Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Who am I kidding? This marriage is happening no matter what I do.
“What’d you say your name was again?” A guy I’m pretty sure is named Vince bellows to one of the girls who is wearing black tights and some kind of leather one-piece that looks like it came from a bondage store. No one has apparently told Vince that the broccoli haircut is for boys eighteen and younger, not guys approaching thirty.
“Call me, Jade, baby,” she replies seductively, bending at the waist to refill his whiskey.
A few of the other boys, and girls, cheer at her apparently spectacular maneuver. Even Jerry claps until he sees me looking, then covers it up by pretending to have to cough.
I sigh and turn to look out the window at the meticulously maintained front lawn and gardens. If it weren’t for the horrific people inside, the whole place would actually be quite spectacular.
I close my eyes, take a breath, and make a wish that when I open them again, these trust-fund-babies and silver-spoon kids behind me will be gone, and I’ll be back at that room at the construction site with Casey.
But when I open them again, no such luck. The sound of clinking glasses and flirtatious giggles assaults my ears as I long to be anywhere else but here.
I’m just about to get up and wander the house when I see something out front by the gate. The driveway is long, and it’s dark out so I have to squint to see it. But when it comes into focus, I feel my heart leap.
Casey’s truck!
“It can’t be…” I whisper to myself. What in the world would he be doing here?
I must be seeing things, confusing another truck–one of the groundskeepers’—with Casey’s because of how desperate I am to get out of here. But then I see the silhouette in the driver’s seat. And then I realize I’m not confusing anything. It’s definitely Casey.
I’m on my feet in an instant, rushing from the room. Somehow, despite all the girls displaying their incredible drink-pouring abilities for the guys, Jerry notices and calls out to me.
“Where are you going, Michelle?”
I stop and glare at him. “Do I have to announce to the entire room when I want to use the bathroom?”
One of the girls breaks character for a moment and smiles before quickly covering her mouth with a hand. Jerry just frowns, and I turn away and stride out of the room, turning in the direction of the bathroom once I reach the hall.
Then I quickly double back and do a loop around the back by the kitchen, taking the long way to the door just to make sure no one sees me. Then I’m out, free of that awkward hell and racing up the drive toward the gate.
Casey already has the passenger side door open for me and reaches out his hand to help me in. A tingling sensation rushes through my body when our skin touches. He pulls me into the cabin of his truck like I weigh nothing. I shut the door behind me, and he hits the gas.
“We’re outta there.” He grins, wrapping his enormous, muscled arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him on the bench seat.
“You are my savior,” I sigh, leaning against him. “You have no idea how awful it was in there.”
“Oh, I can imagine.” He leans down and kisses me on the top of the head. It’s like something a boyfriend would do, not that I would know of course. What I do know is that it sends an intoxicating shiver down my spine.
It feels so good to be back with him. The difference between his company and Jerry’s is like night and day. It’s not even a comparison.
Being around Casey is like a perfect bowl of your favorite flavor ice cream, right when you’re feeling like you want dessert. Being around Jerry is like being force fed a meal you’ve never liked in your entire life, while someone stands right next to you and screams at you how lucky you are to have any food at all.
“How did you even find me?” I ask, looking up at him. “Did you put a tracking app on my phone too?”
He smirks back, knowing I’m teasing. “A buddy of mine did some contracting work on the pool house a few years back. He knew the address. I figured you’d be here if you weren’t at home.”
“Smart.” I nod. “Maybe you can have a side career as a private investigator.”
“You mean a new career?” Casey glances down at me, almost sympathetically. “Didn’t you hear? Your dad and Jerry’s dad had me fired.”
My stomach drops. I knew Richard was a ruthless asshole, and I always knew my dad had a callous side to him, but this goes beyond anything I’d expected.