Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Scott rose, giving Lauren then the baby a quick kiss. Even more endearingly, he went ahead of his family to open the door. “We’ll be quiet out here. If Daisy Mae doesn’t go to sleep, text me and I’ll come get her.”
They were sweet. Scott barely shut the door before he jerked his head toward Beau, superiority in his expression. “Just closed a ten-thousand-dollar contract. My cut is ten percent. I’m definitely gonna win.” Scott’s tone held confidence and determination. I’d only heard stories about this rivalry between Scott and Beau. I’d never seen it head-on. My brow crinkled, having no idea what he was talking about.
“Ha,” Beau shot back, not in a happy way. Condescension laced every word he said. “I put my application into buyin’ a FedEx ground route. When I get it, you’ll be left in the dust.”
Beau buying a route was news to me.
“Ha,” Scott mimicked. “You can’t afford a route. Good luck with that. And we agreed you weren’t usin’ his money.” With the way Scott pointed a finger at me, I felt suddenly and unwittingly included.
“I know nothing about any of this,” I said, my tone suggesting Scott and Beau were insane. The guy I lived with was trying to buy a ground route, and I didn’t know? We spent every available free minute together. The sweet emotions rolling through me from earlier turned into confusion and maybe a little hurt thrown in. I kept very little from Beau.
Before I could react, Beau started scanning the roof. I followed his gaze, wondering what he saw. Within seconds, he started toward the corner where one side of the house connected to the other. With one foot on the edge of a patio chair, he grabbed the ledge and was off, hoisting his body onto the roof. His balance was insanely good. With that same fluidity of movement, he fearlessly ran across the roof.
He repeated the same maneuver onto the second floor. A sudden memory of a younger Beau climbing in and out of his grandparents’ window helped me deal with the overwhelming burst of anxiety at Beau’s recklessness.
Another leap had him landing on the peak of the dormer window. He was as far up on the house as he could go. He mimicked Scott’s confident attitude as he glanced down at us. Well mainly at Scott as Beau splayed his arms and hands out. “I win.”
Besides the beads of sweat forming in my pits, all I could think about was how ridiculous they were, and how selfish Beau was being. What happened to our relationship if he miscalculated a step? Was I destined to pine for him for the rest of my life?
“Beau, get your ass down here,” I said firmly.
“Oh yeah, watch this.” Scott’s challenging tone had me looking away from the crazy guy on the roof to the other one shaking his fist, loosening his wrist and arm. A stone began to skip across the water in the pool. It managed to stay on top of the water for three quarters of the way before sinking to the bottom. The gauntlet was thrown. “I took the stone-skippin’ crown at the Dog River Festival three years runnin’. I didn’t want to rub it in at the time, but I win.”
Oh no, that was Beau’s old title. I felt to my bones the depth of how badly Scott got under Beau’s skin. He didn’t hesitate to respond and ran the few feet across the peak. Remarkably, he didn’t lose his balance before leaping into the water. A perfect cannon-ball off the roof into the deep end of the swimming pool.
My heart dropped to my feet. The seconds it took for him to emerge from the water were the longest of my life. When he popped up in a grand splash, his fist darted above his head. Scott mimicked the same fist pumping raise. Loud whoops and hollers came from both guys.
I reared back, grasping behind me for the arm of a patio chair, landing blindly on the seat. This was too much. “Scott, you can’t come back. You’re a bad influence.”
Lauren’s head poked out the back door. “Seriously? That’s quiet?” she called.
“Sorry, babe.” It was as if Scott instantly flipped a switch, transforming into the attentive husband again. “Did I wake her?”
Honestly, Lauren might have more attitude than either of them. “Well, of course you did. Come help me.” With no hesitation, he obliged, following her inside. She held an extraordinary grip on Scott.
My guy had that same kind of captivating control over me. My gaze fixed on Beau ascending the swimming pool’s steps with a smile larger than life. For me, the vision of my muscled-up guy coming toward me with water cascading down his body was an alluring treat. He made me forget why I was upset.