Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Carly finally took a deep breath and turned to look at Sarah. She expected to feel anger, maybe even hurt or hatred, but instead she looked at her friend and it felt good to see her.
“Do you want some of my leftover tomato soup?”
“Hell, yeah, you do a fridge raid?” Sarah asked, already pulling out a chair at their small table in the kitchen.
Carly nodded.
“Wait, you didn’t put fish in there again, did you?”
This time, she couldn’t help but laugh. She was once convinced that the best way to use up leftovers was to put them all into a soup. She did this with some leftover fish, tuna from a can, and some shrimp, and yeah, it was the nastiest soup Carly had ever made. She and Sarah did try to eat it, but in the end, they ordered pizza to make up for it.
“No, no fish. I don’t make the same mistake twice.” She served them some soup and placed it in front of Sarah. Carly served herself a bowl and took the seat opposite her.
She looked across the kitchen counter at Sarah, and it was good to see her friend. Although, she could tell Sarah did look a little worse for wear.
“Rough couple of days?” Carly asked.
“The worst. Mitch has a horrible mattress and it has made me feel like I was being stabbed repeatedly. I probably deserved it.” Sarah took a few sips. “This is pretty good.”
Carly smiled.
Silence fell between them.
It wasn’t a bad soup. The vegetables added a new dimension of flavor, and the herbs really rounded out the taste. She loved it.
“Okay, fine, I can’t do this. I love the soup, but I … I was trying to bring you and Nate together. That’s what I tried to do, and it backfired, big time. I didn’t want there to be any more secrets and I thought if you knew the truth, you would fall in love with him.”
“You thought that?” Carly asked.
“The guy is crazy about you. Like, super crazy. He loves you and would do anything for you.” Sarah licked her lips. “I thought if you knew everything he had done, from making sure the guys don’t treat you like crap, to taking care of you with this apartment, even your job, you’d see what kind of guy he was.” She stopped and sighed. “I … I never wanted you to storm out and be hurt. That’s the last thing I wanted.”
“You didn’t think it would hurt me to know I’ve been lied to?”
Sarah scrunched up her face, wrinkling her nose. “Lied to? I don’t feel like you’ve been lied to. Taken care of.”
“Manipulated?”
“Look, I see what you mean, but it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t done with malicious intent. It was all done in the spirit of love and taking care of you. Wanting the best for you.”
Carly laughed. “What about being paid?”
Her friend sighed. “I know that part looks bad, and yes, if you took money to stay with me, I’d be upset, but here’s the thing—it wasn’t about the money.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No, I wanted to stay with you, and then when Nate offered me cash, of course I was going to take it. I’ve been broke. I know what it’s like to go hungry, and even though it happened when I was a kid, before I met you, those feelings haven’t gone away, not once. They’re feelings you never forget, so yes, I work and I save money, and I have fun. The money Nate has given me is in a savings account for a rainy day, just in case everything goes … to shit.” Sarah shrugged. “I know I’m not the best person to plan or be prepared, but I don’t know, I don’t want to go cold and hungry again. You’re my best friend, Carly. I love you, and I want the best for you, and I know there is no man on earth better at taking care of you than Nate. He is the only one that deserves you.”
Carly felt close to tears.
“You know, it hurt thinking that you only hung around with me because of the money.”
“That’s not true. I was never here because of the money. I loved you, but I wasn’t going to tell Nate no. Besides, you know what he’s like when he gets an idea in his head. It wasn’t like I was going to take the money and run away. It was there in case of an emergency, or if you and I had to leave, or something bad happened. I was planning for all eventualities, but hopefully one where neither of us ended up bankrupt.” Sarah shrugged. “I was thinking of the future. Of both of us.”
Carly knew Sarah, and without a single doubt in her mind, her friend was telling her the truth, and she could believe in that.