Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Okay, well, the rest of us wouldn’t have to buy presents for twenty people,” I said with a laugh.
“You can discuss that with your sisters-in-law,” Mom replied. “But I’m buying presents for everyone.”
“Fair enough.”
“Aw, shit,” Frankie grumbled, pulling into the grass in front of an old house. There were cars everywhere. “There’s so many people here already.”
“Divide and conquer,” my mom advised.
We trudged up to the house and weaved our way through the crowd. It always felt a little weird at estate sales. Garage sales were different, people put the things they wanted to sell right out front—you weren’t actually in their house. At estate sales, it was like walking into life interrupted. There were clothes in the closets, dishes in the cupboards, and furniture set out in the rooms.
I always wondered where the people had gone. Were they dead or just downsizing? The estate sales that a company was hosting were the creepiest, because inevitably I overheard them saying too much about the owners of the house or absolutely refusing to say anything—which always made me imagine the worst. It felt intensely personal to go through a stranger’s things, deciding if there was anything you wanted to take home with you. It was even worse to see other people being careless with the treasures someone had spent their life accumulating.
The whole thing gave me the creeps, but I ignored it as I followed my mom through the house. I wished I was home in my pajamas.
To be fair, I did like searching for treasures, I just liked finding them in second-hand stores more.
“Stick with me, kid.” Mom twined her arm through mine as I watched some guy pick up an old watch and then toss it carelessly back onto a table. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“These people should have some respect,” I said, not bothering to lower my voice. “All this stuff was important to someone at some point.”
A woman hurried out of our way.
“It’s easy to forget,” Mom said, tugging me along. “But I hear you. When me and Dad die, just take what you want and donate everything else to a woman’s shelter or something. I’d rather give it to someone who needs it.”
“You’re never going to die,” I replied. “I refuse to even think about it.”
“That’s my girl,” she teased. “Bury that head in the sand.”
“Besides, our family is so big, by the time everyone’s done picking it over, there won’t be anything left.”
“I knew there was a reason I had so many children.” She paused. “There’s a couple of nightstands.” She pointed across the room.
I looked at them. “Too bulky.”
“Too bad,” Mom mumbled, pulling me along. “So, what’s new with you?”
My head whipped toward her. “What makes you ask?”
Mom snorted. “Nice try with the mascara,” she said dryly. “But what you really needed were some cold cucumbers for those eyes.”
“Me and Cian had a thing last night,” I confessed, looking down at the table. “A fight, I guess.”
“What, another one?” She looked at me in surprise. “I thought you guys weren’t talking. How the hell did that happen?”
“Who told you we weren’t talking?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“He came over to boss me around—”
“Typical,” she muttered.
“And it pretty much went downhill from there,” I hedged. I generally told my mom everything, but the argument was still a little too raw to give her a play-by-play.
“You two need to just get over it and have sex already,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Mom,” I hissed, glancing over my shoulder to make sure we didn’t have any eavesdroppers. There were people everywhere.
“I know we’ve had the birds and the bees conversation,” she said, moving down the table. “But we can go over it again if you need to.”
“Why can’t you clam up and change the subject like other moms?” I whispered, following her.
“Sorry, baby, you’re stuck with the mom you got.” She grinned unrepentantly.
“He doesn’t want to have sex with me anyway,” I mumbled.
Mom froze and looked at me over her shoulder before bursting into laughter.
“I’m serious.”
“I can see that,” she said, still smiling. “But you’re still wrong.”
“That’s what he said.”
“He said he doesn’t want to have sex with you?”
“He said he cares about me,” I admitted.
“I’m sure he does.” Her lips twitched.
“Yeah, it’s real funny,” I griped, pointing at my face. “I obviously thought it was super funny half the night, too.”
“Aw, baby,” she said, the smile dropping off her face. She pulled me into a hug, bumping into a middle-aged guy that was trying to see around us. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that,” I replied glumly, slumping against her.
“Oh, but I can,” she said, pulling away. “I’ll bet you ten dollars that Cian calls you by the end of the day.”
“You’re on. Plus, I want that silk robe you bought when you knew I wanted it.”