Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
“Okay, so it’s actually a really catchy song,” I conceded, which delighted him.
He turned down the volume a bit when that song ended, but he kept shaking his hips to the rest of his Spice Girls playlist while we stood side-by-side chopping vegetables. Once that task was done, it only took me a few minutes to get the rest of the dish completed, and then we sat down to big bowls of pasta at the kitchen island.
There was something touching about the way Jack ate. He savored every mouthful and heaped it with praise, as if it was the best thing he’d ever had. Then he grinned at me and asked, “Would you judge me if I licked the bowl?”
I got up and cut a slice of French bread for him as I said, “No, but maybe this is a better approach.” He beamed at me before using the bread to mop up the last of the sauce.
“I’m way too full now,” he said, when he finally sat back and patted his stomach, “but wow was that good. Thank you for dinner.”
“My pleasure.”
Jack helped me clean up and load the dishwasher, and then he glanced at me uncertainly and said, “You must be really tired, since you barely slept last night. Are you going straight to bed?”
I shook my head. “I need to unwind first.”
“Want some company?”
“Definitely. Let’s go upstairs, so I can change into something more comfortable.”
I took his hand as we left the kitchen, and he held on tightly. Along the way, I scrolled through the app on my phone with my free hand and shut off the lights on the first floor, then the sound system.
When we got upstairs, he asked to borrow a phone charger. I found a spare in my nightstand and handed it over as he asked, “Will I be sleeping in the guest room tonight?”
“Only if you want to. I’d prefer it if you slept here, with me, but it’s your call.”
“So you can keep an eye on me?” He seemed so young at times, especially when he forgot to hide his vulnerability under his usual swagger.
“So we can keep each other company.”
He smiled at me and plugged in his phone while I went to change. When I returned a couple of minutes later dressed in sweats, a T-shirt, and a hoodie, he was sitting primly on the bench at the foot of the bed with his hands folded in his lap.
I asked, “Can I show you something?”
He said, “Sure,” but when I handed him the sweatshirt I was carrying, his expression turned suspicious. “If this thing you want to show me is outside with the scorpions, I’m changing my answer to no thank you.”
“It’s outside, but not at ground level.” He still looked skeptical, so I said, “Trust me, Jack. I think this is something you’re going to like.”
Ultimately his curiosity won out, and he put on the sweatshirt and followed me to the den at the back of the second floor. One wall was lined with bookshelves, and there was also a TV, a large sofa, and a built-in wet bar.
Jack made a bee-line for the books. He plucked one from the shelves and began reading the back cover, and I grinned and said, “That’s not actually what I wanted to show you, but if you want to, we can spend some time here when we come back inside.”
With that, I opened the sliding glass door at the back of the room and wheeled an upholstered chaise lounge out onto the large balcony. Jack followed me as far as the doorway, but he raised a brow and said, “It’s cold out there. Why not stay in this fabulous room, which has books and a couch and far less chance of anything horrible flying at us?”
“Scorpions don’t fly.”
“No shit, but moths do. I bet you get nice, big mutant ones out here in the desert.”
“We’ll be safe from the moths. I guarantee it.”
“How can you possibly guarantee that?”
“Because I’m planning to turn off every light in the house, so there won’t be anything to attract them.”
He looked even more skeptical. “So, your plan is not just to sit in the cold, but the cold and dark?”
I collected a blanket from the back of the couch, then went out onto the balcony and said, “Exactly. Come join me, and close the door behind you.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and turned down the lights in the den. Then I got comfortable on the chaise with the blanket over me and waited. Jack stalled and grumbled for a minute before finally doing as I asked.
“Where am I supposed to sit? You’re taking up the whole fainting couch.”
“It’s a chaise, but sure, call it that if you want,” I said. “And I was thinking you’d sit on my lap, if that’s okay with you.”