Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“Gabe couldn’t sit still. He was doing this and that, checking the house and apartment, feeding me non-stop, and then the damn man got on the roof!” She is still pissed about that. I didn’t tell her it was a necessity. There was more snow on one part of the roof than the other, sitting, not melting or falling off like it was supposed to. It happens when the sun doesn’t hit a part of the roof. I deal with it every year. She never had that issue living in an apartment with warmer temperatures. We had a stand-off, Carsynn telling me to get down while I was responding for her to get in the damn house. She’s as bad as Gramps, wearing my flannel, nothing on her legs, except at least she was wearing my slippers.
“Honey, that old house of his does it every storm. Why do you think I stay at home? Gabe won’t let me help him, and he won’t let me order him from the ground either. The less I know, the better. It seems he’s your problem now.” I hold Carsynn’s hand while she steps out of her shoes, some rubber-looking things that do nothing for insulation, but at least she’s not getting her feet soaked in the snow.
“Well, someone should yell at him more. I had no idea he was up there. One minute I was watching him with the snowblower, figuring he’d be on the ground and out there for a while. I started baking chocolate chip cookies, and the next thing, I heard thumping on the roof. Needless to say, the first batch of cookies came out burnt. We did not compromise, but he knows now to keep someone aware when he’s climbing a ladder and standing twenty feet up in the air on the roof,” she throws me right under the bus. Gramps’ eyebrows arch as we follow him into the kitchen. My hand lands on her ass, smacking it lightly but with enough of a slap to get her attention. “Gabe!” she squeals, jumping up and looking at me like I’ve got two heads.
“Gabe McCoy, you’re going to give an old man a heart attack. We had an agreement.” Gramps is standing near the coffee pot, pouring a cup for himself in a ceramic mug, a travel mug next to it for me to take on the road.
“Yeah, Gabe McCoy.” Carsynn pinches my side in retaliation. It’s not enough to hurt, more to get my attention. A damn shame she doesn’t realize my eyes and ears are always on her.
“Carsynn was home, and I was in the zone.” I pull her closer to me, my hand going beneath her hair to massage her neck. She’s tense, worried about me out on the road, and I want to reassure her as much as I can.
“Do better, or I’ll get in my truck when you tell me not to, you hear? Jesus, next time tell her or call me.” He’s pointing the finger, though not the middle one. The one that means business, and it’s right on me.
“Will do. You good to take Carsynn home whenever she’s ready? I’m going to tow her car, grab a phone from the office, and work my way back to the house if there isn’t much to do. I’m not sure how many calls the office got or how long I’ll be out.” My lips press against the side of Carsynn’s head, her hands slip around my waist, and she holds on to me.
“Yep, we’ll be good, won’t we?” he asks the woman wrapped around me. She nods in agreement. “Though you tell me. Carsynn can run the shop, and answer the calls for that matter.” I furrow my eyebrows. I didn’t want to bring it up to her yet, but now that Gramps has, I realize he’s right. It would help me out. She could cut down on hours at the diner, and it wouldn’t kill her body nearly as much.
“That’s not a bad idea. A few hours a day or a few days a week. It’d sure free up Gramps from grumbling about the state of my office.” And I’d get to see my fairy a fuck of a lot more.
“Me? I’ve never done anything like that before. What if I screw up?” She moves away from me, or tries to, but I hold the fuck on.
“Sweet pea, you can’t screw up more than Gabe already has. The office is a damn mess. Whatever he offers you, ask for double. Besides, it’s just an idea. You can always say no. I mean, it’s an office job with benefits, means you’re not on your feet all day, and you’ll get more pay. It’s worth a shot, though I’d miss seeing your pretty face first thing in the morning,” Gramps lays it on thick.