Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 90524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“Wheel, Cap! Wheel!” Peck yells, encouraging me to chase after our stud to properly protect him. “I got this!”
I launch full speed ahead to continue to defend Frosky with a small smirk on my face.
The boys said they’d have my back out here.
And they’re proving it.
I told Joeski I had her back and then turned on her the second I thought she didn’t have mine.
That’s not what a good teammate does.
Fuck, the whole finding her sister and reconnecting them thing was meant to prove that’s exactly what I was, yet instead, I showed her exactly why I’m not.
How much of a rookie I really am when it comes to relationship shit.
Having a little “couple’s only” meeting and begging for forgiveness is absolutely the first thing I’m doing after my postgame workout.
I just hope like the boys…she’s willing to hear me out.
Chapter 22
Joey
I roll over onto something cold and hard and immediately groan in disgust.
Please let it be the remote.
Please, please let it be the remote and not something weird and embarrassing like an empty plate that once housed a mountain of mashed potatoes.
Popping one eye open reveals to me the cold culprit is none other than my cellphone.
A deep breath of relief precedes me using my offhand to tap the screen to turn it on only to discover it’s dead.
Because of course it’s dead.
That’s what happens when you binge watch Christmas movies on it all night and don’t plug it in due to not wanting to traipse back to your car for your charger.
It’s not like it matters.
It’s not like I needed the damn thing to wake me up for work since I got fired yesterday.
Seriously, what kind of grown ass adult gets fired from working at a toy store?!
I’ve never been fired from anything!
Ugh.
I’m soooo leaving that shit off my résumé even though it’s going to make it look like I was totally jobless for a few months. I’m sure I’ll be able to find a way to eventually spin the gap. Maybe phrase it as volunteer time?
Oh!
“Soul-searching”?
I could probably sell that story especially once I add in how my roommate and boyfriend were having an affair behind my back for only Kris Kringle knows how long. That’ll Little Drummer Boy up just enough sympathy to not dig too deep into what my “volunteering” entailed.
God, how could I not see that coming?
Not the being fired thing.
Firing someone for using materials not suitable for selling to create stuffed animals in her spare time for children in foster care seems like a noble thing not a fucked up one but corporate language was never exactly my strong suit.
Hell, it took years and dating that attorney – who has half Dene, half Doctenn – for six months to really understand all the subtext of the NDAs I’d signed up to that point.
Just like it took him six months to understand that my lack of moaning was subtext for not enjoying our sex life.
Father Christmas, how could I not see that Marc was more into Kenji than me?!
How did all the warning jingle bells not go off when he would claim he couldn’t sleep, so he was going to just go watch TV on the couch with my roommate?
Kringle on a cookie, was watch TV code for fuck?!
Did they have their own fucking code that they used to communicate right in front of me?!
Was Kenji’s supposed soap carving really cipher for something else?!
Is that why I never once saw this supposed soap carving hobby for myself?!
New grumbles of irritation have me pushing the device further away before rolling over to face the side closest to the hotel bathroom. Flopping about causes the pendant around my neck to get wedged out of place, an action that results in my undoing the chain to simply remove it. Once the white gold object is in the palm of my hand, I momentarily let it linger.
Wiggle it around.
Watch the two numbers glide back and forth in sheer curiosity.
When the hell did I get this?
Why did I get this?
Was it a gift?
It had to be a gift…I mean…when was the last time I bought myself jewelry?
After gently placing the necklace on the bedside table, I reach for the remote to start watching Christmas on the big screen since I now have no choice but to type my log in information or find shoes and car keys to go get my charger.
And I damn sure ain’t doing that.
Not sure when I will.
Maybe before breakfast?
At lunch?
Bet I could make it easily until dinner with no phone.
It’s not like there’s any real need or a rush to have it working again.
I have no apartment to go back to.
No boyfriend to make plans with.
No best friend in town to bring me a bottle of peppermint schnapps.
No family to make me comfort mac and cheese or a bundt cake while they tell me everything’s going to be okay and to not worry about the town loser who broke my heart because the love of my life will find me when I least expect it.