Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“As if I’ll let you,” I laughed.
He grinned and shook his head, then turned his focus on the snack basket. “Okay, so what am I looking at here?” He picked up one of the fried treats, and I was fairly certain it was the Snickers bar.
“Who knows?” I shrugged and smirked.
“If it’s fried, we like it,” Alvin stated frankly. “We even tried deep-fried strawberries once, and they were delicious. Remember, Grandma?”
“Of course, love. With the ice cream.” Elsie nodded. “They were tasty.”
I could fucking imagine. I had to try that.
“Damn.” Ben chewed and inspected the snack. “I’m evidently getting dessert first. Try this, bud.” He handed it to Alvin. “It’s Snickers.”
Alvin lit up and didn’t hesitate.
We kinda lost the O’Cleary boys to the snack basket for a while, but I didn’t mind. Elsie complimented me on our wit when it came to naming items on the menu, and I was a fan of compliments. I could actually take some credit too, ’cause I’d come up with at least half the names.
“I’m not sure I understand the Double Trouble reference, though,” Elsie noted. “Is that a sports term?”
“No, it’s the nickname for my friend’s daughter Bella,” I replied, peering closer at her menu. “There should be three items not named after sports or athletes. The Double Trouble burger, the beef—because it’s sacred—and the cheesy bread. It’s named after my nephew.”
“Ah, I see.” She smiled and perused some more. “I notice there’s no poking fun at the Packers. Ben hates the Packers.”
“As any self-respecting person would,” I said with a nod. “We don’t talk about the Packers. We named our garbage bins in the kitchen after them, but they don’t exist out here.”
She laughed softly and shook her head. “You sound like him too, dearie.” She tapped a finger against the T-bone steak. “Ben, sweetie, you should order the Bear Down, T-Formation.” She turned to me. “He loves a good steak.”
Who didn’t?
“It’s a solid choice.” I smiled.
In the end, Ben did choose the T-bone—with a baked potato—claiming he’d been eyeing it on the menu for a while, another thing I filed away in my O’Cleary folder. Elsie opted for the turkey with steamed vegetables, and Alvin wanted the crispy chicken sandwich with extra fries. To which I felt the need to warn him that the portions were pretty big, but Ben assured me Alvin would eat it all—and then whatever the rest of us might not finish.
Alvin grinned sheepishly. “I eat a lot.”
You couldn’t tell, but fair enough. Extra fries, it was.
Unlike his dad, Alvin was not a man of few words. He was making it much easier for me to form my plans. Halfway through dinner, he’d rambled excitedly and frankly about his obsession with water, with side tracks covering fish tanks, colored shrimp, pH, the biodiversity of Lake Michigan, and his dream to one day visit the Emerald Coast.
And wasn’t that just convenient? My folks lived near there. Their house was just south of Tallahassee.
Alvin was very proud of his seashell collection too.
“You remember when your ma and I gave you that coral for your birthday?” Ben grinned around a mouthful of food.
Alvin scowled at him. “We agreed not to talk about that. I forgave you.”
“We wore you down,” Ben argued, chuckling. He looked over at me. “When Alvin turned seven, Lindsey ordered a pink coral as an extra gift for him, and we thought it was gonna be a hit.” He nodded at Alvin. “Kid didn’t speak to us for two months after.”
I lifted my brows.
“Coral should never be harvested from the ocean,” Alvin responded vehemently. “It’s one thing if a piece gets washed up on a beach, but I think we both know the ones idiots make money off aren’t random bits they found onshore.” He flicked me a glance. “For the record, I only collect seashells found on the beach. I make that very clear on eBay, and I contact every seller who isn’t clear about the origin.”
The guy was passionate.
“Good to know.” I stifled my grin by taking another bite of my cheeseburger, but I chewed quickly to circle back to the Emerald Coast. “By the way, my parents live outside Tallahassee. That’s pretty close to the Redneck Riviera, innit? Last time I was down there, my old man and I drove over to Destin.”
Alvin stiffened in his seat. “They have some of the most beautiful waters. I want to see that entire coastline so badly.”
I shrugged. “You’re very welcome to visit. I road-trip down there once a year.”
Was I crossing a line? Fuck it. Elsie didn’t look bothered one bit, and Ben was just watching us in silence as he ate.
Alvin chewed on his lip and glanced at his dad.
“Don’t look at me, small fry,” Ben chuckled. “That’s kind of Trace to offer, but you might wanna discuss this with Rose. Florida is far away, and you’d need to spend several nights away from your own bed.”