Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 94903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Unlike Chase freaking Marshall.
I swirl my straw around my lemonade and think about my options.
I can go back to Dallas and find a place to rent. God knows I love my mom, but I can’t live with her for long. But where will I work? What will I do for a living? I have no idea. Despite Dallas being my hometown and my mom living there, it no longer feels like home. Being away for over a decade will do that to you. It’s not that I’ve outgrown it or think I need the glitz and glamour of LA or New York. I just don’t fit in Texas. I don’t think I ever really did.
My other option is to keep looking for work in LA or New York, but the idea of moving back to the city doesn’t excite me. Of course, if I must do it to work, I will, but I genuinely feel like that part of my life has passed. The trouble is, I don’t know what part of my life I’m in now.
“What’s that all about?” Gavin asks.
I pull my attention away from my thoughts and to my friend. “What’s what all about?”
“That shrug.”
Did I shrug? “Nothing. I was thinking about what I want out of life.”
“And that is …?”
I don’t even know for sure. “I’d take a cabin in the woods and a million dollars.”
“Come to think of it, I’d take that too.”
Tabitha delivers my grilled cheese with a friendly smile. I decline anything else, and she scurries back toward the kitchen.
“What are you going to do?” Gavin asks, folding his hands in front of him. “Are you gonna call Maggie?”
“I don’t have another choice. What will I do—move in tomorrow when Chase doesn’t want my help?” I fiddle with the edge of my sandwich. “Besides, I have no interest in staying in Peachwood Falls anymore. I was only helping my mom. I mean, Maggie would pay me well, which helped my current state of unemployment, but I don’t need this job. And I sure as hell don’t need this headache.”
He sits up and rests his elbows on the table. “Maybe you should give this guy another shot.”
“What?”
“You know, maybe he was having a bad day.”
“Two bad days, you mean.”
“Okay, maybe he’s just an asshole every day, and that’s something you’ll have to get used to, but you can’t let Maggie down, right?”
I gasp. “Whose side are you on, Gavin?”
“Yeah. Whose side are you on, Gavin?”
My head whips to the side—to the grumpy voice I’ve become all too familiar with. His green eyes peer into mine.
What’s he doing here?
Chapter Nine
Megan
Gavin scoots his chair backward. “I think I’ll go—”
“Sit down,” Chase says, his tone unwavering.
“Yup. Sitting,” Gavin says, scooting back up to the spot he just held. He looks at me and grimaces before looking away.
I laugh in confusion. “What the hell is going on here?”
Gavin settles in as if resigned to what’s to come. On the other hand, Chase gives me a look like I’m a fool.
Words are on the tip of my tongue, and my lips part to launch them into the air. I turn to Chase … and then stop.
My head swivels back to Gavin, and I gasp.
Broad shoulders.
Green eyes.
Overconfidence.
My jaw drops. “Gavin, you little shit.”
He holds his hands out to the sides. “What?”
“How do you know her?” Chase asks, focusing his gaze on Gavin.
“Her?” Gavin nods toward me, his face paling. “I don’t really know her. She’s … a customer.”
“A customer?” I ask, making Gavin flinch. I point at Chase. “And how do you know him?”
“Him?” Gavin sneaks a look at Chase and then quickly looks at me again. “I don’t really know him—”
“Really?” Chase barks. “You don’t know me?”
Gavin cringes. Again.
The twinkle in his eye. His growing amusement …
“You’re related, aren’t you?” I ask, my blood pressure rising. “What are you—brothers?”
Chase drags a chair from a neighboring table to ours. It screeches as the legs dig into the laminate floor. Even in my state of shock, I can’t help but notice how his ass fills out his jeans.
Now is not the time, Megan.
“Will someone explain this to me?” I ask, ripping my eyes away from Chase.
Gavin sighs. “Well, Meg—”
“Meg?” Chase asks, screwing his face up like something is foul. “Meg?”
“What? We’re friends,” Gavin says.
“Were,” I say, pointing at him. “We were friends. Our friendship is on shaky ground right now.”
“Why? Because I didn’t tell you that Chase was my brother? In the spirit of transparency, I have two other brothers, Mallet and Luke. And a sister named Kate.”
I glare at him. “Cute.”
“What?”
I lean forward, resting my chest against the table. “You knew, didn’t you?”
Gavin looks offended. “I knew what?”
“Last night, you knew I was talking about Chase.”
“You were talking about me?” Chase asks.
Annoyed at the situation, I whip my head to him. “Can you please stay out of this conversation?”