Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
She shakes her head, her smile as sweet as can be.
The two of us should probably be best friends. I’m an avid reader, spending more time than I probably should, reading in one of the little nooks she has in her store, and she owns the place. We’re a match made in heaven honestly, but we’re also both young business owners and that requires a lot of time and dedication. I like spending my time in the place she needs free time from.
“I was hoping you could cook.”
“Oh, were you doing Chocolat?” I ask, unable to hide the excitement from my voice. “Joanne Harris also has a cookbook that would pair nicely with it.”
Sage shakes her head. “Are you good at making chocolate? I was thinking something a little more substantial.”
“Cakes?”
“A full meal.”
“I don’t cook food.” I smile through my frustration. Do people not realize that the two don’t always go hand in hand? If I had a dollar for every time I’ve had to explain the differences… “I bake. I’d love to make baked goods for your event, but if you need something more than spaghetti sauce warmed on the stove and frozen meatballs, I think your best bet would be Riley Wilson. She has an amazing catering company, and her food is to die for.”
“Do you happen to have—”
I point to the card holder just to her left. “Right there.”
“You are a lifesaver. Oh, and your books are in. I’ve put them behind the counter. They’re ready for pick up whenever you get a chance.”
“Perfect,” I tell her, trying to run the rest of my day through my mind, to see if I’ll have time to swing by before they close.
Sage steps away from the counter just as Walker walks through the door. They nod at each other, both having lived here all their lives, but they don’t speak to one another.
“You two gossiping about monster co—”
“Walker Conroy!” I snap. “Don’t even say it.”
He chuckles as he bends a little to peruse what I have in the display case.
Walker is friends with my brothers, which means he was at our house a lot growing up before he left for the military. More than once he picked up a book I’d left lying around and made fun of me for reading nonsense. I still get embarrassed thinking about it. He does his best to remind me all the time about it, but, honestly, he only does it when there are no witnesses. I guess I should be grateful for that at least.
“I’m going to spit on your cupcake,” I warn him, but he just chuckles.
He knows I’d never do such a thing.
“How are the boys doing with that new girlfriend?”
I tilt my head, narrowing my eyes at him.
“You tell me,” I say, wondering how we made it through a meal last night without the boys mentioning a woman in their lives. Usually, they’re incredibly quick to share if they start dating someone new.
He shakes his head. “Not my place to speak about.”
I take a deep breath. “You’re the one who brought her up. Tell me what you know.”
He stands. “No.”
“What’s her name?”
He shakes his head.
“Is she local?”
He shrugs.
“Walker,” I growl in warning.
“Have you and Cash finally stopped circling around each other?”
“Did you want a single or a six-pack today?”
He chuckles, knowing full well that’s the quickest way to shut down any conversation he doesn’t want to have with me.
Unlike Cash, Walker was my brothers’ friend first, so I can see him as just another one of the guys. I can rely on him like I could Ronnie or Donnie.
The difference is, Cash was my friend first and, as well as he and the boys get along, at the end of the day, he’s my friend, not theirs. It makes it difficult for me to put him into that category, although I’ve tried so many times because it would make things clearer in my head.
“I want to say a single, but I know I’m going to have serious FOMO the second it’s gone. Let’s do a six-pack.”
“Preferences?”
“Surprise me,” he says. I fight the urge to give him the ugliest cupcakes I have, which isn’t that horrible, considering I take the ugly ones and turn them into cake pops before I even fill the display case.
It’s honestly hateful of the guy to bring up a woman I know nothing about and then shut down the topic of conversation, but the man owes me nothing. His loyalty is to my brothers.
That kind part of me that wants everyone to see me in a good light won’t even let me pick one of the cookies and cream cupcakes because I know he doesn’t like that flavor.
I give him three creamsicle cupcakes because they’re his favorite, a buttered pecan, and two key lime cupcakes because that’s always his second pick when we run out of his top one.