Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
He stepped into the bakery, and one look in his eyes, and she knew she had disappointed him. No words were spoken as he stepped toward her and then grabbed her arm. She didn’t squeal as he didn’t grab her hard enough to cause pain.
Ava didn’t stop him.
They stepped into the office of the bakery, and he threw her down into Ava’s chair.
“You don’t need to get angry,” Harlow said. “I know I’ve messed up.”
“Shut up,” George said. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Why should I?”
“Damn it, Harlow. Do you have any idea what you could have done?”
She frowned. “What I could have done? What the hell does that mean?”
“Do you have any idea what Hunter is like? What he is capable of? Women mean nothing to him. You meant nothing to him. You were just a little fun and how could you have been so fucking stupid to fall for that kind of shit?”
The pain she had been trying to keep hold of reignited inside her. She tried to ignore it, tried to contain it, but it exploded. How could it not?
“You’re right. How stupid could I have been? I mean, why would anyone want to be with me? You have to push the long line of men just wanting to be with me, don’t you? Has it ever occurred to you that for the first time in my life, I wanted to be with someone? Hunter always told me it would never last. We both knew it was coming to an end. So, no, Big Dick, you don’t have to worry. I got the memo loud and clear exactly what kind of person Hunter was. Trust me, he made it abundantly clear to me when we were over, why we were over.” She felt the tears burning her eyes, and she didn’t want to cry but couldn’t stop. This was too painful.
“He ended it. We started it and he ended it. So, yes, I get that. But what makes me so fucking stupid is the fact that I loved him.” Harlow laughed. “Yes, that’s right. I fell in love with Hunter, and I know that makes me a fucking idiot. Don’t you think I get it?”
“Harlow?”
“No, I’m moving on. I’m not going to be working here, nor am I going to have anything to do with the club, so don’t worry about your precious place or the men in it. I’m done, Big Dick, just like you and I, we’re done.” With that, she got to her feet and he didn’t stop her as she rounded the office and then stepped out. Ava was there, and Harlow saw the pity in her eyes. She didn’t want to be pitied. What had happened, happened. There was no changing it.
Big Dick knew. Harlow had hated lying to him, but now she wished he didn’t know the truth, because she felt like she had lost her big brother as well. She had lost everything.
She removed her apron. “I’m going to leave, Ava, and I’m not coming back.” She swiped at her face.
“Harlow, please don’t go.”
“I’m not staying. I love you, I do, but I need to get away.”
Ava took the apron, and she didn’t stop her as she walked out the door. Harlow didn’t know where she was going. She hadn’t picked up her coat or her bag, but she walked down the street.
Once again, like a beacon of hope, Hailey’s Beauty Parlor waited for her.
****
“Are you okay?” Smokey asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Don’t you think I should be asking you that question?” Ava chuckled, but it wasn’t an easy sound to make. “I don’t think Harlow will come back.”
“Doesn’t she have her notice to work out?”
Ava sighed. “I can’t make her work anything out right now. You should have seen her face, Smokey. She looked so … broken. I can’t believe it was Hunter.”
Smokey rubbed at her arms and didn’t say a word. She knew he was going through a lot right now. He had no choice but to close The Shack. She had no doubt he was going to investigate, but some of their people were hurt. They were workers, not part of the club, but in a way, owned by the club.
She spun around and looked at him. “You’re not saying anything.”
“There’s nothing for me to say, babe.”
Ava knew what that meant. “You knew something.”
“I didn’t. Trust me, shit with Big Dick and Hunter is not going to end well.” He released a sigh. “I didn’t think of it like that.”
“Shit is going to go bad, quickly if I’m not careful. Hunter abused Big Dick’s trust…”
“Why do I feel there’s a but coming here?” Ava asked.
“But at the same time, Harlow is free to make her own choices. She didn’t want to name him, and as much as Hunter has pissed me off, I know him. He wouldn’t have forced this.” He reached out and stroked some of her hair that had fallen across her brow. “I don’t like this at all.”