Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 76000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Agreed,” Mira adds. “And I think it’s good morale for the community. They’re so excited about this inn, and making them feel like they’re part of it will give them a sense of pride in its success.”
“I’m honestly relieved that they are excited,” Luna admits. “They could have gone the other way and been angry about another tourist trap in town.”
“I haven’t heard anyone say anything bad about that,” I reply. “Granted, I’m the one building it, so maybe they wouldn’t say anything to me directly, but my grandma keeps her ear to the ground, and she hasn’t heard anything either.”
“Good.” Luna sighs in relief. “I’m so excited, you guys. Oh, and the holiday décor is coming in two weeks. It’s stunning.”
“Will you put a real Christmas tree in the foyer?”
“Of course.” She grins. “Wolfe and I plan to go cut one down the day after Thanksgiving.”
“Epic,” Mira declares. “This place is going to be epic.”
“You bet your ass it is,” I reply and reach for another cookie.
June 14, 2010
Dear Diary,
My construction business is finally open! All of the ridiculous paperwork is filed with the state. I have permits and certificates and licenses coming out my ears, and I can finally put all of my hard work to…well, WORK. I’m finally done killing myself for the sake of someone else’s business, making a measly hourly wage.
I haven’t had as much pushback from some of the “good ol’ boys” as I expected, which is a relief. In fact, I didn’t have a problem at all finding enough people for a full crew. I know that guys will come and go, and that’s okay, but I’m just so freaking excited to have my own business. I’m going to make it work if it’s the last thing I do.
Grandma is my first client. She wants me to build a new deck for her, so that’s where we’re starting.
I have some possible projects lined up for the summer, too. Here’s hoping I stay busy! I now have a crew to pay, insurance to pay, and all kinds of other things that you don’t think about.
Luna and I are going to celebrate with pizza and beer at Lighthouse Pizza. I wish Sarah was here to celebrate with us. She’d get a huge kick out of it! I miss her. Don’t tell anyone I said that. Because I’m also really, REALLY mad at her.
Anyway, here’s to a new business! May it be awesome for a long, long time.
Xo,
June
Chapter Two
Apollo
I hate this house.
It’s not horrible, and I’ve seen far worse, but this isn’t the house that I’ll grow old in.
Plopping onto the couch, I let out a long breath and take a pull from the beer I retrieved from the fridge. Not too long ago, my buddy Tanner pointed out that this place is sad, and he’s right. I’ve lived here for over ten years and have yet to hang anything on the walls. It’s cold and sterile, which has nothing to do with the thermostat, but it has the necessities, and that’s really all I need for now. Besides, I’m hardly ever here. I live and breathe my job, and I spend a lot of time with my friends and family.
Basically, this is where I flop down and shower before going back to my life.
But, this evening, I’m too damn tired to care about the blank walls and boring décor of my house. It was a long day, and I spent a portion of it subcontracting out a couple of jobs so nothing gets lost in the shuffle or falls behind deadline.
The truth is, fitting June’s project into my schedule was a pain in the ass, not that she’ll ever know that. I’ll help her—at cost—without a fucking word about the inconvenience because it’s June.
She may give me a hard time and glare at me more than she’s ever smiled at me, but at the end of the day, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. So, if she wants to live in that tiny church by Christmas, that’s what will happen, come hell or high water.
My phone pings with a text, and I’m a little surprised to see that it’s from Tanner. Since he and Sarah have been together again, I hear from him less, which is completely expected and normal.
* * *
Tanner: Hey, feel like a beer and pizza?
I snort.
Me: Do birds fly? Meet in 20?
Tanner: See you there.
* * *
After setting the almost-full beer back in the fridge, I change into clean clothes, grab my keys, and head out for dinner with a friend. Lighthouse Pizza is our favorite haunt in town, and I could go for a pie tonight.
The drive is short, and when I walk inside the restaurant, Tanner is already seated at a high-top table, a beer in his hand, and there is one waiting for me.