Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Hey, munchkins,” I said, trying to sound cheerful.
They looked up, happy to see me, but Evan frowned. “You okay, Beth? Paige said you were sick.”
I ruffled his hair. “Just a headache. Too much time on the computer and poring over books. It’s better.”
“You look, um, tired.”
Tired, I could work with. I was glad he hadn’t identified the real reason for my pale face and red eyes. “Headaches wear me out. I’ll be good as gold in the morning. Did you have supper?”
He nodded, and Lucy piped up. “Grill cheese!”
“Mmm,” I hummed.
“You gonna eat?” asked Evan, looking at me far too closely.
“Yep. I’m starving,” I fibbed. “You guys keep building.”
He nodded. “I can hardly wait to show Ronan. I combined three sets and made something totally new. He is gonna freak out.”
My heart lurched. “Ah, he got called out of town,” I lied again. “He won’t be back until next week.”
“Oh.” He frowned then shrugged. “You can take a picture and send it to him, right?”
I swallowed and stood. “Sure.”
That satisfied him. “He’ll still like it. I might have to tell him everything I did, so let me know before you send the text.”
“I’ll do that.”
In the kitchen, I looked at the plate in the refrigerator, knowing I wouldn’t be able to eat the grilled cheese Paige had ready for me to cook. I wasn’t sure it would stay down. She came into the kitchen, looking at me critically.
“Headache still there?”
“A bit.”
“I was going to go grab some milk at the corner store. Want me to get you anything?”
“Shit, I forgot.” I was supposed to pick up milk earlier.
“No biggie.”
“I’ll go. The fresh air will do me good.”
And it would get me away from Paige’s watchful gaze. She knew me too well, and I wasn’t up to talking to her about what happened. I hadn’t assimilated it all yet.
“Okay. I’ll give Lucy her bath. Maybe you’ll feel like eating when you get home.”
I forced a smile. “I’m sure I will.”
* * *
The next night, I wiped down the last table. The diner had been busy, which I was grateful for. I had avoided Paige the night before, talking to Evan and helping him with his homework. While she was putting Lucy to bed, I slipped downstairs and shut my door, and she didn’t bother me at all, no doubt thinking I had gone back to bed.
I sat up most of the night, going through everything in my head. All the signs I had missed. The evasion of my questions. Ronan’s lack of sharing about his job or the company he worked for. I had seen the signs and ignored them. Paige had questioned his clothes and the car he drove. I felt like a fool as I looked up the make on the internet and saw the price tab. He always had lots of money in his wallet. I looked up BAM, shocked at how easily I had been fooled. Ronan’s family was one of the wealthiest in the city. The company he said he worked for, ABC, was owned by BAM. There was a picture of the business partners online. Ronan was one-third of a set of triplets. He stood beside his brothers, and I could easily pick him out. He was slightly taller and broader than the other two, and even in my anger, I could see a difference in his expression. He was more serious-looking than the other two. The rest of the company varied in ages, but I guessed them all between mid-twenties and early thirties. The article talked about the vast talent of the group and their already impressive resumé of holdings and businesses.
What else could one expect from the offspring of the BAM boys? the article stated.
I looked at the group picture, then like a martyr, scrolled through other pictures I found on the web. I recognized the silver-haired man I had seen as Maddox Riley and the stern-looking one as Bentley Ridge. I had no problem picking out Ronan’s dad. He was large and imposing, usually standing next to Bentley in all the pictures. Unable to help myself, I read their history and all about the company. It was fascinating, and I found myself wishing I had heard it directly from Ronan. Tears coursed down my face as I looked at some pictures of him. There were surprisingly few. He had told me once he wasn’t big on social media. He had no Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts. The pictures I found were related to the company and a few of him with his parents or business partners at charity functions. I couldn’t help but notice he was always a step or two away from the group, and I wondered why, then shook my head. It was none of my business anymore.
I took a deep breath to clear my thoughts, wiping the errant tear that ran down my cheek. I needed to stop thinking about him. I finished tidying up and headed to the kitchen. We had been especially busy with cake sales in the diner, and I needed to make some to keep up with demand. I tried not to think about the fact that the past few weeks Ronan had been with me while I made them, making the process easier and fun. There would be no singing helper tonight, no drugging kisses, and no slumbering car ride home with a large hand wrapped around mine.