Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Nope, not at all.
“Ace! Are you all right?”
He sat up, tears glistening in his eyes.
“Did you hurt yourself?” she asked.
“No. I’m all right. Well, my butt kind of hurts. Do you think it will bruise?” Hope filled his face. “That would be awesome if it did.”
“Um, maybe?” she said.
“I can’t do it, Jilly.” His lower lip fell out in a sulk.
“Do what? Ride the hoverboard?”
“Yeah. I know I’m not supposed to ride it inside, but it doesn’t work as well outside.”
“Hmm. Could I have a go?” she asked. It looked like a lot of fun.
“I don’t know, Jilly. It’s sore on your butt when you fall off and, you know, you’re a girl.”
“I’m a girl, so I can’t do it?” she asked, feeling amused.
“Well, no, I know girls can do anything. It’s just, you might cry. And I’m not good with tears.”
“I promise that if I fall off, I won’t cry.”
“Are you sure? Because Uncle Reggie probably won’t be happy if you cry. I heard he’s kind of obsessed with you.”
Her heart soared with those words, but she squashed the feeling quickly.
Ace was a child. He didn’t even know what he was saying.
But it was still a nice thought.
“I’m not sure I’d say obsessed,” she said.
“That’s what Jardin said. He said he’s never seen Uncle Reggie like this with anyone and he’s real glad he met you. But also that Uncle Reggie should pull his head out of his ass and put a ring on your finger before you change your mind.”
She stared down at him in shock. “I have a feeling you weren’t supposed to be listening to that conversation.”
Ace just gave her a cheeky grin.
“Oh, Lord, you’re going to be trouble in a few years, aren’t you?”
“Thea says I’m trouble now. And that if I’m any more trouble, she’s shipping me off to a boarding school. But I know she wouldn’t really do that. She’d miss me too much.”
Oh, to be that confident and secure in who you were.
She wasn’t sure she’d ever had that growing up. Mama loved her. At least she’d had that. But it was hard to feel secure when your father could make decisions on a whim that would completely uproot your life.
If her father had told her that he was contemplating boarding school if she kept getting into trouble, she would never have gotten into trouble again.
She’d certainly never have ridden a hoverboard inside his house.
“Can I try?”
“Well, all right. Carrick said we always have to keep our promises.” He looked very skeptical that she would manage to keep hers.
“Carrick is right. And I will keep mine.”
“You don’t have a helmet, though. Safety first. And I don’t think mine will fit you. Cause you’ve got a big head.”
She had to bite her lip to hide her smile. She was glad that she didn’t have any hang-ups about the size of her head.
“I’ll be okay. How do I get on?” she asked.
“Well, I usually hold onto a piece of furniture or a wall or something. You got to step on quick. But maybe you should hold onto me. Okay?”
“All right.” She delicately placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping she wouldn’t crash into him.
“No, you’ve got to hold on tight, Jilly,” Ace chided. “I don’t want you to fall.”
“Got it.” She held onto his shoulder tighter and stepped quickly onto the hoverboard. It wobbled slightly, but overall, it was actually steadier than she’d thought it would be.
“All right, how do I make it move?”
“Lean forward to go forward. Back to go backward. And if you want to spin, one foot forward and one back. That’s where I got into trouble. I think I was spinning too much.”
“Got it.” She tentatively moved forward. She wasn’t brave enough for anything else yet. But then she decided to try and spin at the end of the hallway.
Ace moved along with her. “Hey! You’re really good at this, Jilly!”
“Thanks, Ace.”
She managed to spin around at the end of the hall without incident.
“Yay!” Ace cried out.
“I’m going to try going faster.” She found herself grinning as she sped down to the other end of the hall. After several goes, she could spin without worry, go backward, and race forward really fast.
“Woohoo! Go, Jilly!”
“Jilly? Fuck, Jilly, get off that thing!” Regent barked.
She glanced up, startled to see him rushing toward her. And her foot slid back, sending her spinning. Her arm swung out, hitting something which fell with a smash.
She screamed and fell back on her bottom.
“Jilly!” Regent yelled.
Ace jumped toward her. “Jilly! You okay? Remember, you promised not to cry.”
Right. She would not cry. Even though that really hurt her butt. Then she spotted the smashed vase on the floor.
Oh. God.
49
How much did that cost? It had to have cost a lot. She got up on her hands and knees just as Regent reached her.