Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29658 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29658 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
“I like this.” Her eyes stay locked with mine. They are even bluer than I remember them being. Everything about her is so much more. When I started down the road of my obsession with her it was more about finding her and making sure she was okay. As I got older it started to change. My brother is always saying I’m fucking nuts. Maybe I am.
“You should do a honey mustard dip for the corndog.” She lifts one and brings it to her mouth. She lets out a small moan as she eats it. I’ll never make it through this if she keeps making sounds like that. It’s been so fucking hard staying away from her. I didn't want to come on too strong and scare her, so I started off texting. I might have driven by a few times too. “I’m a sucker for dips.”
“Me too.” I pick up one of the fried mac and cheese balls and bring it to her mouth. A small smile pulls at her lips, but she opens for me, taking a bite.
“Another winner.”
“I really love the idea of having finger foods at the benefit and all of them being comfort foods. This is about raising money for children in need.”
“I’ve been thinking about that some too.” She tucks her feet under her. “What if instead of doing it in one of the lodge’s ballrooms you do it outside? Turn it into a fair.”
“Hmm.” I pretend to ponder the idea, even though I already know I’m going to do it. If that’s what she wants to do, I’m more than down for that. “I think I would need some help.”
“I’m totally down to help however I can.” She gives a small bounce. I’m noticing she does that when she gets excited. Her whole face lights up. She could ask me for anything, and I’d gladly give it to her if she keeps looking at me like that.
“All right,” I agree and offer her another bite. It doesn't take us long to get through everything.
“It was all so good.” She falls backwards and looks up at the ceiling. Her shirt rises up a bit, letting me see part of her stomach. “I’ll never be able to move again.”
“I know we just ate all this food, but if we’re doing a fair theme, I think there would be booths with cotton candy and funnel cakes.”
“Meat on a stick!” she adds. I have no clue what meat on a stick is, but I’m sure I can figure it out. “You know I never got to do the fair thing when I was younger. My parents always thought the rides were dangerous and they worried about all of the germs with my compromised immune system.” I make a promise to myself right then and there that I will help her experience all the things she missed when she was younger.
“Then we’ll have to make sure we go all out. We don’t want your first fair to be a dud.”
She rolls to her side, propping her head up on her hand. “They never wanted me to go to the beach either. It’s why I moved to Kissme Bay.”
“They worried about you. I’m sure it was hard for them.”
“It was. I love them, but I survived and now I want to really live. Why did you move out here?”
“It was time to slow down. All I did was work. I guess I wanted to live too.” That makes her smile. That adorable dimple forms in her cheek.
“What about a family? You’re in your thirties, right?”
“You haven't googled me yet?” Her eyes go wide like she hadn't thought of that, making me chuckle. “Marriage is something I want. Kids too. Maybe a kitten.”
“A kitten.” She sits up. “Not a dog?”
“Nah. Definitely a kitten.”
“I've always wanted a kitten too.”
“What about you? Marriage and babies in the cards for you?” Her smile falters for a moment. She gives a small shrug.
“Fall in love is the last thing on my bucket list.” Does that mean what I think it means?
“You’ve never been in love?” She shakes her head, sending her sandy blond hair flying.
“You?”
“My only passion has been my job. I’ve put everything else on the back burner.” She reaches out and snags my hand.
“Don’t downplay your work. Glory told me some about you. You’ve done some amazing things for the medical field. I’m sure you’ve saved a lot of lives.” She lets go of my hand. I want to snatch hers back.
“Thank you.” She hops up and starts gathering our containers. I help her.
“You want to go for a walk on the beach? I think my stomach needs it.” She turns around, almost running right into me. I’m crowding her space. I can’t help myself. The pull to her is so strong.
“I would love that.” I’d walk over broken glass if it meant spending more time with her. She peeks up at me through her lashes, that innocence of hers shining through. I want to lean down and kiss her, but I stop myself.