Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
I rolled my eyes. “I highly doubt Rip likes me. He barely tolerates me. I pretty much drive him to drink on a daily basis, and I dared to order McDonald’s, so…”
“He choked on a fry when he was sixteen, then puked up fries when he was drunk off his ass after a frat party. Hasn’t been able to look at them again without wanting to die a little.” He shrugged like the stories weren’t a big deal. “This is why you both need me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “We do?”
“Yeah, because that’s the type of shit Rip would never admit to, his past indiscretions, failures, imperfections. On the outside all you see is a robot going through the motions, but he actually does know how to have fun. And he wasn’t always this… controlled.” His face flickered as he looked down at his hands briefly. What did he know that I didn’t? I’d been in Rip’s life whether he liked it or not for years.
“Well, I’ve never seen that side of him,” I admitted finally. “Only the know-it-all side or the side that still holds our one horrific date over my head as if he had nothing to do with how bad the night went.”
Banks’s smile grew to epic proportions. “I forgot…” He wagged a finger at me. “You’re the sneak kisser.”
I groaned and contemplated throwing my body against the window in hopes of escape. I still felt embarrassed when I thought back on that moment, his face, my misreading of the situation.
“In my defense, I’d been nervous, had a bit too much to drink, and—wait, why am I defending myself to you? I barely know you! For all I know you could be lying about the best-friend thing. Then again, he did warn me about you before I left, yelling something about some man-whore in his office who has too much time on his hands.” Honestly it was a bit of a blur considering I was so excited to leave the house and get some work done—not that I wanted to actually leave the kids, which ended up being the hard part. I wanted to leave and yet I didn’t. And I still weirdly missed the chaos they brought to my day.
“Classic Rip.” He laughed. “But really, Rip doesn’t need someone to like him, he needs someone to push him. That’s my role here at the office and apparently your role at home. I mean, if I was a chick or into dudes I’d be perfect for him!”
I choked on a laugh. “Can’t wait to tell him you think you’d be a good husband.”
“I’m more like his work husband.” He grinned. “I make sure he eats lunch, takes breaks, and doesn’t yell at people just because they wore red.”
“He hates red,” I admitted.
“Fucking hates it,” he agreed. A soft chuckle slipped out. “He’s a weird one, our Rip.”
I nodded. “Now let me get back to work—” I opened my laptop and waited for him to leave.
Instead he put his feet up on Rip’s desk. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Banks!”
“Yes?”
“I need to work!”
“I know.”
“You’re distracting.”
His shit-eating grin widened. “It’s the face, isn’t it?”
I had opened my mouth to respond when my cell phone rang, and I checked the screen. “It’s Rip.” I picked it up.
“Speakerphone this shit. Or hell, ask if he can FaceTime!” Banks was suddenly right behind me, watching, listening, and damn he smelled good.
Focus, Colby.
“Hey, what’s up?” I tapped the speakerphone button and waited.
Viera was bawling in the background, and from the rattles and clanks, it sounded like he was at the store. Yay, we’d have groceries! I might be annoyed with him, but I was so thrilled he’d actually attempted the impossible I could kiss him.
“I can’t find the damn chickpeas. What the hell is a chickpea? The recipe said I needed two cans, and some organic coconut flour, and—Viera, hey, hey, hey, the big bird didn’t mean it, all right? Just calm down—”
“Never tell a woman to calm down,” Banks said under his breath. “That’s like Manhood 101.”
“Are you with a guy?” Rip asked.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call him a guy,” I joked, earning a glare from Banks, who decided to join in on the convo.
“Hey, man!” His smile was one of pure joy. “You, uh, you doing OK? Want some of that help I offered this morning?”
“I’m good. Everything’s fine! Viera, the bird was sad, OK? That’s why it flew down so close to you, and it didn’t follow us into the grocery store, OK?”
“But it be there when we go back outside!” she wailed.
Banks whistled. “Kid really doesn’t like birds, does she?”
“You have no idea.” I sighed as Rip made a strangled cough in the background, then the line went dead.
“I think he’s doing fantastic, you?” Banks’s smug grin actually had me smiling back at him. “Honest moment, you like that he’s struggling and so do I. He needs a bit of mess in his life.” He eyed me up and down like he was waiting for me to acknowledge that I was, in fact, the mess he was referring to.