Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“And they’ll expect me to visit more, which is why I thought I’d let them in on this before I leave. I don’t want Mom pulling out her calendar and scheduling monthly visits.”
“Oh, we’re not that bad,” Rob teases.
“Of course you’re not,” I lob back with a grin. “But I want to put some serious effort into this job. Shelley promotes from within, and I could potentially be an agent one day.”
“That’s going to kill Mom and Dad.” Rob squeezes my arm. “You won’t be a real estate agent, but you’ll be a speaker agent.”
I laugh. “Well, it’s an agent, so they’re getting at least half of what they want. But enough about me… tell me why you broke up with Kristin.”
I listen as Rob tells me the same story he’s told me with every girlfriend. She got too serious, he’s not ready to settle down.
Not all that different from Cannon’s boundaries, but for different reasons. Rob just isn’t ready to settle down, and while Cannon enjoys a low-key, monogamous relationship, he’s afraid of the commitment from an emotional standpoint.
Still… the same. Not wanting to take that next step when the girl does, and so it ends.
We head back after about a mile with plans for Rob to come to Pittsburgh to help me pack up and move my stuff with a small U-Haul trailer, since I don’t feel comfortable driving one. I can barely park straight.
When we reach our parents’ house, I notice a car in the driveway. “We expecting anyone?”
“The Gentrys were going to come by sometime today,” he replies, but it could be any one of a dozen different friends of my parents. They are absolute social butterflies.
We enter in through the mudroom and hang our jackets on the rack. I hear voices in the kitchen, and as I head that way, a tingle rushes up my spine. I’m not sure why… maybe just a vibe.
Turning the corner out of the short hallway that connects the mudroom and kitchen, I see Cannon seated at the island with a bottle of water and an empty pie plate with crumbs. My parents are opposite him, both leaning on their forearms, my father regaling Cannon with tales of the real estate market.
Cannon’s eyes snap to mine when I enter, and I halt so abruptly, Rob barrels into me. His hands on my shoulders steady me and then squeeze reflexively when I ask Cannon, “What are you doing here?”
My tone is part surprise, but there’s censure in it as well. Mostly irritation because my heart pounds with joy at seeing him, but I can’t forget he was so unsure of things, he asked for a break.
I’m clearly being impolite as my mom—ever the graceful southern host—chastises me. “Ava… honestly, where are your manners?”
“I left them back in Pittsburgh when Cannon told me he wanted to take a break,” I retort, never taking my gaze off him.
Those hazel eyes of his glitter in challenge. “I took a break, and now I’m done with it.”
“And so you think you can just waltz in here and what… charm your way back into…?” I almost say “my pants” but catch myself just in time.
“I charmed you once,” he says confidently. “Why not again?”
“Ava,” my mom says, and I can tell by the look on her face that whatever short time she just spent with Cannon, she likes him a lot. “He drove through the night from New Jersey to get here as there weren’t any flights.”
Okay, that touches me, but I don’t want it to. I suspect Cannon’s evaluated things and probably wants to make a go of it, as there’s no other reason for him to be here. But I’m going to make him work for it so I can be absolutely sure he’s not going to get wishy-washy on me again.
My eyebrows draw inward as a thought strikes me. “How did you even know where to find me?”
“Sophie told Baden who told me yesterday that you came home for the holiday. I called Brienne after the game. Asked her to use her power to get up with Derek’s boss, who in turn called Derek and provided your parents’ address.” Wow… I bet Derek loved that. “I couldn’t get a flight, so I rented a car and hit the road after the game was over.”
My mom sighs—one of those light, dreamy ones that tells me she thinks that’s completely romantic. For all her dislike of Derek, she seems to have fallen hook, line, and sinker for Cannon already.
Admittedly, he went through a lot of trouble to come here, and yes, fine… I might have some internal sighing going on. Not sure if it’s because I’m charmed or frustrated.
“Who’s Brienne?” my dad asks, finally saying something. “And why does she have a connection to Derek?”
“Brienne’s the owner of the Pittsburgh Titans,” Cannon says. “She’s got connections everywhere.”