Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
But Piper grabs my elbow quickly.
“It’s fine!” she apologizes to Nancy before dragging me out. “What was the cabin number again?”
“Cabin 8,” Nancy calls as my ward pulls me down the steps and back over to my truck. “Have a nice stay and thank you for your consideration, Mr. Conway. Please, let me know if you need anything.”
Finally, Piper manages to get me out in front of my vehicle.
“They must be shitting me,” I growl. “This is totally unacceptable. I’m paying for this shit! What, are they still going to charge me?”
“We’ll get it figured out,” my pretty ward soothes, stroking my forearm. “It’s only temporary, remember? Things might change as soon as tonight, and then we’ll be in separate cabins.”
I look down at Piper’s small, pale hand on my big, bronzed forearm and goddamn if the sight doesn’t turn me on. This woman is my kryptonite and now it’s even worse because she’s going to be sleeping in the same room. Shit. How am I going to get any rest? Knowing that her sweet form is slumbering nearby is going to keep me awake nights, and yet I have to act normal, for her sake as well as mine.
With another harrumph, I get into the truck as Piper clambers into the passenger seat.
“It’s going to be fine, Stan,” she soothes with a pretty smile. “Come on, Cabin 8 is just down this path.”
The truck bumps along the dirt road for a mile or so, and finally, a log structure appears. It’s not big, that’s for sure. Nancy definitely wasn’t kidding when she said these cabins were built for two and after parking in front of the structure, I grab my bag as well as Piper’s, slinging them each over a shoulder.
“Come on, honey,” I say in a gruff tone. “It looks like George and Romy are already here, seeing that their Acura’s parked under that tree. Let’s go say hello and make the best of this situation.”
The curvy girl smiles and gets on her tiptoes to press a sweet kiss to my cheek.
“Be nice, now,” she coos. “You know that this isn’t their fault.”
I merely grunt again as we walk up the short path to the cabin. I open the log door, and sure enough, the cabin is small. The entire thing isn’t more than one room with two beds pressed up against opposite walls. There’s an attached bathroom in the back, and most things seem to be made of wood, including the floor, walls, and doors. Spartan lighting fixtures dangle from the ceiling, and there’s a closet in back, but there isn’t much else. Clearly, we’re not staying in the lap of luxury, but what has me confused is the placement of the luggage.
“Hey buddy,” George booms before striding over to give me a clap on the shoulder. “So you heard about the housing fuck-up, huh?”
George Richards is a good-looking motherfucker with black hair and brilliant blue eyes. He owns the local Acura dealership and has done well for himself, especially seeing how his wife, Camilla, ran off on him a couple years back. But my man kept his head above water and I daresay, has come out of that situation just fine. I don’t know where he is with the divorce exactly, but at least he doesn’t talk about Camilla anymore.
Meanwhile, his stepdaughter Romy skips over to give Piper a hug. Romy is a gorgeous girl who’s always been a bit too sassy for my taste. She’s got long blonde hair and pale creamy skin, but she flirts with every guy, and I mean every guy within a fifty-mile radius, including the postman, random guys at the gym, and even her high school teachers. I just hope she’s not too much of a bad influence on Piper, although at this point, I wouldn’t really know. The girls don’t tell me their secrets, and as new adults, I’m respectful of their privacy.
But right now, Romy’s in a playful mood.
“This is great!” the pretty blonde coos with a smile. “We’re packed in like sardines, but I see this as an opportunity for the four of us to get to know each other better. Right, George? It’ll be fun.”
Her stepdad grins, looking fondly at the blonde vixen.
“I definitely agree,” he growls. “It’s a tight squeeze, but we’ll be fine. We can adapt.”
That’s when I cut in.
“Yeah, but what are the sleeping arrangements?” I ask in a puzzled tone. “I mean, you guys seem to have your luggage on only one side of the room. Does that mean…?”
Romy laughs merrily again, flipping a strand of blonde hair over one shoulder.
“Oh yes, definitely,” she hums without missing a beat. “George thought it would be easier this way. He and I will share one bed, while you and Piper share the other so family stays with family,” she says, gesturing to the untouched mattress on the other side of the cabin. “As you can see, George and I have already spread out everywhere here, so apologies in advance for the mess.”