BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (48)
  1. 1. One
  2. 2. Two
  3. 3. Three
  4. 4. Four
  5. 5. Five
  6. 6. Six
  7. 7. Seven
  8. 8. Eight
  9. 9. Nine
  10. 10. Ten
  11. 11. Eleven
  12. 12. Twelve
  13. 13. Thirteen
  14. 14. Fourteen
  15. 15. Fifteen
  16. 16. Sixteen
  17. 17. Seventeen
  18. 18. Eighteen
  19. 19. Nineteen
  20. 20. Twenty
  21. 21. Twenty-One
  22. 22. Twenty-Two
  23. 23. Twenty-Three
  24. 24. Twenty-Four
  25. 25. Twenty-Five
  26. 26. Twenty-Six
  27. 27. Twenty-Seven
  28. 28. Twenty-Eight
  29. 29. Twenty-Nine
  30. 30. Thirty
  31. 31. Thirty-One
  32. 32. Thirty-Two
  33. 33. Thirty-three
  34. 34. Thirty-Four
  35. 35. Thirty-Five
  36. 36. Thirty-Six
  37. 37. Thirty-Seven
  38. 38. Thirty-Eight
  39. 39. Thirty-Nine
  40. 40. Forty
  41. 41. Forty-One
  42. 42. Forty-Two
  43. 43. Forty-three
  44. 44. Epilogue
  45. Afterword
  46. Also by
  47. Acknowledgments
  48. About Author

“We’re going to get some rest and then we can all get ready and head to town so you can catch up on sleep. Don’t forget to be ready for dinner tonight at Ellina’s.” I nodded my head and stepped into my childhood bedroom. Mom had left it the same as it was when I last came here. It was bittersweet, like stepping back in time and seeing my high school self all over again. Part of me felt like I wanted to go back and tell myself all the things that would come, but another part loved the innocence that this room held. The light pink walls filled with pictures of me and my friends from middle and high school. My desk in the corner with my old laptop and files still placed there as if I never left. I could have used this desk back at my place in West Palm, but the last time I was here I left so abruptly that I didn’t stop to think of such things.

Without unpacking anything or changing out of my dirty travel clothes, I climbed into my bed, which my mom had topped with clean sheets and my favorite comforter. I felt like I was floating on a cloud, the comforting scent of Mom’s signature laundry detergent surrounding me. It was the one piece of comfort I needed now to forget the dinner coming shortly. I drifted off to sleep quickly, not at all thinking of what Finn was doing at this moment.

6. Six

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My stomach was in knots as I dressed for dinner. I slipped on my short black dress along with a pair of heels. I put on my armor of nude lipstick, which fortunately was not ruined on the plane ride, and minimal jewelry.

It’s just dinner, I reminded myself repeatedly until my hands stopped shaking enough for me to put my earrings in. Just a dinner with people you've been avoiding since the worst day of your life. It was all going to be fine. Maybe I should have gotten Finn’s number. He would probably say something sweet that was exactly what I needed to hear, or he would hit on me in this dress and make me blush. In the long run, it would be a good thing I didn’t have the chance to call him. A man, especially one like Finn, was an accessory I couldn’t afford currently. Unlike my Kendra Scott earrings.