Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Hesitating, she looked longingly at the shower. She really wanted to jump in and then go to bed, but Kole wasn’t there. Gabriela felt uncomfortable about getting naked and then having someone come into the trailer. The water made a racket in the small space. Would she even hear someone?
Her phone rang in her hand as she debated whether to call him or not. Her heart racing, she bobbled the phone before stabilizing it to answer. “Kole?”
“Hey, Gabby. I didn’t want to scare you. I’m outside with tacos.”
That word was enough to make her appetite roar into life. “Tacos?” she said, quickly opening the door to find him standing there with an industrial-size tray of something that smelled amazing and a jug of salsa.
“They just brought this out, and the room was empty. They’ll just throw it away in an hour, so I just brought the whole thing.”
“What? No margaritas?” she teased.
“Sorry. I don’t drink.”
“Never?”
“Never. It’s not something I enjoy, so why drink it? I don’t care if others have margaritas, of course, but they weren’t serving those. Now, tacos… I can eat my weight in tacos.”
“That’s a lot of tacos,” she pointed out, feeling herself grin at him.
Kole just test-lifted the pan of tacos. “Not my weight, but it will do.”
“Put that down,” she urged, waving at the small countertop.
“I knew the smell would make you hungry,” Kole teased as he followed her directions. In a flash, he had a paper plate in her hand and the lid removed from the tacos.
“We can’t eat all those,” she pointed out.
“We don’t even have to try,” he assured her. “Take two to start with.”
“You’re going to be bad for my waistline,” she caved, adding two to her plate.
“You’re perfectly fit. If it sounds better, make it a salad,” he suggested, stealing the lettuce from a couple of others and adding that to her plate.
“Ooo! Good idea.” She found a couple of forks in the drawer and dropped everything off at the table before diving into the refrigerator. “I have two diet sodas in here.”
“I’ll stick with water,” he said as he loaded his plate with tacos.
She eyed the paper plate as he carried it gently to the table, cradled in one large hand. He grabbed an insulated drink tumbler from his duffle bag and filled it with cold water from the sink. As an afterthought, he stopped and nabbed the salsa jug as he returned.
“I keep watching that magic duffle to see what you’ll pull out of it next.”
“Eat, Little girl. You didn’t need to wait for me.”
Gabriela picked up one taco and took a bite. The taco shell spilled part of its ingredients on her plate, making the salad idea even better. “I don’t know who can eat a taco without making a mess.”
“The key is salsa.” Kole opened one taco slightly and poured salsa between the filling and the shell before picking it up. He took a bite and miraculously everything stayed in place.
“That’s amazing.” Gabriela tried it on her other taco. Taking a bite, her eyes widened as she pulled the rest away from her mouth all in one piece.
“Bodyguards have the best secrets,” he said, nodding at her.
“I guess,” she mumbled around her bite.
“No talking while you’re chewing. I don’t want you to choke.”
Gabriela waited until she’d swallowed before adding, “And it’s bad manners. Sorry.”
“You can be yourself here, Gabby,” he assured her before polishing off his taco with a second bite.
“Maybe we can eat that tub of tacos,” she said with admiration.
“Taco comas for us tonight,” he said, lifting his second specially prepared taco.
Feeling silly, she lifted the shell in her hand and tapped it against his, as if they were imbibing the best champagne. “Cheers!”
“Cheers, Gabby. Now eat.”
Gabby enjoyed the simple meal. Eating the taco in pieces as a salad and the one that held together, each was delicious. She lost track of how many tacos he consumed. His manners were perfect as he inhaled the tacos with enjoyment.
When she set her fork down, Kole said, “It’s late, Gabby. Go take your shower. I’ll clean up here and get my bed set up.”
“Okay. If you’re sure. I think there are extra pillows and sheets in the cabinets above the table,” she said, pointing.
“I’ll check it out. Don’t worry. I can sleep anywhere.”
Reluctantly, Gabby stood and went to the bedroom to grab the large T-shirt she usually wore to bed. It was soft with a few holes, proving the number of years she’d worn it. Heading to the bathroom, she heard the water rushing in the sink and knew Kole was cleaning the kitchen. She felt guilty, leaving the work to him, but followed his instructions.
When she finished, the front of the trailer was dark and silent. “Good night,” she whispered.
“Good night, Gabby. Sleep well.”
She nodded and headed for the bedroom, hesitating at whether to close the door or leave it open as normal. Not wanting to give him the wrong message, she closed it and turned the flimsy lock. Crawling into bed, she reached automatically for PupPup and cried again when she remembered he had been stolen. Gabriela wrapped her arms around her tear-soaked pillow and closed her eyes.