Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
>>LittleBit: If your partner wants anchovy stew every night, that’s your first problem.
I smiled.
>>Phlox: Haha. I’m new here, but I’m just saying. You can enjoy your single life even if you’re looking for more. There’s a lot you might miss.
>>LittleBit: I’ve been told I should be more adventurous. Maybe you’re right.
I was glad to see that LittleBit didn’t have a profile picture of his face, either. It made me feel less weird. His was a picture of a little tower of stacked river rocks, rocks of all different sizes organized into a small pillar. When I was a kid I used to stack rocks just like it, getting my fingers muddy and wasting as much time as I could outdoors.
I liked that memory. And I liked that LittleBit had a picture of rocks as his profile picture.
>>Phlox: Every day can be a new adventure.
Fuck. I was sounding like a motivational poster again. I had never been great with words, and maybe that’s why I was so bad at sharing my feelings. I always felt like I came off trite. But really, I just wanted to cheer him up.
>>SadieClues: Hell yes! I agree with that!
It was SadieClues again. I thought she’d gone to sleep. Her profile photo was presumably of herself, a woman with long red hair, wearing a blue hat and a big smile.
>>LittleBit: Just wish I knew how to even get started.
>>Phlox: Just do one thing a day that scares you. I’m saying this even though it’s cliche and cheesy, so you know it must be true.
I woke up bolting up from my mattress. Morning light was pouring through the tent windows, dust motes floating through the air. The birds were already in their full morning song.
My heart pounded in my chest as I peeked out through the tent entrance, my eyes darting around my yard.
“Who’s there?” I asked, my voice still hoarse from the morning. The only movement I saw was all of the tree leaves swaying in the slight breeze, but I’d sworn I’d woken up to the sound of someone. Was it a dream? Was I really starting to go nuts?
But as I waited I heard a soft knocking sound coming from the side gate. “Hello?” came a voice.
I tossed the blankets off me and got up, striding over to the gate to see Cam’s face just above it. He smiled at me, giving me a sheepish wave.
“I tried the front door, but then I remembered you were probably outside…”
I let out a breath. “It’s you,” I said.
I looked down, realizing that I was still only in my boxer briefs, my bulge clearly on display. My body had fully realized that I wasn’t in danger, but now there was an entirely new set of problems.
Cam problems.
Because he looked awake, bright, and goddamn gorgeous in the morning light, and I was still a half-naked, bedraggled mess. He was in a cornflower blue cardigan, with a neat cream collared shirt underneath, and a pair of dark denim pants.
“Come on back,” I said, unlatching the gate and letting him come through.
“I totally woke you up. I’m sorry.”
“Nice sweater,” I said, my words still coming out in a grumbly voice.
“I can’t tell if you’re making fun of it or not,” he said.
I cleared my throat. “It looks very good on you,” I said, glancing from the light, dusty blue color up to his eyes. Christ, it made them pop. I’d never really seen eyes that were blue like his, both muted and vibrant at the same time. Like the ocean.
“I’m sorry for just showing up,” he said, “but I didn’t have your phone number, and I really wanted to pick somebody’s brain about something, and I knew you’d be the right person to ask, so I decided to just… do it.”
He was talking quickly, like he’d been rehearsing what he might say to me all morning.
“Let me get a pair of pants on,” I said.
“God. Yes. Of course. Go ahead.”
I made my way through the back door of my house, rummaged through my clothes in the bedroom, and found a suitable pair of jeans. I tossed a flannel on, not bothering to button it up yet. I made a pit stop at the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face and brushing my teeth.
“I am somewhat human now,” I said as I returned to the backyard, where Cam was inspecting some of my charlock wildflowers. “What’s up, Cam?”
He turned to look at me, his expression still looking like it was a dam holding back a tidal wave of energy.
“Firstly I just want to apologize,” he said. “I felt awful last weekend. I shouldn’t have kicked you out so quickly.”
“I’m telling you, you don’t have to worry about that,” I said. “Your kids need stability right now more than ever. I get it.”