Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“I’m parked down the block,” Jamie says, pointing east. “Want to take my car?”
“My air conditioning is spotty at best, and I’m down farther. Yes, let’s take yours.”
We chat about the weather, which has been brutishly hot the last few days. It’s not that we’re not good enough friends to talk about more, but it’s just a short walk to his car. Besides that, I’ve spent the last half hour in his office being grilled about whether this is the best decision for me.
I love him for doing that because he’s going to make money off me. His concerns are legitimate, though, in that I might not make my money back on selling my place, which means money has been tossed down the drain.
It’s a risk I’m willing to take because in my gut, it’s the right thing to do not only for myself, but for Coen. I can’t care about someone and then do something that will hurt them in the next breath.
I just can’t.
We reach Jamie’s car, and he opens the passenger door for me. Before I can slide in, a loud honk makes me jump, and I look over the roof of his car to a big truck idling in the street.
Not just any truck—Coen’s. I start to smile because I knew he was coming back today but not when. The smile slides right off my face, though, as his window rolls down and I find him glaring at me.
“Any reason why you’re getting in another man’s vehicle?” he asks, his words squeezing through the tight grit of his teeth.
My chin jerks inward as I’m stunned over his palpable anger.
Or rather… his jealousy.
He’s jealous.
I have to bite back a laugh as I throw a thumb at Jamie. “He’s my real estate agent.”
“And that makes me feel better how?” Coen growls.
I turn to Jamie. “I’m so sorry. Can you give me maybe ten minutes? I’ll come back into your office.”
Jamie’s eyes widen as he stares at the truck. “Holy shit… do you know who that is?”
“Yeah, Coen Highsmith.” I chuckle. “And if I don’t defuse this situation, he might kick your ass.”
Jamie’s gaze snaps to me. “Really?”
“No, not really. But give me ten minutes, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” he mumbles, closing the door and taking a few steps back. I turn to walk around the front of his car when he calls my name. “Um… think I could get an autograph?”
“I’m sure I can get you that,” I reply with a wink.
As I approach Coen’s truck, I feel the weight of his stare. He unlocks the door, and I climb up.
Once settled, I turn toward him and offer another smile. “That was an old friend and the Realtor who—”
Coen moves so fast, I can’t even process. I’m jerked into him, and his mouth crashes on mine, tongue going in for the kill. I groan, falling so far into the kiss that I never want to climb out.
A car honks behind us, and I stiffen. Coen doesn’t let me go, though, talking against my mouth. “Good thing you vouched for the guy, or he could’ve lost some teeth.”
I push him away with a smirk and look over my shoulder out the back window. “Let’s get out of the street. Go find a spot over there.”
“We’re going to my house since it’s twenty seconds closer to us than yours, and I’m getting you naked,” he says as he puts the truck in drive.
“I can’t. I have an appointment with Jamie, and I told him I’d be back in ten minutes.”
“Appointment for what?” Coen drives two blocks down to the town’s sole shopping center that houses a grocery store, a nail salon, a dollar store, and a Chinese restaurant.
He pulls in and parks in the first available spot.
“I’m looking at some property today.”
Coen frowns at me. “Why are you looking at property?”
I thought it would be easy to answer this question, because I knew eventually I’d need to tell him what I’m doing. But suddenly, I feel bashful about my plan and turn my head to look out the window as I nibble my lower lip.
“Tillie,” he says, drawing my attention to him.
“I’m going to sell my house and look for something different.”
His frown deepens. “Why would you do that?”
“Because you don’t want the trees cut down, and I need that driveway. So the simplest thing for me to do is find another place that doesn’t impede someone else’s happiness.”
“No,” he drawls with a chastising look. “The easiest thing would be to stay where you are and cut the trees down. You know you’re going to win the case next week. My attorney says it’s a long shot for me to fight the easement.”
“My attorney said the same thing. But I’m not going to cut those trees down, not when I know how important they are to you.”