Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
You never know what my mother’s motives are, but it was clear she wanted to get me away from him last night. All I wanted to do was run back to him. Instead, my mom made me prance around the room with her.
“Does that mean he’s off the possible suitor list?”
“He was never on it.” I push my hair out of my face as I pack.
“How do you get on it?” Ella’s nose scrunches.
“Some put in a request to my brother.”
“And he didn’t put one in? Weird.” She bites into her second cookie while I toss a few pairs of shoes into my next bag.
“Why is that weird?”
“Duh. He was all over you. At one point, I thought he was going to murder one of the men your mom had you talking to.”
“He enjoys poking at my mom. It’s a hobby we share.” I smirk.
“That doesn’t explain the stare-down he had with the other men. He went over to one after you were done talking to him, and they got into it.”
“Really?” I must have missed that.
“That’s what it looked like to me.” She shrugs.
“He’s probably being protective. When I was younger, he was always around. I used to follow him and my brother like a lost puppy.”
“Ohhh.” Ella perks up. “You had a crush on him, didn’t you?”
I turn around and grab my overalls, then fold them in an attempt to hide my blush.
“Your non-answer is really an answer, you know.”
I spin back around to put my overalls into my bag. “Yes, I had a giant crush, but as I said he’s never requested to marry me. In fact, he has spent the last few years ignoring me.”
“But now he’s wiggled a way to get you to stay with him?” Ella is almost giddy about this. I can see the hearts dancing around her head. She found a Prince and now believes we all get them.
“Because he needs my help. Don’t forget that part.” I grab the rest of the things I picked out to pack and drop them inside my bag, zipping it up. “You saw him.”
“Yeah, he was funny.”
“Yes, Flynn is charming. He’s also very handsome. I’m sure he has a whole roster of women to choose from. It would explain what he’s been up to all this time.”
“You think I’m handsome?” My heart leaps out of my chest and into my throat.
“How did you get in here?” It comes out like an accusation as I eye him up and down. He’s in jeans today with a simple black shirt. I swear he can wear anything and be so damn hot.
“The front door was unlocked.”
“The alarm didn’t beep.”
“Maybe you were too busy thinking about how handsome I am and didn’t hear it,” he says smugly, and Ella laughs.
“Flynn, you know you're handsome.” I roll my eyes at him. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and take my bags.”
“I’d love to,” he agrees and grabs them for me.
“I think he’s into you,” Ella says the second he’s out of the room.
“Notice he didn’t deny his roster of women?” I point out. What if while I’m staying with him, he has someone over?
Great. I go pack the cookies because I’m going to need them, and I won’t be sharing. With Flynn or his roster of women.
Chapter Eight
FLYNN
“Those look good.” I eye the container of cookies in Zelly’s lap, but she ignores me. “Do I get to have one?”
“No.”
I glance away from the road to watch her turn her nose up ever so slightly. How can this woman drive me crazy and make me happy at the same time?
“No?”
“No.” When she says it this time, it’s with a finality, but I’ve never been good at following the rules. Especially ones I don’t like.
“What would it take for me to get a taste?” At my question, she looks out the window, and is it my imagination or is she blushing? “Come on, Zelly. We’re going to be living together for a little while, so we might as well make the most of it.”
“Exactly how long do you intend this project to take? I have a life I need to get back to.”
She’s all business right now, and I’m going to have fun getting under that cool façade. Hearing her call me handsome was a boost to my ego for sure, but I love our verbal spars no matter what she’s saying.
“You mean baking cookies in your pool house?” I raise a brow at her, and she huffs.
“For your information, it’s called a casita.”
“So it’s a house. By a pool.”
The little sound of frustration she makes has my grin growing.
“Come on, Zel, you can’t tell me you’re not excited to get out from under Janet for a few days.” That earns me a tiny smile and a reluctant shrug.
“She’s just being protective.” It looks like she thinks it over for a second and then lets out a long sigh. “But I’ll be glad to get a break from her relentless matchmaking.”