Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
I scrunched my nose and reached for my cocoa. “You’re very cryptic, sir.”
That got me another chuckle.
“You’re very talkative, boy.”
I liked it when he called me boy. He’d done that last night too.
“Sorry.” I had to drop my gaze before I could be accused of staring too much. The deep blue color of his eyes did me in. And the way he expressed the power he held. No, wait, that was wrong. He didn’t express it at all. And that was what made it so irresistible. A man of true assertiveness didn’t feel the need to showcase his strengths or tell people how he was. It was simply there for the rest of us to discover on our own.
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” Mr. Abrams leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “I rather enjoy how expressive you are. It’s a good trait in people. I have some experience with the opposite, and that didn’t end well.”
I couldn’t look down any longer. He was offering up information about himself without any prodding.
“Former employee or relationship?” I took another huge bite of my sandwich.
His mouth twisted into a rueful smile. “The latter. Which, ironically, made me close myself in when it was over. My divorce essentially turned me into the reason I’d wanted a divorce in the first place.”
Oh. “You were married.”
He inclined his head. “It was a disaster.”
“That sucks.” I had some more of my pancakes too, even though I was starting to feel full. “When was this?”
He hummed, thinking. “Must’ve been…five years now—since we divorced. We were together for twelve but only married eight months.”
Damn. I suddenly felt unsettled, like I was standing on shaky ground or something. Like I had no business being here. My longest relationship had lasted a year, and it was difficult for me to get attached properly. And I wasn’t even gun-shy. The men I’d been with simply hadn’t ticked enough boxes for me to relax fully.
“So you’ve been the grinch since then?” I asked.
He let out a little laugh and finished his coffee. “Yes, you can say that. I bought this place, spent my free time remodeling it—when I wasn’t traveling—and I stopped meeting new people. I stopped socializing.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, then took a gulp of my juice. “You must’ve gotten hurt.”
He tilted his head. “What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know what thing other than betrayal would result in closing yourself in like that.”
He grew pensive before he eventually offered half a nod. “I suppose you’re right. There were a lot of empty promises, and it put a dent in my ability to trust.”
I put down my fork, unable to eat another bite. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” I wasn’t sure it was only the food that was giving me a stomachache. “Can I ask, um… I mean—was this an ex-wife or an ex-husband?”
He smirked faintly. “Ex-husband.”
Confirmation, check! I managed to keep my face composed, but it did feel nice to have it verified.
“I wasn’t sure,” I admitted. “A friend told me she thought you were gay, but then you had two women waiting outside your office last night, so…”
“Ah. You mean Claire and Cassie—my new interns.” Mirth seeped into his eyes. “They’re my nieces, Parker. They mentioned they saw a naked guy asking about me.”
Fuck. I scratched my ear, and it felt hot. Eye contact was suddenly difficult too. I was so embarrassingly obvious.
“Are you finished?” He gestured to my food.
I nodded and inched back. “Thank you very much, sir. You didn’t have to do this for me.”
“Consider it a thank-you for the snickerdoodle cookies. They were perfect.”
That put a grin on my face so fast. “I’ll make you thousands more if you want.”
“Oof. Some of us don’t have the metabolism of a twenty-five-year-old anymore.” As he brought my plate to the sink, I grabbed some more stuff to help out, and I followed him there like a puppy.
We’d had such a nice time that I couldn’t bear to put any distance between us yet. I wasn’t ready. I wanted more. Much more.
Once we reached the sink, I put down the dishes there before I leaned against the counter next to him. “Oh, wow. I don’t think my sink has been empty ever.” Even after I’d just tidied up the kitchen, I found the random spoon or plate somewhere, and it had to wait in the sink until I was ready to do the dishes again a week later.
“Discovering that you’re a slob doesn’t even qualify on the top ten surprises I’ve had this week.” He smirked to himself as he threw away the leftovers in the bin under the sink. “But this is interesting. You don’t like boundaries, you struggle to control your urges, you eat way too much sugar for breakfast, you were seemingly born without a verbal filter, you’re a goofball, and you’re a slob.”