Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Lark exclaimed, “I need to change! I didn’t know we were starting Gunclepalooza already!”
Then he dashed to their bedroom, and I told Dylan, “Lark’s trying to help me with an outfit for my date. Are you okay watching the baby for a few more minutes?”
“Of course. Take your time.”
By the time I joined Lark in his room just a few seconds later, he’d already swapped his unicorn T-shirt for one that looked exactly like Dylan’s, aside from being about five sizes smaller. He turned to his overstuffed closet and said, “Now let’s see what I have that might fit you.” He grabbed a bright blue T-shirt off the top shelf and pressed it to the front of me before saying, “Oops, that one’s cropped. It would actually look adorable on you, but I’m sure you’ll tell me you want something less obvious.”
“Yes, please.”
He ended up finding me a red T-shirt and a red and blue plaid flannel overshirt, which were both a lot more fitted than what I usually wore. When I asked him why he owned a plaid shirt, which wasn’t even sort of his style, he explained, “I used to dress up in sexy outfits when I worked as a cam boy. I found that at a thrift shop, and my plan was to cut off the sleeves, crop it to just below my nipples, and tie it in front, like a sexy construction worker with a big tool. But I guess I forgot about it.” Of course that was the answer.
He did a little more digging in his closet before saying, “Sorry, looks like I can’t help with a pair of jeans. Who knew my baby brother would end up so much taller than me?” I was only five-eleven to his five-nine, but he was right that his jeans would be too short.
I held up the shirts and told him, “These are great, thank you.”
“You’ll look cute in them, and you’re going to have a great time tonight. I just know it.”
“I hope so. Really though, all I want is to get through the night without throwing up, for a change.”
He grinned at me and said, “It’s good to have goals.”
Chapter 4
That evening, Lark drove me to Lucky’s place, while Dylan stayed home with the sleeping baby. “Maybe I should wait here for a few minutes to make sure you don’t need anything,” my brother said, as he pulled into the red zone at the curb and put Dylan’s truck in park.
“Like that wouldn’t be embarrassing. Should I tell him you’re waiting to see if the entire date implodes in the first five minutes?”
“Fine, I won’t wait.” He looked past me and frowned at the rusty metal garage door, which took up most of the façade. “This place looks abandoned. Is he a squatter?”
I shot him a look. “Yes. I’m dating a squatter. We’re going to run off and be squatters together and raise Owen to be a little baby squatter.” He sighed, and I added, “It’s not abandoned. It’s just kind of plain on the outside.”
“I don’t know about this. My Spidey senses are tingling.”
“Okay, first of all, I don’t even think you’ve watched the Spider-Man movies, so what’s with that expression?”
Lark pressed a palm to his chest and pretended to be offended. “Are you questioning my nerd cred?”
“Yes. Also, there’s nothing wrong with this garage. It’s a lot nicer on the inside.”
Lark, who was really taking his role as my big brother to heart tonight, knit his dark brows. “I’m not convinced.” Then he glanced past me again and said, “Something’s happening.”
I turned to look at the building and saw that the door was being raised by a noisy automatic garage door opener. Lucky was standing just inside it, and he was slowly revealed as the door went up—first his black motorcycle boots, then his tight, faded Levis. His big arms were crossed over his chest, but I glimpsed some kind of drawing on the front of his white T-shirt.
Once I could see his face, a bark of laughter slipped from me, and I muttered, “What the hell?”
He was wearing thick glasses with clunky black frames, along with what looked like orthodontic headgear. To complete the look, he’d parted his hair in the middle, then slicked it back into an awkward low ponytail. I rolled down my window and called, “What are you doing?”
Lucky grinned at me around the headgear as he came over to the truck. “You told me last week you’d prefer me as a dork, and I mentioned glasses, a retainer, and a Dungeons and Dragons T-shirt. Turns out I lost my retainer, so I made this instead.” He took off the metal appliance and grinned at me. “It’s really hard to talk with it on, though. I also made this shirt for you. What do you think?”