Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Where is Chase today?” Sharla asks. “And where’s Lily?”
“They’re together, out at the ranch,” I reply as I unwrap a turkey on rye. I much prefer this to lunch with my parents. “He’s working on his new shop.”
“In the rain?” Ida asks.
“It’s his day off, and he wants to get a start on it.” I shrug and take a bite. “He said he’d keep Lily in the truck as long as it rained so she didn’t get cold. I offered to bring her here, but he wanted to hang out with her today.”
“Am I the only one who thinks it’s the sweetest thing that he’s kind of adopted you and your dog?” Sharla asks with a sigh. “It’s super adorable.”
“I agree. And Lily loves him. Half the time, she’d rather be with him anyway.”
“You can trust a man who’s good with animals,” Ida says with a wise nod. “Animals know who the assholes are. Now, speaking of assholes, why are you going to dinner with Evan?”
“Because I’m going to shut this down, once and for all. Evan claims to understand that we’re just friends, and then he pulls this? No. And my parents can’t just show up here, act like complete snobs, and disrupt my life like that. It’s rude, and it’s disrespectful.”
“So, you’re going to put them all in their place,” Ida says with a proud grin. “Good girl. I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that.”
Surprisingly, the thought of the confrontation doesn’t make me nervous at all. If anything, I’m anxious to get this over with.
“Hey there, beautiful,” Chase says in my ear. I just closed up the shop, and now I’m headed over to Ciao, on foot, because it really did turn into a nice day after the monsoon earlier.
“Hi. How’s it going out there today?”
“It was wet for a while, but the sun came out, and now we’re plugging along. I’ll head home if you’re done.”
“Actually, my parents surprised me today at the shop, and I agreed to meet them for dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. They didn’t tell you they were coming?”
“No, I had no idea, and I’m kind of pissed off at them, actually. They were rude when they stopped by, so I’m going to have a very frank conversation with them.”
“Do you want me to meet you? For moral support?”
God, I love him.
“I don’t want to subject you to that. You do your thing, kiss Lily for me, and I’ll let you know when we’re done.”
“Sounds good. I’ll leave here before dark and head home. If you need a ride, just call me.”
“I won’t be drinking, but thanks. Oh, and we’re going to Ciao, and that doesn’t make me happy because you and I haven’t had a chance to go there yet.”
“It’s just a restaurant, Blondie. It’s fine. We’ll go another time.”
“Okay. Well, I’m here, so I’ll let you go. See you later.”
I hang up, pop my phone into my bag, and walk into the restaurant.
“How can I help you?” the hostess asks.
“I’m meeting three others here. The reservation was probably under Evan.”
“Oh, yes, they’re here. I’ll show you.” She smiles and gestures for me to follow her through the restaurant. It’s cozy in here, with white tablecloths that have parchment paper over them, and it looks like people are drawing on them with crayons.
Then, I notice the artwork on the walls. Some are obviously by kids, but others are beautiful works of art done by adults.
That’s kind of fun.
“Here you go,” she says, after leading me out to the patio seating, and I nod my thanks and then take my seat next to Evan.
“You’re finally here,” he says and leans over to kiss my cheek, as if he’s my boyfriend.
My parents smile at us, and I can just hear their internal dialogue.
“At last, she’s met a nice boy who has political aspirations.”
There’s already garlic bread on the table and a glass of red wine waiting for me. I’m not a lover of red wine, but I take a nice, long sip, making my dad frown. Then I reach for the bread.
“That’s a lot of carbs,” my mom reminds me.
“Thank God.” I eat half the piece in one bite, and my mom firms her jaw. She sent me to etiquette school when I was thirteen and is likely champing at the bit to tell me to behave myself. “So, please, tell me again why you’re here.”
“It’s a surprise,” Evan says and nudges me with his shoulder. “I thought it would be fun, and when your dad told me that they haven’t been to Bitterroot Valley in so many years, I thought they’d like to see the life their daughter has made for herself here.”
“And upon seeing it,” Mom says, “I’m glad we came so we can talk you into moving back to Helena, where you belong.”