Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
I shivered as I said, “Um, yeah. Takis. Dr. Pepper.”
He hummed something low and deep, and then was gone.
The toilet flushed again just as Atlas finished up his fish gathering.
I looked up as the curtain swung open, revealing Pepper who was drying her hands on her shorts.
“No towels.” She grimaced. “I hate wet hands.”
Agreed.
I stepped behind the curtain and had to shake my head at the lack of privacy.
“We’ll be outside, Maven!” I heard Pepper call.
“Okay,” I called right back, thankful that they wouldn’t be right outside the thin curtained door and hear me.
I mean, I was only peeing, but still. When a man as hot as Auden or Atlas was right outside the curtain, you tended to not want to do anything embarrassing. And apparently, peeing was embarrassing now.
It was as I finished up with the bathroom and had to walk back through the room with the fish again, I acted impulsively.
I reached down, tried not to think about what I was doing, and caught up the dead fish.
I mean, it wasn’t like they were going to do anything with the dead one, right?
I walked out of the store, trying not to think about how slimy the fish felt in my hand.
When I got to the open truck window where Auden was taking up the front passenger seat, I tossed the fish at him.
It hit his lap with a soft plop.
He’d paused mid-drink, pulled the Dr. Pepper away from his mouth, and then looked down at his lap where the dead fish was now lying.
“Um,” Atlas said. “Get that fish out of my new truck.”
“You have a bucket full of fish between the seats,” Pepper helpfully pointed out.
Auden looked over his shoulder at me and glared.
“You owe me fifty bucks,” I said as I took my seat behind him.
He snorted, caught the fish, and tossed it out the window.
The first thing we did when we got to the lake was head to a house that was the size of my first four houses combined.
“Wow,” I said as I took in the large home. “This is massive.”
“It’s my mom and dad’s dream retirement home,” Auden said as he got out and reached for my door.
I got out, sliding down in such a way that not one part of my body touched Auden’s.
He waited for me to hit the ground, also not waiting for me to get out of the way, before he leaned forward, pinning me between the truck and his perfect body. He caught up the fish, then pulled them out.
A splash of cold water spilling on my toes made me squeak.
“Sorry,” he said.
“You don’t look very sorry,” I pointed out.
With the bucket in his hand, he moved down the side of the truck and reached over into the bed, producing what looked to be a brand new fishing pole.
“You like pink?” I teased.
He shrugged. “If it’s a good reel, I could care less whether it’s pink or black. As long as it casts good, I’m happy.”
I followed him up to the house, surprised to find Pepper and Atlas already disappearing inside.
“Why so big for a retirement home?” I questioned the man in front of me.
He bypassed the front door for the side gate, which he held open for me.
“It’s big enough that all the kids, and grandkids, can be here at once. At least for now.” He paused. “If my siblings crank out any more kids, though, they’re gonna have to add an addition.”
“How many nieces and nephews do you have?” I asked as I took in my surroundings.
It wasn’t often that I had yard envy seeing as mine was pretty freakin’ fantastic, but seeing the Carter parents’ yard? It was everything that I would one day hope mine to be.
The amount of upkeep this place would take, though… it was daunting to think about.
Huge Elephant Ears, Delphiniums, and even wildflowers took up just a small amount of the flower beds.
What had my attention the most, though, was the huge greenhouse.
“Who’s the gardener?” I asked curiously.
“Me and my mom,” he answered. “I’m more of a lawn person than the flower bed person, but I’m no stranger to getting my hands dirty.”
Oh, my.
I didn’t think the man could get any sexier, but him telling me that he liked to get outside and get his hands dirty? I could put him to work in so many ways…
He kept walking down the path, winding through flowers, bushes, and all kinds of spectacular outdoor things, until we wound up at the dock at the end of the path.
He walked right out to the end and said, “What kind of fishing do you want to do?”
I shrugged. “There’s more than one kind?”
His eyes crinkled at the sides with his amusement at my remark. “Yeah, sweet thing. There is more than one kind.”
I tapped my lip before saying, “Which one is going to allow me to eat my Takis, read a book, and drink my Dr. Pepper without requiring me to do too much work?”