Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
After all, I’ve decided to take my stepdaughter out for lunch. I roll up to Herald Enterprises, and fortunately, the receptionist lets me in right away.
“Hi Hunter,” the middle-aged woman coos while batting her eyelashes my way. “How’s business?”
Allentown isn’t big, so everyone knows everyone else.
“Fine,” I say in a neutral tone. “Just picking up Elle for lunch.”
Then, I stride to her office, and luckily, there’s no one else around. I raise my hand to knock on her door, but the curvy brunette sees me and startles.
“How long have you been standing there?” my stepdaughter gasps, her cheeks coloring.
“I just got here,” I reply in a low voice, my eyes narrowed as I study her. Elle looks absolutely ravishing, as usual. The creamy complexion of her skin glows, but the knowledge burrows itself like a knife in my guts because I know it’s because she was serviced last night. By Alex. But she’s beautiful nonetheless, her lips parted slightly as she takes me in, wondering why I’m here. I better make conversation instead of just staring at her like a fool.
“Have you eaten yet?” I ask in a neutral tone. I know I don’t sound exactly warm, but I can’t help it because I’m still twisted up inside about what I saw last night. Even if it makes sense that she’d be into Alex, I still need to clear up the space. I need to talk to her.
“I haven’t eaten,” Elle murmurs with a slight smile. “But I’m starving.”
“Want to get some lunch?” I rumble. It’s clear Elle senses that something’s wrong, but can’t get a read on me because my demeanor is calm and gentle. Yet there’s something simmering just below the surface that I can’t hide, and my stepdaughter knows it.
“Sure,” she says in a trembling voice, belying her nerves. “But aren’t you working today, Hunter?” she asks, picking up her purse from the floor and putting her computer screen to sleep. “You’re dressed nice.”
“Nope, no work,” I answer curtly, not offering any further information. I can’t muster anything more than that. Not until I get Elle alone because once that happens, the words are going to start pouring out in a torrent. I put my hand on her lower back as we walk down the hallway to the exit.
“Where are we going?” my stepdaughter asks as we enter the parking lot. I steer her to my truck.
“I got us some burgers and milkshakes,” I rumble. “I’m taking you for a picnic.”
Elle shoots me a surprised look.
“Really?” she asks, nonplussed. “Okay, thanks. I guess.”
I ignore her puzzlement.
“You’ll love it,” I growl. “It’s good weather, so it’s the perfect day for a picnic.”
Still, Elle’s suspicious as she gets into the truck, although she tries not to show it. I don’t blame her, frankly.
“Um, okay,” she says. “Where are we going?”
“Twin Creek,” I grunt in reply, before getting into the truck myself.
“Oh, I love Twin Creek!” she squeals. “And you’re right. It is a perfect day for a picnic.” She leans back in the passenger seat with a sigh of contentment as I start up the vehicle. Twin Creek is a pretty little river just outside of Allentown, with a park attached to it. The water is surrounded by weeping willows and it’s got a few cute little benches. I haven’t been there in years, but it’s the perfect place to eat and find out what’s going on.
I’m silent the fifteen-minute drive to the river, and I can tell that Elle’s wondering why, but she thinks better of asking me. Then, when we pull up by the water and I park my truck by one of the benches, Elle gasps when she sees Twin Creek. I have to admit, it’s even more beautiful than I remember. We should come out here more often because it resembles a movie set, with the sun sparkling off the water and dappled trees shaking their fronds in the gentle breeze. I help Elle down from the height of my truck and she smiles at the magnolias in full bloom. Heck, the warm spring air is heavy with the scent of blossoms, and the little river gurgles, as if welcoming us. Immediately, my stepdaughter is drawn to sit on the little bench, and I follow her curvy form. I’m glad she’s happy about our location. Even better, it’s the middle of the day on a Wednesday, so there’s no one else around.
I take out a paper bag with our burger and milkshakes and join her on the bench, handing her a burger.
“Thanks,” Elle says, and dives right in, enjoying it. “This is a nice surprise,” she says between bites. “I was starting to get worried about you, Hunter.”
“Oh yeah?” I grunt, swallowing a mouthful of burger. “Why’s that?”
“Well,” she starts, hesitating. “After the other night, when you left my room,” she whispers, and I can tell she’s trembling slightly at the memory. “Well, I didn’t hear from you all the next day, Hunter. I really wanted to talk to you, but then you didn’t come home. Where were you?”