Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
We all laugh, but the slightest bit of panic thumps in my chest. How far is he going to take this? Surely, he’s not going to simply sing his song and walk off. I also see a group of his old buddies from highschool gathered around the stage. They’re all clutching drinks and glancing our way again and again, laughing and smiling as they try to judge my reaction.
“Maybe we could leave before he finishes,” I say.
“I just got my drink!” Paisley says, nearly knocking it over as she reaches for it.
“Annd maybe it would be a good thing if you don’t finish that one,” Andi suggests, putting her hand on top of the drink.
Paisley squints at Andi’s hand. “I could drink right through your fingers if I had a straw.”
“Do you have a straw?” Andi asks.
Paisley deflates. “No.”
I shake my head, laughing. Paisley seems like she’s about twice as drunk as I feel, but I guess she’s also more petite than me. Caroline is short, but she has also always seemed to hold her alcohol like a champ. That, or she’s just really good at pretending to have her shit together, even when the world is spinning.
“Yeah,” I say, standing. “Can we just go? Please?”
Andi gives me a serious look, but nods. “Sure. Yeah. Let’s go, guys. I can drive you all home so nobody has to face the cold. I parked across the street.”
I think about Marten and his friends trying to walk after us if I went home on foot and nod my head. “Sounds perfect.”
We all head for the exit and I make sure I don’t look over my shoulder toward Marten and his friends. But before we reach the door, his singing stops abruptly and I’m almost positive he’s about to chase after us.
Shit.
19
NOLAN
Igrip the steering wheel, clenching my teeth.
This is pathetic. It’s beyond pathetic, actually.
I told myself I was only driving home the long way because I wanted to clear my head. It definitely wasn’t so I could slowly cruise the main strip in town and possibly catch sight of Mia on her way to the bar. It wasn’t so I could see how she was dressed and take a guess about what she was hoping to happen tonight–what she might want to signal to the guys who she’d spend all night flirting with.
I didn’t see Mia, but I did see Caroline and Andi crossing the street and disappearing into O’Malley’s. It’s a popular karaoke bar I hit up with the guys on the team a few times when we came to Frosty Harbor for Christmas a couple years back. I don’t remember ever seeing Mia there back then.
I pulled to a stop on the side of the road outside the bar and managed to scrape together just enough self-control to stay right where I am. I didn’t go in after her.
I didn’t go in, but I didn’t leave, either. I considered picking another bar. I could take my mind off the frustration of Mia and her constant rejection by hooking up with someone else. I could take her back to the guest house at Jesse’s where I’m staying, get laid, and clear my head.
I could, but the idea doesn’t do a thing for me. It just makes me feel more empty, so I stay right where I am, squeezing the steering wheel until my hands hurt.
I don’t know how long it has been, but I eventually see the door open and a group of four women emerge. It’s Mia with her instantly recognizable bright red hair in a sexy black dress mostly covered by a huge coat. There’s Paisley, Andi, and Caroline, too. Paisley looks like she can barely walk straight. Something in the way they’re all walking a little too fast makes me perk up in alarm. Why do they look like that?
I’m already reaching for the door handle when I see four guys emerge right on their tails. They’re all small shapes against the backdrop of white snow and the yellowed windows of shops. One of the guys actually reaches out and grabs Mia’s coat, pulling her to a stop.
I don’t remember running or getting out of my car.
I’m sprinting across the street, though, feet crunching and nearly slipping on ice.
I use both hands to shove the guy holding Mia’s coat. He stumbles backwards, only avoiding the wall of the bar because his friends catch him.
He straightens, fixing his coat and glaring at me with eyes I recognize from earlier.
I’m breathing hard, breath puffing in front of me in thick clouds. Anger still thuds hard in my chest with every heartbeat.
It’s the guy from the restaurant. Mia’s ex. “You’re still bothering her?” I ask him. The words come out as more of a growl.
“Nolan?” Mia asks, stopping the guy from whatever he was about to say. “What are you doing? Were you following me?”