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)
“I don’t need to justify them, Harlow. I did it for you.”
“No. You did this for the club. You thought she was in cahoots with the Twisted Bastards MC, and she was a fucking lifeline. None of you even tried to come and see me. None of you even tried the natural method of coming to see her, to get to know her.” Harlow brushed off his hold. “You better hope that Hailey doesn’t fire me, because you won’t have to be afraid of the Twisted Bastards MC killing your ass, I’ll do it.”
They all turned around as a door opened and there was Smokey, with a tiny pink bundle in his arms.
“It’s a girl.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Harlow stood outside Hailey’s room for the third day running. So far, they hadn’t gone to the beauty parlor. Hailey hadn’t gone, but Harlow had canceled all her appointments, and while she was there, she fulfilled the new orders.
She hated this.
Holding a tray of soup in her hands—her favorite noodle broth, using fresh herbs and veggies—it was close to tasting like chicken. It didn’t have the pools of fat on the surface, but it was pretty much the next best thing. Carrots, onions, celery, sage, parsley, and thyme, along with peppercorns, salt, and lots of water, stewing down for hours made the house smell so good. After it had cooled down, she squeezed the shit out of the veggies, trashed those, rewarmed the broth, and then seasoned it with a few secret ingredients to get it tasting just right. The best kind of broth a vegan could hope for.
Harlow didn’t want to cook a chicken. She loved her friend and wanted to be there for her, but there were limits. Meat was a big limit.
She knocked on the door. “Hey, Hailey, it is me. I don’t know when you last ate but I have the best noodle broth that I can make. It is so good, and smells heavenly. Larissa also dropped by some bread, and it’s all fresh. I warmed it a little.”
Hunter had also started to come into the beauty parlor. If she didn’t let him in, he would stand at the door knocking, which she didn’t think would be irritating, but on the first day, he knocked for an hour straight. He didn’t let up. The noise had driven her crazy, so she let him in. He sat in one of the seats and watched her, trying to make suggestions for dates. She tried to ignore him.
Each day, after she finished work, he drove her home and would tell her how sorry he was.
Big Dick had also texted her, and even stopped by.
Kinky hadn’t. Kinky hadn’t said a word.
She heard footsteps and then Hailey opened the door. She wore a pair of pajamas that were so cute as they had sloths all over them.
“Hey,” Harlow said. “I come bearing noodle broth. It’s good, I promise.”
“You don’t have to keep cooking.”
“I worry. I don’t know when was the last time you ate, and well, everyone at the shop is hoping you get better soon.”
“We don’t have anyone at the shop,” Hailey said.
“Your clients. They are looking forward to their appointments and hope you feel better soon.”
Hailey opened the door and Harlow stepped inside. She didn’t know what she expected to find, but it certainly wasn’t a clean room. Hailey’s room was impeccable and without touching anything, she knew there wasn’t a speck of dust. She also noticed the magnolia walls, the soft pastel pink of the curtains, and the bedding. It was a girly, or womanly, room. There was a vanity table filled with cosmetics. She also noticed a small hair station with straighteners, brushes, and hair products.
The closet had a single mirror on one of the doors. The bed was also immaculate. Hailey had walked over to the window and sat down inside it, staring out the window.
“They only miss me because they want something,” Hailey said.
Harlow walked in with the broth. “I brought chopsticks and a spoon.”
Hailey looked at the bowl of soup.
“Please eat something.”
This was the first time she had seen Hailey since the hotel. She saw that her friend wanted to say no, but then she reached out and took the bowl and the chopsticks.
Harlow didn’t know what to do so she stood, keeping her hands close to her body. Everywhere was so clean. She loved it.
“You like pink,” Harlow said.
“I love it. At my old dorms in the boarding school it was always so dark. Black and dark navy, absolutely hated it. The mistresses would come and remove any color. I always promised myself that if I got out alive, I would have color everywhere, and I wouldn’t allow anything dark.”
“That sounds like it sucked.”
“Boarding school is supposed to suck. It’s not meant to be fun or games,” Hailey said. “My parents felt like I needed it.”