Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“I’m serious, Walker.”
“I know you are.”
“I don’t feel safe.”
“Okay, but how about we give things a couple of days before we start packing?” He cups my face in his hands. “Monday, you can call Officer Taylor and ask him if he has any more information. If he tells you that he doesn’t but is sure Mrs. Lewis was murdered, we’ll go look at apartments.”
“Okay.” I let out a sigh of relief that he isn’t telling me I’m being ridiculous.
“Are you two gonna stay out here all night then?” Douglas asks, and I turn to find him standing in the doorway with his wife Blair, while their daughters, Elsie and Vi, peek through the blinds covering the front window.
Letting me go, Walker takes my hand, and the two of us walk side by side up to the house. The minute I’m within reach, Douglas pulls me away from Walker and wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry for your loss, lass.”
“Thanks.” I blink back the tears filling my eyes.
This afternoon, after Officer Taylor left and once I pulled myself together, I called my parents to let them know what happened, then called Douglas. I tried to get out of this evening—not because I was worried about him meeting Walker, but because I know I’m not going to be great company, and I didn’t want his girls to see me crying. He refused to let me cancel—and told me the girls are old enough to understand why I’d be upset—because he needed to see for himself that I was okay
I couldn’t deny him that, so I told him we would be over as scheduled.
“Thank you.” I fall into Blair’s arms when she holds them open. She’s not my mother, but that same comfort I get whenever my mom hugs me is exactly what I feel as her arms wrap around me, and she kisses the side of my head.
“You doing okay?” she asks, letting me go but still keeping hold of my arms as her gaze searches mine.
“Yeah, I think right now I’m just in shock.”
“That’s understandable.” She reaches up and touches my cheek before looking at the man at my side, who already introduced himself to Douglas. “Walker?”
She holds out her hand, and he takes it. “Blair?”
“Yes.” She smiles, then looks past Douglas as both little girls come over to join us at the front door, the two of them hugging me tightly. “These are our daughters, Elsie and Vi.”
“Nice to meet you.” Walker smiles, and Vi—who is nine, five years younger than her sister—stares up at him with wide eyes.
“You’re well fit,” she tells him.
“Vi!” Elsie gasps, elbowing her in the side while her cheeks turn pink like the words came out of her own mouth.
“What do you know about anyone being fit?” Douglas asks as Blair tries and fails to hide her smile.
“I’m not blind,” she tells her father with a cheeky grin.
“Go set the bloody table for dinner,” Douglas orders, and she walks away not looking the slightest bit put out. “Why are you smiling?” he asks Blair.
“I keep telling you they aren’t babies anymore.”
“They still aren’t old enough to be thinking about a guy being fit.”
“He is fit, and like she said, she’s not blind.”
“You think he’s fit?” Douglas asks, and I press my lips together to fight back the first smile I’ve felt all day.
Blair ignores him and looks at Walker and me. “Give me your coats, and I’ll put them in the closet for you.” She focuses on me. “You can take Walker on into the dining room, and I'll be there in a minute.”
“Do you need help with anything?” I ask her as Walker and I take off our jackets.
“You can get drinks sorted. I bought you and me a bottle of red from the shop today.”
“Thank you.” I watch her walk off, Douglas at her side grumbling to her under his breath about her always being cheeky. It’s sweet and something my parents would bicker about.
Actually, my dad might have told Walker he wanted to arm wrestle or have a pissing contest so he could prove to my mom he still has it. Then again, my dad is nuts.
When we get into the dining room, both Elsie and Vi already finished setting the table and have started getting everyone’s drinks, so Walker and I offer to help them.
We step into the kitchen, and I see Blair has gone above and beyond. Not only did she make beef with potatoes and carrots, which is one of my favorites, but she also made rolls I know for certain are from scratch, along with an apple pie that looks like it could grace the cover of a magazine. She told me once Douglas asked her to marry him after a meal almost exactly like this, and I can believe it. Because I would marry her too if I had the promise of a meal like this every night.