Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Going to my room I kick off my heels and take them into my closet, then change out of the wide leg pants and button down top I wore today, and put on a pair of sweats and a long sleeve, oversized top. After tying up my hair, I slide on my flip flops, then get my keys and head right back out the door and take the elevator up to Brodie’s place.
I knock when I arrive and a moment later a pretty redhead opens the door wearing one of his jerseys and what seems like nothing else. When she doesn’t greet me but just gives me a narrow-eyed look, I pray for patience. Since about two weeks after I ended things with Brodie, this exact situation has played out more than once. The first time it happened I waited for the curl of jealousy to creep up on me from knowing he was with another woman, but I felt nothing—absolutely nothing except for frustration with him, for putting me and that woman in such an awkward situation.
“Hey, is Brodie here?” I smile then press my lips together to keep from laughing when Jeb shoves the woman aside to get out the door and greet me.
“You big lug.” I give Jeb a hug, then grab a hold of his snout to try and avoid him getting his tongue anywhere near my mouth.
“Who are you?” the woman asks.
I start to tell her that I’m Brodie’s friend but snap my mouth shut when the man of the hour comes up behind her dressed but looking like he just got out of the shower.
“Shit, sorry, I didn’t realize what time it was,” he says.
“It’s all good.” I look at the woman. “I’m Willow. Nice to meet you.”
“Is she your sister?” She ignores my greeting and looks up at him.
“You gotta go, Cali, I need to hit the road,” he tells her without answering her question.
She pouts out her bottom lip. “Will you call me when you get back into town?”
“Yeah.”
Honestly, I’ve never seen the same woman at his place more than once, so I doubt that’s the truth. It makes me sad for him that he keeps looking for love in the shape of a vagina, especially when he deserves so much more.
“Okay, I’m just going to get my stuff.” She leans up to kiss him but at the last second, he turns his head, so she just catches the corner of his mouth, and either she doesn’t notice or maybe she just doesn’t care.
After she gives me a look that says, “he’s mine,” she disappears into his apartment rolling her hips.
I barely avoid rolling my eyes in return.
“Sorry about that.” He takes a hold of Jeb’s collar and holds open the door for me.
“It’s not the first time one of your girls has been here when I’ve shown up.” I grab Jeb’s leash off the hanger next to the door and hang it around the back of my neck.
“We need to talk,” he says, then mumbles something under his breath when Cali comes out of his bedroom holding a piece of black material in her hand while still wearing his jersey, but also wearing a pair of jeans and heels.
“I hope you don’t mind that I keep this,” she giggles, holding the golden top away from her body.
“Actually...”
“He has like a million, of course he doesn’t mind,” I cut him off before he can respond.
She actually smiles at me like we’re friends. “Cool.” She skips to where he is and grabs his hand. “Walk me out.”
“Sure.” He mumbles then looks at me. “Be right back.”
“I’ll be here.”
“Bye.” Cali says to me, and I wiggle my fingers at her, then go to the kitchen and grab Jeb’s dog food and start to pour some of it into a large zip lock bag to take with me.
“You know that was my favorite jersey,” he says when he steps back into the apartment a few minutes later.
I shrug one shoulder. “Since you will probably hurt her feelings in just a few days when you don’t call or text her, consider it a pre-fuck-up apology gift.”
“She’s a puck bunny, Willow, she knows the score.”
“She’s a woman with feelings, Brodie, and you don’t know what she knows.” I shake my head.
“I know she was using me the same way I was using her.”
“Ew.” My nose scrunches. “Don’t say that; it makes you sound like a douche.” I grab a new bag of Jeb’s treats from his cupboard then look over at Brodie when he doesn’t say anything, but I feel the energy in the kitchen seem to shift, become heavier. “What?” I ask when I find him looking at me funny.
“You don’t care.”
“What?”
“You don’t fucking care,” he shouts while tossing his arms in the air, a move that causes Jeb to bark.