Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91363 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91363 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Matt barked a laugh. “From what I’ve heard, she’s doing just fine. Have you seen her perform?”
I pressed my lips together and nodded. Sarah wasn’t the favorite child, but she was well on her way to being a very successful performer. She had the voice and charisma that bled talent when she stood on a stage with a guitar in her hands.
Again, I thought of ironing clothes and breastfeeding babies while my dream husband wore a suit and tie, winning cases in a courtroom. Were my standards too low?
“Sarah’s going to be a big star,” I murmured.
“How’s Eve?” Matt asked.
“She’s no longer hiding alcohol by the creek.”
Matt chuckled. “Well, I suppose that’s good.”
I loved making him smile and laugh. “Eve followed Sarah’s lead and fell for an older guy. If you think Sarah and Isaac caused a commotion, you should have been there to witness Eve’s dramatic fall from grace.”
“Well,” he sipped his Pepsi, “I wouldn’t have expected any less from Eve. But she’s doing good now? Happy?”
“Yeah. Very happy. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“It’s a long story.”
“Sounds like it,” he said.
As we ate our pizza, Matt let me know he was planning on visiting his parents in North Carolina over Thanksgiving. He shared his excitement of winning a conference title and national championship playing baseball for the Wolverines. I swore he had tears in his eyes, reminiscing about the bittersweet ending to his baseball career.
I had no comforting words that didn’t involve “God has other plans for you,” so I stuck to a sympathetic smile and a gentle bob of my head.
“I’ve got it,” he said when I pulled out my wallet at the register to help pay for dinner.
Yep, it was officially a date.
“Are you sure?”
Matt grinned, handing the cash to the employee. “Of course.”
“Thank you.” I tucked my wallet back into my purse.
Matt fished change from his pocket and stuck a nickel into the gumball machine and turned the knob. It spit out a blue gumball which he offered to me.
I wrinkled my nose. “Not blue.”
He laughed and popped it into his mouth, then he slid another nickel into the machine. “Boring white.” He handed it to me.
I took it. “White is not boring. It’s classic. White is just as sweet without feeling the need to show off.” I chomped down on the gumball and grinned at him.
“Is that so?” He held the door open for me.
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled, stepping past him.
“Did you know that while you had your nose in a book, Sarah and Eve suspected you were going to be the biggest rebel, stealthily flying under your parents’ radar?” Matt asked.
“Did you know that while my sisters thought I had my nose in a book, I heard them talking about your senior prom night mishap?” I took two steps, feeling triumphant with my comeback, but when my brain caught up, I realized I just confessed to knowing the details of Matt’s fumbled attempt at losing his virginity with my sister.
Four years.
It had been years since I’d seen Matt, and I, Virgin Gabriella, brought up sex on our first date.
“W-what?” Matt coughed, opening my car door.
“Nothing. Never mind.” I ducked into the car without making eye contact.
His gaze covered me like a suffocating cloud of smoke, but I focused on the seat belt.
“Stupid,” I whispered after he shut my door.
He walked around the car and slid into his seat while I laced my fingers together and prayed for God to erase the previous thirty seconds from his brain.
“Well, that’s pretty fucking embarrassing,” he mumbled as the engine roared to life.
I briefly closed my eyes. “I mean, the first time is totally awkward. Right? Not to mention if the first time is in a car.”
Shut up, Gabby!
He shoved said car into reverse and opened his mouth, but quickly clamped it shut. At least five minutes passed before he broke the silence with a soft chuckle. “Did she throw me under the bus? Or did she take a little credit for the mishap?”
“Um …” I rubbed my hands along my jeans. “I don’t remember.”
“Liar.”
I squirmed in my seat. “It was a long time ago.”
“Was it because the condom landed on the floor or that I only had one?” he asked, and I could tell it was bugging him.
Our date was taking the worst possible turn.
“Um …”
“It’s okay.” He shot me a sidelong glance, but I kept my head bowed. “If we can’t laugh at our mistakes, then life will be pretty miserable. Right?”
Perhaps one day I’d look back at this conversation and laugh that I made a big mistake by bringing up the subject, but I had no laughs to spare at that moment.
Matt pulled into the dormitory parking lot. “So how has your sex life been?” He laughed while parking the car. Was he making fun of me? Surely, he knew I was a virgin. But how? Did I look like one? Had my mom told his mom that I was saving myself for marriage like a faithful lamb?