Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
"They probably would at that, then again from what I remember, if Shania's anything like the girl I knew, she can pretty much take care of any unwanted attention on her own."
"Ain't that the truth, she sure was something when we were kids wasn't she?
“ According to her brothers she was a handful.”
"She sure was that, but she's always been just a cut above the rest. Good old Shania, it's no surprise that she's done so well for herself. Must've been hard on her folks though, her running off to those far away places in all that danger." He shook his head and gave a slight shudder.
The woman had gotten herself into some scrapes over the years. If we'd been together, it probably would've given me grey hair. That's another thing; what were we going to do about her penchant for getting into dangerous situations?
I'm a Chase, and there's no way I would let the mother of my children go off squatting in some hovel in Central America, waiting to catch unsavory characters in the act. Which, according to one of her books, is something she'd done before.
"Scott you're becoming an old woman, what is this, the gossip hour?"
"Just shooting the breeze Lieu, ain't nothing much to do around here at end of shift."
"Is that right, I'll have to find something for you and your cronies to do to keep busy around here then."
"Aw Lieu, why'd you wanna go and do that for? If the guys got wind of this they'd probably Shanghai me. Forget I said anything, I'm going, I'm going. I'm pretty sure I can find plenty to occupy myself with." He scampered out of the room leaving me laughing behind him.
SHANIA
I wish everyone wouldn't make such a fuss over me; they're acting as though I haven't been back since I left. It had only been in the last two years that I'd missed holiday time, because I'd been on assignments. But before that, I'd been back numerous times throughout the years.
Though it would be good to see everyone again, the truth is that I'm getting over a bad experience and don't feel quite up to socializing at this point.
I know it would hurt mom's feelings if I'd denied her the opportunity to have a welcome back party, so I resigned myself to my fate. How I was going to keep a smile on my face throughout the night was another issue.
I feel like such a fraud, like I'm deceiving everyone. All my unsuspecting friends and neighbors, who had no clue as to why I'm really returning home. No one seemed to question why a highly successful woman, nowhere near her prime, would choose to return home to essentially cool her heels.
They probably think I'm planning to sit around and enjoy my accumulated wealth. I have no intention however, of giving up the life I had made for myself. Though my career had paid well, it was the royalties from my two in depth novels, on some of the world's greatest horrors of the day that had garnered me the fame and fortune.
Dorian that prick, came very close to taking it all away. He'd shown me how blind and stupid I really am, while I'd spent my whole life thinking, that I was a modern woman, with all the answers, who knew what I wanted and where I was going, I had been so wrong.
He'd used me in the most despicable way, a way in which men and women had been using each other since forever. Thank heavens I'd never let things go too far between us.
It would’ve been much harder if things had progressed any farther between us than they had. As it was I feel like a fool for accepting his proposal. I’d been flying so high, on top of my game. Then it had all come crashing down around me, in a most spectacular way.
Mom was barely able to contain herself on my return. She’d been plotting my homecoming for so long, practically the day after I’d left for college in fact. But even she was heart broken at the reasons for me being back.
My dad and my brothers thankfully were still free men. My little mishap might’ve cost them their freedom, especially Jus, had it not been for one man; a man that it hurt even to think of.
It’s funny how, in the midst of all that turmoil, his had been the one face I’d seen. It was his teasing voice I’d heard, as I’d laid in a ball of pain on my living room floor. Too sick and tired to make it to my bed in those last few days of hell.
Now here we are, and the whole town had come out to welcome me home. It was harder than I’d thought to keep the façade up.