Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 93453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“Hey, Pops,” I reply, and he must sense that my voice is tight. My grandfather is Casey Barnes, who owns CBS Corporation, which is one of the top security companies in the world, with contracts with the military that are top secret.
“What’s up, big man?” he asks, and I turn and walk back to my desk.
“Someone came in here,” I state, and I know right away the smile on his face is gone. “A reporter, Darren Trowel,” I read his name off the card.
“What did he want?” he asks, and I sit back in my chair.
“He’s doing a follow-up about the accident.”
“What?” he hisses out. “Did he ask you questions?”
“Oh yeah, but the questions were more an accusation on Autumn and if she had a vendetta.” My voice gets tight. “It was fucking strange, and I did not get a good feeling about this article.”
“Send me his contact information, and I’ll run a check on him.” He gives me a deep sigh. “But from what you said, I don’t like it.”
“That would make two of us.”
“Has he spoken to anyone else?” he asks, and my stomach burns at the memory.
“Yeah, he went to talk to Autumn,” I say, “but Brady put him out on his ass, and the next time, she told him to leave.”
“Persistent,” he notes. “Let me see what I can find.”
“Sounds good.” I take a picture of the business card and send it to him via text.
“You sound different,” he immediately says, and I shake my head, chuckling.
“I sound the same.” I take a deep breath in.
“No, you sound… I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Well, I have work to do.” I don’t want to get into it right now. “Let me know what you find.”
“You got it. When are you going to come and visit Grandma and Grandpa?” He mentions my great-grandparents.
“I’ll come soon. Got to go. I love you,” I say before I hang up the phone on him.
I’m putting my phone in my pocket when it pings with a text, and I can’t help but laugh.
Pops: You know that I can find out things, right?
I answer him right away.
Me: I don’t have anything to hide.
I put the phone back in my pocket and walk out toward the barn. I don’t have anything to hide, but I also have something I want to keep to myself. At least for now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Autumn
The sun hits my face, making my eyes flutter open and then quickly close for a couple of seconds before I blink them open again. I sink more into the bed as I look out the window at the blue sky, spotting a couple of birds soaring high in the sky before disappearing from view. I stretch my hands out from under the covers before I toss the blanket off me, lying still for a couple of seconds before I get out of bed. Sleep’s still in my eyes as my body moves slowly toward the end of the bed where I grab the sweater. My brain screaming for coffee makes me walk to the kitchen and start the process. Once the coffee is brewing, I take a couple of steps over to the back door and step out into the warm air. I walk over to the swing. Sitting down and curling my feet under me, I think about the past couple of days and how amazing work has been.
Yesterday, the bar was practically full. Tables filling up from all the promos I’ve been doing. The men who were in the other night came back with about forty men from their trade show and all requested the sample menu, which then led to a couple of them buying bottles to ship home. Something I didn’t even think about doing but now is at the top of my to-do list tomorrow when I get back in. By the end of the night, my feet were aching in the best way, and I had a smile on my face from ear to ear when I saw how much we made. It wasn’t mammoth, but it was something to help, and if every single day there is a little more and more, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. That as well as how every day there were a few more smiles that came my way than scowls. I mean, the scowls will always be there, but now it is six scowls to four smiles. I’m calling this a win, considering it was zero for ten from shortly after the accident to when I got back home.
The only thing that kept me on pins and needles all night was looking at the door every other minute, expecting Charlie to walk in. But he never came in. Even when I was sitting on the swing that night, my eyes would stare into the forest looking for movement, but again he never showed up. I should be happy that he’s moved on and isn’t out to make my life hell, but something nagged at me. Especially since the night before he stayed to clean up with me and then drove home to make sure I was okay. It was a little glimpse of the old Charlie. The Charlie who I always told Jennifer she was lucky she had. The Charlie who oozed sex appeal without even trying. The Charlie I would call first because I knew he would answer and be there for me.