Chapters (48)
- 1. One
- 2. Two
- 3. Three
- 4. Four
- 5. Five
- 6. Six
- 7. Seven
- 8. Eight
- 9. Nine
- 10. Ten
- 11. Eleven
- 12. Twelve
- 13. Thirteen
- 14. Fourteen
- 15. Fifteen
- 16. Sixteen
- 17. Seventeen
- 18. Eighteen
- 19. Nineteen
- 20. Twenty
- 21. Twenty-One
- 22. Twenty-Two
- 23. Twenty-Three
- 24. Twenty-Four
- 25. Twenty-Five
- 26. Twenty-Six
- 27. Twenty-Seven
- 28. Twenty-Eight
- 29. Twenty-Nine
- 30. Thirty
- 31. Thirty-One
- 32. Thirty-Two
- 33. Thirty-three
- 34. Thirty-Four
- 35. Thirty-Five
- 36. Thirty-Six
- 37. Thirty-Seven
- 38. Thirty-Eight
- 39. Thirty-Nine
- 40. Forty
- 41. Forty-One
- 42. Forty-Two
- 43. Forty-three
- 44. Epilogue
- Afterword
- Also by
- Acknowledgments
- About Author
Relaxing? Maybe it was because I worked here, or because I had gotten used to it over the years. The lobby was filled with the chatter of people checking in and out, and the scent of coffee and orders being called out drifted from the cafe behind us. I looked around and breathed deeply as she had. Clean leather and vanilla clung to my nose, something I’d long since grown accustomed to. The fifteen-foot Christmas trees were lit up, and there were wreaths and stringed lights everywhere.
“I guess it is kind of relaxing. I’m just used to it now.” I shrugged and sipped my coffee. She scooted a little closer, and I couldn’t help but smile down at her.
We caught up over our coffee, even though it hadn’t been twelve hours since we saw each other last. She told me of her morning with her mom, and I talked about the group I had right before she got there.
I relaxed back into the couch with her, and it was like we were the only two in the whole resort. When she spoke, nothing else around me mattered. I hadn’t realized how gone for this girl I was. Since the moment I first saw her, I found her attractive, but watching her talk and smile was fascinating, and I would gladly sit on this uncomfortable couch all day.
“Excuse me,” a sassy voice interrupted Olive, and without turning my head, I knew immediately who it was.
There stood tiny and feisty Alea with her arms crossed and her eyebrows furrowed. She looked like a teacher that caught Olive and me kissing under the bleachers.
“Oh, hey, Alea.” She was staring Olive down with a fury only a fifty-five-pound, nine-year-old girl could manage.
Olive's eyes shifted from me to Alea uncomfortably.
Alea turned back to me. “You’re late. Class was supposed to start five minutes ago.” I checked the giant clock on the wall and noted she was right.
“Shoot. Sorry, kid, I’ll be right there.” I didn’t attempt to get up since I wanted to say goodbye to Olive in private. Alea didn’t move either. She stared Olive down like a mafia boss about to ice someone.
“So, what are you, his girlfriend?” She looked Olive up and down and curled a lip in disgust. Alea spit out the word girlfriend like it was poison.
“Well…” I began.