He Voted Me Off the Island, So I Left Him Stranded novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: The Count

The second part came in while Ben was putting the kettle on, and the third came in before the water boiled.

The fourth never finished.

The first three parts were enough.

I propped my phone against the thermos on his desk and sat in his desk chair.

Ben stood behind me with a hand on the back of my chair, close but not touching.

"Whatever's on it," he said, "I'm here."

I pressed play.

The picture jumped and found its focus on a narrow gap.

It was the ticket shed door, open a hand's width, seen from outside. Teddy had zoomed in as far as his phone would go, and the edges of the screen were soft.

Through the gap I could see the counter, the brass box, and the backs of two people.

Judith's navy coat.

Brant's quarter-zip.

The sound was thin and flat, but it was there.

"Read them off," Judith said.

Paper rustled.

"Yes," said Brant.

"Yes."

"Yes. Yes."

"That's four." Judith's voice was calm. "Go on."

"Yes. Yes."

There was a pause.

"Mom, that's six," Brant said.

I stopped breathing.

On the screen, Judith laid six slips in a neat row on the left side of the counter. She laid two on the right.

Six and two.

"I can count, Brant," Judith said.

"So that's it. She's in."

"Is that what you want?"

"I..."

He rubbed the back of his neck. I had watched him do that for six years.

← Chapter 9 · All chapters · Chapter 11 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend