Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Peter picked Willow up about thirty minutes ago. After she left, I went to my grandparents’ house for a second to check if they needed anything before I headed out to the water to fish for a few hours. When I returned, I was surprised to see Jensen sitting on my front porch, tossing a baseball in the air.
“What are you doing over here?” I called out as I walked up to the porch. “I thought you were taking a break from the garden today.”
“I am. I was just waiting for your ass to get here,” he said, standing on the top step.
“Language,” I scolded.
“Come on, Theo. Ass is hardly a bad word. Shit and fuck are much worse.”
“PaPa and Grandma used to put a bar of soap in my mouth whenever I cursed. Don’t make me bring that back around.”
“Ah, yes. Keep the generational trauma going. Smart,” he joked.
The kid was a smart-ass, and I couldn’t help but like it.
Even though I hated his father, Jensen reminded me of myself when I was his age. He was in a transition period of growth, battling a bit with being a heavier kid. Yet every time I saw him, I swore he’d grown a foot taller, and his voice was deeper. And I saw that kid a lot.
I didn’t mind having Jensen around. Even though he was a kid, he was a good seed. He helped me with the lawn work I didn’t want to do. I lived on a lot of acres, and every two weeks, Jensen helped me mow the lawn.
He was the one who also convinced me that I should plant some flowers around the house. I figured landscaping was something he’d go into down the road. He had an eye for that stuff in a way I didn’t. I could tell working on the garden was a good task for him, too. He seemed happier lately.
“You fishing tonight?” he asked, even though he knew the answer. The moment it was warm enough to take my boat out, I’d be on the water every single night.
“Yup. Wanna join?”
Jensen wasn’t a big fisherman, but he liked to join me on the water from time to time. He was kind of like Willow—a yapper. He talked about everything and nothing all at once. It was one of his greatest gifts. I valued people who talked a lot. It made it easier for me to stay quiet.
“Sure. Dad’s having Willow over for a date and told me to get lost for a few hours,” he commented as he walked toward the backyard.
“Willow?” I questioned. “I thought he was having a party tonight.”
“A party for two,” Jensen stated with an eye roll. “You know how he is. A fucking whore.”
“Language,” I repeated even though he was right. Peter Langford was a fucking whore.
And he told Willow he was having a party. I bet she had no clue it was a party for two. What a fucking dick move on his part. I wondered if she was okay.
Don’t overthink it, Theo. She’s a grown woman who can handle herself.
But what if she couldn’t?
None of your business. Get her out of your mind.
But what if I couldn’t?
“You sure he said he wasn’t having a party?” I questioned, not wanting to think the worst of Peter even though I knew I was more than allowed to think the worst of him after his history of terrible choices.
“Positive. He said Willow came on to him the other day in town. Figured he’d see where it could go. Between you and me, I think she’s too good for him.”
That was a given. Any living human was too good for Peter Langford.
I grumbled to myself.
She came on to him?
When?
I swear Peter lived in a state of delusion. If you asked him, anyone he found attractive was madly in love with him. I figured that was his way of convincing himself that he could have whatever he wanted. Even if that was a person like Willow.
Did she want him, though?
Did I miss something?
No.
She wanted to dance.
Maybe I should just drive past his place and see…
Did that count as stalking? I didn’t need to stalk the woman. I was overthinking it. She was fine. She was probably more than fine. I needed to simply take my boat onto the water and let my thoughts evaporate into the stillness of the night. The last thing I needed was to be worried about a woman I hardly knew and one I’d been actively pushing away from me.
But still…
“Hey, buddy. I forgot I have to check on something. Do you mind if I drop you by PaPa’s for a bit?” I asked Jensen.
“Oh, yeah. Okay. I told him I’d help him chop up some wood anyway,” he said, not noticing how my anxiety was shooting through the roof.