Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 66978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
I sigh. “So you won’t talk to her then?”
“I’m happy to talk to her,” Aspen says. “But talking is a two-way street. Talking at her won’t do any good. She needs to be receptive.”
“Do you know why she was called Opal?” I ask.
Aspen wrinkles her brow. “I have no idea. Opals are white or bluish tinted. Maybe her eyes. Kelly has reddish hair and blue eyes.”
“You’re forgetting about the fiery opal, baby,” Buck says.
“There’s a fiery opal?” I ask.
“Yeah. Don’t you know anything?”
“I’m not a student of gemstones,” I say to them. “But you are?”
“Yeah, did you know that?” Buck erupts in laughter. “I don’t know shit about gemstones, but my mother was born in October, and the opal is the birthstone for that month. She has several opal pieces of jewelry, and one is a fiery opal. They’re rare and expensive. But they’re gorgeous. They look kind of like a regular opal, but instead of reflecting white or blue, they reflect this fiery orange.”
Aspen rolls her eyes. “I doubt anyone put that much thought into it. Some of us had reasons for being named what we were. I have that strawberry angioma birthmark. Katelyn has porcelain skin and light blue eyes, like a moonstone. Onyx had really dark eyes, almost black. Jade had green eyes. Amethyst had blue eyes, so that made no sense. Lily is of Indian descent, with darker skin and eyes, so how does Tiger Eye make sense? There was nothing red about Ruby. She was black with very dark skin. And Turquoise had brown eyes. They didn’t all make sense. Opal doesn’t make sense for Kelly.”
“It doesn’t?”
Kelly stands in the entryway to the dining room.
“Hey,” I say.
“Don’t try to deny it. I know you were talking about me.”
“Who’s denying anything?” I ask.
She walks in slowly. “I don’t appreciate you talking about me.”
“Then be a nicer person,” I say. “And you’ll give us no reason to talk about you. Besides, we were only talking about the gemstone names.”
She huffs. “I’m ready to go.”
“I’m not.”
“Fine. I’ll go down to my apartment by myself.”
“Be my guest.”
Except Aspen and Buck are glaring at me.
I rise. “Fine. I’ll go with her. Then I’m coming right back here.”
“Actually,” Buck says, glancing at his wife. “Dinner is over. Aspen and I have an…appointment.”
Great. The newlyweds want to go to bed. I can’t blame Buck. He should be on his honeymoon.
“Message received. See?” I say to Kelly. “That is subtext. They want to go to bed.”
She scoffs but then turns to Aspen and Buck. “Thank you for inviting me. I really did enjoy the lasagna.”
What? Did I just enter the Twilight Zone? How many personalities does this woman have?
“You are welcome here anytime,” Aspen says, smiling.
“Except for right now,” I clarify. “The two of them have an appointment.”
Buck laughs. “Phoenix, would you get the hell out of here, please?”
I follow Kelly to the door, and Aspen gives me a hug. “Thanks for coming.”
Then she does something unexpected.
She pulls Kelly into an embrace.
Kelly keeps her arms straight at her sides, but at least she doesn’t pull away.
“Thank you for coming,” Aspen says.
We leave their apartment and walk to the elevator.
Seconds later, we’re back on the fourth floor, heading to our respective apartments. I walk Kelly to her door and hold out my hand to take her key.
“I’m perfectly capable of opening my own door.” She slides the key through the reader and the door clicks open.
When she doesn’t go in right away, I raise my eyebrows.
“Did you need something?”
She shrugs. “You guys were talking about me. I heard some of it. You don’t have any idea what I’ve been through. You don’t know my story.” She looks at the floor.
“I’m willing to listen if you want to tell me your story.”
“Why would you be willing to listen to me? I’ve treated you badly.”
“Yeah, you have.”
“I guess you’re just a glutton for punishment.” She still doesn’t close the door.
“What do you need, Kelly? I’m here for you. Tell me what you need.”
“I need to be left alone. I need to heal in my own way. I need you to get Brindley to stop stalking me. Threatening me.”
“We don’t have any evidence that it’s Brindley, and she denied everything.”
“Of course she denied everything. You think she’s just going to admit what she’s been doing? Breaking the law? Stalking someone?”
“But you said she admitted it.”
“She did.” Kelly balls her hands into fists. “I mean, she all but admitted it. I could tell by her tone.”
I can’t help myself. “From subtext?”
“Damn it!” Kelly plows her fist into the wall. “What good are you if—”
I grab her then.
I can’t take anymore of her chatter.
So I shut her up the only way I know how.
I crush my mouth to hers.
14
KELLY
I should push him away.
Why is he kissing me, anyway? The man obviously hates me.