Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 115468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
My ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend were sitting at table six. The ex-boyfriend who’d broken up with me to start dating the new chick he was currently sitting with. At my family’s bar. Where I worked.
“What a dick,” Sherry hissed as she started picking up the beer bottles at the end of the bar and setting them on her tray. “How dare he come here?” She turned her head and looked at me. “Do you want me to have him removed?”
The way she said removed made me think she meant from the planet, not just from this establishment. I almost answered in the affirmative, but decided I wasn’t quite angry enough to risk Sherry’s freedom.
“I’ll do it,” she threatened as she turned to go deliver the drinks on her tray.
I managed a tight laugh. “That’s sweet, Sher,” I said to her retreating back. “But he’s not worth it. And an orange state-issued jumpsuit will clash with your hair.”
She made a sound in the back of her throat that either meant she concurred or that she didn’t actually need my permission to remove said ex-boyfriend and risk a lifetime of being orange from head to toe.
The ex—Thaddeus Willoughby III—leaned around Karla who was taking their order and met my eyes. I glanced quickly away but not before I saw that he at least had the grace to look uncomfortable.
What the hell was he doing here anyway? He lived in Claremont Landing, the town over, an upscale locale that featured a well-known golf and country club and had a wealth per capita on the opposite end of the spectrum to Mud Gulch. I’d met him when he’d made a trip to the docks with his buddies for a bachelor party and turned the charm in my direction. I inwardly cringed as I remembered the past. God, he probably hadn’t even extended much effort before I’d practically fallen at his feet. Dating rich pricks with starched collars had only ever ended in disaster for me, and I renewed my vow never to fall victim to a megawatt smile paid for by expensive dental work again.
I delivered the checks, making a concerted effort not to look in the direction of table six again. As I grabbed a couple drinks from the bar, Romeo mouthed, “You okay?” Clearly he’d also seen Thaddeus and the stunning woman he was sitting with.
I nodded, flashing him a smile as if I couldn’t have cared any less that the man I’d been dating less than three weeks before had the absolute gall to bring a date to my workplace. Romeo’s eyes narrowed slightly but he tipped his chin, focusing back on his fan club.
From the corner of my eye, I saw that Thaddeus was no longer sitting at the table and when I turned my head a little more, noted that his date had her face resting on her hand and was gazing dreamily at Romeo across the room. I felt a brief buzz of satisfaction that was immediately swallowed by alarm when someone pulled my arm from around the corner that led to the restrooms and yanked me into the dim hall.
“Rory.”
“Thaddeus.” I pulled my arm loose and took a step back. “What the hell?”
“I’m sorry. I know being here is a low blow. She wanted to come to the docks. I tried to suggest places other than your bar, but she was insistent. She practically dragged me in here. She said she’d always wanted to…”
“Slum it?”
“That’s not how she put it.”
“I’m sure she didn’t.” But that was the gist. And by the color that had started creeping up his neck, I could see he knew it. Country club girl wanted to get up close and personal with the rough-and-tumble crowd down on the docks. And then she’d hightail it right back to greener pastures, all the more worldly for it.
“This is her summer of experiences,” he went on.
I resisted the flinch that threatened to reveal itself. “We aren’t experiences, Thaddeus. We’re people.” I put my hands on my hips. “I suppose that’s what I was to you as well?” I asked. An experience. I held a hand up. Remember your vow, Rory. “No, don’t answer that. I don’t care.”
“Aw, Rory, don’t be like that.” He leaned back slightly, turning his head and risking a quick glance into the bar. When he turned back, he reached out, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I leaned away, giving his suspended hand a death glare. “Listen…Rory. There’s no reason we can’t continue to see each other.”
“Under the cover of darkness? Should I wear a disguise?”
“Geez, Rory. Don’t be dramatic. A disguise isn’t necessary. We could just stay inside.”
“Behind locked doors and closed blinds?”
“Of course—”
“Not interested. And if I were you, I’d quickly come down with a stomach bug because Sherry is itching to cause you bodily harm and I’m certainly not going to stop her.”