Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 628(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 628(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Kat looked appreciatively at her. “He smells so bad that I saw the skunk who lives under the building pack his bags and move away.”
They broke into tearful giggles.
Kat wiped her tears away and shook her head. “What shocks me is none of the brothers have said anything to him.”
“They don’t come close enough to talk to him anymore.” Arden snickered behind her hand. “Neither do the women once they get a good whiff of him.”
“Girl, I have to give you credit.” Kat pressed her lips together and still couldn’t hold back her giggles. “Doesn’t the smell bother you? Especially when you’re having sex?”
“Nope. I just hold my breath or put the pillow over my face. He thinks I don’t want the neighbors hearing me screaming.”
She glanced at her man to check what he was doing and was satisfied to see the women had moved on to greener pastures. Giving Doom a small wave of her fingers when she was caught staring at him, Arden then turned her head back toward Kat to see her scrunched-up, out of sight, laughing her head off into a dish towel.
“You’re lucky Shade, Moon, and Lucky left,” Kat rasped out from the dish cloth. “They would have told him.”
She was actually shocked her plan had worked out so well. Each day, she expected Doom to say something or stop eating the food, yet he would chow down each time she offered what Mama had sent. Arden believed he was saving himself from buying groceries.
Kat was right; she had only met Shade, Moon, and Lucky briefly after Lizzie’s funeral when they had come to Mama’s restaurant afterward. During the meal, Andy had told her that Lucky and Shade had talked him into going to Treepoint with them. Not only was she losing Lizzie, but now she was losing Andy too. Forcing herself to be positive, she had choked down the food past the lump in her throat.
“I won’t be gone long.”
Arden forced herself to give him a reassuring smile while hiding her feelings. “You should take as much time as you need. A new town and job will keep you occupied.”
“I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you. We can Facetime until you’re ready to come back.”
Andy slid an envelope she recognized next to her plate. “I won’t be taking your money. Shade has given me a loan to pay for Lizzie’s services. I’ll be able to pay him back from the job he’s giving me.”
Aware that the conversation at the table had paused, as the others listened in, Arden tried to slide it back. “Then use the money for a fresh start. I saved this money for a car for Luc, but he doesn’t want one; he wants a motorcycle. I can’t bring myself to buy him one. If something happened to him while he was riding, I’d never forgive myself.”
Andy placed his hand over hers, stopping the envelope. “I’m not going to take your money. It never sat right with me, taking money from you. I only did it for Lizzie. I’m going to be okay, Arden. Shade and Lucky will take good care of me.”
Arden felt tears well up in her eyes. “But I won’t be there to check.”
“Like you said, we’ll Facetime every day. I also didn’t take your dad’s money. Lucky wanted to pay for it. I did let you pay for the flowers, though. I know you loved Lizzie.”
Arden looked across the table at Shade and Lucky. Their expressions comforted her that they would watch out for her friend.
Nodding, she took the envelope and placed it back in her purse.
“Arden, you should buy your brother the motorcycle. You have a habit of wrapping people you care about in bubble wrap. I’ve watched you work yourself into the ground providing for everyone, including Lizzie and me. You can’t protect against the unforeseen. Your bother could just as easily get hurt in a car accident or get sick. Don’t instill your fears into him. A flower won’t bloom if you don’t give it enough sunlight or space to grow.”
“I’ll think it over.”
“You won’t buy the motorcycle.” Tolerantly, Andy pointed his finger at her. “Shade, Lucky… Let me tell you something about my friend here. She comes across as the sweetest and most imperturbable person I’ve ever met, but in reality, Arden is hard-headed, finagling, and patient, which drove me nuts more than a time or two.”
Arden felt a blush of embarrassment fill her cheeks. “I don’t think I’m hard-headed.”
Everyone sitting at the table laughed except Shade. Arden wasn’t surprised. Shade didn’t come across as a person who smiled often.
Conversations resumed. Listening in, she saw the connection between Lucky and Andy, which made her feel better about his leaving.
Deep down, Arden knew Andy wouldn’t be returning.
The three weeks he had been gone had compounded the grief she felt at losing Lizzie. Each time she visited Doom at his apartment, her eyes would go to the place where the couple would sit outside.