Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“I’ll take the jump seat.” I hopped out of the van so the kid could have my window seat with all its lovely legroom.
“You don’t have to do that.” The kid looked close to tears while the driver made a loud harrumph.
“It’s no problem. I like being closer to the door anyway,” I lied as I helped him wrestle his bag into the van. Trina, my youngest sister, had done the whole backpacking through Europe thing after graduating from college, and I’d spent the entire damn summer worried, hoping folks would be nice to the clueless American girl. As tight a squeeze as the jump seat was, I’d take a couple of karma points rather than live with knowing I’d chosen not to help this kid.
“You shouldn’t have to move,” the driver grumbled under his breath.
“I’ve sat in worse places.” I squeezed my six-foot-plus self into the tight jump seat and prepared for a long hour and a half. At least I had my headphones and another few hours on my current audiobook.
Finally, right as the enemy spaceship was about to attack the understaffed space station in my book, we pulled into downtown Mount Hope, and I pocketed my earbuds and phone. These days, the old train depot mainly housed an impressive collection of historical photos of Mount Hope’s heyday in the early 1900s. However, a few shuttles and interstate bus lines gave it enough business to keep the antique lights on.
The bright afternoon sun greeted me as I unfolded myself from the jump seat and grabbed my bag. Eric’s birthday barbecue would be in full swing. Pour one out for my plans to shower, shave, and stash my bag at the big house he shared with his teenagers and some other friends. The plan was for me to rent a room from Eric while I sorted out my post-army life. With no time for a detour, I hoisted my bag onto my sore shoulder and beat feet through downtown to the riverside park that housed a large carousel, playground, and plenty of picnic spaces.
I threaded through three kid birthday parties, a quinceañera, and a fortieth wedding anniversary. Good lord. That couple had been married almost as long as I’d been alive. I shuddered at the thought. My last trip back to Mount Hope had been for Eric’s husband’s funeral, another reminder that long-term relationships weren’t for me. I didn’t object to monogamy as much as the inevitability of heartache.
Finally, I reached Eric’s party, notable by the mix of uniformed first responders, official vehicles parked nearby, swarms of teens, and more than a few same-sex couples with kids. Eric and Montgomery had always had an active social network, and everyone wanted to support Eric through all the firsts after losing his husband. Stopping by the edge of a large green space where people were playing flag football, I stashed my bag on a nearby picnic table as I looked around for Eric or one of my other friends.
A quick scan didn’t reveal any familiar faces, but I did spot the middle-aged quarterback for the flag football game lobbing a pass in my direction. A woefully under-matched receiver sped backward. Young guy, short blond hair, built like a military operator or a first responder, but apparently blessed with two left feet and zero reflexes, judging by how he fumbled the catch.
“Watch where you’re going, kid,” I yelled as I jumped aside. But I’d either miscalculated or the guy had switched directions at the last second because he smacked into me. We tumbled to the muddy grass together. I tried to roll away so I didn’t squash the guy, but somehow, I ended up looming over him. He’d taken the worst of the dirt which streaked his pale skin and white T-shirt.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” He batted impossibly long eyelashes at me, eyes as blue as a pristine mountain lake. He smelled like spring too—grass and soap and sunshine with a faint hint of lemon. I knew better than to linger, but I let myself have a second inhale as I untangled our limbs.
“Tony!” Eric and our other friend, Sean, came running over and helped me up, one on each side.
“Are you okay?” Sean asked.
“I’m fine.” I laughed, far more concerned for the other guy than my welfare. “Did I squash you, kid?”
“I’m fine.” He had a stubborn tilt to his chin, eyes narrowed as if he wouldn’t tell even if he was injured. The guy wasn’t quite as young as he’d first seemed. Under thirty, but older than the kid on the bus.
I probably should have apologized for the kid remark, but those blue, blue eyes and the memory of his scent had me taking a step back instead. Danger ahead. As always, I locked my reaction to his nearness securely away. It didn’t matter how good he smelled or how blue his eyes. I had decades of practice dodging dangerous situations of all types.