Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Keep your fucking hands off of her.”
That got a smirk out of him as he slapped the bandage on my arm.
“Thought that was the way of it.”
“There’s no way of it. Her kid just keeps ending up here. She keeps picking her up. That’s it.”
“So, if I called in a bunch of club girls tonight to party, you’d take one back to your room?” he asked, then shot me a smirk when I didn’t immediately answer. “Thought so,” he said.
“Don’t invite any girls,” I called to his retreating form. “Fallon doesn’t want any activity around here until we know what’s going on.”
“That leaves me more time to create my slideshow,” Sully said.
“Slideshow for what?”
“Why the club could use, nay, requires, a hot tub.”
“Pretty sure wanting to get drunk with a bunch of topless girls isn’t going to be the argument you think it is.”
“That’s only slide one,” he said, smiling as he walked backward toward the hallway. “There are mental health benefits, injury recovery benefits. The list goes on and on,” he said before disappearing down the hall to his room.
With a sigh, I took myself down to the basement then climbed up the ladder to the glass room on the roof, looking around the grounds, at Navesink Bank as a whole.
It was interesting how life worked. How I went all the way around the globe. Only to end up back where I started.
What can I say? I guess… sometimes you just know someplace is home.
I was about to head back down the ladder when the phone buzzed in my pocket.
I reached for it absentmindedly, figuring it might be Fallon filling everyone in on what he did, or didn’t, find out.
Only to find Sabrina’s name on the screen.
There was a trill of excitement until I reminded myself that she was likely texting about Daphne.
But it wasn’t that.
At least not in writing.
All it was was an invitation.
Meet me at She’s Bean Around Friday at seven?
Fuck yeah, I would.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sabrina
“Iced or hot?” Jazzy, the lady at the counter of She’s Bean Around, asked as I finally made it up from the line that had wrapped halfway down the block.
I always felt old on my friend-date night with Britney. The nighttime crowd at this particular coffee place ran young. Not that I blamed them.
The world lacked third spaces for everyone, but especially teens, to hang out outside of home, school, or work. And as a mom and former troublesome teen, I was happy to see the kids hanging out at a coffee place instead of trying on grown-up shoes by smoking, drinking, or screwing around.
“Eh, hot. Surprise me on the flavor,” I said.
“You sure about that? It could get crazy.”
“You’ve never let me down before,” I said, moving over a step to glance in the snack cabinet. “When did you guys start carrying whoopie pies?” I asked.
“This week,” Jazzy said as she pumped stuff into my large latte cup. “You want one, trust me,” she said before setting my cup under the espresso machine.
“I can’t turn it down then,” I agreed, watching as she grabbed one and stuck it on a plate for me.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I swiped to answer.
“You’re never late,” I said, glancing toward the front windows, expecting to see her walking up.
“Sabrina, I’m so sorry. I have to cancel. Allie is sick,” she said.
“Oh, no. Is she alright?”
“Yeah. But I don’t want to leave her home alone when she isn’t feeling well.”
“No, of course not. Don’t worry about it. Give her a kiss for me.”
“Will do. Maybe we can catch lunch this week… oh,” she said and I heard something that sounded like retching, making me queasy. “I have to go.”
“Friend cancel?” Jazzy asked as she looked at my dessert. “Want me to make it to go?”
“Would you hate me if I took up a valuable table all by myself?” I asked. What can I say? Aside from work, I never really got to get out on my own. I valued the hour or so of free time. Even if I was totally going to stress about the sink full of dishes and the pile of laundry that was getting so tall there was a definite chance it could topple over and bury me or Daphne alive.
“Please do. Don’t get me wrong, the kids are usually pretty… okay. But it’s nice to have some grown-ups around here too,” she said as I tapped my card to pay.
“I won’t take it as long as usual,” I said as I turned to grab one of the tables against the wall.
I’d just sat down and opened my drink to let it cool down a bit, when a tall male body stopped next to my table.
My immediate response was annoyance and I was going to just keep my gaze down to discourage conversation.