Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“I like all the flavors.” The sexiest smile crossed Boomer’s face. “What’s your specialty?”
Oh, that man could take her breath away. “I’ve got a couple people seem to like. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup is my best seller, but Lemon Lush is a close runner-up.”
Taggart stared Boomer’s way and pointed. “Do not fuck this up. Macon and Ally are in Europe for a month, and the guy covering for them isn’t as good.”
Boomer stepped away, gesturing for her to follow. “I will do my best, boss. Come on, Daphne. I’ll show you where the lounge is.”
“It’s a gulag,” Taggart called out. “My baby girl is right. It’s a prison, and it will teach them about life.”
“He’s a lot.” She bet the boss was fun at parties.
“You have no idea.” Boomer slowed his pace, matching hers. “But he’s also pretty awesome. He’s one of the most generous men I’ve ever met. We really did invade this office, and a couple months later we all worked here. When we went into lockdown during the pandemic, Big Tag and Charlotte made sure all the single people had a family to stay with if they wanted to. Some of the guys hung out together, but some of us were happy to be around a family.”
“I would think you would want to move in with friends.”
“I did. The friends happened to have a couple of kids,” Boomer replied. “When I realized it might be a long time, I decided I would rather be with a family. I could help out more there. I could help with the cooking and watch the kids. I liked being part of a family.”
Her heart softened as she remembered he’d told her his own parents had kicked him out. “I miss it, too. My dad died right before I graduated from college. He’d been sick for a long time, but we still did all the family things. Christmas and Easter and birthdays. Even when he was in hospice care, my mom and I would go and take him cake and a single beer. I miss that. I wish Lou could have had that.”
Even if Dennis had lived, her daughter wouldn’t have had the warm childhood she’d had. Dennis would have bonded with her over puzzles and games, but not the children’s kind. He would have viewed every aspect of her life as a teaching opportunity.
Lou had looked so excited to run off with the Taggart kids. She didn’t have a group of friends she hung out with. Of course she was starting a new school, and it could be hard to fit in when she was so much younger than the other kids.
“Do you ever see your mom? She’s in Florida, right?” Boomer asked.
Daphne stopped because she hadn’t told him anything about her mom. “Did you investigate me?”
His face flushed, and she realized this was not a man who could hide much from anyone. If he was real, everything about Boomer was right there on the surface. “I’m sorry. I didn’t. MaeBe did, but honestly, Big Tag would have ordered it today. I know it seems weird, but…”
Why was she accusing him? He was doing her a massive favor, and now that she thought about it, it was a reasonable thing to do. “You work for a security company and some of your contracts are with the government. I can Google, too. And I did. I’m sorry I reacted like that. I’m afraid I’m on the edge a lot these days. You would be foolish to invite anyone in without at least a simple search. And I don’t see my mom anymore. I don’t even know her phone number. She left after my dad died. I think she went a little crazy, to tell you the truth. She loved him, and she couldn’t handle the fact that he was gone, so she now pretends like nothing matters. I miss her. I miss the mom I had.”
She was not going to cry.
“Hey, it’s okay.” He was moving toward her, his arms opening. And then he stopped.
How long had it been since someone hugged her? Someone who hadn’t come out of her womb. How long had it been since someone had simply seen she could use some warmth and offered her theirs?
He started to close his arms as though he’d remembered his manners and that they weren’t in a place where he knew her well enough to give her a hug. He was a man who wouldn’t care about those rules, but he’d obviously figured out that she did. She was careful. She’d been careful even when she’d been young. She’d never kissed on the first date, waited until she’d gone out with a man at least ten times before moving things forward physically.
What had that gotten her? Yes, she had an amazing daughter, but her marriage had been cold. Maybe it was time to stop following stupid rules and follow her gut. Her every instinct told her this man was the real deal. He was kind and warm and had a basic goodness she hadn’t seen in a long time.