Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Chapter Fifteen
Even though my place was blocks from the beach, the smell of the ocean permeated the air. I took a deep breath and filled my lungs with freedom. Damn it smelled good.
The last thing I did before turning myself in for two years of hell, was check my sister into rehab. I knew she did well; I saw it on her face every other Saturday when she came to visit. Yet for some reason, I was suddenly nervous to show up unannounced and surprise her.
When I unlocked the heavy metal door to my place, pop music blasted through the open-air loft I called home. I smiled hearing it, even though her shit taste in music drove me up a wall growing up. “Adele?”
I lived in a renovated warehouse—sound was normally muted from the high ceilings, but it was completely lost to the howlish sound of Taylor Swift blaring through the indoor speakers. “Adele?” I called slightly louder. After everything she’d been through, I didn’t want to startle her. I had no idea if she was still skittish. After the attack, she jumped if anyone walked into a room, even when she knew they were there. I dropped my key in the bowl on the table near the door and headed to the kitchen.
A man wearing a dress shirt and boxers was ironing on my granite counter. We spotted each other at the same moment. He held up the iron like a weapon; I held up my hands in surrender. “Is Adele here?”
“Who are you?”
“Relax, Mate.” I spoke calmly, keeping my hands in the air where he could see them the entire time. If there was one good thing about spending two years in prison, I’d definitely learned how to defuse a violent situation. “I’m Adele’s brother—I live here.”
Boxer boy’s eyes flared. “Chance?”
Well one of us was filled in. “That’s me.”
“Shit. Sorry. I thought you were getting out next week.”
“Overcrowding.” I narrowed my eyes on the iron he was still holding. “You want to put that thing down now, yeah?”
“Yeah. Of course. Sorry.” He set the iron on the counter and took two steps toward me, extending his hand. “Harry. Harry Beecham. I’ve heard so much about you.”
You’ve got to be shitting me? Harry? “Wish I could say the same.”
“Do you think we could stop at the—” My sister’s voice abruptly halted as she turned the corner into the kitchen. “Oh my God!” She almost knocked me over when she flew into my arms. “You’re here! You’re home!”
“I am.” Adele held me in a death like grip. She was crying, but unlike the last time I hugged her, these were tears of happiness. I pulled back to take a good look at my little sister. I’d seen her every other week, but I’d only gotten glimpses of what she wanted me to see. She was twenty-eight now, dressed in a skirt and girly blouse with her hair fastened on top of her head. She looked a lot like Mum.
“You look…different. Grown up.”
She wiped her tears and smoothed her skirt. “This is how I dress for work. I told you. I’m a secretary now.”
Harry cleared his throat. The bloke was still standing in his boxers. “I’m late. I should get going. It was great to finally meet you, Chance.”
I eyed him. “I hope you put some pants on first.”
He gently placed his hand on Adele’s shoulder as he passed and spoke softly, “Take the morning off. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
Adele smiled at Boxer Boy, then looked at me while biting down on her bottom lip. “Sorry. I didn’t know…Harold is one of the partners at the accounting firm I work for.”
“An accountant?”
“Yeah.” My sister smiled. “Not the type I normally go for, huh?”
My sister had a knack for picking one loser after the next. The crowd she hung out with wasn’t exactly conducive to meeting CPAs. “As long as he’s good to you.” I couldn’t help myself. “And keeps some damn pants on when I’m around.”
Adele and I spent the entire morning catching up. Talking about Mum was the hardest part. Things could have gone either way for my sister after what happened two years ago. Our mother’s death could have really set her back. I was relieved to find she truly had turned her life around. It made everything I’d went through worth it in the end. She seemed…happy.
“So.” Adele took the mugs we’d been drinking from and placed them in the sink. She leaned her bum against the counter and folded her arms over her chest. “Are you going to go see her?”
“Who?” Why was I playing this game again? I knew damn well who she was referring to.
“Your wife.” Her eyes pointed to the ring I’d already forgotten was on my finger. I shoved my hand into my pocket.