Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 141951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 710(@200wpm)___ 568(@250wpm)___ 473(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 710(@200wpm)___ 568(@250wpm)___ 473(@300wpm)
It blinked with a new text.
He picked it up to see the apology, well wishes, and a call me tomorrow from his brother, but he swiped it away with a shake of his head. He would call his brother in the morning, and they’d definitely revisit the hacking conversation, but there was no love lost there.
Jacob couldn’t help himself.
Not when it came to Lucas.
He shot off a text to the number directly below his brother’s in the recent contact list. Not that there was a lot to see in that conversation thread. His texts with Delaney had been mostly confirmatory of their date, times and so forth. His most recent message, just sent, said simply: I’m outside whenever you’re ready.
Not wanting Delaney to come out of her place to search for the waiting car, he stepped out of the vehicle with the pot of mums and headed for the entrance door. His shoes crunched across the snow-crusted walkway until he came to a stop just beyond the double glass doors showcasing the lit entry and a back wall of mailboxes for the apartment. The call board outside the doors, labeled with every apartment number, took his attention for a minute.
Long enough to miss Delaney exiting from the second floor. Her descent caught the edge of his vision, and he greeted her with a smile on the other side of the doors. The blonde girl, leaning out of the second-floor metal door, said something that caused Delaney to pause and look over her shoulder.
Then, she pushed the door open. Stepping out into the cold air with him, she immediately shoved her hands into the pockets of her long, buttoned up tweed coat with a belt cinched at the middle.
“Hey,” she said, her breath full of air like she’d been in a rush. “Wow, it’s cold.”
“Hey, yourself,” Lucas returned. He held out the mums. Their color matched the pom-topped hat, scarf, and finger mittens Delaney wore. All luck. “We won’t be out in this weather for long. These are for you.”
She took the flowers, saying, “Thank you.”
The blonde inside had yet to leave the upper stairwell while still holding open the hallway door.
“Is that your friend?”
“Bexley. My roommate, and cousin,” Delaney said, peeking behind herself once more. She waved at the young woman, but she still didn’t move. In fact, Bexley openly stared between Delaney and Lucas, making sure both of them knew she was doing it. “She’s too nosy for her own good.”
Yeah, he had one of those in his life, too. He gave Miss Bexley a bit of grace for her narrowing stare lingering on him when he tried to ignore it.
“You don’t have a cat, right?” Lucas asked.
Delaney swung back on him with a wide smile. “What?”
“The mums—I guess they’re bad for cats.”
“Ah, okay,” she replied, surveying the tops of the flowers before lifting them for a sniff that curved her lips happily again. “No worries. No cats.”
Without warning, Delaney stepped forward with an arm wide that she wrapped around his middle. Maybe it was the fact he had a good ninety or more pounds of muscle on the woman, but he didn’t expect the force of her squeeze or how warm and soft she’d feel tucked against his chest. It took real effort to keep his next breaths steady as whatever candied-crisp perfume she wore wafted up with her next hug.
She kept the mums safe at the side and beamed up at him.
“You won’t be offended if I leave these with Bex, right?” she asked.
God, no.
He was going to be more irritated by the fact that she had to let him go to do it.
“The flowers are yours. Do whatever you want.”
She tossed him a wink as she pulled away and turned back for the door. Lucas tried to give the two women a bit of privacy by facing the parking lot when Bexley came down the stairs inside at her cousin’s gesturing.
He still heard the quiet, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Dalton.”
He grinned over his shoulder and waved. “You, too … Bexley, is it?”
The blonde nodded. “That’s me. And you’re Lucas, right?”
A chuckle escaped him at her pointed question to get his name right, and confirm her cousin had not lied. “That is me, yes.”
“Get inside—your food is getting cold,” Delaney pointed out.
“I can order something else,” her cousin argued. “We’ve made introductions now, so we might as well talk a bit.”
“Nope.” Delaney shoved Bexley, now holding the maroon mums, back inside the doors. “Goodnight.”
The door finally shut.
Not that Bexley moved.
In fact, she smiled and waved at the two while Delaney rejoined Lucas on the walkway and hooked her elbow around his. As they headed for the idling car twenty paces away.
“That’s yours?” Delaney asked.
“For the rest of the week.” She shot him a curious glance, and he clarified, “A rental. I live in Saint John but travel back and forth to here for work at least every couple of weeks. I can’t stand driving more than an hour if I’m behind the wheel, so I don’t bring my vehicle very often.”