Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 177690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 888(@200wpm)___ 711(@250wpm)___ 592(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 177690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 888(@200wpm)___ 711(@250wpm)___ 592(@300wpm)
I watch out of the corner of my eye as Hope pulls a sponge out of the pool and then squeezes it over Jack’s head. Jack throws his head back, laughing in this adorable tone. He’s actually laughing so hard that his whole body tightens and shakes with it. The sound of his laugh does something to me. It gives me this strange feeling in my chest and I can’t hide my smile.
“Mommy,” he laughs again and this time he wraps both his little arms along the side of her neck and hugs her tight letting his head lay down on her chest. I watch as Hope’s face goes soft and she lowers her head against him. It’s a private moment and I feel like I’m intruding, but I can’t look away. I forget I’m supposed to be floating and minding my own business. My body scrapes against the far end of the pool where the net was leaning, at the edge of the concrete, against one of the loungers. My hand hits it and causes it to splash into the pool—on top of me.
“Shit!” I growl, embarrassed as the net and long blue aluminum pole it is attached to, crash on my face. My chin getting the most of the hit and the metal leaving it stinging.
“Shit!” Jack mimics and my face jerks around to see Hope frowning at me.
“Do you mind not saying those words around my son?” she growls, and then after giving me a look to freeze icicles on my balls, turns her attention back to her son. “Jack, what did Mommy say? You don’t say those kinds of words,” she admonishes, but Jack’s not really paying her attention and instead his little hand is pawing at her breast.
“Hungry,” he mumbles.
I definitely know that feeling kid.
I force myself to turn around and busy myself with putting the net back on the edge of the pool, trying to keep myself from watching the two of them—and pretty much failing.
“Stop that, Jack. You know better,” she whispers quietly. I turn to watch as she pulls his hands away. She’s blushing. I’m not sure I’ve ever known a woman who actually blushes. Her cheeks turn a bright pink.
“Mommy! Got to pee! Got to pee!” the kid yells, splashing the water with his hands.
“Okay honey. Give mommy a second to get your toys,” she says, already stacking the toys in a bucket she has sitting close by.
“Mommy pee!”
“Okay. Okay little man, let’s go pee,” she laughs getting up. She picks him up easily. She leans down with one arm, in a move that I would have said that was impossible, but somehow she makes it look easy.
She walks away, not bothering to say goodbye. I stand there watching them and the silence left behind them makes me feel strange.
Almost… Lonely
seventeen
aden
“What are you doing in the pool?” Hope asks, standing at the edge looking beautiful—upset, but beautiful. She’s not wearing anything but blue-jean shorts and a pink pullover t-shirt. Her caramel hair is piled on top of her head and she has very little, if any, makeup on, but she is breathtaking. I can finally admit that she’s beautiful, even if it’s a different sort of beautiful than I’m used to.
“Swimming?” I answer, questioningly. I’m pretty sure I know where she’s leading with her question, but I’m not exactly positive how I’m going to answer or work around what she will undoubtedly demand.
“It’s one o’clock!”
“I’ve been out here an hour? Time flies and all that,” I shrug and I think I see her eye twitch at my answer as she huffs out a breath.
“Check out time is noon.”
“I’m aware.”
“You were leaving today! We had a deal.”
“I’ve thought about it, and I’m starting to like this place.”
“You’re starting to… Are you insane?”
“No, but I booked this place because I needed some peace and quiet. I can’t be assured I will get that if I leave, so I’ve decided to stay.”
“Peace and quiet? You did hear all the workers around here yesterday, right?”
“Yeah, that was a pain and if I was anyone else, this would cost you a bad review on Yelp. But,” I shrug, “they’re gone today so it’s okay.”
“A bad review on… Yelp?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t do it.”
“You didn’t do it,” she mumbles. Maybe I should worry about the way she keeps mimicking everything I say, almost like she can’t form complete sentences. The truth is I’m having fun irritating her. I mean… real honest-to-God having fun. Her forehead has that little curl in it that I’ve noticed she gets when she’s irritated. She’s looking at me like she doesn’t know what to do with me and for some reason I love that look.
“You have to leave.”
“No I don’t. You’re officially open for business today, right?”
“What? I don’t know. Not really. I mean I was opening after the inspection, but you were the only guest…I hadn’t thought about it,” she says and she really does look confused about it.