Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“And neither one of our places is big enough for the four of us,” she says heavily.
“But we’ll keep looking,” I add. “We’ll find something.”
And we do look, every night and every day until finally, we find a small three-bedroom outside of Hayes Valley that’s available in two weeks.
I’m on that listing so fast.
A few days later, we sign the lease, then make plans to move in together.
And since my wife likes football, and Carter plays for the team, we say yes when Elodie’s friend Rachel invites us to attend a game in a VIP suite to cheer on the star receiver. We pile into the chichi room above the field before the game. It’s full of familiar faces and new ones too. Monroe’s here, and so is Carter’s brother, Axel. He’s a thriller writer, and he’s married to Elodie’s friend Hazel, who’s also a writer.
“And you write Elodie’s favorite books,” I say when I meet her.
Hazel smiles. “I’ve trained her well.” Then she adds, “And Elodie makes my favorite chocolates.”
Juliet’s here too, and I thank her and Monroe for the bad sex challenge episode. “We took it,” I tell them, then add, “But we made it the great sex challenge.”
Elodie shoots me a naughty look. “And we take it every single day.”
“And night,” I add.
“Show-offs,” Monroe mutters.
Then Elodie introduces me to her friend Fable, who’s wearing a team jersey I’ve never seen before. It’s sparkly with seventies vibes in the font. “Cool shirt,” I say.
“Thank you. I designed it,” she says, proudly. “And thank you for making my friend so damn happy. I’d be jealous if I didn’t adore her so much.” She squeezes Elodie’s shoulder.
“You’ll find your magic D soon,” Elodie says, and a minute later, the door swings open.
A man in a sharp suit that can only be custom tailored strides in with the kind of confidence that says he owns the place.
Because, well, he does.
I’m not usually starstruck, but I don’t bump into a lot of billionaires. That’s Wilder Blaine and the dude just has charisma. Poise. “Fable,” he says, in a deep, commanding voice.
She turns to him, flashing a smile. “Yes, boss?”
That surprises me. She doesn’t seem fazed by his intensity.
“Do you have a second to discuss the proposal?”
She rolls her eyes his way. “Before kickoff? Do you ever stop working, boss man?”
Elodie whispers in my ear, “Someone is sassy with the boss.”
I just nod.
Wilder glances at his watch, amused as he points out, “It’s not kickoff yet.”
“Fine, fine,” she says, then heads up the steps in the suite.
The man with the dark eyes and chiseled jaw watches her closely as she walks. When she reaches him, he gives a crisp nod to the rest of us. “Go Renegades,” he says, then leaves with Fable.
I turn to Elodie to ask what’s up with that. But she’s already grabbing Juliet’s arm. “Did you get a vibe?”
“We all got a vibe,” Juliet says.
“Every single one of them,” Rachel adds.
“If they aren’t banging in his office now I’m going to be really mad,” Hazel says.
When Fable returns a few minutes later, the ladies pull her aside for a debrief, and I make a mental note to ask my wife for details after the game.
Then I settle in and root for the home team.
At the end of the year, Special Edition winds down, but Sticks and Stones keeps me busy. I promote Zoe, who’s all too happy to take on more work, freeing me up some nights to come home to my girls.
Elodie’s busier than ever since her store continues to reap the benefits of the buzz she so rightfully deserves. But she’s hired smart and capable employees, and she has Kenji, who’s her right-hand man.
As for Sebastian, it’s such a shame. It seems he’s going out of business. Everything is ninety percent off as he’s been forced to shut down his shops. I guess no one wanted his brand of small batch after all.
In early January, Elodie is at work and I’m at her place, packing up her kitchen cabinets, when Felix calls me. I answer it so fast.
“Hello, sir.”
“I have an update.”
“I’m ready,” I say, steeling myself for whatever verdict he’ll render. I took a big swing and there’s a good chance I’ll miss. “I leased it on Friday and Saturday evenings to a cake shop that makes the best flavors—Earl Grey, lemon cake with blackberry jam, chocolate cake with potato chip filling.”
Damn, my mouth is watering while he’s rejecting me. “Those all sound delicious.”
“But wouldn’t you know? The cake shop owners want one Friday night off a month, so I’d happily take cocktails and chocolate on the first Friday of each month. And the place is yours on Sundays too…on one condition.”
I punch the air. “Anything.”
“You should have a real wedding. At my hotel. It’s on me.”