Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 24016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“Right.” I don’t know what to make of this man. He’s kind, but he seems irritated.
It’s probably because he doesn’t know us but has been stuck taking care of us. Then I remember begging him not to take me to the hospital. I told him more than I should have, and now I’m beginning to worry about letting that slip.
“My car.” A wave of dizziness hits me, and I have to put my hand on the back of the sofa to balance myself.
“Still out there. I wasn’t going to bother with it when I needed to take care of you two. Once I got you settled, I couldn’t leave this one by herself. So...” He shrugs one shoulder, letting the sentence trail off.
“It’s fine,” I lie, but I’m worried someone might see it or that it will be towed.
“Do you think the police will...ah...”
“No, I told our sheriff Angela about it. I said I’d grab it tomorrow when we have a break in the storm.”
“The sheriff?” I ask, and he glances over at me.
“I took your license plate off and she’s not going to bother with it since I’m already on it.”
Instant relief and gratitude fills me. “I appreciate that.”
His only response is a grunt and a nod.
“Told you, bear.” Mina tries to make the same grunting sound as him, and I would almost swear Fraser is fighting a smile.
I stare at the two of them as he opens the little battery pack and takes out the batteries. Fraser is way bigger than Cole, and even his tone is deeper. He has a standoffish vibe, yet Mina has quickly warmed to him. She’s always been a good judge of character, and I recall how she doesn’t trust Cole.
His smiles were fake, and he pretended to be nice. Somehow Mina could sense it and didn’t like being around him. Cole blamed it on me, saying that because I babied her, she’s shy.
“You dids it!” Mina squeals when the lights start flashing again. She claps her hands and then squeezes Fraser’s arms.
Funnily enough, she doesn’t seem shy right now. Not one bit.
CHAPTER 4
FRASER
“Why don’t you sit down and eat something,” I suggest when I see her wobble again.
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. I’m wiped out.” She puts a hand on her forehead, and I point to the couch.
“Sit there.” I realize it comes out like an order, and I try to soften my tone. I don’t have to sound like an asshole even though it seems to be my default setting. “You’ll be warm by the fire.”
“Thanks.”
“Chicken nuggs?” Mina chirps, and I nod.
“Didn’t you just eat?” My brow furrows, and it makes Mina giggle. “Fine, I'll make you some more. Go sit with your mom.”
Mina looks around in confusion and then points to the couch. “Wanna sit with Nyah.” She grabs my arms and tries to jump off the counter, but I catch her at the last second.
“I’m Nyah,” Beauty says from the couch before helping Mina cuddle beside her.
“You’re not her mom?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“No, we’re sisters.” There are dark circles under her eyes, and she’s pale from the fever, but when she smiles at little Mina, it’s sweet and tender.
“Oh” is all I say because I wonder how that’s possible. They must be more than twenty years apart.
Mina points to the television, and I reach for the remote and take it off mute. She watches intently as Nyah strokes her head and I go back to the kitchen.
“I’m not sure she quite understands the concept of mom and sister,” Nyah says while Mina is distracted. “She’s with me all the time, so I’m pretty much all she knows.”
Grabbing some frozen chicken nuggets and fries, I load them into the toaster oven. “You raise her on your own?”
“It’s complicated.” Nyah’s voice is soft, and when I look over at her, she shrugs. “But her mom isn’t in the picture anymore.”
“The dad?” The way Nyah flinches makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Yeah, that’s who she’s running from.
“Like I said.” She shrugs and then gives me a half smile that’s not genuine at all. “It’s complicated.”
I don’t say anything else before opening the freezer and taking out a container of soup my mom made for me a while back. She likes to make big batches of this stuff so we can have them during storms. They’re easy to heat up over the fire if the power goes out, but thankfully I can do this in the microwave.
A few minutes later, I bring over a tray of food for the both of them, and I see Mina is already asleep. Nyah looks at the spread and then up at me with the oddest expression on her face.
“You must think I’m an idiot.”
“Why?” I’m genuinely confused as I take a seat in the chair next to the couch.