Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“But no one has the accuracy Brooks has,” I say, hitting his tab. “He doesn’t miss.”
She pats her belly. “No, he does not.”
We share a small laugh at that. “Okay, good. Can you give me access to all that?”
“Absolutely,” I say, and with four taps, her tablet dings. “Done.”
“Okay, you little tablet ninja.”
I grin just as I hear someone walking down behind us. I don’t have to look to know it’s Elli. The clack of her heels against the stairs identifies her before she greets us. “How we doing, ladies?”
“Wonderful,” I answer as she sits beside me, crossing her legs and looking like royalty. “You?”
“Same. Oh, I love this dress,” she gushes, tapping my knee. “It’s very beautiful on your skin.” It’s a thin yellow summer dress that flows out from the seam around my waist. It has billowy sleeves but isn’t low-cut or anything. The hem meets my knees, and I like it and feel confident in it. “You and those damn Nikes. Let me buy you some heels. I’ll convert you.”
I snort at that. “I’m good. When I was younger, I had to wear these ugly boxy white heels a lot, and I hated them.”
“Well, that’s where you messed up. Heels are a women’s shoe. They’re to drive the men crazy while making us feel like goddesses.”
I grin. “See, and I still think heels are to make women slower so they can’t run away from the men.”
That has her and Shelli laughing. “I don’t know. I think my mom is faster in her heels than in tennis shoes.”
“Which is why Daddy likes me with nothing on my feet,” she throws at her daughter. Shelli acts as if she’s going to be sick, and I grin. “Well, we ready to make the first cut?”
I nod, confident in my choices, as Shelli says, “It will be interesting, for sure.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, because something, and I don’t know what, makes me feel like she’s speaking of Dimitri. I could be being sensitive, but I still want to know.
She looks over at me. “The whole Reed thing is going to be interesting because a lot of people like him.”
“What Reed thing?” Elli asks from beside me, and together, we explain. When she takes my tablet from me, I’m caught a little off guard, but then I tell myself it’s that she’s comfortable with me. I wring my fingers and look out onto the ice. I try not to watch what she does or even who she looks at, but I know she clicks on Dimitri’s page a lot.
My heart beats in a cadence I don’t understand as I watch him on the ice. My chest hurts, and I feel it’s the nerves. I want so desperately for Dimitri to make the roster. I know he deserves it; I know he has worked for it, but I don’t think they like that we’re involved. Not that anyone has asked, but then, they don’t have to after the wedding. I haven’t spoken to my peepaw, but I know he wasn’t too happy with me when I left the farm to see Dimitri.
When everything changed.
I swallow as the emotion rises up my throat and chokes me. Oh, how I adore him and how proud I am of him. He skates with ease, hitting each shot and digging in, the crash of sticks filling the air. He has that determined little furrow between his eyes, and man, does it turn me on. His hard work has been a pleasure to watch, and I need him to succeed. Surely no one can bring us up when both of us have done our jobs to everyone’s expectations and more.
As practice ends, Elli hands me back my tablet. “That is incredible work, Austen. Thank you. Can you make me copies, like paper copies?”
I nod. “Yes, I can have them on your printer now.”
“Technology,” she laughs as she heads up the stairs. I follow, doing as she asked before wishing her well and heading to my office. I need to grab a snack and my charger for my tablet before we start our meeting for the roster. I enter my office, and I’m almost to my desk when I hear a voice.
“Hey, Austen.”
I turn to see Angela at my door. I smile a welcome. “Hey, how are you?”
“Good. Just a quick check-in. After I saw you last, I wanted to make sure you were doing well.”
“I am,” I answer, quicker than I expected to. “Things are good.”
Her grin grows. “I can tell.”
“Really? Probably because I’m not pacing or word-vomiting all over you.”
She laughs. “That’s a huge indicator, but also, I notice you aren’t wearing your rubber bands.”
I reach for my wrist, and oh, I’m not. That’s odd. “I hadn’t even realized.”
“Good. Means things are going well.”
Things are going extremely well, but it’s weird that I forgot them. I’ve never forgotten them, but Dimitri did distract the hell out of me this morning. “I think so.”