Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 104151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
I laughed, rolling my eyes. “It’s rated PG-13. Don’t freak out over the title. It was a romance about forbidden love, star-crossed lovers, and strict, unsympathetic parents. Things like that.” I started to remove my shirt but remembered I wasn’t wearing a bra or underwear.
Mom frowned. “What did you do after the movie?”
“Talked. I lost track of time. And that’s why I’m late. Sorry.”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, Eve. I don’t believe you just talked.”
“What did you and Dad do on dates?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“Because. I want you to think of what you did with Dad on dates and imagine that’s what I’m doing on dates.” I grinned while squeezing toothpaste onto my toothbrush.
Her nose wrinkled, looking at my reflection in the mirror.
“What’s that look for?” I mumbled past the suds in my mouth. “Were you and Dad naughty?”
She gave me her usual eye roll while tightening her robe’s sash.
After I spat and wiped my mouth, she grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to face her. “I’m going to ask you something, and I need you to be truthful with me.”
I blinked several times, waiting for her to continue.
“Do you still have your virginity?”
I pressed my lips together and mirrored her narrow-eyed gaze. “Like … on me right now? It might be in my purse. I’d have to check. If it’s not there, I could check the back seat of my car. You know I tend to lose things. I’ve lost my car keys twice, and I still haven’t found my lower retainer.”
“Eve Marie Jacobson, stop it. This is nothing to joke about.”
“Even if I tell you I’m still a virgin, will you believe me? No. Of course you won’t because no one ever believes me.” I reached past her to open the door. “Now, can I have a little privacy to pee?”
She gave me an evil stare for a few more seconds. “You’re grounded for a week.”
I shut the door behind her and mumbled, “Of course I am.”
“Where’s Dad?” I asked at breakfast on Saturday morning.
I assumed he’d be waiting for me with a new lecture scripted in my blood.
Mom set a pitcher of orange juice on the table while Gabby had her nose in a book between bites of French toast. “Well, you’re probably not going to believe it.”
“Why wouldn’t I believe it? Is he still at the strip club?”
Gabby whipped her head out of the book, eyes wide.
Mom scowled at me. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Love me. That’s your job,” I said, pouring juice into my glass.
She hummed as if she needed to think about it. “He went hunting with Kyle and Fred.”
I choked on my juice. “W-what?” I fisted my hand at my mouth.
Kyle didn’t say anything about hunting.
Mom gently laughed. “I know. I can’t imagine it either. Can you see your dad in camouflage?”
We giggled.
“Is he really going to kill a deer?” Gabby asked.
“I highly doubt it,” Mom said, buttering her French toast. “Fred talked him into going.”
“Does Fred hunt?” Gabby asked.
Mom shrugged. “I guess.”
“Kyle’s a good hunter. And he’s really cute in his camouflage,” my ornery, instigating sister said, eyeing me while smirking.
“Kyle’s like family,” Mom said, giving Gabby a funny look. “Don’t talk about family that way.”
“You’re right.” Gabby pressed her lips together and nodded. “It would be really weird to think of Kyle as anything but family.”
Unless he had put his face between your legs and teased you with his tongue, then it would have been really weird to think of him as anything but the hot dad next door. But to each their own.
“When will they be back?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. They left before four this morning. I imagine they’ll be home by dinner.” Mom sipped her coffee.
“Why? You miss Dad?” Gabby asked without glancing up from her book.
I didn’t respond, but I did the math. Mr. Collins would have been proud. Even if he went to sleep the second he got home, he had less than three hours of sleep. And he knew he was giving up sleep to be with me.
“Where are you going?” Gabby asked, nudging me aside as I curled my hair after we finished washing the breakfast dishes. She squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush.
“Nowhere. Just doing my hair.”
“For Kyle?”
I shrugged.
“Do you two have more pony rides planned?”
“Shut up.” I grinned just as the phone rang.
“I got it!” Gabby bolted toward her bedroom as I sprinted toward mine. It was probably Erin. I had so much to tell her.
We both answered at the same time.
“Hello?”
“Gabby? Eve?” Dad said.
“Yes,” again, we answered at the same time.
“Hang up, Gabbs,” I said.
“You hang up.”
“Girls! I need to talk to your mom. And I need one of you to go to Kyle’s house and watch Josh.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because Kyle fell out of the tree stand, and we’re at the hospital.”