Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
But first, we had to be able to get in to see. Jayden wasted no time in moving the boxes that kept the door from opening all the way while I picked up the smaller objects. The dust down here was relentless, and I sneezed twice into the sleeve of my sweatshirt. I looked up to see Jayden staring at me. “What?”
He grinned. “Does your ponytail always bounce from one shoulder to the other when you sneeze?”
“Maybe? Guess we’ll find out since it’s so dusty.” I pulled the door of the bathroom open, ready to flee if a pile of stuff tumbled out of it, but nothing came crashing down. I ran my fingers along the wall inside the door and managed to find a light switch, but nothing happened when I flipped it.
“Let’s clear some of this crap out so we can fit in there.” Jayden squeezed past me to grab two cardboard boxes. My muscles were sore and achy, but I couldn’t complain. Not when he, Lucas, and Kyle were doing all the heavy lifting. I grinned to myself. Maybe I should complain about being sore. Maybe then Lucas and Jayden would give me another massage.
We paused when we’d cleared the stuff from about two feet of the bathroom floor. I used my phone to show Jayden the light fixture over the mirror. The cabinet under it presumably held a sink, but there were stacks of plastic crates covering it, along with a tangled mass of old jewelry draped over the edge of a cracked hand mirror. A ceramic figurine, possibly a cat, perched on top of a pile of faded magazines.
“I’ll go find a lightbulb,” Jayden said.
“Can you reach up there?” I asked before he left.
He switched places with me, which wasn’t easy in the tight quarters, and then stretched his hand up. “I could if there wasn’t all this crap in the way. I’ll look for a stepladder, too.”
While he was gone, I pulled stuff off the vanity, setting it down outside the bathroom to sort through later. By the time Jayden returned, I’d cleared off a small area of the counter.
“Got the bulb,” Jayden said, holding up a small box. “Couldn’t find a stepladder.”
“I think I can reach it if I hop up.” I stood on my toes and brought my leg up, swinging it onto the counter. Then I pulled my other leg up so that I was kneeling.
“Jesus, Tori, wait for a spotter.” He moved in behind me, his hand settling on the small of my back.
“I think I can reach,” I said, stretching my hand out. My fingertips barely brushed against the old bulb, but because of the stuff still on the counter, including what felt like a brittle, crumbling lace doily that caught on my sleeve, I had to lean forward awkwardly.
“Don’t slip,” Jayden said, and his other hand settled lightly on my hip.
I reached as far as I could and felt triumphant when I was able to unscrew the old bulb. I pulled back and twisted around to hand it to Jayden. That was when I realized that when I’d bent forward like that, I’d practically had my backside in his face. My skin heated. “Um, where’s the new one?” Hopefully, it was too dark for Jayden to see the redness on my face. And hopefully, it was too dark for him to see other parts, too.
Self-consciously, I leaned again, trying to screw in the new bulb without my ass sticking out, but it didn’t work. Figuring that my embarrassment couldn’t get any worse, I fit the bulb in the socket and turned it. The bulb wobbled loosely before it finally settled in the socket. Then I turned it until it felt tight enough—
Insanely bright light blinded me, and I flinched backward. Instinctively, I brought my arm up to shield my eyes, and I knocked over something that fell, and rose-scented powder filled the air. I shifted back and my knee slipped off the counter.
I yelped as I fell back—and crashed right into Jayden. His arms wrapped around me, one snagging my thigh and the other around my side as he caught me, pulling me to his chest as he took a step back.
Still blinded from the bright light, I reached up, wrapping one arm around his neck as he got his arms into a better position underneath me, cradling me to his chest. He staggered out of the bathroom, easily supporting me, and I blinked, trying to get my vision to work. The first thing that came into focus was his face, so close to mine. He was blinking, too. And then he lowered me down, setting me gently on the floor, his hands on my shoulders until he was sure I was steady. That was when I noticed our audience. Kyle and Lucas were in different parts of the basement, but they’d both stopped what they were doing to stare at us.