Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I looked down at the phone in my hand. “No. Why?”
“Because you keep checking it.”
I shoved the phone back into my pocket. “Didn’t realize I was.”
The little shit grinned. “You’re waiting for a girl to call you.”
It was hard to contain my smile. I clicked the car-unlock button, and it chirped. “Get in the car, Casanova.”
“Who?”
“Just get in.”
My phone buzzed just as we pulled up to Lucas’s house. Without giving it any thought, I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the name. Lucas must’ve read my face.
“You’re totally waiting for a girl to text you.” He grinned.
There was no point in lying. “Yeah. Sorry if I’ve been distracted.”
He shrugged. “Why don’t you just call her?”
“It’s complicated, bud.”
Lucas grabbed his shopping bags out of the backseat and opened the car door. He’d told me to stop walking him to the door last year, so now I just sat in the car and made sure he got in okay.
He climbed out of the car and leaned his head back in, one hand on the top of the door. “You gotta make the move, dude. The good ones aren’t alone for long.”
The little shit had tossed my own words back at me.
Chapter 28
* * *
May 1st
Dear Me,
We did it! Our first boyfriend. It only took sixteen years. But Nick Adler is totally gorgeous. He always wears a backward baseball hat, and his messy hair sticks out all over from underneath it. We’ve been together for two weeks now. And…we made the first move! Well, technically Bennett made the first move for us. Whatever.
We usually eat lunch with Bennett and a bunch of other kids. Nick sits at the table across from us. Bennett kept telling us to just go sit with him—to make the first move, but we were too chicken. One day, when we were looking over at Nick, Bennett yelled, “Hey, Adler. Soph’s gonna sit with you guys today, alright?” Nick shrugged and said sure. We wanted to kill Bennett. We were so nervous when we had to walk over there. But things worked out. Nick and us even hung out with Bennett and Skylar—his newest girlfriend—last weekend. Bennett’s girlfriend is in college already and really pretty. She was nice, I guess.
Oh…and we had to move again. Mom and Lorenzo broke up. Our new apartment is really small. But at least it’s not too far from the last one.
Today our poem is dedicated to Nick.
My heart has four walls.
He tried to climb but fell down.
For you, they crumble.
This letter will self-destruct in ten minutes.
Anonymously,
Sophie
Chapter 29
* * *
Bennett
Fuck it.
I jumped off the highway at the next exit.
I swear, I’d showered and dressed with every intention of meeting my buddies for drinks downtown. But halfway to O’Malley’s, I decided on a change of plans.
And now that I got closer, I started to second-guess myself again. Bianchi Winery wasn’t just her parents’ place—they were also clients.
Then again, that seemed par for the course. Annalise was the last person I should be chasing. So why not track her down at a client’s house? What could possibly go wrong?
Everything.
Anything.
But……fuck it.
I was invited. Annalise had told me herself that Margo had extended an invitation to me. At least I wasn’t crashing the party.
I pulled down the long dirt road just as the sun started to set. A dozen or so cars were parked along the front of the winery, including my car’s twin. I parked and checked my phone one last time. It was going to suck if she was here with a date. But I couldn’t imagine she was the type of woman who’d be out on a date a few nights after sleeping with another guy.
Hell, I was that type of guy, and I couldn’t have done it after the night we’d had.
I walked into the retail store just as Margo Bianchi came up from the wine cellar.
“Bennett! I’m so glad you’re feeling better and decided to join us after all.”
Feeling better? I went with it. “Turned out to be just a twenty-four-hour thing.”
“Annalise and Madison are downstairs. I’m just going to grab another tray of cheese. Go on down. Everyone’s loving the new harvest.”
“Let me give you a hand with the tray first.”
“Nonsense. You go enjoy yourself. I’m sure my daughter is going to be delighted to see you.”
I wouldn’t be so sure of that. “Okay. Thank you.”
The wine cellar had four alcove tables on one side and a long, stone bar on the other. I scanned the tables and saw faces I didn’t recognize. But I definitely recognized the exposed back of a woman sitting on the second-to-last stool at the bar. Facing away from me, she had no warning I was here.
I blew out a deep breath and started toward her. The woman sitting next to her caught my eye and watched me approach. I held one finger up to my lips as my other hand touched Annalise’s back.