Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 76000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Enough,” I say. “You won’t speak to her like that. Your business plan is done. Pack up your shit and get the hell out of here.”
“Or what?”
“Or you and I can take it outside and I’ll show you exactly or what. Do you think you don’t have a dozen cell phones recording you right now? I’m pretty sure that your threats have warranted a call to the cops, and June’s brother is the cops. And in case you missed it, no one’s going to sell to you, not now that the whole town knows what you planned to do here. You’ve been blacklisted in Huckleberry Bay, man. Go find another town to terrorize. It won’t work here.”
He wants to punch me. I can see it in his eyes as they burn with fury, and I wish he’d try it, because I’d have him knocked out and on the floor in a fucking heartbeat.
Instead, he marches away and out the door.
“Before you say anything”—I sit back down and hold my hands up—“I know that you had that handled. You’re a badass, and you don’t need me sticking my nose in, but if you think I’ll sit here while anyone speaks to you that way, you don’t know me very well.”
She starts to speak, but then clears her throat. “Okay. Well, I guess that confrontation was going to happen sooner or later. Do you think he’ll leave town?”
“He’d be stupid to stay after threatening you like at. If anyone had still been willing to sell to him, which no one was, they won’t be once they find out about what he just said.”
“Good. He’s a jerk, and we don’t want him here.”
“Agreed.”
“Your lunch is on the house, honey,” Sunny says as she sets our baskets in front of us. “If someone has to deal with the likes of that, they should get a free meal. Enjoy.”
“Thanks! Free cheeseburgers taste even better,” June says with a grin, and Sunny heads to her next table as June’s eyes find mine. “And thank you, too. That was kind of hot, actually. You didn’t even have to touch him, and he was scared of you.”
“He was pissed off more than anything.”
“No, I think if you’d raised your fist, he would have pissed himself. Does it make me a bad person that I kind of wish that had happened?”
“Maybe a little vindictive, but not bad.”
Chapter Thirteen
June
“Show us what you’re painting now,” I suggest to Sarah. She invited Luna and me over to have appetizers for dinner and some drinks, and I admit, I needed some girl time. “You know how much I love your art.”
“Oh, I have some really fun projects in the works,” Sarah replies, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “Come on out to the studio, and I’ll show you.”
She grabs a bottle of wine and three glasses, but I hold up my hand.
“You know, my stomach hasn’t been great the past few days, so I think I’ll just drink water tonight.”
“Oh no, did you eat something off?” Luna asks as Sarah returns one wine glass to the cabinet and pulls a bottle of water out of the fridge.
“It’s either that or stress. I’ve been working my ass off on the chapel over the past few weeks, but Thanksgiving is this week, and I’m not even close to being done.”
I follow them out of Sarah’s back door, across the patio, and over to the guesthouse where Sarah has her art studio set up.
Earlier this year, she had been living in the space, having rented it from Tanner, but when she moved into the main house, Tanner set her up out here with a really kick-ass studio.
It makes sense because Tanner owns an art gallery, and he understands how important it is to Sarah to have her own space to create.
“It’s so cool in here.” They removed all the furniture out of the living room, there’s an easel set up in one corner, and there are canvases leaning against the walls all around the room. Some are empty, waiting for Sarah to work her magic on them, and others are covered in gorgeous colors.
“It helps to have a working kitchen and bathroom out here. Tanner even insisted that I keep the bed in the bedroom in case I wanted to take a nap. You guys, I never could have even dreamed that I’d end up with a place like this.”
“It’s pretty damn sweet,” Luna agrees with a nod as she takes in the different pieces. “I love this one.”
She’s standing in front of the canvas on the easel. It’s a seascape with moody clouds and choppy waves, and there’s a whale’s tail coming up out of the water. The sand is sprinkled with crystals and starfish, and it looks as if you could walk right into it.