Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
I step inside the small room, flip the light on with my elbow, and look at myself in the mirror. My hair is up in a sloppy bun, there are bags on top of bags under my eyes and I have so much clay mixed with water all over me I look as bad as Genny in the mess department.
“Get it together, Sienna,” I tell myself as I go about cleaning myself up a little bit. The water turns from muddy to clear. My leather apron helps keep my clothes clean. I’ve also learned to wear jeans and a tank top to keep the mess to a minimum. Once I deem myself good enough, I whip my apron over my head and hang it on the hook where Genny’s will reside next to it once I’m out of the restroom. She has more of a clean-up process than I do with paints and brushes. I tend to keep the wheel as wet as possible, going as far as placing a tarp over it for less hassle in the morning.
“Trade you,” Genevieve says, barging in with my phone in her hand and done for the day.
“Thanks.” I don’t bother teasing her saying a girl could be peeing or pooping. We’re that close we’d think nothing of it. Either one of us would plop down on the tile floor, have a conversation, and carry on like it’s normal.
“No problem.” Her red her is up in a giant hair clip. She has gorgeous thick curls, and yes, I’m insanely jealous because mine is stick straight.
I look down at my phone. There are two alerts, one from Trey and three from my brother. I open Amos’ first, thinking something is wrong or he needs me to head home fast. Instead, it’s completely different.
Amos: Hey, Sie, got a minute?
Amos: Guess not, so I’ll lay it out here. Heading out for a week or so. Don’t worry about the farm. I’ve got it covered. We’ll talk more when I get back, and no I’m not sick or getting any testing done.
Amos: Fucking hate texting. Love you, sis.
Well, I guess that’s that. My brother needs to get away. He deserves to live a life that isn’t one living for our family. No one would blame him if he decided to sell off the Ellison farm, but instead he and Trey are expanding, adding more work instead of lessening his load. It’s bad enough Amos gives me the least amount of chores to do. I shoot off a text back.
Me: Alright. I love you and wish you had told me this morning. But I get it. You deserve time away, too. Enjoy and check in when you can.
Amos more than likely won’t reply, so I back out of his text thread and go to Trey’s.
Trey: Sure. I’ll come to you around 7?
The butterflies take hold in my lower belly, my core clenches in desire, and the cold air does nothing to calm my pebbled nipples. One text, and I’m a blazing inferno. God, the things Trey does to me. I start texting, trying to come up with the perfect thing to say. I erase one message, start another, just to repeat the process. Maybe I should ask Genny what to say. No. I’m not doing that. I can do this. It’s like riding a bike or like riding Trey. “Okay, stop, you can replay those memories while showering,” I mutter beneath my breath. I decide to keep it short and sweet, nothing too over the top or long.
Me: Sounds good. See you then.
I take a deep breath and hit the send button, stare at the screen and wait a moment to see if he’ll reply. When he doesn’t respond, I put the phone in my back pocket. Damn, he and Amos are two peas in a pod. Neither of them likes anything to do with technology, especially cell phones.
“Hey, Genny, heading out. I’ll open tomorrow, though,” I holler through the building, only pausing to hear her response.
“Alright. You’re closing, too!” she replies. I let out a laugh. Genevieve is all talk. Even when I close, she stays with me to shoot the shit.
“Sounds good, love you.”
“Love you, too. Send me details after your meeting with Trey.” Clearly, she more than glanced at my phone, the little meddler. I don’t respond, instead let my laughter do the work for me. I’ve got just enough time to get home, hop in the shower, and scarf down a bite to eat. Trey will be over before I know it.
NINE
TREY
“Honey, I’m home,” I say as I open the door to Amos and Sienna’s place. I got here later than I wanted. It’d have been nicer to have my shit here and in place. Ryland stopping by for a conversation took longer than expected. He’s going to need a babysitter for Case when Mom and Dad head out of town the end of the month. All of us would rally, we’d always help where Case is involved. God how I love that kid. He’s the cutest, can be wild at times, and makes our family laugh at the smallest of things. Our discussion moved into Case going to school a few hours a week, which was a shock to my core. He’s been on the ranch since his mom dropped him off as an infant. Now he’ll be twenty minutes away in town, where none of us can see the little guy at the drop of the hat.