Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 99748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“Anything that’d get me through until I got another shot with her,” I confess easily. There’s no need to hide it. Everyone in this room already knows it.
“Aww,” Avery sings with teary eyes, burying her nose in baby Joe’s hair.
Mom’s grinning like she’s planning our wedding cake, and Bill and Pamela Ford are looking at me like they’ve never seen me before. Hopefully, I’m exceeding whatever judgment they’re passing.
It’s Wren who gives me the best response, though, coming over to where I’m sitting and gesturing at me to move my book-protective cup. When I do, she climbs into my lap, sitting sideways with her legs over the arm of the chair. She places a quick peck to my cheek and smiles at me in a way that could make the whole world seem perfect even if it was ablaze.
“What was that for?” I ask, ready to repeat whatever it was if it gets me sweet kisses like that.
“For kidnapping me,” she answers easily. And though she smiles as she goes back to reading, her parents and brothers are eyeing me with unspoken, curious threats. One, what does she mean by kidnapping? And two, if I hurt her, the next place I rest my head might be six or ten feet underground via my own crew’s excavator.
But I can take it. For Wren.
“By the way, I’m Bill. This is Pamela,” Wren’s dad says finally.
Shit. I probably should’ve shaken their hands or something, since this time I’m not here as the help. Awkwardly, I lift a hand their way. “Uhm, nice to meet you. Again? I’m Jesse.”
Pamela grins, though, waving a dismissive hand at me. “Oh, we know exactly who you are, dear. And I remember what a help you were for Winston’s wedding. I think we’re just a little surprised at our rather prickly daughter’s reaction to you.”
Instead of seeming put off, she’s smiling like I’m a magician who pulled a rabbit out of a hat.
Wren snaps her fingers and points at the book in her hands, and we all get the message to get back to work.
I look at the index in my chosen book, find the listed page, and start reading. I have no idea what all this legal mumbo jumbo is, but construction shit? I got that part down. Thank fuck, because I’m three books in before I know it, and my eyes are crossing from reading the unfamiliar words and phrases. But Grandpa Joe is snoring loud enough to wake the dead, so at least I’m not the most useless in the room.
Avery is dancing around with baby Joe, trying to put him to sleep like his namesake, while writing on the dry-erase board as we find things to note. “Guys, I think we should try to consolidate this because we’re starting to repeat information.”
Wren looks up, scanning the board quickly. To my dismay, she climbs out of my lap and walks over to the board. “Okay, let’s see here . . .”
What happens next, I can’t describe because Wren, Ben, Bill, and Francine start talking lightning fast with words that are totally part of the English language but make zero sense to me in the order they’re saying them.
At one point, I ask, “Is Chrissy really gonna get the business? I mean, she can wish in one hand and shit in the other, and see which fills up faster, but she’s not really going to get it, is she?”
Wren frowns sadly, filling me in on what I missed by being late. “Jed gave her the keys. He gave in, only arguing for his name. He said it’s so she doesn’t sully his name, but . . .”
Bill pops in. “It’s so he can throw out a new shingle and compete with Chrissy. That’s how he is. He’s going to take whatever money he gets, start a new business, and then take complete and utter glee in driving her into the ground. It’s a way to punish her for daring to question him and leave him.”
Damn. I might say some shit about Hazel, but it’s all in love. Bill talks about his brother with no love lost between them.
“Has anyone else met Lucy?” When everyone shakes their head, I offer, “It was weird. Jed and her were all baby talk and lovey-dovey. Suuuper handsy in the most disgusting of ways. But in a weird way, he seemed . . . happy?”
Bill scoffs. “Yeah, I feel for her, whoever she is. She’s a new plaything he can control.”
“Family drama aside, I need to protect Cold Springs from this. What’s our best play?” Francine poses the question to the room at large, not just the smarties who’ve been talking through legalese like it’s a kiddie book.
“It’s still Jed’s company until the divorce is final. What if we delay it a bit, get those boys back to work, and get Township all sewn up?” Grandpa Joe pipes in, apparently following the conversation despite his snores.