Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Nothing.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“I call bullshit. Now tell me what’s going on with you and why you basically shunned me just a minute ago standing in line.”
“Maybe you’re dodging a bullet. Oh, wait, that was Palmer.” I watch her face closely. She looks confused, and then realization dawns on her.
“We’ll get to how you know about that conversation in a minute. First, I want to start with you’re an idiot.”
“What?” I sit up straighter in my chair.
“We were not talking about you, knucklehead. We were talking about Toby.”
“Who the fuck is Toby?”
“Toby is a guy Palmer dated when I first moved back to Willow River. It was very short-lived. He was at the Tavern that night and asked her to hook up.”
“What?” I say again, this time a little too loudly. “He asked her to hook up. Seriously?”
“Yep,” she says, popping the p. “She was telling me how he was never interested in her as a person, just getting into her pants. She broke it off with him, and that night was the first night she’d seen him since. And before that brain of yours goes crazy, I can already see the smoke coming out of your ears. She never slept with him. She has more dignity than that.”
I feel my shoulders relax. “She wasn’t talking about me?”
Ramsey shakes her head. She leans forward and places her hand over mine. “Brooks, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but you’re both too damn stubborn, and I hate to see you both hurting.” She lets that sink in before she tosses me a curve ball I never saw coming. “Palmer’s in love with you.”
I shake my head. I must have heard her wrong. “What did you just say?” This time it’s me who’s leaning in close so I can be sure to hear every word.
“You heard me the first time, but I’ll say it again. Palmer is in love with you.”
“No.” I’m quick to dismiss her claim. “She ended things. Wait, how do you know about us?”
“Because after she ended things, I drove her home, and she spilled all the sordid details. She was a wreck. She still is.”
“I don’t understand.” My mind is racing with what this means. She loves me. Palmer loves me.
“It’s not my story to tell, and I’ve already said too much. All I will say is that you need to pull your head out of your ass and fix this since she won’t. She doesn’t even know that you overheard that conversation that was most definitely not about you.”
“I… shit. I got called into work today. I’m on until four.”
“She’s busy today anyway.” Ramsey smiles. “I talked Deacon into another photoshoot.”
“Really?”
She nods. “I did, so Palmer is doing that today at our house.”
“I get off at four, and then I’ll meet you there. Can you keep her there until then?” I’m already forming a plan and organizing all the things I want to tell her in my mindfirst and foremost, that I’m in love with her.
“I can try. If not, I’ll text you and let you know where she is.”
I nod. “Deal.” Standing, I walk to her side of the small table and bend over to hug her tight. “Thank you, Ramsey.”
“Someone had to help you pull your head out of your ass.”
I laugh, and it’s genuine. “I just… she’s my entire fucking world, and it shattered when she ended things.”
Ramsey’s eyes soften. “Tell her that. Let her explain her side of things. You two could have very easily fixed all of this days ago with a little communication.”
“I’ve learned my lesson. If I get her back, if I can convince her to be mine, I’ll never hold back how I’m feeling ever again. Never.”
“Good. Now, let me buy you breakfast.”
Ten minutes later, I’m hugging her goodbye and climbing behind the wheel of my truck, feeling like a new man.
Love harder. That’s exactly what I plan to do.
I expected today’s shift to drag by, knowing that at the end of it, I would be going to get my girl, but it was the exact opposite. We were slammed all morning, which helped keep me focused and my mind occupied. However, this afternoon has been slow. I almost asked to leave early, but changed my mind. I’ve got two more hours of my shift, and I’m home free. “I’m coming for you, beautiful,” I whisper before tossing my empty water bottle in the trash, knowing I need to get back out on the floor. Just as I’m stepping out of the break room, my phone vibrates in my scrub pocket. Quickly, I pull it out and see who it is.
Ramsey: Are you still at work?
Me: Yes. I get off at four.
Ramsey: I’m here. Can you meet me in the lobby?
I don’t bother to ask her why she’s here. I work in the emergency room, and I don’t get surprise visitors, so something is wrong. Is it Mom or Dad? One of my brothers? I quicken my step, pushing through the double doors. My eyes scan the room until they land on Ramsey standing in the corner, gripping her phone.