Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“But she said …” I begin, confused as hell.
First, her cousin suggested I ask her out, then Kinsley told me she’s unavailable, and now, her dad is telling me she’s single?
“That she’s unavailable. Yeah, I heard,” Lachlan says. “But it’s not because she’s in a relationship. She’s single. Hasn’t dated in years. But in her head, she’s emotionally unavailable. Got a ten-foot wall erected around her big-ass heart.”
“More like fifty-foot,” front-desk guy mutters. “And the only way you’re getting to her is by breaking down that wall, and in order to do that, you’d better be damn strong.” He eyes me from head to toe with a smirk. “How strong are you, Shane?”
When my eyes go wide, unsure how to respond, Lachlan chuckles. “Ignore Scott’s flirting. He’s harmless. But he’s not wrong.” His features turn serious. “It would take someone extremely strong and determined to break down the wall my daughter has built.”
I nod in understanding, her reluctance now making sense. “Gotcha.”
I turn on my heel, ready to admit defeat, but as his words play on repeat, I stop at the door, unable to open it.
If I were smart, I would heed their warning and walk away. Kinsley made it clear she wasn’t interested, and trying to break down the wall of a woman like her won’t be easy. Hell, I’ve barely dated in the past seventeen years, focusing on being a single dad, so I’m no expert on women, and I’ll probably fail miserably. But there’s just something about her that I’m drawn to, making me want to try.
It’s obvious from my two short encounters with her that she doesn’t smile often, but when she does, it’s worth the effort. Watching her laugh at my expense made me want to make her do it again. And when she frowned, I wanted to ask what had caused it.
I want to spend time with Kinsley, but instead of breaking down her walls, I want her to open the gate for me. I want her to let me in and show me every part of her. For the first time in a long time, I want to get to know a woman on a deeper level.
Why was she terrified of being brought to the hospital? What happened to make her emotionally unavailable? Why is it that even when she smiled at me for a brief moment a few minutes ago, she still looked like she was in pain?
“Is there something else you need?” Lachlan asks, shaking me from my thoughts and reminding me that I’m still standing in the doorway like a weirdo, thinking about his daughter.
“Actually, yeah,” I say, turning around and walking back up to the desk. “I’d like to make an appointment to get a tattoo … with Kinsley.”
Scott tries to hide his smile, but Lachlan doesn’t even attempt to hide his smirk.
“You ever been inked before?” Lachlan asks, eyeing me skeptically.
“No,” I admit. “Any tips?”
“Don’t cry,” Lachlan says, making Scott laugh.
“Kinsley’s pretty booked up,” Scott says.
“Let me see.” Lachlan grabs the iPad and clicks around for a minute and then says, “I can get you in tomorrow at ten,” making Scott throw his head back with a laugh.
Shit, that’s soon. But fuck it. What’s a little tattoo? I’ll just get it somewhere hidden, and it will give me a chance to convince Kinsley to go out with me.
“Sounds good,” I say. “I’ll be here tomorrow at ten.”
FIVE
Kinsley
“Kinsley, it’s been a long time since you requested an emergency appointment,” Dr. Julia Benedict says with her warm smile that makes it easy to open up to her. “What brings you in?”
She sits across from me, dressed in a long, flowy floral skirt and a white blouse, with her legs curled under her and her latest knitting project in her lap.
After months of my mom begging me to see a therapist, I met with Julia. I had planned to see her, tell my mom I hated it, and continue to grieve the way I wanted.
But Julia shocked me when we bonded over our favorite romance novels, and then instead of her forcing me to talk, she handed me a piece of paper and coloring pencils and told me to draw whatever came to mind.
I spent the next year coloring more than speaking during our sessions, but eventually, they led to us talking, and now, I can’t imagine not speaking to her.
Usually, our appointments are every two weeks, but after what happened this morning, I texted, asking if she had anything available.
“A guy asked me out today.” I chuckle humorlessly. “God, that sounds so inconsequential when I say it out loud.”
“Yet it was important enough to make you pick up the phone and text me. So, tell me what happened.”
I take a deep breath and then tell her, “His name is Shane, and he’s the paramedic who treated me for the food allergy.” She already knows about that incident since I saw her a couple of days after. “He came into the shop to see how I was doing and then asked me out.”