Series: Webs We Weave Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 145038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
I spot a flash of blonde hair behind a bookshelf. Relief washes over me when Hailey rounds the corner.
“I’ve got them all,” Hailey pants, her hands on her knees and her tote bag of golden geese thumping to the ground. “We…just…need…to go…” She motions toward the town square. “To win.”
Pride swells so strong. “That Huntswoman title is yours, Hails. Go get it.”
“She doesn’t get the title, technically,” Jake tells me.
“Jake does.” Rocky raises and lowers his brows with bitterness.
I’m pissed. “So Hailey did all the work and you get to be Huntsman?”
“I can forfeit it,” Jake says, “but they won’t give the title to her. She didn’t pay to participate.”
“I’m just a Clue Girl.” Hailey catches her breath and shrugs at me like you know how it is.
Yeah, it’s bullshit, and if we were here in positions of power like Rocky, Hailey could’ve played this game from the other side and been dubbed Eighty-Eighth Huntswoman. But she’s been a broke server at a country club for me.
“We’ll meet up in five?” Jake asks me and Rocky. Somewhere more private is an unsaid note. We agree, and Hailey reminds us about the DNA results tonight—where me, my brothers, and the Tinrock siblings are planning to read them together, also in private.
I have a feeling half her chipper spirit is knowing answers are on the horizon.
Hailey picks up the tote bag of golden geese, but Jake reaches out a hand and slips his fingers in the canvas straps. She blushes a little when he slings it on his shoulder like it’s a rucksack. “Thanks,” she says with a rising smile.
“It’s what I’m here for.”
Hailey nods a ton, and he nods back, their lips lifting higher and higher. They’re locked into each other like we’ve completely disappeared from the bookstore.
They’re just friends…right? I haven’t really picked Hailey’s brain about her current crushes, one being Carter, because when I do bring up guys, she switches the subject to research. I figure I’m just causing her unnecessary stress, and that’s the last thing I want to do.
My eyes ping between them, then to Rocky.
He has an expression like he’d prefer to teleport to a remote island and dive into the abyss.
“Let’s go get your trophy,” Jake says.
“My trophy?” Hailey smiles even more up at him. I think I like this for her. Is she glowing?
“It belongs to you, if you want it.”
Her smile touches her eyes. “I have a perfect spot for it. Now we just have to run.” She takes his hand and literally sprints, tugging him along on her chase for first.
* * *
—
Jake, Rocky, and I are alone in my bedroom above the bookstore later that night. Tension from Baubles & Bookends has most definitely returned since Hailey isn’t here to cut through it. I’m sitting cross-legged on my bed while Rocky leans a hip against my dresser, and Jake sits on my vanity ottoman like we’re about to have a therapy session.
Which I, frankly, don’t know if I’m going to be good at. Maybe I suck at therapy. Maybe it isn’t for me.
I raise my palms. “I know you both care about my well-being, but you don’t need that to affect the outcome of this job. This isn’t anything out of the norm.”
“What’s the norm?” Jake asks.
“Our norm was fucked up,” Rocky says.
“So is Trent.” I give him a haughty smile.
He returns one with a little more acid. “Cute.”
“The cutest.” I lean back on my hands, and I reflexively spread my legs open. Jake is right there, and I didn’t…I didn’t even think about him.
I go numb, and I swing my legs closed. My feet thump to the floor. Their concern is asphyxiating.
Jake is hunched forward with his fingers steepled to his lips.
“Phebs?” Rocky pushes off the dresser.
“That wasn’t for you…I mean, I wasn’t trying to seduce you. I was on autopilot.” My face burns.
“It’s fine,” Rocky assures me. He keeps his distance, probably because I’m shooting him looks to stay five feet away. I simultaneously do and don’t feel like being touched.
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Let’s just stay the course. Let’s not nuke any plans because you think I can’t cope with an asshole.”
“He’s a little more than an asshole,” Jake says, his strong jaw tensing.
“But sure, let’s downplay it,” Rocky says with the tip of his head at me. I take it all back—I don’t like their amity. Maybe it was better when they were at war with each other.
I think I fucking hate this.
“We know what he is,” I say more angrily. “When it comes to Trent, you don’t need to think about my feelings.”
Rocky looks at me like I’ve driven off a cliff without him. “Yeah, that’s not possible.”
“We can try,” I protest.
He shifts his stance with heat. “I’m no better than my fucking father if I don’t think about your feelings. So no, I’m not trying that out like it’s a new sports car.”