Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 106798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Until today …
While Suzie takes her morning nap (she’s been quite exhausted lately), I clean the guest bathroom and myself. For the past two days, I’ve been as ripe as a brown banana. Someday, when I’m living in a modern penthouse with a well-lit corner for doing custom photo shoots and one of those showers with a slew of shower heads, I will look back on this time in my life and remember how I learned to appreciate the simple things … like body soap and running water.
“Emersyn, what do you know about the cat in the—” Zach opens the bathroom door that I didn’t lock because Suzanne is sleeping, and he’s supposed to be in the sky working.
I should have locked it. I’m an idiot!
“Shit!” I contort my arms to cover my naked bits on full display through the glass shower door.
“What are you …” He turns and takes a step out of the bathroom. “Doing? Why are you cleaning the shower naked?” His voice hits a pitch higher than I’ve ever heard come out of his mouth.
I speed rinse the shampoo from my hair and shut off the water. Grabbing my own towel, I quickly wrap it around my body. “Why are you home?” I say from behind the partially ajar door.
“Canceled flight. Where are your clothes? And what do you know about the cat that was in the shed?”
“Was?” I poke my head around the door, water dripping from my hair.
“Was as in it ran out the second I opened the door. What’s going on, Emersyn?” Zach keeps his back to me.
“What do you mean he ran out? Where did he go?” With total disregard for my single-towel attire, I bolt past him toward the back door. “Harry Pawter? HARRY PAWTER! Come to Mommy!” I race to the shed, but it’s empty. Then I tighten my towel and inspect the beds of vegetables and flowers. My heart hammers.
Yes. I’m about to get fired.
Yes. The neighbors can see me half naked.
Yes. My feet are covered in dirt and grass clippings.
No. I didn’t think I cared this much about my male cat until he ran away.
“HARRY PAWTER!” I skitter toward the side of the house.
“Emersyn!” Zach chases me. “Stop!”
I whip around. “Which way did he go?”
Zach pinches the bridge of his nose, head down like he’s still attempting to be a gentleman. If he were the true gentleman Suzanne paints him to be, he’d help me find Harry Pawter. Instead, he blows a quick breath out of his nose and smirks. Fucking smirks. It’s slightly hidden beneath his tucked chin, but it’s there. And goddammit … this isn’t funny!
“He ran up the tree by the shed,” Zach says, peeking up at me.
“Call 9-1-1.” I march past him.
“I don’t think that’s the best use of emergency resources.” He tails me as I stomp my way toward the tree, eyes squinted against the sun, searching for Harry. “It’s not an actual emergency.”
“Says the guy who doesn’t have his cat stuck in a tree.”
“I don’t have a cat.”
My head swivels to shoot him the stink eye for a few seconds before resuming my search for Harry Pawter. “There he is!” I start to point my finger, but my towel decides to slip a few inches, and I barely catch it before it reaches the point of no return. “Listen …”
Zach's eyebrows form two curious peaks. “Listening …”
I don’t appreciate the amusement on his face. “I’m going to hose off my feet and get dressed. Then, I’m going to get your ladder from the garage. I just need you to keep an eye on him until I get back.”
Pressing his lips together, he returns a slow nod. He’s a little more intimidating in his uniform and tie. “Then we’ll talk about the events that have taken place in the past fifteen minutes?”
I deflate and push a harsh breath out my nose as I brush past him toward the house and the water spigot. “Yeah, yeah … we’ll talk about it.”
By the time I get dressed, Zach already has the ladder leaned against the tree trunk, and he’s at the top grabbing Harry Pawter by the scruff of his neck and pulling him off the branch.
MEOW!
“Harry Pawter doesn’t like being scruffed.”
Zach retreats several steps, dropping Harry Pawter into my waiting arms. “I don’t like coming home to a cat in my shed. So Harry Pawter has bigger concerns than his aversion to scruffing.”
I kiss Harry’s head, and he instantly starts to purr as Zach reaches the ground.
“Your cat?” he asks as if there’s any question by this point.
I nod, nose still nuzzled into Harry’s hair.
“And … why was he in my shed?” Zach questions while lowering the ladder.
“Because …”
Can I quit (like I basically quit Brady) and send Zach a similar text?
Dear Zach and Suzie,