Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
He walked past the front tables, noting the staff getting the area ready for the lunch crowd, nodding at those who met his gaze.
He reached the bar where Stevie smiled at him. “Hi, boss.”
“Good weekend?” he asked.
She nodded. “I slept in on Sunday and I needed it. You?” she asked in a serious tone, telling him she had no idea what had happened between him and Raven. Of course, she knew that Raven hadn’t shared an Uber home with her as planned but that seemed all. Anything else would be speculation unless Raven chose to tell her she’d been with Remy.
“Same,” he muttered, though he wished he’d spent the day with Raven in his arms.
As if he’d conjured her, Raven walked out of the office area and strode over to Stevie. “When you’re finished out here, Russell needs some help in the storage room.”
“Sure thing.” Smiling, Stevie headed into the back rooms, leaving Raven and Remy alone.
“Morning,” he said, setting the tone of not making things awkward.
“Hi,” she said, clutching an iPad to her chest.
Their gazes locked. And in her eyes, he caught a flare of desire before she tamped down on any emotion. She’d perfected the blank look brilliantly.
“Good rest of the weekend?” he asked.
“Sunday was fine.” She took the stool beside where he stood, lowering herself on to it and placing her iPad on the counter. “But it was no match for Saturday night.” Her sexy lips stretched into a sassy, almost secretive smile and his heart skipped a beat.
He assumed she’d ignore what went down between them. Her acknowledgment confirmed what he already knew. Raven would always surprise him and he enjoyed the unexpected.
“You don’t say?”
She didn’t reply but the lift of her lips remained.
He pulled out the seat next to her and sat, leaning in close enough to inhale peachy scent, which got his blood boiling. “I’d much rather have spent Sunday in that hotel bed with you.”
Her cheeks flushed an attractive shade of pink. He wanted nothing more than to run his nose along her neck and breathe her in but she’d never forgive him if he acted on that instinct at work.
“Everything quiet here?”
She nodded. “All set for the lunch crowd up front.”
The bar itself didn’t open until later.
“Raven, got a minute?” She jumped at the unexpected intrusion.
Remy glanced over his shoulder to see her brother standing behind her, hands in his trouser pockets, a serious look on his face.
“Caleb!” She stared at him in surprise. “I didn’t expect you to come by today. Why aren’t you at work?”
Her brother was a partner at a high-end real estate firm uptown.
“We need to talk,” he said, his mood far more somber than when he normally visited Raven. “It’s urgent.”
Raven’s creamy skin paled.
Remy’s protective instincts rose, but as much as he wanted to stick around to see what would get her so upset, he knew it wasn’t his place to intrude and he rose from his seat.
“Hey, Caleb.” He extended his hand and her brother shook it.
Caleb nodded at him. “Remy.”
He stepped aside. “Take my chair. I need to check things in the back, anyway.”
“Appreciate it,” the other man said in a curt tone.
Though Remy walked away, he’d be keeping his eye on Raven.
* * *
Raven’s brother took the seat Remy had abandoned and sat down beside her, placing a white paper bag with familiar writing down on the counter. “Look what I brought you,” he said, in an obviously forced, cheerful tone.
Despite the unease settling in her stomach, she grabbed for the bakery bag, opened it, and inhaled powdered sugar goodness. “Mmm. At least let me take a few bites of a donut before you wreck me.”
She had no doubt something was wrong or he wouldn’t have taken the long trip upstate to pick up her favorite bakery treat, nor would he be here in the middle of the day.
Caleb worked hard so he could be home for his five-year-old son, Owen, in the evenings and when they came to visit, it was usually for dinner.
“Dig in.” Caleb remained silent as she pulled out her treat and took a much-needed taste. “Yum. Amelia hasn’t lost her touch.”
Caleb smiled. “She said to tell you hi and she misses you.”
“I miss her too.” But Raven wouldn’t visit her old friend’s bakery in Chappaqua and risk running into her mother in town. That was a confrontation Raven avoided at all costs.
She placed the donut back into the bag to eat later, wiped her face with a napkin she grabbed from the counter, and faced her brother. “Okay, I’m ready. Talk to me.”
He put his hand on hers and squeezed tight. “I need you to stay calm, okay?”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You’re scaring me. Just get it over with. It’s about him, isn’t it?”
Caleb nodded. “Lance’s getting out of prison early. In about two weeks.”