Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
I press Send and wait for him to reply as I absently listen to Miranda and the client she just finished up with talk near the front desk.
Eli: Does 7 work? We can meet at the apartment.
The apartment. Not our apartment. I let out a breath.
Me: How about 7 at Lincoln’s?
I press Send and watch three dots appear, then stop, before they pop up again, and a second later, a new message from him appears.
Eli: Sure
I give that message a thumbs-up to let him know I got it, then lift my head when I hear heels clicking on the concrete floor.
“Everything okay?” Miranda asks, walking toward me after finishing with her client at the front.
“Yep.” I hit the Sleep button on the side of my phone and toss it onto my station before I turn in my chair to face her. “That was Eli. He wants to talk.” I wrap my arms around my middle as I lean back in my chair.
“About what?” She frowns over at me as she grabs the broom leaning against the wall between our stations.
“I don’t know.” I lift one shoulder. “I guess about us.”
“I don’t want to sound harsh, Emma, but is there a you and him anymore? It’s been two months.” As my friend, she knows there has been little to no contact between him and me. And as my best friend, she’s been pissed on my behalf. Then again, even her ex-husband who had absolutely no shot of winning her back showed up here at the salon with coffee and flowers in hopes that it would soften her up and she’d open the door to them talking. Meanwhile, Eli has made no effort to even have a conversation with me.
“I don’t know,” I whisper, and her face softens.
“You deserve so much more.”
“M—”
“I love you,” she cuts me off before I can get more than her nickname out. “Just promise me that you’ll look at this situation and address it like you would if it were happening to me or someone else you care about.”
My chest gets tight. I know what she’s saying. If she or any of my other girlfriends were going through what Eli and I are, I would tell them to keep moving forward and never look back. I would hate the idea of them settling for a guy who wasn’t willing to put in the effort, or one who couldn’t give them everything they wanted.
“Promise.” My eyes water, and she rests the broom she’s holding against the side of my chair, then bends to wrap me in a tight hug.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” I wipe the tears from under my eyes when she leans back to look at me.
“You’ll be okay.”
“I know.” I look over my shoulder when the bell for the door chimes, and I see it’s my last client of the day. Saved by the bell, literally. Thank God, because I don’t want to cry about this situation anymore, and I’m so tired of being tired and sad. “Is my makeup a mess?”
“No, you look perfect as always.” She steps back, and I slide out of my chair.
After checking my reflection, I go greet my client and try not to dwell on what I’m going to do or say this evening. But as usual, it’s all I can think about.
Arriving at a quarter ’til seven at Lincoln’s, I take off my coat and go to the bar to order a glass of wine that I hope will help soothe my tattered nerves. I didn’t have time to go up to the apartment to change after I parked in my spot in the garage across the street, because traffic was so bad. So, I’m still wearing my deep-green turtleneck, black jeans, and heeled booties from work.
As I wait for the bartender to pour my glass of merlot, I scan the room for the perfect table. One that is away from the crowd but close enough to the doors that I can make a quick escape if I need to. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of options. The place is completely packed with people gathered to catch up after a long week of work and others who are here to watch the games playing on the TVs hanging sporadically around the room.
After accepting my glass of wine from the bartender, I start across the room but pause mid-step when I see a familiar face.
I’ve been around Tucker’s brother, Miles, quite a few times when I’ve gone over to visit Kingston and Miranda at her and Tucker’s place, since she has basically moved in with him already. But I’ve never seen him outside of that environment, and I have definitely never seen him with a woman. The beautiful blonde with him this evening fits him perfectly, even if she is the polar opposite of his rugged darkness.