Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
I savor the burn of the alcohol, focusing on it and trying to not think about the fact that June is naked upstairs in the shower. I know tonight, when I lie down, it will be all I think about. It's not hard to imagine what she might look like underneath those tight jeans and snug shirts she wears. I didn’t know jeans and a shirt could be so damn sexy, but here we are.
Then again, I wasn't one to chase after women or pay attention to what they wore. They tended to chase after me. June, however, runs away from me. I should be thankful. I wish everyone would do the same, but the one I want to stay, of course, wants nothing to do with me.
I don’t know what to make of her. It doesn’t help that I’m shit with people. Reading them is no problem, but interacting with them presents a different challenge. I am adept with numbers and technology. I spend most of my time in my office behind a wall of screens. So small talk is really not my forte.
I set the tumbler down on the coffee table. The family pictures lining the living room's walls now capture my attention. They have so many of them through the years. In all the homes my parents own, I don’t think there is one picture of any of us. If there is one, it's one of those creepy paintings. I remember having to remove and hide a few when I was younger. They scared the shit out of Paisley.
“You own Luka Technology,” Wyatt says. I can feel him watching me. He has been since I got here.
“I do.” I’m surprised he knows of it. Most of my stuff is used by the government or large companies. I have some patents, too, but you'd have to be deep into the tech world to know and understand that.
“You’re smart.” I shrug. What can I say? I can’t deny it. “With technology,” he adds, taking me off guard. I don’t miss what he’s implying. “My June bug is smart. She’s got the sense of a horse.”
“Sense of a horse?” I repeat.
“Right, you’re city, I forgot.” I’m not sure if Wyatt means that as a dig or only a statement of fact. “Sense of a horse,” he says again. “Smart and practical. Can get a feel for someone in a few seconds. It’s their way of things. You’re born with it.”
“She can be rash,” I counter. June didn’t know who I was from a hole in the wall, and she was willing to throw herself in front of Paisley. She was about to board a plane that could go anywhere without much care for her own well-being.
"What you might perceive as rash, others perceive as quick thinking." His serious expression falters when he speaks of June. A small smile breaks through. “All I’m saying is to be careful.” Interesting. That wasn’t what I thought he was going to say.
“Are you warning me for myself or her?”
“Both.” We stare at each other for a long time. “How about I get you another drink?” His whole demeanor changes, going back to the relaxed man I’d been introduced to when I first arrived. Wyatt doesn’t wait for a response to his question. He grabs my tumbler off the coffee table, leaving me alone in the living room.
“Hey!” Paisley comes bouncing into the room. “Are you doing okay?” She gives me a skeptical look.
“I’m good.”
“Really?” A laugh bubbles free. “I’m still kind of shocked you’ve stuck around.”
“I told you I’d walk you down the aisle.” Her request surprised me. I didn’t deserve that honor. I’ve been a shit brother to her a big chunk of years.
When I hit eighteen, I took off. I got out of our family's life without looking back. No matter how hard our parents tried to pull me back into it.
I knew Paisley was off to boarding school and then college. She was so much younger than me. Eight years separated us, but when we were young and actually home, I always watched out for her.
I kept tabs on her, but not close enough. It wasn’t until she took off that I was aware she was out of college and back stateside. My sense of time can blur. When you work in an office with no windows, it happens. I slept when I was tired. I didn’t keep track of those kinds of things. There was no need. I didn’t have anyone to explain myself to or answer to.
"Things can be different, you know."
“They will be.” I didn’t want us to be like the rest of our family. I’m just not sure how great of a brother I could be. I wasn’t one to offer a hug, small talk, or call to check up. This is all new to me.