Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Lo gasped as her head came an inch from the ceiling. “Roger!”
“Relax. I know what I’m doing.” But he took her outside, and we could hear another shriek. The other girls scrambled to join in.
Vicky motioned to the food sitting across the stovetop. “I figure you’re famished after helping us win that game today. We’re going to do buffet style. You’re the guest of honor, so you can go first, or you can have Billie lead the way. Whichever you feel the most comfortable with. You can sit wherever you’d like. We already had the more formal meal today, so this one is more relaxed.”
He nodded. “Appreciate it, ma’am.”
Vicky’s eyes widened. A soft laugh left her. “Vicky. Call me Vicky.”
“And you call me Howard,” Howard’s voice boomed.
The corner of Brett’s mouth curved up. “Appreciate that also.”
“Good.” Howard was smiling broadly, standing close behind Vicky.
Brett glanced to me, a question in his eyes, but Lo cleared her throat, moving past me. Her hand extended toward him. “Hello. I’m Elowin, Vicky and Howard’s daughter. Uh…”
Brett caught her hand, giving it a shake as she paused in her introduction, looking down at their hands as if she’d forgotten what she was saying. “Uh. Yeah. Hi. Billie’s still tentative in claiming us as her family, but we are. She’s my sister. I love her like a sister. So, yeah…” She trailed off, staring at me a moment before shaking her head. “It’s nice to meet you. My mom’s chili is the absolute best. She’s won the tri-county chili cook-off three years in a row.”
“Uh, Lo.”
Lo looked at the dishes behind us. “When she makes it, you’ll have to come back and try it.” She remembered me, and added quickly, “If you and Billie are still seeing each other by then, I mean.”
“Lo!” Vicky snapped.
“What? He won’t be coming if they’re not still seeing each other, obviously.”
Brett had reached around me, slowly pushing me in front of him until we were turned to the food. “I’d love to, either way. I’ve not had chili in a long while.”
Vicky continued glaring at her daughter.
I could hear Lo muttering under her breath. “I was just saying. I’m not trying to be rude.”
Brett’s chest shook again in silent laughter behind me, which settled some of my irritation. He wanted me to take the lead, so I picked up a plate and glanced over my shoulder to him. That stopped me in my tracks.
A sense of wonderment had washed over his features as he looked at the food. I caught a brief glimpse of a little boy before he blinked and pushed it away. He flashed me a grin. “It looks amazing.”
His tone sounded fine. Warm even. But his smile didn’t reach his eyes. Why was he faking? Had it been Lo?
“Billie, the man’s probably starving, honey.”
I started forward at Vicky’s gentle prompt, reaching for the mashed potatoes first.
18
BILLIE
Brett didn’t look tense. He didn’t sound tense either.
We sat at the picnic table he and Roger had brought over so everyone could sit outside together while the girls went back to riding bikes around the yard. He straddled the seat, and I leaned back in his arms, which held me loosely.
Roger and Howard dominated the conversation, asking him questions about football and listening to him tell a story about the night he’d hung out with another player who retired ten years ago but would always be considered one of the greats.
The guys hung on his every word.
Even Vicky and Lo were enjoying this. Vicky would normally have gotten up thirty minutes ago to do something because she didn’t like sitting around. She was perched on the end of the seat as if her body wanted to go, but the story was keeping her in place. And Lo had slowly defrosted toward Brett over dinner. He and Luna had a moment where she was struggling to eat her hot dog. He reached over to cut it into pieces, the same way Lo had cut her green beans. Right after, he pretended to try to eat those pieces.
Lo’s mouth fell open, watching as Luna perked up, giggling, but ate the rest of that hot dog in no time flat. It was always a struggle getting Luna to eat her meat. She could be picky at times.
To Brett’s credit, he wasn’t trying to impress them. He was just remembering that night because it was memorable—and hilarious at times.
But while he sounded and looked the epitome of relaxed and cool, he was not.
I could feel his chest behind me. He was rock solid and rigid.
My hair fell forward, and I snuck a look at his eyes, my hair covering my glance.
He caught my look as he finished telling his story. His grin faded a little as he focused on me.
“Are you serious? Kerkumpor left it like that?” Roger pounded the table, his laughter bellowing out of him. Howard shook his head, grinning and chuckling as well.