Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
9
ZARA
I turn around to get the fuck out of here when I hear squealing that would stop traffic in New York. I know some of the heads turn our way, and when I look, I see that he also looks over. Our eyes lock for a second, just long enough for his mouth to hang open, before I turn around to Amelia. “You’re here,” she says, taking me in her arms.
“I’m here.” I try not to make it seem like I’m literally dying inside, and I want to throw up all over the place. I became the person I hated the most in this world, the other fucking woman. The woman who slept with a man who has not only a wife but a child. I blink away the tears threatening to come out. “This is amazing.” I turn and see his son has pulled him away from the crowd to go to one of the tents.
“Come and see the tent we have set up for first grade.” She pulls me to the side, where a tent is set up with a rocking chair and a fake chimney with socks hanging from it. “It’s waiting for Santa,” she announces, sitting in the chair. “They can take pictures.”
“Oh, clever,” I reply, trying to stay hidden as much as I can. “Are all the tents a different theme?” I ask, looking around to see if I can spot him.
“Yes.” She gets up. “Then in the back”—she points at the other parking lot—“are the food trucks serving hot cocoa and hot cider.”
“Yum.” I don’t move an inch from my spot.
“In that corner is the petting zoo.” She points to the far right of the yard.
“This is such a great idea.”
“Inside in the gym is an auction that I beg of you to check out and bid on a couple of things.”
“You got it,” I agree when her phone rings in her hand. “Go take that, I’m going to go walk around and see things.”
“Text me where you are, and I’ll come find you,” she says, walking away from me, putting the phone to her ear. I take a minute, watching her disappear into the crowd before I turn and hightail my ass out of here.
“What the actual fuck,” I mutter, getting into the truck and turning it on. “He’s fucking married.”
I close my eyes as I pull out of the parking lot and wait maybe a full thirty minutes before I’m actually on the road back to Sofia’s house. “Married,” I repeat to myself, trying not to have an internal freak-out but failing fucking miserably. “With a child,” I say, making myself even sicker. “I need a drink.” I open the door and step out, reaching into my vest pocket for the key to the door and feeling nothing but fleece. “No-no-no-no-no,” I chant, reaching into the second pocket and feeling the same thing. “This isn’t happening to me.” I open my purse and search for the key I know is not in there. It’s in my green jacket at the door that I reminded myself to get before walking out of the house and forgot to do. I place my purse on the step before walking around the house to the back door, seeing if perhaps I left it open. Walking up the five steps to the door, I turn the handle, only to find it locked. I look around, seeing the window and wondering how mad she would be if I broke it and snuck into her house.
I walk back to the front of the house before sitting down on the step and dialing Sofia. “Hey,” she answers after two rings.
“Hi,” I say, “by any chance, would you have a hidden key outside your house?” I look at the side garden. “Perhaps, maybe under a potted plant?” She doesn’t have to answer me. Her laughter says it all. “I didn’t think so.” I close my eyes.
“Why?”
“I forgot to grab it on my way out, and now I’m sitting on the step, looking up at the stars.” My eyes find the stars that are twinkling in the clear sky. “I thought about it, reminded myself about it, but then I switched jackets, and boom, I’m now sitting outside with no way in.”
“Let me make a phone call,” she offers, and I groan.
“I feel so bad. They are all there at the Christmas thing. How mad would you be if I broke a window?” I look over my shoulder at said window I might break.
“Don’t you dare,” she warns. “That’s all I need, you breaking a window and getting hurt, and then your family will be like, they tried to kill her down there in the South.”
I can’t help but snort. “Fine, whatever, it’s no rush.”
“Got it,” she confirms and hangs up while I put the phone beside me to just take in the night. Something else I don’t do as much here is be on my phone. Instead, I just be in the moment with my thoughts. Five minutes later, she calls me back. “Okay, my cousin is going to come.”