Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“You sure? It’s the good stuff. We keep it for when Ma needs some,” Baron told her.
“I’m okay, really. Thanks.”
Although she kind of felt like crying. Happy tears. Because it was just so sweet the way these boys took care of their mom.
“Those are cute shoes,” Royal said.
“They look like they have confetti on them. Do you like confetti?” Baron asked.
“Brother, who wouldn’t like confetti?” Royal asked.
“True.” Baron nodded.
“What about a cuddle? That helps our Ma. We could give you a twin cuddle,” Royal offered.
“Um, that’s very sweet. But really, I’m good.”
“You sure, Brooks’ Mom?” Baron asked. “Our cuddles are magic.”
“I’m sure. I’m not actually his mom, though.”
“Aren’t you?” Royal asked. “Is she not your mom, Brooks?”
Brooks stared at her, and she gasped at the look of love on his face. She swayed and Steele fitted himself at her back, giving her strength. And holding her up.
“She is in all the ways that count,” Brooks said.
She would not cry. She was not going to cry. A small sniffle might have escaped, but she didn’t let her tears escape.
“You’re not going to cry, are you, Spitfire?” Steele asked in a low voice.
“Certainly not,” she replied huskily.
Damn it.
Do not cry. Do not.
“You see to your ma, man. We’ll wait,” Baron told him. “Stella’s planning on meeting us there. And you know she’ll want to give you a hero’s welcome.”
She saw a slash of red enter Brooks’ cheeks.
The twins headed off to get into a car.
“Brooks, honey, I’ve got to go back to work. You go with your friends. They seem nice, if a little terrifying. Are you sure they’re only teenagers?”
Brooks grinned, then grimaced as his face was obviously hurting him.
“Or maybe we should take you to the hospital to get checked out. You need to keep icing that. Actually, perhaps you need to come with me so I can check that it’s taken care of.”
“Effie,” Steele said quietly, wrapping his arm around her waist.
“Yes?”
“Let the boy go get a hero’s welcome. I bet his girl will take good care of him.”
“She’s not my girl.” Brooks glanced away shyly. “She is cute, though.”
Good. Something had happened with the last girl he’d been dating which he wouldn’t tell her about. But she knew he hadn’t been out with her again.
Hopefully, this Stella girl really was a sweetheart.
“All right then. You go off and let, uh, Stella take care of you. Just text me before you leave the diner and when you get home. Okay?”
Brooks didn’t immediately leave. Instead, he looked from her to Steele. “You going to be okay, Effie?”
“Of course, honey. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Mr. Cleary didn’t upset you?” Brooks asked.
“Nope. Not at all,” she lied. “I knew it would all work out.”
Brooks eyed her like he didn’t believe her. “You’re not lying to me, right, Aunt Effie?”
Uh-oh.
Steele stiffened behind her.
“Me?”
“Uh-huh. You.” Brooks gave her a stern look.
Shoot.
“All right, I was a bit upset. But I wasn’t scared. Not with you there. And Steele.”
His gaze went up to the man behind her. “Right, Mr. Steele. Good to meet you.”
And her too-grown-up-for-her-own-good nephew held out his hand. Steele reached around her to shake it.
“You too, Brooks.”
Brooks cleared his throat. “You brought my aunt here?”
“Yeah. She was in a rush. Wanted to make sure she got here safe.”
To her shock, something like relief filled Brooks face.
“Spitfire, can you go wait in the car while I talk to Brooks?” Steele asked.
“Um, what?”
He squeezed her around the waist again. “Car. Wait. Go.”
She sent him a look. Was he seriously ordering her to the car so he could talk to her kid? What was he going to say to him?
Steele leaned in to whisper to her. “Trust me?”
Did she trust him? The guy who’d insisted on buying her slippers because her shoes were rubbing her feet? And had bought her gloves because hers had worn out? The guy who came in each day to eat her baking?
Yeah, she guessed she did.
“You okay, honey?” she asked Brooks. “I can take the rest of the day off if you need me to.”
“I’m good, Aunt Effie. And I want a moment with Mr. Steele too.”
“Just Steele,” he said predictably.
She sighed and turned to walk off to where Raul was parked. Raul must have been watching because he got out and opened the door for her.
“Buckle up, Miss Effie,” he reminded her.
She climbed into the back of the car, shocked to see it had been completely tidied. Shoot. She felt terrible that Raul had had to tidy up her mess.
He’d put all her things into a small basket he must have had stashed somewhere. Her hairbrush, mirror, tampons, gum, and Slowly the sloth were all in there.
Oh my God.
Had Steele seen Slowly? What must he think? Was he wondering why the heck she carried around a toy sloth?
With a groan, she stuffed everything back into her handbag, wishing she had a second emergency packet of jelly beans.