For years my life was in a state of Adjournmentâ¦
Fate had constructed a plan to push me away⦠to save meâ¦
There was a danger I never knew existed, one I had never sensed.
My family positioned themselves around me.
Like Hanging Pawns, they shielded me from it and I lived blissfully unaware⦠until now.
Now, I know there are rules to this game...
Sacrifices to be made in order to get to End Game.
What would I Sacrifice for one more moment... one last look? Touch? Kiss?
The answer is simpleâ¦
Everything.
Chapter 1
Ignorance isnât always blissâ¦
How did I get here? Not this specific seat exactly⦠I mean here, in this part of my life, where I never would have considered being. I know the events that led me hereâmy sisters moving back, my parentsâ vow renewal, and a weekend that I could have practiced better control.
Could have.
I wonât deny it to myself that I wanted it to happen. I wonât deny it to you eitherâ¦but Simonâ¦
Well, he doesnât need to know the truth. Heâd be smug and pompousâ¦or should I say heâd be himself. Simon was right about one thing, though. He said nothing about this game would be simple, and so far, it isnât. If it was, the game would be over by now, and I would be sitting somewhere else having breakfast instead of waiting for him to join us.
Raising my coffee to my mouth, I sit here trying to ignore the pleas of Mea while we wait for everyone to get here.
âPlease,â she asks.
âNo.â I lean back in my seat staring at her.
âPlease.â I watch her cup her hands and bring them up to her chest as she pleads.
âNo.â
Here it comesâ¦I can see the anger building, the slight twitch in her eye starting.
âWhy not?â She drops her hands and her voice becomes louder than it was a few seconds ago.
Because bothering you is so much fun.
âBecause I donât like womenâ¦and I donât want an assistant,â I tell her.
âWell, you do want an assistant,â Lexi mumbles.
âSee!â Mea points to Lexi. âIâll be so good! I follow you around anyway, and I hate women, too!â She bounces in her chair.
âI know. Youâre like a lost little puppy.â My face wrinkles when she starts the face. âDid you forget? Youâre Joshâs assistant,â I remind her for the millionth time. âHow are we going to explain why youâre suddenly mine?â
We arenât because she has no answer to that. For months, sheâs been Joshâs assistant on set. Actually, if Iâm being truthful, she has years of being Joshâs assistant under her belt.
Am I using that as a scapegoat?
Umm, yes!
I have to put up with her all day everyday anyway. I donât need her as an Ass, too.
âIâm bored with Josh,â she whines, ignoring my question.
Thatâs niceâ¦Iâm sure your husband would like to know he bores you at work.
âFine,â I groan, taking another mouthful of coffee.
âReally?â Meaâs voice is so happy, so filled with joy.
Stupid question.
âNo,â I smirk into my mug so she canât see me.
Itâs not that I donât like Meaâ¦I like her a lot, actually. Sheâs just so much fun to tease.
âYouâre a jerk,â Mea pouts.
See? Look at that lip. So. Much. Fun.
âWeâve been coming here every Sunday for weeks and every Sunday it starts out the same. Could you just tell her yes and be done with it.â Lexiâs head falls over the back of her chair.
Once again, the problem isnât her being my Ass. Itâs the fact that she is already Joshâs and further more⦠the girl knows nothing about make-up.
âI donât know why you want to be my assistant. Like you said, itâs same thing you do nowâ¦just follow me around and look busy. Why do you need the title?â I look out the restaurant window, searching for the rest of our group.
âBecause when I tell people Iâm your assistant, it wonât feel like a lie.â She grabs a menu to look through it.
Wait, what?
âIâ¦youâ¦,â I try to think of something to say.
What a freaking jerk! She just admitted to lying to everyone about being my Ass.
Waitâ¦this makes sense now. Every time someone mentioned giving something to my assistant, I laughed and said yeah.
Dammit! Mea took total advantage of my ignorance!
âThis doesnât make us friends.â I glare at her, still trying not to laugh.
Do I get a say in anything?
âNever.â Mea smiles.
I feel like that answers both my verbal and mental question.
âIt doesnât mean weâre going to be friends, either. We arenât going to chitchat and gossip. Iâm not about to play dress up and do your make-up.â I put my mug down on the table to wiggle my fingers through the air.
âSo, cuddling is off the table too, then,â she asks catching me off guard.
Beg your pardonâ¦
âWhy the hell would we need to cuddle?â I ask, and Lexi begins to laugh.
âWell, say Iâm stuck at your apartment because thereâs so much snow outside. Does a sleepover count as all of those things?â She looks at us.
Pressing my lips together, I try to make sense of what she just said.
âWhy the frig would you be at my apartment?â I question her.
âWell, why not?â She looks at me then Lexi, whose body is being jolted around by laughter.
âIâ¦I honestly have no answer that you would accept,â I breathe out, exhausted.
âOkay. Can I ask one more question, though?â Mea beams.
âJust one?â I wait for it, trying to mentally prepare myself for the next bizarre thing she might spout out.
I think my eye is starting to twitch.
I need a cup.
Reaching down into my bag, I pull a few out.
âEh, it depends on your answerâ¦â She looks behind me.
âFine, go ahead.â I turn to see everyone walking over to us, as I unwrap my medication.
âWhat if that did happen?â she asks.
Thatâs the same question with different words!
Iâm going to have to make sure this girl never gets the opportunity to come over. Iâll never get her out.
âThen you can sleep on the couch or cuddle with Lexi.â I point to Lexi.
Sweet peanut buttery goodnessâ¦youâre the only one who gets me.
âSidney only cuddles when sheâs drunk. Then sheâll do all those thingsâ¦play with your hair and gossip, the whole nine yards. Other than that, sheâs a stick in the mud,â Lexi laughs.
I must attract people like this.
âSheâs going to make me be her friend, isnât she?â I ask Simon when he pulls out his seat next to me.
âI would love to tell you that you have a choice, but I think sheâs going to win this one.â He lightly pinches my cheek.
Releasing a heavy sigh, I agree.
âThank you for not lying to me.â
âThank you for not lying to me.â
Add to Goodreads Amazon Amazon CA Amazon UK Amazon AU B&N Kobo | Add to Goodreads Amazon Amazon CA Amazon UK Amazon AU B&N Kobo |
Emersyn Vallis is a first time author with Adjournment being the first book in the Fated Series. Currently residing on the east coast with her husband and three children she is typically mistaken for being quiet and reserved her friends often describe her as a spastic spider monkey and always the first to be there with her quick wit to pull you back up when youâre feeling down. After reading as a hobby for most of her life it wasnât until she had discovered R. L. Mathewsonâs âNeighbor from Hell Seriesâ and Tara Sivecâs âPlaying with Fire Seriesâ that she came up with the idea to fuse comedy and suspense together and her passion for writing was born.
HOSTED BY: