Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I don’t know how to cook,” I say, my voice not coming out strong. Zoe senses it right away, and my mother reaches for my hand. “I don’t know how to cook,” I say again, looking at Jackie. “I tried to learn, I did, but …” I have to blink away tears. “And I know that I’m not the perfect person you would want for your son.”
“Oh dear God, it’s happening,” Zoe says from behind me, and Allison and Karrie both lean in and squeeze my shoulder.
“I can learn.” I look down at my hand, then back up at Jackie. “I’ll learn for him, and I’ll take care of him if he gets sick.”
“It’s almost like she has diarrhea of the mouth,” Zoe says, and I turn to glare at her. She looks at me. “You need to stop, or you’re going to make yourself sick.”
“I love him.” I look back at Jackie. “Like love, love him.”
“Oh honey,” my mother says, and she puts her arm around me, and I’ve never been more scared in my life than I am right now waiting for Jackie to say something.
“Will you be there to hold his hand if things get rough?” she asks me, and I nod my head. “Will you be willing to go wherever this takes him?”
“Without ever looking back,” I tell her.
“Taking care of someone is more than just cooking for him.” Jackie grabs my hand in hers. “I didn’t really cook when we got married, and well, it was a learning curve. I remember once I thought it would be a good idea to make meatloaf, and I broiled it instead of baking it.” She shakes her head, laughing. “Those were the days. It’s about being there when things are on a high, and then they go so low it takes everything you have in you not to try to fix it yourself.” She leans over. “’Cause men don’t always get things.”
“True story,” Karrie says from behind me.
“Before I met him, I was dating someone,” I start telling her, and I know I shouldn’t, but she has to know. “I thought I loved him. I really did.” I look at my mom, who smiles at me and nods her head. “But then he broke up with me, and I thought it was the end of the world. I thought there was no way I would be able to go on.” I blink away the tears. “I know now that isn’t the case.” A tear escapes me, and Zoe passes me a tissue that my mother holds for me.
“The reason I know it now is because I went on. Sure, it stung, but I was able to breathe. I was able to go about my day.” The crowd gasps, and I look up and see that someone is on the ice, and he’s down. I don’t know who it is, all I know is that he’s wearing green. I jump out of my chair, and my father looks back at me.
“It’s not him, honey.” He smiles at me.
I sit back down, gather up all my nerve, and finish. “I know because every day without him there was a pressure on my chest. A heaviness that I couldn’t understand, and then, I finally was in his arms and the heavy was gone. I could breathe again.” I look at my mom. “I get it. I get what you and Dad would talk about. How Dad would pout when you would go away for the weekend with the girls to a spa.”
“I don’t think he would pout,” my mother says.
“He would start a timer on his phone with the hours of when you would be coming back,” Zoe says from behind me.
“Remember the time he did the hours chart on the fridge, and every hour, he would cross off a number?” Allison says, laughing.
“I’m here,” a voice says behind me, and I look over to see Candace coming in followed by another girl. She spots us, and her mouth drops when she sees Zoe, Allison, and Karrie.
Matthew and Max turn around and then look at each other, then spot the girl behind Candace. “What in the hell?” I hear Patrick say, and then Jackie gets up.
“Candace,” Jackie says between clenched teeth, “what in the world were you thinking?”
“I didn’t think,” she starts saying, and now I get up.
“You didn’t think that I would have anyone at my back,” I tell her, my voice soft. “You thought I would be a sitting duck.” Jackie looks at me, then at Patrick. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Zara.”
The blonde behind her sticks out her hand, and I look at her up and down. We are like night and day. “Sophia.” She says her name, and my stomach hurts. She looks at Candace and then back at Jackie. “I think I’m going to go and …”