Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
He grins. The spark in his eye tells me he’s not only serious but also excited. He’s come a long way from a few years ago, healing his life and building a multimillion-dollar business on the verge of billions. I would have been wise to follow in his footsteps, but million-dollar-plus custom cars weren’t something I had much interest in school. How could I when so many hotties were running about campus? And baseball kept me busy.
He replies, “My business is cars. Owning a piece of a Formula One team is a natural progression.”
“And cool as fuck,” Loch adds.
Harbor chuckles again. “Definitely sick as fuck.” He studies the table and then maneuvers around to take his next shot. “If this goes well, maybe one day I’ll own an entire team.” He angles lower, eyeing a ball, but looks up and asks, “But let’s talk about you, little brother. Tell us the good, the bad, and the ugly about working at Bancroft & Lowe.”
Settling down on a barstool, I reply, “I could pick it apart if I tried hard enough, but it’s actually been really good.”
“Did you get laid yet?”
“HR was quick to point out the no-dating policy. It’s not something they enforce, but it’s frowned upon. A relationship went south and ripped through the office in the aftermath.”
Loch comes around, pulling a stool nearby to sit on. We both know Harbor will spend the next ten minutes setting up this shot. “What happened?”
“I have no idea. That’s all they would say.” When I first heard, I tried to piece the puzzle together, but there were no obvious pieces to connect. “I’m thinking those involved don’t work there anymore.”
Harbor looks up again. “Sounds like that’s for the best.” Dipping down again, he hits a ball but doesn’t sink it. “Fuck. You’re up, Loch.”
Loch always gets to the point, even in a game of pool. Stepping up, he shoots before we can even smack-talk. To his credit, he sinks a solid. He dusts his pool cue and then asks, “Are we doing dinner tonight? I need to let Tuesday know.”
Although there’s the age gap between my brothers and me, we’ve grown closer as we’ve gotten older. Being in the “real world” now helps them see me more as an equal than just their tagalong kid brother. “I’m starving, so wrap it up and let’s go for steaks.”
He hits the next ball like he’s lost interest already and is texting before he leaves the table. Tucking his phone in his pocket, he says, “She’s ready for a baby. It kind of hit her out of nowhere, and now she talks about babies all the time and where she wants to put the nursery.”
Harbor chuckles. “Did this happen to be after she spent the day with Lark a few weeks back?”
Sending our brother the evil eye, Loch replies, “Might have been.”
“I’d apologize,” Harbor says, sliding off to pat Loch’s back, “but I wouldn’t mind if you joined the club.”
“You two are such suck-ups. You’ll make Mom’s dreams come true,” I say with a grin. “But at least that will give me plenty of time before I have to settle down.”
Loch’s eyes shoot to the ceiling. “You just fucking graduated. No one wants you settling down. Dude, enjoy your twenties. The years go fast, and when you find a woman who tolerates you, make her your wife because we all know there aren’t many out there who will.” Whipping his gaze back to Harbor, he adds, “And I’m not sure about this club.”
Harbor shrugs. “No one is, man. I know that Lark will be an amazing mother, and I’ll do my damnedest to be the best dad I can.”
I’ve always tried to keep to the lighter side of life, but it feels good to be trusted enough to join in on the heavier stuff. “We have good role models,” I say.
Loch says, “I told Tuesday I wanted a family with her when I asked her to marry me. I never wanted that before her. Now, I’m beginning to see the bigger picture, and babies are the direction we’re heading in.”
“You guys are light-years ahead of me,” I say, kids being the furthest thing from my mind.
Loch laughs. “You’re lucky you don’t already have a baseball team.”
“It’s not luck. I’m careful . . .” I pop my shoulders and take another sip of beer. “Most of the time.” Harbor cringes enough for me to see the disapproval taking over his face. Quick to hold my hands up, I say, “Save the lecture. I’ve learned my lesson.”
He asks Loch, “Do we want details?”
“Definitely not,” Loch replies.
I chuckle. “Don’t worry. I’m not sharing any details.” I have no idea why Liv comes to mind. I told myself to compartmentalize that situation, to let it go for tonight and leave it for tomorrow. Yet somehow, here she is, invading my brain with images of fucking her in the Hamptons, mingling with that glare of death she loves to shoot my way at work. Life isn’t as black and white, good or bad, as she makes it out to be. Sometimes there are a lot of grays to wade through.