Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Blake nodded.
"And?"
"You know how he is when he doesn't want to say the truth," Blake sighed.
"Actually," Frankie said honestly, "I don't know."
Her friend made a careless gesture with her hand, saying, "He just stares at you."
"Really?"
Blake nodded. "Yup."
Although Blake's tone was as desolate as the look on her face, there was also conviction in it, and Frankie wondered if Blake realized what this signified. With perhaps the exception of the other Blackwoods, no one else in town knew about that particular trait of Thornton, and Frankie had a feeling it was just one of Thornton's many hidden sides that her friend only knew of.
Blake was obviously special, so why in the world was Thornton treating like shit?
"What am I going to do, Frankie?" Blake asked miserably. "I really like him. Really, really, really like him—-"
An idea occurred to Frankie, and she told her friend firmly, "You'll do nothing." Because if Frankie's plan worked, she'd get Thornton himself to make up for ghastly hot-and-cold behavior.
But first, she needed another a certain person's help...
Chapter Seven
ETHAN COULDN'T HELP shaking his head when he saw Thornton's concentrated gaze fixed on his phone. For over one week already, his older brother had become a permanent fixture at breakfast, but Ethan knew better than to think Thornton was after his company.
From six to ten in the morning, all Thornton would do, aside from consuming his breakfast with mechanical efficiency, was access his shop's real-time CCTV footage and watch Blake working. The man had it really bad, but because he knew of how the twins' conversation turned out, Ethan also knew that Thornton was convinced his attraction towards Blake would gradually wane with time.
Ethan mentally shook his head. What. An. Idiot. If that were true at all, then he would have long gotten over Guila, with how the days they were apart vastly outnumbered the days they were together. And in the few instances they happened to be in the same continent, Ethan thought broodingly, most of their time was spent fighting rather than all the other things couples normally—-
Buzz.
Ethan's thoughts were cut short when he saw Arden from the cafe texting him.
Arden: Heads up. Elizabeth says you might want to let your brother know that some good-looking dude came by earlier, asking for directions to the bookshop. Says he's a friend of B.
Ethan: Will do. Thanks.
He turned to his brother. "Thorn—-"
"Fuck."
Ethan was bemused at the way Thornton's back suddenly shot straight in his seat just as his forehead creased in a frighteningly furious scowl. "What is it?"
"There's some asshole at the shop," Thornton said tersely. "Blake—-"
"Knows him," Ethan finished.
Thornton stared at him. "What?"
"Arden texted me. Says a guy came by at the cafe asking for directions to your shop." While speaking, Ethan thought to take a peek at the real-time footage still playing on his brother's phone—-
Fuck.
Thornton saw the slight wince his younger brother made, and his gaze snapped back to his phone, just in time for him to see Blake pulling away from an embrace as she beamed up at the guy Ethan told him about.
"Fuck."
No, man, Ethan thought. What you mean is you're fucked. Because apparently, Blake was done waiting for his idiot brother to come to his senses.
"KNOCK KNOCK." The voice was mocking but familiar, and she would recognize it anywhere. Her lips had already formed a smile as she looked up, and as expected, it was Curt Teller who had just come in. He was his usual gorgeous self and every inch the self-assured FBI agent with his slicked-back hair, dark glasses, and black suit.
"Curt, oh my gosh! What are you doing here?" She was half-shrieking, half laughing, and all the while she was also quickly walking around the corner so she could throw her arms around her too-beautiful-for-words half-brother.
Pulling back, he gave his only sibling a long and thorough look as Frankie's words echoed in his mind. It's her first taste of heartbreak. You need to go up and check on her, let her know that she shouldn't be pining away for undeserving jerks like her boss.
Blake noticed the odd way Curt was looking at her. "What is it?"
"Nothing." Or rather, Frankie had warned him not to let his little sister in on their plan, which was to make a certain guy jealous...enough to hopefully force him into acknowledging his feelings.
And so for the rest of the day, Curt made sure to stick close to his sister, knowing that those who didn't know about their filial relationship would likely misread the situation and think he was her lover...or wanted to be one.
At one point, they were eating lunch together when Curt saw bread crumbs on one corner of her mouth. A diabolical idea occurred to him then, and he shook his head, saying with mock disgust, "You still eat like a kid, B."