Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“I just hope you’re all right. But I can certainly understand why you’d want to just drink away your troubles right now. It’s an awful time. I find myself missing Dad and Leonora in moments, and the pain is just unbearable. Like when I’m waking up in the morning, and for a few brief seconds, I forget they’re gone. Those moments are even worse because they’re inevitably followed by the realisation that they are gone.”
When I finished speaking, I found Jonathan sitting forward on the couch, elbows resting on his thighs as he stared at me in an intense way that made my skin tingle.
“Well, I guess that’s death for you. It’s never going to be easy to go through,” I went on, feeling weirdly self-conscious under his keen attention. “So, I certainly understand if you’ve found yourself acting out of character. We can just put last night to bed. We don’t need to speak about it.”
Jonathan’s perceptive gaze sharpened. “I wasn’t acting entirely out of character,” he said, some pointed meaning in his words, and my cheeks heated before a loud vibration broke the quiet.
“Fuck, why does that have to be so loud?” he complained as he grabbed for his ringing phone where it lay on the floor. I spotted his sister’s name on the screen just before he answered it.
“Maggie, hello.” A pause, then, “Right, I forgot about that. My apologies. Last night went a little later than planned. Oh, he did, did he? Yes, I do recall him putting me in a taxi.” A brief chuckle. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” Another pause. “No. I’m in 804.” Pause. “Yes, I slept here last night. I’ll be out to you now.” He hung up and emitted a rumbly groan.
“Everything okay?”
“I forgot my sister Maggie and I had planned to share breakfast this morning. She’s out in the hall now waiting for me.”
“Oh, right. Well, go ahead. You don’t want to leave her waiting any longer.”
Jonathan shot me a long-suffering look. “I told her I’d cook for us.”
I chuckled. “Perhaps you should order in instead. I don’t expect you’re well enough to cook for anyone right now.”
“Good idea,” he replied, a hint of a smile touching his lips as he stood and slid his shoes back on before gathering the other items he’d left on the floor by the couch. I walked him to the door, and just before he was about to leave, he turned back. His eyes seemed to take in my face, almost caressing my features. “Thank you again for last night. For watching over me.”
“That’s … um, no problem. Thank you for letting me live here.”
His eyelids lowered as his focus went to my lips. He looked like he was about to say something before he thought better of it and closed his mouth. A smirk formed when he glanced over my shoulder then looked back at me. Bending down, he murmured, “By the way, can I borrow that book when you’re finished with it?”
My eyes bugged, and I swore my entire body was shrouded in embarrassment when he turned and left before I had the chance to respond. I stood there, frozen to the spot. So, it was confirmed. He remembered everything. The book. The kiss. The most startling thing was, he didn’t seem to be regretful or embarrassed over what he’d done. Not even a little.
Jonathan Oaks, hungover as he was, seemed to be relishing the fact that he’d kissed me in a state of drunkenness. The trouble was, I hadn’t been drunk. I’d been sober as a judge, and I’d kissed him back, even made noises of enjoyment while his mouth plundered mine.
He remembered, and he was even on the verge of being smug about it.
I was never going to live it down.
14.
Ada
When I finally managed to drag myself out of my state of discombobulation, I showered and got ready to meet with Frances and the girls. Once dressed, I returned to the living area and noticed Jonathan had left his phone on the side of the couch.
Great. I was going to have to knock next door and return it to him.
I’d been hoping not to run into him again this weekend, but it was unavoidable. Inhaling a breath for courage, I left the apartment and stepped across the hall. After knocking twice, I heard someone approach before his sister opened the door.
Maggie’s features displayed surprise, and I knew instantly Jonathan had failed to mention to her that I was living in his spare apartment. “Oh, hello. Ada, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Hi. Sorry to bother you. We met at your workplace a couple weeks ago. You helped me down the stairs?” I said to jog her memory.
Maggie smiled warmly. “Right, yes. I saw you at the funeral, too, but we never got a chance to speak.”