Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Well, that sounded sort of ominous. “Should I be scared?”
He chuckled. “Sometimes I’m scared. The amount of sleep she gets determines if you’ll be battling good or evil at bedtime.”
While amusing, it was also a bit worrisome since she wasn’t sure how to handle a cranky, sleep-deprived child.
He continued, “To make things easier, I usually lay next to her in bed while reading to her until she falls asleep.”
“Every night?”
His lips thinned. “When I’m home. I’d like to get her back on a consistent schedule. It’s been a mess lately. And now with you here…”
“Got it.” He was looking for Sloane to return some consistency into Val’s life. “Which option do you prefer? No nap and an earlier bedtime or a nap in the afternoon and put her to bed at eight?”
“The nap option. This way I might catch her before she goes to sleep. I just don’t know what the hell my schedule will be like. This isn’t a typical nine-to-five. There will be no consistency, which is why I needed someone to move in.”
“Why don’t you write up a daily schedule and stick it to the fridge? And if she has any appointments or things of that nature, just jot those down with the time and location.”
His eyebrows rose. “Like a weekly planner?”
“Yes, that would be perfect. This way there are no misunderstandings or missed appointments.”
“Organized. I like it.”
She shrugged. “When you work remotely, you have to stay organized. Otherwise, your workday could end up being longer than it should.”
He nodded. “All right. I have to get over to the Demons’ clubhouse. You have the number to my task force phone, as well as my personal cell phone. I’ll probably end up forwarding my personal number to my work phone. Text that one first if you have any questions. I might not be able to answer right away, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“What if there’s an emergency and I can’t get a hold of you? Should I call your mother?”
“No. I wrote down a list of my brothers in the Blue Avengers and stuck it to the side of the fridge. Just go down that list until you get someone on the phone. They’ll either get a hold of me, deal with the emergency or send someone else to help.”
“It’s nice having a support system like that.” Sloane only wished she had that same type of support system. Recently she felt more alone than ever. She didn’t even have her sister to rely on. Then there were her parents…
Another sticky point since they disapproved of Sloane allowing her life to turn into shambles all because she wanted to help Sadie.
“You have no idea,” he murmured. “Like I told you, I couldn’t raise Val without them. And my mother, of course.”
“I think you’d do just fine.”
“Maybe. But I’m damn glad I didn’t have to find out. Okay, I’m out of here. I’ll let you know if, for some reason, I’m not coming home at all. Otherwise, you might not hear from me at all.”
Now she scrambled to put the finishing touches on the last email she was writing to one of the firm’s associates. She clicked on Send just as the door opened and Decker stepped in from the garage.
He didn’t get very far since the office was so narrow and her office chair blocked his pathway.
“Sorry. I’m just finishing up. Give me a second to shut things down and I’ll be out of your way.”
He leaned against the desk—which was more of a wood counter, really—and tipped his head. “You’re working late.”
Why did his deep, smooth-as-butter voice get her every damn time?
Hopefully, like her schedule, his effect on her would settle down sometime soon, too. He might not officially be her boss, but they did have a working relationship. And it was never good to mix business with pleasure.
“I couldn’t get everything I needed done this morning while Val was at preschool. Then after we got back from picking her up, she wanted me to watch cartoons with her and play a game.”
When he shook his head, she wondered what he’d look like without the longish hair and beard. She couldn’t find one picture of him around the house. They were all of Val, his mother and his sister before she was strung-out on drugs.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m supposed to be here for her. That was the deal. I’m sure she won’t need me so much once the shiny new penny becomes dull.”
His expression twisted.
“What?”
“You saying ‘penny’ just brought back,” he grimaced, “a bad memory.”
“Oh… Sorry.”
“You wouldn’t have known.”
“I still don’t,” she countered.
He huffed out a short breath. “Take my word for it, it’s better you don’t.”
After she closed her laptop and stood, he stared at her.
“Am I still blocking you?”