Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
I feel like I just got caught doing something wrong, though I’m only frozen in place. No one says anything. All three just stare at me. My eyes move between them as I wait for someone to break the silence.
The older woman, I guess to be Dane’s mom. She has short gray hair that comes to her ears. It’s perfectly styled like the rest of her. She’s polished in a classic way, but I have the feeling there’s something sharp beneath the surface. I bet no one ever crosses her.
The other woman’s just as perfectly dressed. She has stick-straight blonde hair that comes to her shoulders. Not one hair is out of place. She towers over me and is probably close to six feet tall. She’s slim and her high-waisted skirt hugs her trim body. She steps a little to the side, moving closer to Dane. It might just be my imagination, but the move reminds me of someone staking a claim.
Dane’s eyes move from me to the woman. Her movement draws his attention, and he narrows his eyes.
“Willow, this is my mother, Beth, and her friend Sherrie,” Dane finally says.
Beth studies me like she’s trying to figure me out. Sherrie looks at me like I’m something foul she found on the bottom of her shoe. But then she forces a smile and playfully smacks Dane on the chest.
“Your mother’s friend? Really, Dane, I’ve known you my whole life.” She beams up at him, but Dane’s eyes are back on me now.
Everyone is so dressed up. I was right about this rich-people-wearing-fancy-stuff-to-dinner thing. I feel even more out of place. I didn’t know that was possible.
“It’s nice to meet you, Willow,” Dane’s mom finally says.
She steps toward me, so I take a few steps in her direction and reach out to shake her hand. Her hand slides into mine, but she doesn’t let go. She keeps a hold of me while her eyes study me.
“Aren’t you going to invite us to dinner, Dane?” Sherrie says.
My stomach knots a little. I wasn’t ready to meet people yet. I wanted to talk to Dane and see how I’m supposed to act.
“Of course he’s going to invite us. My son has manners. Don’t you?” Beth finally lets go of my hand and turns to look at Dane.
He runs a hand through his hair and exhales heavily. I don’t think he wants them to stay. He’s probably scared I’m going to mess this up or something, which is comical because I have the same fear.
I haven’t been here long, but I need this place. It would be easy to stay hidden here. When I lay in the bed, that was the safest I’d felt in what seemed like forever. I don’t want to let that go.
“Of course, Mom. The food is ready,” he says.
He walks over to me and lays his hand on my back. I glance up at him, looking for some kind of silent message, but he merely smiles down at me. The look is warm and I wonder if this is us faking it, so I return the smile. He guides me toward the dining room and pulls out a chair for me. I pause when I see it’s at the head of the table.
“Sit, sweetheart.” He says it like he’s been calling me that forever. It slides off his lips so smoothly. I do as he says and watch his mother take the seat to my left. He takes the one to my right. Sherrie slides, not so surprisingly, into the chair on the other side of Dane.
Dane lifts the lids off the dishes in the center of the table and starts piling food onto my plate. A giant piece of roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls. My eyes almost bug out. My stomach rumbles and everyone looks at me. I haven’t had a full meal in so long. My face flushes with embarrassment. I glance to Dane to see if I’ve embarrassed him, too, but he’s smiling. He piles even more on my plate.
“Dane, I can’t eat all that. Save some for everyone else.”
“You’re hungry. You’ll eat.” His words make it clear that it’s final, but also carry a sweet undertone.
“Thank you,” is all I can think to say.
Everyone else starts making their own plates, but it’s not long before the silence is broken.
“Will you be joining Dane tomorrow for the gala?” Beth ask me.
My eyes shoot to him, but before I can answer, Sherrie speaks up.
“I thought I was going with you, Dane?” she pouts. Her lower lip even sticks out, which surprises me. She looks so well-bred from the outside, but now she’s acting like a child. He glances over at her, and she rests her hand on his arm. A spark of jealousy that I should not be feeling shoots through me. He doesn’t belong to me. He won’t even after we’re married.