Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Madelyn
I blinked, mouth falling open before I bit it shut again. “This is inappropriate and not necessary to our business. May I proceed with my questions?”
Kyle didn’t like that answer. I saw it by how his jaw ticced, by how his eyes flicked to where I was still covering my ring finger like a secret.
But he sat back on a nod, waving his massive hand over the table as a sign for me to take the wheel.
I cleared my throat, reading over the notes I’d made in his file. “You didn’t have any preferences on neighborhoods, which leaves a very wide expanse of land to cover. You really don’t care where you live? Perhaps we should start in one of the more affluent and protected neighborhoods?”
“I can handle security after I buy,” he said, dismissing the thought quickly. “What I care about more than anything is that I like the house.”
“Right...” I said, flipping through my notes. “Which is going to be slightly difficult to find, considering your preferences aren’t super specific. You want...” I scanned until I found that part of the questionnaire I sent him. “A pool, a dedicated space for a gym, a chef’s grade kitchen, six bedrooms, a four-car garage minimum, and a nice view.”
“See? That’s plenty to narrow down choices.”
“In Seattle?” I chuffed a laugh, closing the binder. “You’d be surprised.” I paused a moment. “Okay, so, I understand the gym and the pool. When it comes to the kitchen, what are you specifically looking for?”
“I want something well-equipped for my nutritionist and chef to work in, as well as the kind of kitchen made for entertaining.”
I nodded. “Okay, and then... six bedrooms. Any flexibility there?”
“No.”
“May I ask why?”
“Because if my former teammates and best friends, who are the closest things I have to family, ever come to visit, they all have girlfriends or wives or fiancées. So, they’ll all need their own room.”
“Fair enough,” I said, ready to move on, but he cut me off.
“And if my actual family ever comes, I need a room on the opposite side of the house from me to stick them in so I can avoid them at all costs.”
My hands froze in my lap, my eyes on the tablecloth.
I couldn’t even look at him, for fear of what I’d find in those deep blue eyes.
I was no stranger to his relationship with his parents. I could close my eyes and still remember the first time I heard his screams when his father came at him with a belt, could still see his mother’s dejected face as she sat on the porch and pretended like she didn’t hear it.
I guessed part of me hoped things had changed.
By that comment, I knew they hadn’t.
The way Kyle was sitting now, all blasé, his arms folded across his chest as he reclined in the chair across from me, he seemed like he had the world in the palm of his hand. And in so many ways, he did. He was young, insanely hot, insanely rich, and a professional athlete.
But in those eyes of his, I could still see the boy I used to know. I could still remember his lopsided grin and carefree attitude. I could still remember how different he was when it was just me and him, as opposed to when his parents were around. I could still remember how hard I’d fought against my crush on him, how I’d made fun of myself for having the hots for a boy two grades younger than me who was so... annoying.
And yet, it’d been impossible to fight his charm. He’d been impossible to resist.
And I’d paid the price for falling.
Our food arrived, saving me from having to comment. For a few moments, we ate in silence, and then Kyle dropped his fork and took a long pull of water with his eyes on me.
“You never answered my question.”
“You never asked one,” I shot back.
He tapped the side of his glass with his long fingers. “Did you get married?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I tongued my cheek, dropping my own fork and sitting back in my chair before I dragged my gaze to his. “Because at the time it happened, you had been out of my life for years.”
“And whose choice was that?”
My jaw hardened at the audacity. “I think for the sake of remaining professional, we should keep our conversations to house-hunting and steer clear of reminiscing over the past.”
“Are you married now?” Kyle asked. “That’s a present question — not a past one.”
My nostrils flared, my eyes dropping to the table once more. “No.”
Suddenly, my phone began vibrating in my purse hanging beneath the table. I scooted back so hard the chair ground against the floor, fumbling for my bag and whipping the device out. I always put my phone on silent during work meetings, but I made sure the few important people I needed to have access to me could still get through.