Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Chapter 5
Walker
How can I look forward to and also despise the sight of her?
I know it's my own selfishness making me feel one way and my guilt making me feel the other. The two tangle together until I'm so frustrated and annoyed, I disappear into that tiny office of mine until the end of her shift.
The way she works a room is awe-inspiring. She smiles and gives each customer exactly what they need without ever crossing a line. She dodges handsy guys from the college as easily as she converses with the women here for a girls' night out. All of it is done with ease and professionalism.
I don't know her story. I don't know how she met Hux, but I don't think my guess that she met him at the bar she worked at in El Paso is very far from the truth. The man drank like a fish out of sheer boredom before he joined the service. I remember having a slurred conversation with him when it was suggested by his parents. He wasn't afraid of going and dying. The man was a little too egotistical to even consider a world without him. He was worried about the effort and work that went into being a soldier. He'd been handed almost everything in life, and when that rug was pulled out from under him, he wanted no part of it.
I watch as she waggles her finger in the face of one smiling man when he reaches out for her.
She says something to one of his friends and, instead of them going to his defense, they nod at her while one man wraps his arms around the guy and says something in his ear. She smiles at him when he speaks to her the second time, and I can tell by the look on her face that he has apologized.
There's just something about her that makes people want to give her anything and everything she could ever ask for, but that's the thing with Claire. She doesn't ask for much. She didn't come here for a handout. She wanted a job, and she has earned every dollar since.
I become insanely interested in the organization of the liquor bottles on the wall when she turns in the direction of the bar. I have no doubt the woman knows I spend too much time watching her, but I can only hope she thinks I'm keeping an eye on her in order to critique her work rather than being drawn into her orbit by her personality and beauty.
My phone rings, and I'm grateful for the distraction. Anything other than the subject of Claire Kennedy would be welcomed right now.
"Hello?" I say when the call connects.
I head down the back hallway, having spent enough time tonight watching the woman make people fall in love with her.
"Walker, hey. It's Adalynn."
"Cash isn't here," I say, realizing it's been a while since I saw the woman.
She has spent years waiting at one of the tables in the bar for Police Chief Cash Tucker to arrive for his nightly walkthrough when he's on the evening shift.
"I'm not looking for Cash," she says in a way that tells me the woman is annoyed with just the mention of the man.
Rumor around town is that they've been hooking up in secret. Maybe things didn't work out the way everyone predicted. I would've lost money if there was a bet because I thought those two were destined to spend the rest of their lives together. They're the only ones who couldn't see they were perfect for each other.
"How can I help you, Adalynn?"
"I know that Claire is working for you," she begins, and it's no surprise that she knows that even though she hasn't stepped foot in the bar since Claire forced her way into a job here. "I need you to do me a favor."
"Of course you do," I tell her, pulling in a deep breath.
Her twin brothers, Ronnie and Donnie, spend a lot of time in here too, and, like every other person in town, I consider the men my friends. The men are known for dating the same woman—at the same time. You'd think in a town with such rigid ways about community and outdated practices the folks in town would have a problem with it, but I haven't heard one negative word spoken about the way those men want to spend their romantic lives.
"Larkin has a car that isn't working."
"I don't know a thing about cars. Maybe give Boone a call."
"I'm not calling Boone."
"Was he rude to you?" I ask. "He's a grump, but I know he wouldn't want you to be afraid to take a vehicle to him."
"Larkin is Claire's daughter."
"She's too young to drive."
"Walker Conroy, if you don't shut up and let me speak!"
I clamp my mouth closed. Pissing off a Southern woman isn't on my to-do list today.