Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 101778 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101778 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“Hmm.”
That was her only reply.
Taking in a breath, I said, “Okay, well, should we talk about your redesign? Karen said you have a theme you want to go with.”
“Are you dating Brock Shaw?”
I nearly choked on my own tongue. “Excuse me?”
Clearing her throat, Miss Kent repeated her question. “Are you . . . dating . . . Brock Shaw?”
I leaned back in my chair. “I’m not sure what my personal life has to do with redesigning your home, Miss Kent.”
“It doesn’t, Miss Pratt. It’s purely a nosy-ass question on my part.”
A tight smile formed on my mouth. “I see. Well, to answer your question, yes, I am.”
A huge smile erupted on her face as she leaned in. “Shut! Up!”
Okay, there was her age coming out.
“Why is that so shocking?”
She waved her hand about. “Okay, where do I even begin? First off, his wife died, and he totally blamed himself for her death. The man has been filled with guilt ever since.”
Kaylee should have sought out this girl for the town gossip.
“Don’t even get me started on his brother Ty. He’s hot, and he knows it. I’m pretty sure he’s slept with most of the women in Hamilton. Word has it, though, he has someone in Billings, I think. He’s cooled it down on the one-night stands the last few weeks. As a matter of fact, there have been no reports of any hookups.”
“Reports?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, Ty often gives the rumor mill a run for its money.”
Oh yeah, I need to hook Kaylee up with Miss Kent.
“Now, if you’re interested, a few of the local single guys always go to the Blue Moose on Wednesday nights. But then, you did say you were dating Brock, so you might not be interested.”
She winked, and I attempted to get her back on track with our conversation.
“So, your design—”
“You’ll probably want to avoid Lucy Mae. She’s nothing but trouble, and has a thing for Brock that she hasn’t been able to let go of since he dumped her for Kaci.”
My eyes widened. “Avoid her?”
I had no idea why I asked and egged her on to keep talking.
“Yes! She’ll fill your head with tales of Brock and his whoring ways. That’s what she did with Kaci.”
Frowning, I wanted to ask why, but I was not about to start gossiping about Brock’s deceased wife and his ex-girlfriend.
“So, a theme?” I asked, again trying to get the conversation back on her project.
“And whatever you do, don’t eat at the Rusty Pig.”
I pressed my lips together in an attempt not to giggle. This woman was hell bent on getting me caught up on all of the town’s gossip.
“And why would that be?” I asked. A glutton for punishment.
Julia placed her hand over her mouth and pretended to gasp. “I hope you haven’t eaten there already! He barely passes the health inspections, and I’m almost positive he uses cat for his meat.”
“I’m sorry . . . what did you just say?” I asked, leaning in closer. “Did you say cat?”
She nodded. “It hasn’t been confirmed yet.”
Blinking a few times, I slowly shook my head and took in a deep breath. No wonder Karen had given me this client. Was this some sort of test? Handle the town gossip and you can handle anything?
“So, back to your remodel. Did you have any color scheme you wanted to keep with?”
She nodded. “Blue.”
Thank the Lord, we were moving on.
“You know Dirk, Brock’s best friend?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Yes. I know Dirk.”
Leaning in closer, she gave me a saucy grin. “He’s really good in bed—or so I’ve heard.” She winked. “Okay, so maybe we did hook up once or twice. The man has a cock like no other.”
My jaw dropped. Then my eyes went to her wedding ring, and she laughed.
“It was before I got married. Now, your best friend, is she moving here as well?”
My head was spinning. How did this woman switch topics so quickly?
“Kaylee is not a subject open for discussion.”
She looked apologetic. “Lord, I’m sorry. You’re new in town and not ready for the ins and outs of Hamilton, probably,” she said with a lighthearted laugh.
I forced a smile and decided enough was enough. “My goodness, Mrs. Kent, we should really talk about your design theme.”
She sat up straighter and cleared her throat. With a big toothy grin, she said, “Right. I want to go with an ocean theme. Blue everywhere and fish decorations galore!”
I almost laughed, but I realized quickly that she was serious. Especially when she pulled out the three-ring binder with pages of ideas she’d taken from Pinterest plastered inside.
I looked from the binder to Julia and back to the binder.
Oh, hell, this is not the first job I’m taking on in Hamilton . . . is it?
Walking into my barn, I took a deep breath. It was Tuesday night, and I hadn’t seen Brock since Sunday. I wasn’t the type of girlfriend who was clingy, and truth be told, I had needed the distance between us to wrap my head around these intense feelings I was having toward both Brock and Blayze. And I’d just gotten off the phone with Julia. I needed to get my mind out of the ocean and back to real life. I’d also learned from Karen that Julia was the town go-to person when you needed to find out anything. Of course, she’d informed me a little too late. I’d figured that out on my own.