Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 41935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Farrah can be ridiculous, but I also let her take advantage of me. I told her to text me after her workout so I could make her breakfast. Instead of spending her workout time taking a five-minute shower and prepping things for her, I took a walk so I could FaceTime my parents.
“I miss you guys,” I say as I walk toward the pier.
“We miss you, too,” Mom says, wistful. “But we know you’re having adventures and making memories, and we’re so proud of you.”
“Does Dad have therapy today?”
“He has speech therapy at eleven fifteen.”
“How’s that going, Dad?”
He types out an answer. “Still. Sound. Like. A. Computer. When. I. Speak.”
I smile, glad he’s still cracking jokes. “I think you should go on the road, Dad. Make a stand-up routine and kill with these jokes every night.”
He types, his brow furrowed with concentration. “The. Stand. Up. Part. May. Be. A. Challenge.”
“There’s your angle. The world’s first sit-down comic.”
There’s a ringing sound in the background and my mom cringes slightly. “That’s the home nurse, honey. We have to go.”
“Okay, bye guys!” I wave at them and blow a kiss. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” Mom says.
I wait for Dad to finish typing out a message to me. “Keep. Shining.”
I blow him another kiss and end the call, tears flooding my eyes. He’s been saying that to me since I was a kid and it warms me like I just got a hug from him.
As I head back toward the beach house, I feel lighter. This was exactly what I needed. Now I’m ready to really start my day. It’s not a crazy busy day, but now I have a new challenge: pretending I’m not replaying that kiss on repeat and thinking about Dalton.
That evening, I’m still in a daze as I park the Bronco and walk to the beach house. The day took a very unexpected turn when Alex switched up the filming schedule. Farrah had an appointment at a local spa for a massage, facial and pedicure, but instead, she and the other contestants were sent on a scavenger hunt as a competition for the show.
It would be an understatement to say she was unhappy. But she did it, and she told me to take her appointments at the salon.
I felt guilty as I was being treated like an A-lister at a posh salon, getting polished and buffed and pampered. If she knew about that kiss last night...
She doesn’t, though. I moved past the guilt at the start of the hot stone massage, which was basically heaven on earth.
“Girl...” Misty’s eyes widen when I walk into the sunny, plant-filled great room.
“How was it? I haven’t heard from Farrah and I’m getting worried.”
“She came in next to last in the scavenger hunt. I heard she got mobbed for autographs at a shopping center.”
“Oh, crap.”
She wanted me to go with her, but Alex told her no way. The other contestants didn’t have assistants helping them, so she couldn’t, either. That’s how I ended up at the spa.
Misty looks over both shoulders to make sure no one is nearby, and then she breaks out into a huge grin. “I have a date with Dom tonight!”
“Good! So you’ve changed your mind about him?”
Her gaze turns dreamy. “Yeah, I have. He’s actually...soulful. He plays his guitar and sings for me, and he’s a literal rock star in bed.”
“I’m happy for you.”
She whispers the next part. “Farrah has a date with Josh Sellers.”
My jaw drops. Farrah will be on the warpath for sure. The rising star politician isn’t someone she has any interest in a date with. “Oh, God. I better go find her.”
“Good luck.”
Steeling myself, I go to Farrah’s room, where I find her sprawled out starfish style on the bed. She turns her head in my direction as I come into the room and close the door.
“Worst fucking day ever. EVER.” She covers her face with her hands and groans. “I didn’t even have time to text you because they had me racing all over the place looking for the stupidest shit imaginable. I was so sweaty. And now I have to go on a date with Josh.”
She sits up, glowering. “How was the spa?”
I hesitate. “Oh, you know. It sucked. There was a power outage and I had an allergic reaction to the facial.”
Her brows hike up. “Really?”
“No.”
A laugh bubbles out of her. “You always know how to make me laugh. I wish you could’ve been there with me. I would’ve come in last place on purpose. It’s not like I care about winning a scavenger hunt. Dalton and JP competed like it was the Olympics.”
Dalton. My stomach flips just from the mention of his name. “Did one of them win?”
“No, Josh did. Dalton was doing great, but then, apparently, he couldn’t find a place that sold strawberry ice cream. How easy is that? There’s an ice cream place on every block. So he doesn’t get a date tonight.”