Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“I forgot.” She shrugs her shoulders, defeated. I’m unimpressed with where this conversation is going. I wash my hands and dry them off. Now that the meat is cut and marinating, I’ll wait for the girls to get home before I cook it.
“You forgot?” I lean my hip against the counter, arms crossed over my chest, pissed as fuck at her negligence. David is in the fucking wind, stealing drugs for a damn cartel, and here she is, forgetting to lock the damn doors.
“That’s what I said.” Leigh won’t look at me, her eyes on the task at hand, further ticking me off. And I bet if I went to her bedroom window, I’d find it unlocked and cracked, too.
“I’m coming over this weekend. Leave me a set of keys. The lock’s being changed so it’ll engage once the door shuts. You and the girls will have a code, and you can see who attempts to use it with an app. I should have fucking done that after shit went down.” I’m hoping she’ll give me that fiery attitude of hers, so I can enjoy Leigh spitting mad, but it doesn’t come. Instead, she locks her shit down.
“Whatever. Just tell me what it costs.” The dark circles around her eyes, the hunching of her shoulders, and the tank top she’s wearing that once hugged her figure but is now slipping off her frame tell me exactly where she is mentally and emotionally. Yeah, Ophelia and my mom will have to do something, and soon, if she doesn’t get out of this funk. To say I wasn’t David’s friend any longer is putting it lightly. In fact, it was shortly after the two of them got married that I severed our friendship. Rosaleigh didn’t know it. It was an unspoken rule between David and me that while we were no longer tight like we once were, there was no reason for me to stay away from the girls. Rosaleigh may not have seen what he was, but I could see through his bullshit from a mile away.
“Not worried about the money.” I wave her off. She crosses her arms underneath her tits, making my gaze move from her eyes to her chest as she mirrors my stance, and I have a hard time forcing my eyes back up to hers.
“Phoenix, you’ve paid for enough around here. I promise I’m back on my feet, and if I need help, I’ll ask, okay?” I don’t want to add more shit to her plate.
“Alright.” My house across the street was once my parents’, and I know for a fact Rosaleigh put her foot down when she wanted the house she’s in now. David wanted to be closer to his parents, but Leigh wanted to be closer to mine. It caused a battle, but she stood her ground and said take it or leave it. A year or so ago, my parents were ready to move into a smaller home closer to the water. I made them an offer, and I’ve been living across the street ever since. Lucky me, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, not when I’m busy trying to mend not one but three broken hearts.
3
ROSALEIGH
“Oh my God, I’m starving. Nix is the absolute best.” Rory walks in the door, energetic as ever. A smile takes over my face when the best parts of me walk in.
“You’re hungry, girlfriend; I am famished, and Nix makes the best ever dinner. Sorry, not sorry, Mom.” Emmy, never to be outdone in the dramatic department, makes everyone aware of her stance on the subject.
“And what do we say about dinner to Nix?” I pop the brownies in the oven to bake, knowing Phoenix will use the grill outside for the souvlaki. The girls live for the skewered meat, and to be honest, not having to cook, only having to worry about dessert, is an honest to God blessing.
“Thanks, Nix!” Emmy exclaims while she drops her backpack right by the front door for anyone to trip over as they try to leave the house, namely the man who’s taking care of dinner. I give her a pointed look. She rolls her eyes. Typical preteen behavior, but she grabs the bag and places it on the hook where it’s supposed to go.
“No problem, kiddo. Don’t let Ya-Ya hear you say that about dinner. She’ll box your ears,” Nix replies, a grin on his face. He’s not wrong. His mother is a force to be reckoned with. She’s also the best woman I know, taking me under her wing when David and I first came home with Rory, then adding to our family a few years later. She swooped right in. It was hard to see them move out of their home that gave me more memories than my own family did. The only good part was the Greek god, yep, that’s me casting a lingering gaze toward my husband’s best friend, which reminds me, I really need to see an attorney about divorcing that ass. I make mental note to ask Nix if he knows who I should see, preferably not in Abalee. The townspeople are sweet, didn’t judge me for being saddled with David and his machinations. That doesn’t mean they didn’t talk. The girls felt the brunt of it more than me. David’s parents even worse. I feel for them. Really, I do. And just because I’m divorcing David, doesn’t mean I’ll be divorcing them.