Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Cadie: Aurora just came into the bakery. She invited me to a book club meeting this evening. We didn’t have any plans, did we?
I smiled. I was so happy to see Cadie opening herself up to more people. Last week, I introduced her to Aurora, who owned The Book Nook, and they hit it off instantly.
Me: No plans. That actually works for me. I’m on a roll with the book.
Cadie: That is amazing, Kian! Okay, great! I’ll text when I’m leaving to head home.
Me: Sounds good. Have fun, Cadie.
Cadie: Thank you! Happy writing.
I smiled as I pushed back from my desk and walked into the kitchen. Cadie had insisted I bring in a desk and set it up in the corner of the living room. I had been leaving and going back to the guest house to write, and it made more sense to put a desk here for me to work. Cadie and I hadn’t talked much about our relationship and where we saw things going, but with me practically living with her in the cabin, I felt we both knew. I grabbed a water and looked around the cabin. It wasn’t huge, but I kind of liked the coziness of it, and I knew Cadie did as well. She was used to living in a condo in Boston and not having much room. My condo in New York City was at least twice the size of the cabin, but I didn’t miss that place one bit.
Walking back to the desk, I sat down, read what I had written, and was about to start typing again when my phone rang. It was the last person I had expected. I thought about ignoring it for a moment but picked it up and answered.
“Mom, how are you doing?”
“Hello, Kian. I’m doing wonderful. Your father and I were thinking of heading to Moose Village this weekend.”
“Why?”
She laughed. “I don’t think we need a reason to visit our home, but it is Easter weekend. Macy told me that Mark would be home. Your father wants to make amends with him he said, and it’s been a long time since we have all been together as a family. I thought spending some family time with one another would be nice.”
“Family time?” The skepticism in my voice wasn’t lost on me.
“Yes, Kian. That thing that families do over the holidays.”
I laughed. “Mother, if you’re trying to become a family now, you’re a day late and a dollar short.”
She sighed. “Kian, I’m trying here. Besides, your father said that Trey mentioned it would be nice to see everyone.”
I rolled my eyes. I knew damn well that Uncle Trey hadn’t talked to my father at all. My mother would call him once a quarter to see how things were going with the firm in Moose Village. He had either told her about Cadie or mentioned that Jake Magoffin had been in Moose Village a few times, visiting his daughter, Hope. I was banking on him telling her about Jake. My mother couldn’t care less if I was dating anyone. Of course, the first time Cadie and I walked down Main Street holding hands, the town gossip had been in a frenzy spreading the latest. It had been the morning after our first fight and the first time we made love.
“Well, that’s great, Mom. Dad and Mark can bury the hatchet and you can meet my girlfriend, Cadie.”
There was a long moment of silence before she asked, “Girlfriend? You’re dating someone there?”
“I am. She works for Aunt Opal at the bakery.”
“She does what? Lord, Kian, could you not find a woman more up to…oh, I don’t know…your standards?”
A bark of laughter slipped free. “My standards or yours?”
“What does she do there?”
“She is Opal’s manager. She’s actually been doing more and more and allowing Opal to spend quality time outside of the bakery.”
“Really?” my mother asked. “What has she been doing with this new free time?”
“Let’s see,” I said, purposely stalling to drive my mother crazy. “She’s joined a book club that Cadie is in as well. She plays bunco with some friends on Friday nights, and on Sundays, she is in a group that plays a really fun card game called Nertz.”
“Nerds?”
“No, Nertz.” I spelled it out for her. “N. E. R. T. Z. It’s a really fun game. Cadie, Sally, and I joined in last Sunday.”
She sniffed. “I see. Well, it sounds like you’re settling back into life there in Moose Village.”
“I am. It’s been great being back home and writing.”
Clearing her throat, she asked, “Do you have a date of when you will be returning back to the office after you’ve finished this little writing experiment of yours?”
My mouth fell open. “Writing experiment? Mom, I don’t know how much clearer I could have made it. I’m not coming back. I don’t want to be a lawyer anymore. I want to write this book, see how it goes, and possibly write more.”