my dick is kind of into it.”
Oh my God.
My eyes widened, big as saucers.
I probably should not have heard that.
The second Noah took up all the space the open doorway, he called out, “Yo, cool it. There’s a lady present.” Hiding behind Noah, my heartbeat slowed as I licked my dry lips.
Noah moved to join the band, leaving me completely exposed. And I saw the three men standing there. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Instead, I stupidly mouthed the word, Hi.
Noah watched me closely, his eyes crinkling at the corners, as though he could feel just how badly I wanted to snap my fingers and disappear. “This is Emily. I told you about her.” Amusement lined his voice, “She’s shy.”