Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“What are you smiling about?” Raven asked.
Her question made me realize that I was walking around with a perma-grin these days, but I kept my reply all about her. “I’m spending the day with my best friend and that makes me happy.”
“And maybe Caleb does, too?” she ventured to ask.
I shrugged without a verbal response, because despite my agreement with Caleb that was going on four weeks now, our arrangement still felt very…complicated. Or at least my feelings for the man did. Because every day with him made me fall a little harder for him, a little deeper. And I wasn’t sure what to do about those feelings that never should have been part of the fake relationship equation to begin with. Despite being happy in the moment, I couldn’t help but consider the future and the potential heartache I was probably going to endure once the custody case for Owen was finalized and we went our separate ways.
“So, sleeping in Caleb’s bed every night when Owen isn’t there doesn’t make you happy?” Raven persisted. “Even a little bit?”
Yeah, I regretted telling her about that agreement I’d made with Caleb, because Raven saw it as something deeper and more intimate than two people enjoying great sex—even if I did secretly wish that everything about our relationship was real. But even then, I had those deep-seated insecurities and voices of doubt in my head that reminded me we came from two vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds, and fitting into Caleb’s life beyond this deal we’d made was unlikely.
I met Raven’s gaze, keeping my tone kind, but firm. “I know you’re trying to matchmake, but you need to stop trying to make this arrangement with Caleb into something more than it is.” I added a smile to soften my words, because I knew she meant well. “Is it convenient having a guy with benefits in this world where there are so many creeps on dating apps? Yes. So, I’m enjoying the time we’re spending together, and let’s leave it at that, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, and I could see by the look in her eyes that she wasn’t offended by my response, which was one of the things I loved about Raven. Her ability to be open and honest, yet also understand when I needed her to back down.
The truth was, I was starting to feel too intertwined in Caleb’s life, and it was a scary feeling knowing there was an end date. When Owen was with Alyssa, I spent those nights in Caleb’s bed. We had dinner together, we watched shows that we both enjoyed with me cuddled against him on the couch, and we discussed our days like an actual couple in a way that felt too real and domesticated.
And when Caleb had Owen, I spent those evenings having dinner with them both, which I loved because Owen was such a great kid. I still had time to study during my days off, and I had two finals coming up that would wrap up all my coursework for my degree. So, I was trying to keep focused on that, along with finding another suitable and affordable apartment for Valerie and me to move into once my obligation to Caleb was over, rather than obsessing over what my life was going to be like in about a month, without Caleb and Owen in it.
“So, give me the update on Valerie and her job at Dare PR,” Raven said, breaking into my thoughts. “And, most importantly, this Jack guy you said is interested in her.”
I appreciated the change in subject. “She’s doing great, as I knew she would. And Jack…well, he knows she recently came out of a bad relationship, so they’re taking it slow. Some days, they meet for a coffee in the morning before work, and occasionally they have lunch together. She seems to really like him, too.”
I was thrilled for Valerie. That she was trying to move on and she had someone like Jack who was willing to go slow and keep things casual until she was ready for more.
“So, things have been quiet on the Mark front?” Raven ventured to ask, since I’d told her about the call he’d made to Valerie’s cell from a burner number.
“Yes. For now.”
She tipped her head curiously. “What do you mean, for now?”
I sighed. “Call me pessimistic, but abusive, controlling men like Mark don’t just go away, and him being quiet unnerves me. I’m…cautiously optimistic, but having lived with a father with those same tendencies makes me wary. It’s crazy to me that Mark’s family is so wealthy, yet they let him get away with this disturbing behavior. It’s like he thinks he’s untouchable because of that wealth.”
Raven nodded in understanding. “Just like Cassandra never held Lance accountable for his actions. Some people just think they’re entitled. And yes, that’s scary because they believe consequences don’t apply to them.”