Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
I extend a hand. “Agreed. I’ll brainstorm turkey traps and we can meet up this weekend to buy supplies and plot Kyle’s relocation.”
“Sounds perfect.” She takes my hand, shaking it with a grin.
“In the meantime, I’m following you home tonight,” I say, draining the last of my beer. “I can throw empty coffee cups at Kyle while you run into the house.”
“Really?” Wren’s expression brightens. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all. What are friends for? And I was raised in the woods. I’m not afraid of animals unless they can gut me with a swipe of their claws.”
She arches a nervous brow. “Wait until you see Kyle. My friend Brie followed me home once to help and left bleeding from both arms. Now we only meet for jewelry making at her house and her entire family prays for me at church on Sundays.”
“I’m tougher than I look,” I assure her, sliding off my stool. “Come on. Let’s get you home safe, then I’ll head back to my place to cook dinner. A to-go salad sounds good, but I’m on a budget. I need to save up another grand to afford a down payment on an apartment closer to Drew’s place.”
Wren pulls on her coat as she follows me to the door. “But I thought Drew was offering the garage apartment at his place as part of the compensation package?”
“He is. But I’m not about to move in with him. It’s going to be hard enough seeing him every morning before he leaves for work and a few minutes when he gets home. If I had to go to sleep every night, knowing he was only a quick jog across the driveway…”
“You might find yourself sleepwalking over to his bedroom?” Wren asks.
“No, because I wouldn’t be sleeping. I’d be lying in bed, lamenting my cruel fate. It’ll be easier to forget how much I like him if I have to drive to get to his place.”
At least, I hope it will be…
“That makes sense,” Wren says, shivering as we push outside and start down the street to the cute downtown’s parking area. “Jeez. I can’t believe it’s almost March. Winter feels like it’s dragging on forever this year. But at least the ice fishermen are happy. Their season got cut short last year with all the rain.”
Her words remind me of those few bright, beautiful hours when I thought Drew was a sexy ice fisherman—or a lumberjack—and dating him wasn’t a conflict of interest.
But it’s good that he’s a lawyer. I’m sure he does lots of important lawyer-y things for this town. And I remember how stressed he sounded on the phone during the interview. He needs full-time help he can count on when Sarah Beth is sick or needs to go to the doctor or the dentist or gymnastics class. He can’t keep taking off work and he doesn’t want to lean too heavily on his parents or siblings.
And I get that. I really do. I love my family, but the more you ask for help, the more you open yourself up to other people being in your business. As a strong-willed, independent person that can get really old really quick.
Wren and I reach our cars and I promise to only get out of my car at her place if absolutely necessary. She’s adorably concerned for my welfare, proving yet again how lucky I am to have her as my first friend in town. I follow her small SUV through town and out into the surrounding countryside, thoughts turning back to Drew no matter how hard I try to keep them on the task ahead.
But I’m just not that worried about the turkey. I eat turkey. I can hold a turkey’s entire body in my hands and slick it up with olive oil and herbs without breaking a sweat. If Kyle refuses to back off, I’ll give the little clucker a swift kick in the can, tell him to stay away from hardworking nurses, and that will be that.
As I pull into Wren’s driveway behind her, I’m not pondering my defense strategy, I’m replaying every minute of my steamy night with Drew. I’ve just gotten to the part where he said we were beautiful together when Wren swings out of her truck and all hell breaks loose.
The hell beast comes out of nowhere, exploding from the shadows beside the road like he was born from the darkness itself. His massive wings spread like an avenging angel of death and his long neck stretches toward his target, the sharp beak at its end locked on Wren’s cute little backside.
Wren yelps and runs for the front door of her cottage, but she’s not going to make it. She’s slowed by the giant purse slapping against her side and that turkey is clearly part cheetah.