Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
His jaw is soft, and his eyes glisten at me with compassion. I guess I can tell him a little bit. The truth is, I barely speak to my father, so telling him much is out of the question anyway since I don’t know anything.
My fingers twirl together in my lap. “My mom sent me.” I try my best to disguise the annoyance in my voice, but I don’t do a very good job, and by the way Dane’s brows shoot up his forehead, he doesn’t miss that fact.
“Well, that sounds like a long, complicated story.”
Yep, just as I thought. I’m not good at schooling my features, after all.
I laugh. “Oh, it is, and we really don’t have time.”
Dane leans forward in his seat. “And you don’t want to tell me anyway.”
“Pot meet kettle.”
He raises his hand in mock surrender. “You got me.”
“I do. And I can ask you the same question.”
“How I got here? Well, the short story is I never left.” Dane rubs his hands together before placing one on the table.
“Exactly. How come? You were born and raised in Redville. Never left. And now play for the Redville Saints. You have this huge career. Have you ever considered moving somewhere else? There must’ve been offers.”
“Not really.” His fingers start to tap rhythmically. He’s avoiding the question, and I’m going to call him out on that. Two can play this game.
“You aren’t going to give me anything?”
“I couldn’t leave.”
A crumb. That’s progress.
I lift my brow. “Why?”
“Sometimes I forget that I haven’t known you for long. It feels like I’ve known you forever.” Warmth spreads through my limbs at his words. It feels that way for me too, but at the same time, it feels like we’re just scratching the surface. “Molly. I couldn’t leave because of Molly. It’s just us in this world, and she needed me.”
It’s a funny feeling when you can feel someone’s pain as if it’s your own. It radiates through every single layer of your soul, and all you want to do is reach out and comfort them. I don’t need to know the story to know he didn’t want to stay here. He did it for her. Still does it for her.
My heart breaks for him.
While I have no home, he’s all the home she knows.
“When you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here.” He nods but doesn’t meet my gaze. If I had to harbor a guess, he’s lost in his own thoughts.
“Thanks, Hellfire.”
42
JOSIE
“Josie, could you meet me in my office?” My father holds up a finger when I try to bullshit my way out of any one-on-one time. “I have a list of potential brand collabs.”
I frown. “Can you email it?”
“It’s handwritten.”
“You came up with it?”
I’m well-aware my doubt bounces from my face like a pop-up book, but c’mon. The guy probably thinks all-you-can-eat shrimp is the peak of advertising.
“Yes.” He arches a brow. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“Well…” I make a show of checking the time, cringing internally. “We should head to your office now. I have a meeting soon.”
I do not, in fact, have a meeting soon. I’m pretty sure I’m not important enough to have a meeting soon. After all, I put the un in unpaid intern.
My father leads me into his office and gestures to the chair. I sit on the very edge, taking in the place. Dozens of playbooks sit in militant stacks at the edge of his desk. Trophies line a floating shelf behind it, coupled with a photo of… I squint, trying to make out the contents of the gold leaf frame. Is that…me? No way.
When I finally return my attention back to my father, he has an unreadable expression etched across his face.
I cross my legs, playing it cool. “The list?”
“Doesn’t exist.” He has the decency to look sheepish. With a sigh, he removes his cap and tosses it in a wire basket beside his desk. “I needed an excuse to talk to you. You’re avoiding me.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“No, I’m—”
“How many twenty-two-year-olds have kidney stones?”
“They were the size of my fist,” I insist.
“Josie…”
He doesn’t get to finish his sentence.
Hudson barges in the office, two palms up. “I swear I didn’t do it.”
I don’t know what it is, but I certainly hope he did it, so he and my father can have a nice, long chat about it. Without me.
“Oh, what a shame.” I jut out my lower lip, hopping off the chair. “This seems important. I’ll let you two talk.”
With that, I’m out of there before either of them can even blink. I’m halfway down the hallway when I see Dane.
“Where’re you off to?” I ask.
He stops walking when he hears my voice. “Off to meet Aiden.”
“Really? You guys going out—”
“No. Actually, he runs a youth group, and I agreed to volunteer over there.”