Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 151044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
The old Elle would remember that. Hell, she’d even be on my side. But this new Elle-two-point-oh was training to be a physical therapist and interested in things we never cared about before.
“Ray, you’re going to have to wear a wedding gown eventually.”
My macchiato turned to sludge on my tongue. She did not just insinuate that I had to lose wedding weight. I had two choices. I could either vomit from the added pressure my maid of honor just threw on me, or… I stood. “I’m going to get a cupcake.”
I left her in the booth with her lame, green protein shake that probably tasted like grass and bird shit.
By the time I returned with my cupcake, I had calmed down. Sometimes I needed to remind myself that Elle had literal brain damage and was missing a lot of our childhood memories. Her recovery had been a lonely journey for me, but I did my best to support her in any way I could. Like now, as I shoved a cupcake in my mouth so not to tell her what I really thought about her hurtful comment.
I slid her the other half. I knew she wouldn’t touch it, but it was a piece offering all the same.
“No thanks. If you knew what was in there—”
“Sometimes you eat muffins.”
“That’s not the same.”
“Yes, it is. A cupcake’s just a flamboyant muffin. It won’t kill you to have a bite.”
“No thanks. If I’m going to have carbs, I’m going to get them from a real bakery, not a commercial coffee shop. Have you seen the bread they’re serving? It looks harder than my childhood.”
I snorted at her joke, glad she at least recovered those memories. “Facts.”
Elle’s childhood had been normal until her parents died. Then her brother became a junkie and a thief. If not for Hale, Chris would still be squatting in Elle’s house. Lucky for her, Hale knew how to handle sticky situations.
He bought Chris out and made sure he evacuated the premises before the check cleared. Then he sent a construction crew to Elle’s and completely flipped the house. By the time he was finished with the remodel, it was unrecognizable. All new appliances, beautiful hardwood floors, and fancy fixtures. He sold it for four times what he paid Chris and cut Elle a hefty sum in the end.
That was Hale, always the hero in a pinch.
Suffice it to say that after that Elle was Team Hale. She was also Team Barrett. She’d been banging Hale’s brother since we all moved to Florida long-term. It was safe to say she liked the Davenports, which was good because I loved them.
“How’s the bungalow coming along?” Elle had used some of the money Hale made her to buy a small house.
“It’s great. I bought some new furniture but I haven’t put it together yet.” She grimaced. “The directions are complicated.”
Since the accident, anything that required written instructions confused Elle. “Why don’t you ask Barrett to do it?”
She shrugged. “I’ll figure it out.”
Her stubborn independence struck me as odd. She never used to hesitate when it came to asking Barrett for help. “You guys okay?”
“Yup.”
Her answer seemed too quick and short. “Are you mad that I won’t go to the gym? Please don’t take it personally, Elle. I tried. Remember when I took that Yoga class?”
I had thought it would be cool to get my feet behind my ears for Hale, but it turned out I wasn’t that bendy. I’d accidentally shown up at an advanced flow class instead of a beginners’ level. Everyone looked like they were doing a high-speed escape through a room with invisible laser beams using only moves from the Matrix. I tried to keep up and was sore for days. Never again.
“I’m not mad.”
“Good. Because I’ll probably always be a gristle girl. Hale likes my body.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t trying to fat shame you, Ray. Your weight is fine. But physical activity can have a lot of therapeutic benefits, especially where stress is involved. I was only making a suggestion.”
“I know.” After the accident physical therapy really helped Elle, which was why she turned that passion into a career path. “I could probably walk more.”
“That would be an improvement.”
It bothered me that she didn’t comprehend how physically exhausting it was to take care of a baby. Plus, Remington kept me busy most days, which was why Elara also had a nanny.
Elle finished her green drink and set it aside. “So, what’s really got you stressed? I only have fifteen minutes. Let’s hear it.”
It also bugged me that our time was now rationed. I sighed and reached into my bag, withdrawing the latest tabloid I snagged at the market. “Have you seen this?”
Elle pulled the magazine in front of her and I pointed to the headline that read Is America’s Most Eligible Bachelor Settling Down or Just Settling For Less?