Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Slowly, I back toward the door, surprised my legs are even able to keep me upright. When I somehow manage to escape his office without him turning to see me, I dump the stuff in my hands in the trash and head for the nearest bathroom.
After entering one of the stalls, I close my eyes and fight back the tears burning the back of my throat.
I’m an idiot. I knew that before, but it’s even more apparent now. I don’t know how I convinced myself this was something more than it obviously is.
He’s ending things tonight? That’s why he wanted to go out to dinner, so he could let me down easy in a place where I won’t cause a scene? And it was exciting for him to think about this turning into something real, but it’s taking up too much of his time? Screw him and his stupid, sad existence!
I deep breathe through the pain in my chest and try to pull myself together. Part of me wants to just run, to go to his house, since I have the key, and pack up my stuff and make it easy for him. But another part of me wants to look him in the eye when he tells me that I mean nothing to him.
When my cell phone starts to ring, I take it out of my back pocket and stare at Christy’s name on my screen for a moment before I answer and put it to my ear.
“Hey,” I try to sound normal, but that one word sounds croaked.
“Hey?” she repeats quietly, then she shouts, “Don’t you dare ‘hey’ me, Penny Beaver! I’ve been calling you for two days now, and you’ve been avoiding me. What the hell is going on?” she asks, and I burst into tears. “Oh God, I’m sorry for yelling at you. I’ve just been so worried.”
“It’s not that,” I sob and grab some of the toilet paper from the roll next to me.
“Oh God, is your mom okay?”
“She’s fine.” I lean back against the door. “I did it. I fell in love with him like you told me not to.”
“Oh, Penny, you idiot.”
“I know.” I sniffle, wiping my face. “Please don’t say ‘I told you so.’ I can’t deal with that right now.”
“I won’t say I told you so,” she whispers, then asks, “Where are you?”
“Hiding in the bathroom.”
“At the office?”
“Yes.” I hear the door open outside the stall, and I whisper, “I have to get off the phone. “Please do not say anything to him. I need to deal with this on my own.”
“Penny—”
“Please, Christy, let me deal with him. What he and I have… or had—” I swallow. “—has nothing to do with you. I need to take care of this.”
“Okay, but please call me or send me a text so I’ll know you’re okay.”
“I will.”
“Love you.”
“I love you too.” I hang up the call, then take a few more minutes to pull myself together before I step out of the stall. After splashing some water on my face, I pull my travel makeup bag out of my purse that I thankfully had with me and fix my makeup—or try to anyways. It still looks like I’ve been crying, but I know I can easily say I’m having an allergy attack, and no one will know I’m a heartbroken liar.
Before I leave the bathroom, I check Jace’s calendar to see where he is and wait until I know he’s gone before I go back upstairs. I spend the rest of the day working, trying to make sure I do what I can to help Christy out, because after today, I won’t be back. And even though I hate leaving her without a replacement and on such short notice, it is what it is, and I know she will totally understand.
By the time five o’clock rolls around, Jace still isn’t back, so I stick to our original plan and take his Jeep back to the house. Before I ever overheard his phone call, he told me that he got us reservations for seven-thirty at Acquerello, a fancy restaurant I was really looking forward to going to, because I would be with him. Now, I’m dreading the idea of sitting down across from him in a roomful of strangers, knowing he plans on ripping out my heart.
When I get to his house, I pack up all my stuff that has ended up in his closet and remove any trace of me ever being in his house, then I start getting ready for dinner.
Even if I’ll be a blubbering mess by the time the night is over, I pull out all the stops as I get myself ready. I shower, buff myself from head to toe, blow out my hair, then add some big curls, and apply my makeup with the precision of a professional. With a smokey eye, a red lip, and nothing to lose, I get dressed in a body-skimming black silk dress with thin straps that don’t allow for undergarments. I slip on my flip-flops and take all my stuff to my car, then go back inside and do one more walk-through to make sure I didn’t forget anything before I put on my heels.