Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Maddox looks like he’s about to explain he was just correcting Carter, then gives up with a sigh.
“I’m done here,” Jake says, storming inside.
Andi looks after him and sighs. For a moment, she seems upset. But she straightens and smiles with a shrug. “Let him go. It’s fine.”
“You okay?” I ask.
“I’m great. Wonderful,” Andi bounces on her tiptoes. “You guys want to see if Uncle Nolan is done with those squishy potatoes?”
“Can we please not start calling him Uncle Nolan?” I ask as we all head inside.
“Can I be an uncle?” Carter asks. His eyes go distant and starry as he spreads his hands in front of his face, picturing it. “Uncle Joker. That’s cool, right?”
“No. Definitely not,” I laugh.
“Shit. I forgot my nickname,” Maddox says.
“I never gave you one,” Andi says. “But I can. Hmm.” Everyone stops inside by the counter. Cade goes off to the bathroom and Meemee flops down on the couch and yawns a huge, “I’m about to pass out” kind of yawn.
“Voodoo. Do you like that?”
“Ohh hell yeah,” Maddox says. He wiggles his fingers at Carter. “Voodoo. You like that, bitch?”
“Watch your language, man,” Carter says. “Impressionable kids and all that.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“Sorry, sorry. What’s your nickname, Jesse?” Maddox asks. “Twisted panties?”
Carter spurts with laughter and Andi smiles.
“Captain,” Andi says.
“Lammmee,” Carter complains.
We eat dinner, which involves a sleepy Meemee having a pre-dinner treat that she can barely stay awake for and a post dinner treat–a homemade cookie prepared by Nolan and Mia. The guys are all light spirited and laughing. Mia does a good job of fitting in with the group as well, and I can tell I’m not the only one trying to puzzle out whether she’s really just here for the cooking club or if it’s all about Nolan. Andi seems carefree as she jokes with the guys, eats her food, and teases the kids. Jake joins us a little later and apparently has managed to pry his head out of his ass, because he’s pleasant with everybody and hardly even glares at me. Nobody seems to know where Liam is, which means he’s likely found some love interest around town and is out with her tonight.
After dinner, everybody splits off and goes their own way. Carter and Maddox head into town. Jake goes to his room. Nolan claims he’s giving Mia a ride back to her place. Other than the threat of Jake emerging from his room, it leaves me mostly alone with Andi and the kids in the cabin.
Meemee is falling asleep for little two to three minute power naps, waking up and burning off whatever energy she generated in short bursts, and then falling asleep again. Right now, she’s curled into a ball beneath the kitchen table, snoring. Cade is practicing his shot inside on a little blow-up goal with a squishy puck and plastic stick the guys had for goofing around. Ever since our match, he has been too busy working on his shot to cause trouble.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Andi says. She moves beside me where I’m cleaning dishes in the kitchen. She gets close enough that I smell that shampoo of hers again and feel my body go rigid all over.
“Yeah,” I agree.
“You know, you’re not so bad with kids. I was kind of expecting you to suck at it.”
I’m about to say something when my phone rings. It’s Mikey, and he’s apparently hung up in the city and wondering if we’ll stay the night at his place and put the kids to bed for him. He won’t be back until morning.
“Shit,” I say, then I explain what I just heard to Andi.
“So?” she asks. “What is it, Jesse? Afraid to spend the night with me?”
I don’t even see the point in lying, so I nod my head. “Maybe I am.”
She goes on her tiptoes and presses a fingertip between my pecs. “Well, I promise I won’t bite. I mean, unless you ask nicely.”
And just like that, I’ve returned to what seems to be my natural resting state when Andi Summers is involved. Erect and confused.
20
ANDI
We get the kids to sleep without much fuss since Meemee is already on the verge of passing out and Cade is exhausted from all the hockey he played.
I’m on the couch with my feet kicked up in Mikey’s living room. Jesse pulls open the door of the fridge and rummages. Glasses clink for a moment and then he emerges with two beer bottles. He holds a bottle toward me, eyebrows up.
“Sure,” I say, taking one. He jerks his head toward the porch door and we head outside. It’s cold, so we both bring our jackets before we take the rocking chairs on the front porch.
Outside, our breath mists in front of our faces and the wood of the chairs is freezing against my ass and back when I sit. I shiver, sip the beer, and set it on the table between us. “If I didn’t know better…” I say. “I’d think you were trying to get me cold so I’d ask you to snuggle later.”