Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
I felt exhausted, like I ran a marathon this morning and worked a full shift at a busy restaurant during the afternoon, or maybe played in a professional football game. My legs dragged across the grass and into the kitchen before making my way upstairs.
“Thank, Toni. Today was super fun,” she said after we finished a quick bath to wash away the day. “Dad used to take me swimming.”
I flashed a sad smile for the little girl who would only have memories of her parents. “I hope today made you remember him with a smile.”
“It did,” she admitted.
“Good, and I’m glad you had fun today Layla. Sometimes we have to stop and smell the roses.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Why?”
I shrugged. “It’s a way of saying to live in the moment and enjoy the little moments, like swimming with a friend or drawing under a bright and sunny day.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll do that.” She flashed another smile and fidgeted as if she didn’t know what else to say.
I put a hand on her shoulder and guided the energetic little girl back down the stairs and to the kitchen. “How about we split a banana?”
“Okay!” She bounced up and down on her toes and turned those beautiful silver-blue eyes my way. “Will you stay for dinner tonight, Toni?”
Dammit, I should have known she would ask mostly because she asked nearly every damn day with hope shining in her eyes. “Sorry, kiddo. Not tonight. I need to get the progress reports done for this week. Maybe another night?”
“You always say that,” she pouted.
She was right and I felt bad that my absence at the dinner table was felt so keenly. It was my own damn mistake for ever eating a meal with the family. It wasn’t against the rules but I didn’t do it generally. “I know and I’m sorry, but you have your uncle.”
“Since those progress reports are for me, I won’t mind if they’re a little late.”
I clenched my jaws so tight I think one of my teeth split in half. The last thing I wanted was to have dinner with Brady and pretend that things were all right between us when they weren’t. He knew it too.
He doesn’t care.
I shrugged and feigned rubbing my forehead. “Thank you for the offer but I’m not really hungry. Had a big lunch.” I was off my game because at my words, a look of concern crossed Layla’s face.
“Are you okay, Toni? Are you dizzy again?”
I froze at the question but I recovered quickly. “I’m not dizzy but I am still feeling sick so I’m going to lay down and cross my fingers that I’ll feel better tomorrow. Okay?”
“You sure?”
“Positive,” I said and tried for a smile that would make me sound believable to Layla. I knelt down and wrapped my arms around the little girl, giving her a tight, reassuring squeeze. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow. Okay?”
She nodded but sadness lingered in her gaze. “Good night, Toni.”
I ignored the heavy weight of Brady’s gaze on me as I left the kitchen. He didn’t get to be concerned about me, not anymore. Not that he ever truly cared anyway. I made my way up to my bedroom, crawled on top of the bed and I promptly fell asleep.
Sleep came easily which was a relief, it was just too bad that my dreams were full of visions of Brady, smiling at me. Laughing with me. Kissing me. Touching me all over.
It was the most peaceful yet torturous sleep of my life.
Chapter 27
Brady
Toni was sick? She’d gotten dizzy today? Why was this first I heard of any of this? If she was too sick to do her job then I should’ve been the first to know. She hadn’t said a word, not that it surprised me at all since she hadn’t said much to me for too many days to count, unless you counted greetings and farewells. And I didn’t count that, especially since they were mostly for the benefit of Layla so she didn’t have a clue that anything in her life had changed.
What was wrong with her and why hadn’t she told me? As her employer, if nothing else, had a right to know. As Layla and I sat down for dinner an insidious thought worked its way into my brain. What if Toni hadn’t said anything because she was setting the stage for another payday? A much bigger one?
Stop it, I told myself. Thoughts like that were how I ended up in this uncomfortable situation in the first place. The truth was that I had no real, concrete reason not to trust Toni. She’d proven herself to be incredibly trustworthy and the problem was now that she could no longer trust me. I hadn’t given her a reason to want to open up to me, in fact I’d given her plenty of reasons not to trust me with her body or her heart.