Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 125117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“Nope, it won’t be. But that doesn’t have to be bad.”
Nell continued clearing the table, silent tears streaming down her face.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry you’re upset. I wish—”
Her mother waved her away and swept into the kitchen, closing the pantry door behind her. It was where she went to cry because she thought no one could hear her in there.
“Addie?”
Greta’s twin was staring at her, the betrayal clear on her face.
“I’ll miss you so much,” she said. And before Greta could reply, she quietly went upstairs. Greta’s heart broke a little bit more.
“Dad?”
She was hoping that he might give her his blessing. That he might understand. Her father just said, “You’ll need to give her some time.” Then he followed her mom to the pantry.
***
The last time she’d left her parents’ house three weeks before, she had been defeated and furious. Now, she was sad. Sad that her parents hadn’t heard her the way she wanted. Sad that she hadn’t left with their blessing. Sad that Adelaide wasn’t on her side. But sad wasn’t the same as defeated. For as heartbroken as she was, she knew she’d done what she had to do to be true to herself. And that? That felt really damn good.
Thinking hard about what had just happened, she arrived on her own front stoop before she knew it.
“I’m home, babies!” Greta announced to her plants as the door closed behind her. Then she saw unfamiliar boots and remembered that she didn’t live here right now. “Oh, shit, shit!”
She debated backing out the door and closing it behind her. She could go to Ash’s and crash on his couch. Hell, maybe Truman wasn’t even in and hadn’t heard her.
“Um, Greta?”
The first thing she noticed about Truman was that he was adorable. The second thing she noticed was that he looked awful—puffy eyes, a reddened nose, and lips bitten red.
“I am so sorry,” Greta said. “Would you believe that I somehow forgot that our entire house swap had happened in the aftermath of a massive fight-slash-processing-session with my family?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Well. Thanks. ’Cause that’s what happened. Anyway, I just need to crash for the night, and it’s awesome to meet you, but since I’m totally unannounced, I can go to Ash’s. Sorry I disturbed you.”
Greta hadn’t thought it was possible, but at the mention of Ash, Truman’s face became even sadder.
“No, no, that’s okay,” he said. “You should stay here. It’s your house.”
He began bustling around, picking things up, and Greta kicked off her boots.
“Hey, stop.” She pushed him down on the couch. “What’s wrong?”
Truman closed his eyes and bit his lip, shaking his head like he could banish the problem. “It’s pathetic,” he said.
“Oh, I assure you, no matter what’s going on I will sympathize. I just left my mother crying in a pantry.”
The tiniest bit of interest peeked through his misery.
“So what’s up with you? I know we don’t actually know each other, but I feel like we do, so do you want to skip the small talk and just be friends? I could really use the distraction, to be honest.”
Truman looked up at her with brown eyes full of tears.
“I fell in love with Ash, and he doesn’t want me to stay.”
The tears spilled over, and Truman squeezed his eyes shut.
“Oh my god, that’s amazing!”
Truman’s eyes flew open.
“Sorry, no. That’s horrible. No. I just meant Ash is so great, and he deserves to have someone awesome fall in love with him.”
Truman snorted. “Yeah, lucky him. And I offered to stay here with him. But what kind of total chump uproots their whole life to move thousands of miles away after knowing someone for three weeks? So obviously he told me to get lost.”
Greta pursed her lips. “Erm. Well…”
And Greta told Truman about her own love affair with Carys and with New Orleans.
“And you haven’t told her yet?”
“That I love her? No. But she knew I was coming back, so…”
“She probably knows,” Truman concluded. “You’re very…um…easy to read.”
“Am I?”
Truman’s smile was gentle. “Very. It’s nice.”
“Oh. Cool. Anyway, my point is that you’re not a chump.”
“Or maybe we both are,” Truman offered.
“I choose to reject that interpretation,” Greta said, and Truman almost laughed. But something was still niggling at her. “Okay, tell me what happened with Ash, because honestly, you seem like someone he’d totally adore.”
Truman told her the sweetest story of kindness and help and love and care, and Greta’s heart was full for her friend who had had such a tough life.
“Then he said he couldn’t see me anymore because it’d hurt too much when I left. But when I offered to stay…” Truman’s voice caught. “He said no.”
“That’s exactly what he said? He told you no?”
Truman threw himself back on the couch cushions.
“No, he’s a sweetheart, so he was nice about it. He said he didn’t want me to do that just for him and that he didn’t feel like he had anything to give me.”