Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I quickly waved her off. “No, it's nothing like that,” I said, wanting to assure her. “I haven't heard from them in over a year. And I sure as hell hope that trend continues.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she took another sip of her coffee. “I'm guessing it's Crossland then?”
My eyes met hers. I could never lie to my sister, despite my desires to leave her in the dark about my current emotional dilemma.
“Crossland then,” she continued, nodding to herself. “I know you usually go to Jesse for this stuff, but I'm here. So talk to me.”
I scrambled around in my mind, trying to figure out where to start. Brecken unfortunately was still in the dark about our arrangement, but today was technically the end of our contract, which meant I was free to tell her whatever I wanted.
Hesitance clung to my insides, making my tongue heavy. But if there was anybody I could trust, it was her.
“I need you to swear not to repeat a word of this,” I said, and Brecken’s eyebrows raised.
She glanced around as if somebody might be listening in on our conversation, though nobody was paying any attention to us or was close enough to overhear. Still, she leaned over the little table we sat at, drawing closer.
“I swear,” she said. “What's up? Oh my gosh, he didn't try to induct you into some weird rich people cult, did he? Blink twice if you need help.”
I laughed, the intensity of her words matched by her playfulness was just enough to shake loose some of the heaviness that I'd been carrying around all day.
“No,” I said reeling in my laughter. I took a deep breath and laid out the story for her in the most basic and quick way I could fill her in. Brecken listened with rapt attention, not interrupting or even making faces that would give me pause. And when I came to the end of it, she had practically finished her coffee and was shaking her head.
“You have over a million dollars?” she asked.
“Not yet,” I said.
“But you will? And you took this role…all to ensure I could stay here?” She glanced around the campus, baffled. “Aspen, you didn’t have to—”
“I wanted to,” I cut her off. “And even though I may have questioned it in the beginning, you know me. I wouldn’t have stuck around if Crossland had given me any bad vibes. But he never did. He’s amazing…”
“And today's the day?” she asked, her tone drenched in sympathy.
I nodded, my heart returning to its heavier sensation in my chest.
“And you haven't told him?” she asked.
I furrowed my brow. “He's fully aware that today is the end of our contract. He's a brilliant businessman, and there's no way he'd forget—"
“That's not what I'm talking about,” she cut me off.
“Oh,” I said. “No, I haven't told him that I don't want things to end. I'm not exactly sure how to bring up the subject.”
Brecken chuckled softly, flashing me an almost pitiful look. “I'm talking about the fact that you're totally in love with him,” she said without a hint of hesitation.
A jolt went through me at hearing the secret I’d kept spoken out loud.
I dropped my head in my hands and looked at my sister through my fingers. “Is it that obvious?”
Brecken reached across the little table, drawing one of my hands away from my face and gently squeezing it in her own. “Only to me,” she said encouragingly. “You're my sister, I can read you better than anybody. When did this happen?”
I blew out of breath and cast my mind back over the last three months I'd been with Crossland. When had I fallen for him?
“I’m not sure of the exact moment,” I said. “It's like little instances over the last three months when he’s given me pieces of himself that nobody else has ever seen before. It's the times where we’re laughing all day, just enjoying each other 's company instead of upholding some rules we laid out in the beginning. He's everything I never knew I wanted. Funny and smart and just cocky enough to pull off every smirk, every bold claim. And he cares,” I said, my eyes glittering. “He cares about those around him. He's a genuinely good man.”
“Then tell him,” she said. “Why wouldn't you just tell him? He obviously cares about you too or he wouldn't be in this situation.”
“I'm afraid,” I admitted, even as pathetic as it sounded. “What if I tell him, and he says that everything that’s happened the last three months has just been part of the contract. It's just been some role he's immersed himself in, a fun little challenge in order to win a bet against one of his best friends?”
“Do you really think he'll say that?” Brecken tilted her head.
I shook my head. “No, I don't think so. He's not cruel. He's never once been cruel to me. It's just a fear I have. The more realistic fear of mine is that when I meet him for dinner tonight, he’ll either thank me for my service, saying that he isn't the monogamist type and he doesn't want things to continue unless it's in a super casual way, or...” I swallowed hard, the real and true crux of my fear bubbling to the surface.