Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Sometimes it felt like I had the worst luck when it came to women.
I’d reach out one more time and then I was done.
The ball would be in her court.
This time I called, though.
It rang four times, and I was sure it was going to voice mail when I was surprised to hear her voice on the line. “Good morning, Kon.”
“Lucy. Hello. I didn’t think you would answer.”
“I know. I’m sorry. It’s been a rough couple of days.”
“Is Sawyer okay?”
“Believe it or not, he’s doing better.”
“I’m glad.” I cleared my throat. “So, I do not have much time. I have to leave for the airport soon, but I wanted you to know that there is nothing between me and Svetlana. Not now, not ever again. She’s gone and I’m changing the locks of my condo.”
“Okay.”
“The other night, you said you trusted me. Is this still true?”
Lucy hesitated but then said, “Yes, I do. You’ve never given me any reason not to. I was just tired and overwhelmed. Seeing your ex standing there in one of your shirts didn’t help.”
“I threw it away,” I said quickly. “I would never wear it again after seeing her in it.”
She chuckled. “Okay, I can live with that.”
“When I come back, I want to see you, tell you everything, explain the past. This will help you to understand who I am. Maybe also help us get to know each other better.”
“I’d like that.” Her voice sounded softer now, like we were finally back on track. At least I hoped so.
“I hate to ask, but I need a favor.”
“If I can.”
“Can you and Sawyer come here to wait for the locksmith? I can ask the doorman, but I prefer someone who cannot be bribed. Could you do this for me so I know for sure Svetlana cannot get back in?”
“I…yes. We’ll come and wait for them. Are they coming now?”
“They said in the next two hours.”
“All right. We’re just finishing breakfast. We can head over in a few.”
“I will probably be gone, but I appreciate this. And I promise, when I get home, I’m going to make all of this up to you.”
“You sure are,” she said with a soft chuckle.
“I’ll call you tonight from the hotel.”
“Talk to you then.”
I hung up and stared at the phone for a few seconds.
At least Lucy was talking to me again.
If only I could get Svetlana’s words out of my head.
Someday, she’ll see the beast beneath the calm exterior and won’t know how to deal with you. And she’ll leave you too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Lucy
The back of my neck prickled with awareness as I walked into the kitchen and heard someone breathing heavily. I ran to the knife block on the counter and pulled one out, my heart racing as I scanned the room.
“Who’s there?” I demanded, backing up until I was against the counter.
I’d had a nightmare last night about being grabbed from behind and suffocated. The attack in the alley was never far from my mind—both consciously and unconsciously.
My gaze landed on the heavy breather. It was Sawyer, who was curled up in a ball in the wide doorway to the dining room.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” I ran over to him and dropped to my knees.
He sprawled out on his back. “I just…ran five miles. I’m dying, Luce.”
My shoulders slumped with relief and I put the knife down. “What the hell, Sawyer? You haven’t exercised in like eight months. You need to start smaller.”
He furrowed his brow. “What’s with the knife?”
“I thought you might be a heavy-breathing murderer.”
After a single note of laughter, he clutched his stomach. “Oh shit. I’m regretting the two hundred crunches I knocked out before my run.”
“Let’s get you off the floor.”
He gave me a pathetic look. “Let me die here.”
“You can’t die today because I want to go shopping, and while I would love to go alone”
“You’re not going out alone,” he protested. “Are you out of your mind?”
I got up and went to the refrigerator, getting him a bottle of water. When I returned, I held the water in one hand and extended my other one to him to help him up.
He groaned as he got himself up, not bothering to use my hand.
“I couldn’t even play high school hockey in this condition,” he grumbled. “I need to just retire and save my dignity.”
I passed him the water. “Don’t you think it’s premature to decide that after one day of trying to get back in shape?”
“I’m not the same Sawyer Cain as before,” he said after draining half the bottle. “That’s what people would expect if I went back.”
“One day at a time. Which reminds me…when are you going to start going to your AA meetings?”
We’d talked a lot after the game the other night. For two people who had been living together, there was a lot we needed to tell each other. One of the topics I’d broached was AA meetings, which he’d agreed were a good idea.