Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
There was more grumbling, then he threw his arm around me and said, “Well, it looks like we both have the day off. How about you show me this mystery house you live in?”
I looked at him, studying his profile as he watched his brothers all peel out of the parking lot of the diner we’d eaten at for lunch.
I waited until he returned his attention to me before saying, “Is there a reason you’re spending time with me?”
His eyes sobered. “Yes.”
I felt my heart wrench at that.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Because I want to.” He shrugged.
And because I wanted to let him, I did.
He looked at my house in horror.
“You live…” He paused as if searching for the correct word. “Here?”
“I’ve lived here since I was eighteen,” I admitted. “I first rented it from an older couple. They’d both moved to the nursing home right when I needed a place. Their daughter sold it to me for a song—because her parents asked her to—after they passed away.”
“It’s…” He shook his head. “It’s bad, Athena.”
I shrugged.
“Has Maven ever been here?” he wondered.
I scoffed. “As if I would bring anyone down to Eleventh Street if I didn’t have to. No, she’s never been here. Actually, she thinks I live at my brother’s place now, and I haven’t corrected her assumption.”
“Why?” Gable wondered.
“Because,” I said as I started up the front walk, very much aware that every single person in the neighborhood was watching right now. “Why would I want a beautiful woman here when they don’t have to be? Plus, she’s all pregnant and stuff now. I’m not really interested in having Auden hate me.”
“Auden wouldn’t hate you,” he scoffed. “He would appreciate you insulating her from this, though. He’s protective after everything.”
After she was saved from her psycho brother and father.
Or, more accurately, two men who were no blood relation to her at all.
“You can’t blame him,” I said, mirroring my thoughts.
“No,” he agreed as he headed up the stairs to my place and stopped. “You can’t.”
I looked at the doorknob, then back to him. “What?”
“I could probably kick that in,” he admitted.
I snorted. “You could not.”
“How much do you want to bet that I can?” he challenged.
I didn’t think he could, or I wouldn’t have shot back with, “I’ll give you anything you want if you can kick that in.”
My brother had reinforced the door.
There was no way…
Crack.
One kick from his booted heel was all it took to fold my door in like he’d stepped on a cardboard box.
I stared at the door, now nearly completely broken in two, and said, “Now what am I supposed to do?”
He pulled out his phone and placed a call.
“Hey, Jack. Yeah, do you think I could get you to replace a door for me?” he asked. “I need it to be a good door, though. One that’ll withstand a boot.”
He got a couple of details, then he was walking in my door, leaving me still staring at the shattered remains.
“You know,” I said as I finally followed him in. “Gavrel told me that would hold.”
“Gavrel was probably trying to be nice because you wanted to stay here,” he said. “Plus, there was this one time during orientation we had a bird house building competition with some kids. When he was done with his, it fell apart because he only used wood glue—and too much of it at that.”
I giggled at that, then walked to the wall where I had hung his bird house.
He’d given it to me with this huge grin on his face. “This one.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “That one.”
It was lopsided, and I wouldn’t ever think about subjecting a bird to it.
I guess Gable did have a point when it came to my brother’s carpentry skills.
“What do I get?”
I looked up to find Gable standing next to me.
“What do you want?” I asked, having no trouble following his line of thought.
He didn’t hesitate in saying, “You to stay with me for the weekend.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but he held up his hand.
“Actually,” he said, “I’m set to take a vacation. When I can finally go on it, I want you to come with me… and spend the weekend with me.”
I winced. “I just got back from a three-week vacation.”
He turned so he could look at me and not Gavrel’s poor excuse for a bird house.
“I know the chief of police who has final say so on your schedule,” he challenged. “How about you let me work on that part?”
I was crazy. That had to be why I agreed.
“Okay.”
I hate pants and socializing.
—Text from Athena to Gable
GABLE
I was in the middle of ordering pizza when Jack, the foreman who’d practically built my house, showed with a new door.
He was out of the truck and headed toward me with a grin on his face as he said, “What are you doin’ here?”