Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
I want to ask him so many questions about his own football career, but I want to do it when I know we won’t be interrupted by anything, and we can have a long conversation.
For now, I enjoy the quiet of the car and take some deep breaths to let go of the stressful afternoon.
“You okay?” Drew asks, reaching for my hand.
“Yeah. Busy afternoon. I’m still dealing with the aftermath of that horrible woman, Florence. She left such a mess, Drew. It’s embarrassing.”
“What are you cleaning up now?”
“She made a lot of promises to people. Season tickets, free tickets, facility rentals. All things that she couldn’t actually guarantee but made it sound like she could. Now, those people are trying to cash in on those promises, and not only do we not have a record of anything, but we don’t have any season tickets to give, certainly not in the middle of the season.”
“She was a mess.”
“That’s no joke.” I sigh and squeeze Drew’s hand. “I’ll pick it back up tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow is Saturday.”
“So?”
“You don’t usually go into the office on Saturday.”
“I work from home,” I remind him. “Usually while Caleb’s sleeping in or playing video games in the morning. Or, if he has soccer, while he’s playing. I’m an excellent multitasker.”
Drew grins at me and pulls into my driveway. When I walk inside, Caleb comes running over to give me a hug and says hi to Drew as if last night never even happened.
“I just need to change,” I announce as Quinn walks down the steps with her overnight bag. “Thanks for hanging out today, Quinn. Was everything okay?”
“It was just a normal day around here,” Quinn confirms. “But now I have to get home because I have a date tonight.”
“That sounds fun.” I grin at the younger woman. “Have a great time. Be safe.”
“Will do.” Quinn waves, and then she’s off, clearly excited about whomever she’s seeing this evening.
“I’ll be right down,” I tell the guys and head upstairs. I need to get out of these heels. I love my shoes, but sometimes a girl just needs a pair of sneakers. Once I’ve changed into jeans and a team T-shirt, with some sneakers, and pulled my hair back with a headband, I walk downstairs and hear Caleb say, “I’m gonna buy a Ferrari.”
“Are you going to save up your allowance?” I ask my son as I switch out my Dior handbag for a smaller crossbody bag that will be more suitable for helping someone move.
“I’m going to buy it when I’m grown up and making my own money,” Caleb clarifies.
“Ah, I see. Sounds like a solid plan. Are you ready to go meet some of Drew’s cousins?”
“Heck yeah. And I can move boxes. I’m strong enough.”
“Well, then let’s go.”
Compound is a suitable word for it. I don’t know what I was expecting the homes to look like, but I wasn’t expecting the modern, lovely homes with manicured lawns and a gorgeous pool between them. There’s also a cornhole setup, since the weather’s been cooperating lately.
“This is nice,” I say to Drew’s cousin, Haley. There are so many people bustling about, and I’ve been introduced, but names are already slipping away from me. Haley, however, has stuck with me. “Do you love living here?”
“Love it,” she confirms. “Come on, I’ll show you our Zen she shed.”
“Ah, yes, Drew mentioned this.”
“He mocked it,” Haley returns, not sounding offended in the least. “But he’s a guy; he just doesn’t get it.”
Haley leads me to the small guesthouse tucked into the backyard and opens the door for me. Inside is a wonderful space, so calm and lovely.
“It’s a library,” I murmur, taking in the bookshelves, “a yoga studio, and a meditation space?”
“Pretty much. We packed quite the punch in here.” Haley props her hands on her narrow hips and smiles as she looks around the room. “My mom used to have a photography studio in here back in the day.”
“So, your mom is Natalie?”
“Yeah. She used to be a boudoir photographer, and she had a bed in here, lots of costumes, all kinds of stuff.”
“Does she still do that?”
“Not officially, but she still has all her equipment. In fact, my dad bought her a fancy new camera for Christmas last year.” Haley looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “Are you thinking of a sexy gift for Drew?”
“Maybe. Christmas is coming up, after all.”
“I think that’s pretty damn sweet. She’d probably love to do it for you. I’ll give you her number.”
“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that. I hope Caleb isn’t driving everyone nuts inside.”
“He’s a cute kid,” Haley replies as we step out of the she shed and walk toward the house. “He was all gung ho to help.”
“I wish he was that eager to help at home.” I grin and follow Haley into the kitchen through the back door. Caleb is sitting at the island, eating chips and salsa with three women. He glances my way with a grin.