Total pages in book: 13
Estimated words: 12781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 64(@200wpm)___ 51(@250wpm)___ 43(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 12781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 64(@200wpm)___ 51(@250wpm)___ 43(@300wpm)
Lilly looks between the two of us and I barely hear her stutter that she’s going to go find Smoky. She walks away before she can hear me turn Teresa down… again.
I find her in the office with Smoky leaning over her. “You don’t know how glad I am to have you here. Now that Harper’s pregnant, I want to be able to spend more time at home.”
“She’s not going to be working nights or anything, Smoky. She’ll come here to do paperwork in the mornings, before it gets too crazy,” I tell him and her too, in case she was wondering.
She just rolls her eyes. “Smoky, I can work any time you need me to. Show me where everything is.”
By this point, steam is about to come out of my ears. I’m sitting in the corner and now, not only is she ignoring me, but she’s also pissed off at me. I can tell.
Smoky must sense it too, because I catch him laughing at me when she’s not paying attention. I just give him the middle finger and stare down at my phone like I have something important to do.
As soon as they’re done, I hustle her out of there because most of the dancers are just like Teresa and I prefer women not to manhandle me, no matter what Lilly thinks.
Once we’re in the truck, I ask her if she wants to stop for lunch before we go back.
“No. I just want to go back.”
“C’mon, Lilly, don’t be like that. I’m starving,” I plead with her. I would give anything to have her smile at me again.
“Well, then drop me off and get yourself something to eat. I’m sure you can find someone to eat with.”
I know what she’s thinking and she’s crazy. I haven’t even looked at another woman since the day I met her. I can’t, not without picturing her. Even when I tried to put her out of my mind, I couldn’t. “I don’t want to eat with anyone else. I want to eat with you.”
She’s quiet, but I can feel her staring at me across the console. Finally, she says, “Until I start working, I’m using Sniper’s money and I never eat out. I’ll eat at home.”
I glance over at her. Sniper has more money than he knows what to do with. He wouldn’t care if she ate out for every meal every day. But she doesn’t want to take advantage of him. I shake my head, thinking about the last two years. What else has she gone without?
I pull out my phone and call my favorite Italian restaurant and order four different meals. I don’t even ask her what she likes because I know she won’t tell me. I then pull into an ATM and get some money out, ready for the fight when I get back into the truck.
I hold the bills out to her, but she keeps her hands clasped tightly together in her lap.
“I’m not taking your money.”
I grab her hand and pry it open, placing the bills in her palm. She pulls away then, almost like my touch burns her.
“This is prepayment. You should have your own money.”
Her nose scrunches up. “Prepayment for what?”
“My furniture business. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it. But I need someone to keep the books for me and help me with getting organized. I’m good at making the furniture, but not at keeping up with orders and everything else that goes with it,” I tell her.
Her curiosity is piqued. But she still puts the money down in the cup holder. “Show me first, then we’ll talk money.”
Nodding my head, I pull into the Italian restaurant. “I’ll be right back.”
I grab the food and start driving back to my house. When we pull in and I shut the engine off, I run around to help her out of the truck. She about falls down getting out because her mouth is hanging open staring at the house.
“Is this your place?”
I nod and lift her the rest of the way down to the ground.
“Keeper, oh my God, it’s huge.”
I look up at it proudly. It’s a large cabin, made entirely of wood. Except for the metal roof. I love the sound of rain on a metal roof. I’ve come a long way in two years.
With the bag of food in one hand, I open the door with the other, gesturing for her to go in.
She walks around the house looking at everything. She steps into my bedroom and comes back out quickly.
With her hand covering her embarrassed face, she apologizes. “I’m so sorry, Keeper. I’m walking around snooping through everything. I just can’t believe this house. It’s beautiful.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Sit down before the food gets cold. I wasn’t sure what you liked so I got a few different options.”