Page 110 of My Sweet Dollie, You Have to Love Me
None of this stuff will ever happen again. I haven’t even reported your brother because I thought you wouldn’t want that.
You have to talk to me at some point. How are we gonna work things out? I booked the venue you wanted.
A lingering stare stays on my phone, the messages from Shane taunting me for minutes on end as I look down at the device resting on the bathroom sink.
Shock keeps my mouth hanging low.
He’s booked the venue. Is he kidding?
Shaking my head in disbelief, I move my eyes to the mirror. The image that makes me cringe still awaits. I’d look away if the concealer to hide the purple under my eyes were already blended.
The puffy pink blender and the cheap makeup brand I’m using don’t mix well, and I fail miserably in my attempt at making myself look presentable.
I sigh and pat a little harder.
Another buzz pulls my attention back to my phone. My whole-body tenses and then relaxes when I see it’s not another message from Shane.
Seeing the message from Lucky lifts my mood. We’d talked last night, but it was just a load of random facts that I looked up online while unable to get comfortable enough to sleep on the bathroom floor. He doesn’t know who I am or what my story is. He thinks I’m some girl from the internet who looked cute while dressed like a bear. So, I didn’t wanna terrify him by telling him that my brother is home after a prison sentence for murdering our family.
In return, Lucky sent a few facts back.
They were relatively boring ones, but I’m really starting to appreciate him.
A smile lifts my lips as I click his message.
We’ve evolved from app messages to texts, given that we’re still talking to each other.
For a minute, I forget all my stresses, even the lump that’s been excessively painful this morning.
Lucky:
Good morning, Dollie Daydream.
Dollancie:
Is that a new nickname for me?
Lucky:
I’m testing it out.
Dollancie:
Where did it come from?
Lucky:
Other than me daydreaming about you constantly?
Dollancie:
Revealing all your cards so early is poor game.
Hahaa!
Setting aside all that bothers me—Ambrose and Shane—I focus on Lucky.
Lucky:
