Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“Here we go, two lemon drop martinis and a Heineken,” the waitress said, placing our drink order in front of us. “I put in your food orders, and Pepper said it will be out shortly.”
We thanked her, and once she was gone, Kendrix turned to me, holding up his bottle of beer. “Cheers to an excellent first week.”
I shifted my gaze from him to Marlana, and then we picked up our glasses and tapped them before taking a drink.
Kendrix began to talk about our plans for the May exhibit and asked about the high schools I planned on contacting, the vision for the display, and ways he thought would be best to advertise it. Marlana had several good ideas, and when his attention was on her, she glowed. How could he not see that?
The food arrived, followed by Pepper.
“How is everything?” she asked, glancing at the other two, then at me.
“Fantastic!” Marlana exclaimed.
I nodded in agreement. “As good as I remember.”
Pepper smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. Monday and Tuesday nights are always biker-free. The other nights though, some of them are usually here, but they only ride out together on Thursday and Friday nights.”
“We could make this our Monday evening go-to,” Marlana suggested. “God knows we need it after a weekend event.”
Pepper seemed pleased with that, so I didn’t argue.
“Kendrix isn’t normally here on Mondays anyway,” she added. “We could make it a girls’ night.”
The idea seemed to excite Marlana.
“I hope you do,” Pepper replied.
Someone called her name from the back, and she sighed. “I gotta go. If I don’t see you before you leave, I hope I do next week.”
When she turned to leave, Marlana held up her glass. “Oh, she will! We are so coming back.”
I liked Pepper and this bar, but it now held a memory that I’d like to put behind me. Smiling tightly, I took a drink.
Florida was probably a bad idea.
You just got there. Give it time. I could hear the words spoken in Eamon’s voice, and the ache of his absence reminded me what I’d lost.
I was left to silent, imaginary conversations with him.
Twenty-One Years Ago
The hot-pink dress that Vanna had bought me when we went prom-dress shopping last month was unlike anything I’d ever worn. I stared at myself in the floor-length mirror longer than necessary, but it was hard to believe that was me. Reaching up, I tugged on one of the curls that cascaded over my left shoulder, leaving my right one bare. This was the first time I’d seen my hair curled and fixed; it usually hung straight or was pulled up into a ponytail or bun.
Vanna had spent an hour curling it, then pulled it over to one side so that it didn’t cover the back of my dress, which laced up like a corset. The shiny, satin-like material was fitted in the waist, then went into a floor-length, layered skirt that had a slit up the front to my mid-thigh. There was even a hint of a train in the back. The strappy heels she had helped me choose were clear so as not to take away from the attention of the dress, she’d explained to me.
The neckline dipped in front, and Vanna had called it a cowl neck. This was the only part about it that had caused Vanna to frown. My boobs showed off a good amount of cleavage, but the saleslady had raved about how I looked in it so much that Vanna had caved and agreed that this was the one.
Right after Tyler had asked me to be his girlfriend, he had invited me to prom. If Rome hadn’t been bringing a girl he was dating, Shana, to his mom’s to eat dinner with us regularly now, I was sure I’d have turned Tyler down. But seeing as all Rome did was ignore me since the afternoon in his truck four months ago, I had agreed. Why not? I was sixteen. Free to date and enjoy being a teenager.
I’d thought that moment meant Rome liked me the way I did him, but it hadn’t been that at all. He had just been horny.
I’d imagined Rome being my first in all the things, but that wouldn’t be happening either.
Tyler had kissed me the day he asked me to be his girlfriend. We’d done a lot of kissing since then. He’d even put his hand up my shirt and felt my boobs.
Five nights ago, while he was kissing me, he had slid his hand between my legs and rubbed me where I knew it was supposed to feel good. He groaned, and his kissing became more frantic. Unfortunately, I hadn’t felt much, but then I had been wearing jeans.
I hadn’t decided if I wanted him to be the one to take my virginity or not. Tyler didn’t give me the fluttering in my lower stomach or make my panties wet. Knowing how good that had felt after having experienced it with Rome, I wanted that again.