Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I just don’t really want to go in.”
“How come?”
“I can’t even put a finger on it, really. Maybe it’s just the whole going back to real life after being on vacation. Having to deal with people day in, day out.” She looked at me. “I miss the cabin already.”
I laughed. “I bet once you get inside this house, you won’t miss it. You probably have at least four bedrooms—”
“Five.”
“And five bathrooms too.”
She smiled. “Six, actually.”
“See? How about a kitchen table?”
“Yeah.”
“And air conditioning.”
“That too.”
“And I bet you’ve even got a swimming pool. A grand piano. A fucking library.”
She nodded. “Check, check, check.”
“You won’t miss that cabin, Kelly.”
“Maybe you’re right. I do like my piano.” She took my hand. “I guess I’ll just miss our time together.”
My heart tripped over its next few beats. “Me too.”
She kept looking at our hands. “Xander, I—”
“There you are!” A woman appeared in the front door of the house. “I’ve been frantically worried about you on the road all day!”
Kelly sighed, taking her hand from mine. “Come on. Time to meet my mother.”
That night, we had dinner at the dining room table with her parents and her business manager, Wags. As we ate the chef-prepared meal, I mostly stayed quiet, observing the others.
Kelly’s mom, Julia, was probably over fifty, but she had tight, clear skin that looked as if she rarely saw the sun and often saw the dermatologist. Looking at her, it was obvious where Kelly had gotten the fair complexion, red hair, and emerald eyes. But after meeting her dad, Connor, I saw where she’d gotten her full-lipped smile, the grit in her voice, and the gift of charming anyone she spoke to. He was exactly as she’d described him to me—handsome, outspoken, charismatic, with a firm handshake and a genuine good-old-boy grin that made him look younger than his age, which Kelly had told me was fifty-six.
I’d been prepared to dislike him but found it difficult at first, to be honest. He was good with words and had a quick wit, bantering back and forth with his wife, his daughter, her manager, even me. He didn’t try to dominate the conversation like a lot of men would. He didn’t seem interested in trying to prove he was the alpha at the table. He was easygoing and laidback, and when he asked you a question, he had a way of making eye contact as you answered that made you feel like he was really listening. Still, I knew what I knew, and I didn’t trust him.
Wags, Kelly’s manager, seemed like a good guy, sort of a second father figure. He wasn’t charming like Kelly’s dad, but he seemed solid and steady. My gut said he was a good guy.
“So you had a good trip, peanut?” Connor asked his daughter.
“Yes.” Kelly took a sip of her water. “I wouldn’t have cut it short if it wasn’t for the awards show performance.”
“What a lucky break,” Julia said.
“It’s not luck, it’s talent,” said Connor. “Right, Wags?”
“Right.”
“And it doesn’t hurt to have Duke Pruitt pulling strings for you, either.” Connor winked at Kelly and lifted his whiskey, which he liked neat.
“No, it doesn’t hurt,” she agreed.
“He thinks you should sign that PMG deal.”
“You talked about it with him?” Kelly’s tone took on a sharp edge.
“A little. He’s got so much experience, you know? I figured it would be good to get his input.”
“I don’t need his input, Daddy. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about me with him. We’re not together anymore.”
“Now, peanut, don’t get upset. I’m only trying to help.”
“I don’t need your help with this. Or Duke’s.”
“You shouldn’t go into those negotiations alone. When’s the next meeting with the label?”
“I don’t remember,” she said stiffly, and I could tell she was lying.
“I think Duke mentioned it’s coming up next month,” Connor went on, swirling the whiskey in his glass.
“Could be.”
“I’ll be with her,” Wags said. “No need to worry. She won’t be alone.”
“Good.” Connor nodded. “I just don’t want her to make a mistake she’ll regret later.”
Kelly stood up. “I’m tired after the long drive. I’m going to bed.” She looked at me. “Xander, come on upstairs. I’ll show you where your room is.”
I gladly rose to my feet.
“Goodnight, Xander,” Julia said. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her in the woods, and for bringing her back safely. I was so relieved when she said she wasn’t driving back alone.”
“Of course.”
“And you’re going to stay a few days, is that right?” Wags asked. “Get new security measures for her in place?”
“That’s right.”
Her dad spoke up. “That seems like a big imposition on you, Xander. You know, Duke offered to send some of his guys over to—”
“I don’t want Duke’s help, Daddy,” Kelly said sharply. “Xander is here, and he’s going to handle it.” She looked at me. “Let’s go.”