Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“You’re not on social media?”
I shake my head again. “I had a stalker a few years ago, and it originated on socials. It scared me.”
“Okay, Boomer, but you can totally have a secret account that you just use to interact with your family.”
“That’s pretty much what my sister said.” I smile and pour more wine into our glasses. “I guess I could do that if I don’t have to use my real name or pictures of myself.”
“You totally don’t have to,” Millie insists. “Download the app on your phone. I’ll help you set it up.”
“Right now?”
“Absolutely. This is taking my mind off the Lexington family. One member in particular.”
“Okay.” I shrug and tap the screen of my phone. “Which one should I do?”
“Just Instagram,” she replies.
“Okay, it’s downloaded. Now what?”
“Now we have to come up with a name and a username for you.”
“I can be Erin McBride. That’s my mom’s maiden name.”
“Perfect. It’s easy for you to remember,” she says as I type the name into the app. “Okay, now a username. What about SexyCoffeeGirl69?”
I blink at her and then shake my head. “No. Definitely not.”
“CoffeeVixenXO.”
“No.”
“BigSkyRideorDie.”
I smirk. “Hell no. Why do we have to die? Absolutely not.”
“This is fun. I’m on a roll.” Millie sits again and nibbles on the end of a breadstick. “Okay, how about—”
“Hold up.” I lift a hand and smile. “I have it. BigSkyBarista. It’s generic.”
“I like it. Now, what will you put as your profile photo?”
“I have a picture that I took of a latte I made at work the other day.” I bite my lower lip as I scroll back and select the photo of a foamy-topped latte. “There. I have an account. Now I just have to text the cousins and let them know that it’s me.”
“Perfect.” Millie smiles sleepily. “Now you won’t miss out on anything.”
“Do you want to sleep here tonight?” I ask her. “You’re about to crash from all the excitement.”
“Yeah.” She sighs. “I think I do. But that couch is small.”
“I have a king bed. We’ll both fit.”
With the floor all mopped, and all my other end-of-day cleaning duties finished, I’m ready to close the coffee shop for the day. I’m so ready to go home. I get the next two days off in a row, and I plan to sleep, clean my apartment, and help Roger in his garden.
The tourists have exhausted me.
Before I can make it over to the door to lock it, in comes Grumpy.
Great.
But I paste on a smile. “Hey there. You’re later today, so I don’t have a ton left.”
“Coffee,” he says shortly, even more curt than before. His handsome face is drawn in a dark scowl. “Black.”
“Oh, I don’t have any more brewed coffee, but I can make you a latte or something.”
His eyes narrow into slits. “You don’t have any more brewed coffee?”
“Well, no. We close”—I check my watch—“one minute ago. I was just about to head out for the day. But I don’t mind making you the latte. I even have a couple of scones that I’d just boxed up, if you want those. On the house.”
Grumpy mutters under his breath, and I have to take a deep breath of my own to keep myself from snapping at him.
“Never mind,” he bites out and turns on his heel to march out the front door.
“See you, Grumpy,” I say, loud enough for him to hear, but he doesn’t turn around to look at me.
For fuck’s sake, everyone has been so moody today. My cousin Haley would say it’s because of a moon phase, or Aries is in Jupiter, or some such thing.
Whatever that means.
Personally, I think people are just pissed off. Why? I have no idea. But for the first time since I started this job, I’m ready for a few days off so I don’t have to be around people.
Chapter Four
Remington
“Jesus, you’ve been in a shitty mood all fucking week.”
I turn to glare at my brother, Brady. “So?”
“So, what’s wrong with you? I mean, you’re usually a grumpy fuck, but you’re not typically an asshole on top of it. What crawled up your ass?”
Leave it to my brothers to call me out on my shit.
We’re repairing some fence line on the edge of the property to the south, but I take a minute to take my gloves off and rub my eyes.
“It’s been a shit week.” I sniff and look over the pasture to the mountains beyond. We own that whole mountain.
Sometimes that stops me in my tracks.
“Why?” Brady asks. “The kids are on spring break, so you haven’t had to run them to school and back, and Mom’s been hanging with them all week.”
“Yeah, but Holly’s pissed off because she’s grounded from the barn after her little stunt last week. Then, on that same day, I got a call from Johnny’s teacher, and she told me that my boy is failing math.”