Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“What, no doughnut suit for me?” I pout playfully.
Kira shakes her head. “No doughnuts for you.”
chapter nine
KIRA
As we drive to the water park in Houston, my head spins from everything that transpired this morning. I’m usually good at organizing my thoughts and dealing with one situation at a time, but so much has happened that I don’t even know where to start.
I glance over at Ryder, who’s driving. He changed out of his work suit and into a T-shirt and board shorts. He’s wearing a baseball cap low on his forehead, and his sunglasses are covering his eyes. His fingers are tapping to the beat of the song that’s playing, like he doesn’t have a care in the world. As if he didn’t just flirt with me not even thirty minutes ago. I watched how he raked his gaze over my bathing suit, his hazel eyes darkening like delicious, warm caramel apples, and the way he waggled his brows and smirked playfully, turning my insides to mush.
It was probably innocent fun, and I’m most likely making something out of nothing, but it was a side of Ryder I’d never seen before. He’s always been nice—I mean, the guy literally gave my daughter and me a place to live—but he’s never crossed that line, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.
On one hand, the way he looked at me and flirted made me feel good. It’s been a while since I’ve felt wanted and desired by the opposite sex. But on the other hand, the want and desire always come with a price. A price I’ve learned the hard way I can’t afford to pay. The last time a guy looked at me like that, it ended with a restraining order.
Which reminds me … Ryder knows my car is stolen. And since he made it clear we’d be discussing it later, that means I’m going to have to be honest, and once he finds out everything, there’s a chance Violet and I will be homeless again. Luckily, since I’ve worked for Ryder for a couple of weeks now, I have a good amount of money saved, so if he does decide my situation is one that he doesn’t want to deal with, I’ll be able to find a place for Violet and me.
Of course, that will mean I’m jobless again.
“Hey,” Ryder says, snapping me from my thoughts. “Whatever’s going through that head of yours, push it to the side. We’re going to have a great day at the water park, and tonight, we’ll talk.” He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out together.”
I wish I had as much faith as he does, but my experience has caused me to become more jaded than I’d like to be. The problem is, when you’ve been hurt so many times in your life, eventually, your body starts to form scar tissue over the wound so thick that nothing can penetrate it. It protects you, but in doing so, it also isolates you from letting any potential risk—or happiness—in.
When we get to the ticket booth, I keep the girls busy while Ryder pays our entrance fees. Once he’s done, he guides us toward a cabana that’s situated right in front of the main kiddie pool and near the lazy river.
“This is for us?” I ask when we step inside.
There’s a television hanging in the corner, a mini fridge, an L-shaped couch, four lounge chairs, and a fan in each corner to keep us cool.
“Yeah, I figured the shade would help if the girls got hot or tired.”
“This is perfect. Thank you.”
I rifle through my bag, trying to find the sunscreen. I pull out several baggies of snacks—which the girls snag—a first aid kit, a pacifier Addie uses when she’s super cranky, a couple of diapers, and a pack of wipes.
“Aha!” I pull out the can of sunscreen. “Got it.”
“That purse reminds me of the Mary Poppins bag,” Ryder says with a chuckle, checking it out.
“It’s probably just as old,” I joke. “I can’t even imagine what I’d find if I were ever brave enough to clean it out.”
Brian bought me a nicer purse when we were together, but I left it, along with everything else he’d bought me, at his house, not wanting anything that came from him. I found this purse at Mom’s house, tucked away in my closet. It’s the purse I used when Violet was little, and while it’s old, it reminds me of before.
“But I love it,” I add.
After a waitress comes by to take our drink order, I slather the girls with sunscreen. I’m spraying myself when Ryder comes up behind me.
“Here, let me help.” He takes the can out of my hand, and I lift my hair, tying it into a ponytail.