Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
“Cool, tell them all I said hi.”
“Will do. Talk to you later.”
He leaves and I take advantage of being outside a little longer. I pull out my phone and check my email. I see I have a new one, so I open it.
My pulse races when I see it’s from Millie. I blow out a nervous breath as I open it. A smile slowly spreads on my face as I read that she’s loving what she’s read so far. It’s a confidence boost for sure. Millie is a dedicated bookworm and if she likes what I’ve written it gives me hope that others will too.
I send back a simple reply thanking her.
“Tripp, you’re not on break, come on,” Griffin yells out the door.
Fuck.
I go back in and work like I always do. I keep a fake smile on my face like I always do. I bust my ass like I always do.
When I’m finished I leave, with all my siblings still busy working. They’ve commented a few times that I should stay longer and learn more, but tonight I don’t even hear them if they say it. Because tonight, I’m grabbing my computer and staying at Paxton’s, well, my new place. I’ll pack up my stuff and tell my parents tomorrow.
Tonight, I’m going to write for as long as my eyes will allow. Tonight, I have hope that one day, I might be able to walk my own path, beside my family, but not with them.
Chapter 5
Millie
I want to know everything about you. Every thought that floats through your mind. Your dreams. Your hopes. Every wish you’ve ever made. I want to know everything.
I set my kindle down, letting out a deep breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. Tripp’s words move me in a way no other author has ever been able to do before. It’s scary how badly I want to keep reading and reading his work.
I’ve never been this hungry for an author before.
“You okay?” Hazel asks me.
I nearly drop my Kindle into my lap. “I’m great. Great. Absolutely great.” I definitely sound like I’m hiding something.
I’m sitting behind the counter of my shop. I should be paying attention to the customers here, but instead I’m entrapped by Tripp’s words.
Hazel raises a brow. “You sure?”
I sigh, pushing back a stray strand of hair out of my face. “Just a new book I’ve been reading.”
“Do share.”
I clutch my Kindle close to my chest. “No, it’s actually an author, a friend of mine, well, he’s not really a friend, per se. He’s just someone I know, in passing. I’m reading his stuff,” I’m rambling, nonstop.
Hazel just studies me, her eyes locked on mine. “He?”
Of course that would be the one small detail she’d pick up on. “He’s nobody.”
Hazel doesn’t believe me. I’ve known her long enough that she’s absolutely not buying anything I’m telling her. “Sounds to me like you’ve got a little crush.”
I stand, setting my Kindle on the counter. “I do not,” I say, adamantly. “Absolutely not. I couldn’t possibly…” my words falter as Hazel’s smile grows wider. “I really don’t,” I say as my last ditch effort.
“Is it romance?”
I blink. “What?”
“The book? Is it romance?”
I blush, and I try to hide the red that I’m sure is lighting up my cheeks. “Yes,” I say, realizing there’s no point in lying. “It’s romance. Which is strange because he doesn’t seem the type, ya know? I guess I don’t know him that well, but still.”
Hazel can’t stop smiling, and I wish we could talk about anything else but this. “A man who writes romance? A man who writes about his feelings? Don’t let him get away, Millie.”
I glance at the counter, wiping away an imaginary smudge. “It isn’t like that. He’s not writing about me.” And why does this thought upset me?
I shouldn’t want Tripp writing about me, but for some reason I do. I just want a man to want me like the man in Tripp’s story.
“I’m sure it isn’t.” Hazel winks and heads to the back of the shop to get ready for this week’s book club meeting.
We had started out with monthly book club meetings, but the ladies like meeting a lot more frequently. Most times we don’t even discuss books. Like tonight. This evening we’ll be voting on our next group read.
Honestly, I don’t think anything will be able to hold my attention quite like Tripp’s book.
I head to the back of the shop, following after Hazel to make sure everything’s ready for this week’s meeting. I pull a few more chairs together, making a nice circle with them.
All the ladies chatter away animatedly. I’m about to settle in and start the meeting, but the bell above the entrance chimes with a customer.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, glancing over at the door to see who’s entered. My jaw literally drops as I bound from my chair. “Be right back,” I say again in a rush.