Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
I laughed. “Mom you don’t need to uproot your life and your schedule for me. We’ll be fine.”
“Of course you will, but this is a fight you don’t have to take on alone. Maybe it’ll do your father some good to miss me for a while.”
My heart sank as I realized he wouldn’t be coming too, but that was expected. “It will be good to see you, Mom. Can you keep this to yourself for now? Please?”
She sighed. “Yes, but only for a little while. Give your siblings a chance to get to know you again Annabella.”
“They don’t want to know me, and I’d appreciate it if we kept things that way. For now.”
“Fine. See you soon,” she sent me kisses and then ended the call.
I sighed and looked down at the phone with a half-smile. My mom was coming to the farm. She would be proud of what I’d accomplished so far, and that had to be enough for me.
I sat inside my truck for a few more minutes to shake off thoughts of my estranged family and the custody fight ahead, and then I jumped out and went to check on the vertical crops. I smiled when I stepped inside the first building, the way I always did when I caught sight of plants as they grew. Every tomato and every head of lettuce meant I was succeeding, making a life for me and Everest. That’s what mattered. It was the only thing that mattered.
Beaming with confidence, I stepped back into the sweltering day and headed towards the second building. I stopped quickly, nearly falling over at the sight of Derek leaning against the second building, feet crossed at the ankles, thumbs hooked through jeans that hung low on his slender hips. Why in the hell did he have to be so incredibly good looking? Time hadn’t caught up to him yet, not in any way that could be viewed negatively. His laugh lines gave his handsome face character, he was still fit and lean, like a man who hit the gym daily. Then again, he had the time and resources to have day to day chores handled by paid staff. I shook off all those thoughts and narrowed my eyes in his direction.
“What do you want Derek?”
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, almost as if he’d been holding the words in for the past few days, since my blow up at the Dark Horse. “I’m not sorry for paying the retainer, but I am sorry that it might look bad, that your friend’s parents might use it against you.”
His words surprised me, and his sensitivity to my current predicament shocked me even more. “It’s fine Derek, don’t worry about it. Like I told you, I’m going to pay you back.” Every damn penny would be back paid. Eventually.
“About that,” he said, and smiled as he pushed off the building and sauntered over, because that was the only way to describe his slow, lazy gait that had me holding my breath in anticipation. “I have the perfect way for you to pay me back, and it doesn’t require cash.”
I took a step back and crossed my arms over my chest. “I am not sleeping with you Derek.”
He laughed. “Good to know, but I don’t pay for sex Bella, no matter how gorgeous the woman is.”
I shivered at his unintended compliment, and immediately cursed myself for being an idiot. This was Derek Gregory, not some random, normal man. He didn’t mean the words he said, they were just a means to get what he wanted. Whatever that was.
“So what is it that you want from me?”
“Are you active on social media?”
I rolled my eyes and growled in frustration. “What is it with people and their obsession with social media? I have pages for York Farm and that’s it, but what does this have to do with anything? I’m too busy to be your social media manager or whatever. Plus, I hardly understand how any of it works.”
Derek laughed and shook his head. “I was just curious if you had any knowledge about what’s going on with me.” He sucked in a deep breath, and with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, he told me all about his accidental post and the accusations of misogyny. “With our new album soon to be released, and the first two singles and videos in the bag, this is the worst time for this kind of backlash. I’m going to do an apology video with Lacey and Levi to see if it helps, but my agent, Brody, has another plan.”
I stiffened at his words and motioned for him to continue.
“He thinks a fake relationship with a regular woman will help improve my image.”
“Regular? You mean basic?”
He laughed. “No, I mean regular as in not famous. Someone normal, but believable as a romantic partner for me.”